Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management ISSN: 2766-824X | Vol. 3, No. 3, 2022 149 Wang Yanan and the Complex of DAS Kapital Qianshen Guo* School of Marxism, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, Guangdong, China Abstract: Economist Wang Yanan is one of the translators of the full Chinese translation of Das Kapital. Wang Yanan and Guo Dali became attached to Das Kapital at the Great Buddha Temple by chance because of their high level of English, the same interests and coincidences. In order to pass the language barrier of translating "Das Kapital", accumulate knowledge of classical political economy and increase the perceptual understanding of the capitalist system, Wang Yanan traveled eastward to Japan and went to England, Germany and other countries. After co-translating "Das Kapital", Wang Yanan used the knowledge structure of "Das Kapital" to investigate and analyze Chinese society, and wrote "The Principles of Chinese Economy". Since then, Wang Yanan has studied Das Kapital from a holistic, partial and critical perspective. Wang Yanan spent his entire life in the translation, research, dissemination and application of Das Kapital. Wang Yanan's complex with "Das Kapital" has left a scholar's spirit of concentration, hard study, integration of theory with practice, and knowledge gained through discussion to scientific researchers. Keywords: Wang Yanan, Das Kapital, Complex, Scholar Spirit. 1. Introduction Wang Yanan is one of the translators of Marx's three volume Chinese translation of capital. The publication of the Chinese version of Das Kapital plays a very important role in the dissemination of Marxism in China. Wang Yanan had an indissoluble bond with Das Kapital from his determination to translate Das Kapitall to his death. Wang Yanan has been engaged in the work related to capital all his life, making friends with Das Kapital, translating Das Kapitall, using capital and studying Das Kapital. 2. Get Acquainted with Das Kapital In 1928, Guo Dali invited Wang Yanan, who was 27 years old at that time, to translate Das Kapital together in Hangzhou. Guo strongly invited Wang Yanan to translate Das Kapital for the following three reasons: First, Wang Yanan's English is good. Wang Yannan majored in education and minored in English when he was studying in the university. He also worked as an English teacher in the Middle School.To translate Das Kapital, good English is one of the conditions. Many of Marx's works are written in English or have been translated into English. Although Marx's capital was written in German. However, the version that spread to China was in English. At that time, Guo Dali's capital was in English. Second, coincidence. After the failure of the great revolution, Wang Yanan left the northern expedition. Because he didn't find a job, he stayed in Hangzhou and borrowed the big Buddha Temple. he wanted to write a novel to earn some royalties, but when the novel was written about the great revolution, there was no way to write it. In other words, Wang Yanan wrote novels in the Great Buddha Temple. Guo Dali graduated from university in 1927 and taught in a middle school in Shanghai. He was fired during the winter vacation. he wanted to go back to my hometown in Gannan, Jiangxi Province. Because I didn't have enough travel expenses and I didn't have a job, He gave up the idea of returning home. He came to Hangzhou just to find a quiet, easy to read and less expensive environment. The Great Buddha Temple is such a good place to go. Therefore, in 1928, the two met and met at the Great Buddha Temple. After several long talks throughout the night, Guo vigorously invited Wang Yanan to translate Das Kapital together. After reading several pages of the manuscript of Das Kapital translated by Guo Dali, Wang Yanan felt that Guo Dali's translation level was high, so he agreed to translate Das Kapital together and gave up his plan of novel writing. In order to translate Das Kapital well, they have formulated a plan to translate world economic masterpieces, which is expected to take 6 to 8 years. Third, have the same interests. First of all, they all embraced the idea of revolution. When Wang Yanan was working as an English teacher, Dong Biwu also served as the head of the Party and Government Training Office for teachers of primary and secondary schools in Wuhan. Wang Yanan often went to Dong Biwu's classes and received the enlightenment of progressive thinking. After graduating from college in 1927, Wang Yanan taught for a few months at the private Chengcheng Middle School in Wuchang. Due to the civil war, Chengcheng Middle School was closed. Wang Yanan went to Changsha to join the Northern Expedition Army under the introduction of fellow countryman Wang Zhongyou, and served as a political instructor in the army.Guo Dali studied at the Department of Philosophy at Daxia University (the predecessor of East China Normal University). During this time, he began to dabble extensively in social science writings, came into contact with Marxism, and taught and received revolutionary ideas. The red regime had been established in Jinggangshan, close to his hometown. He felt that as a passionate young man, he had to contribute to the revolution, so he decided to introduce Das Kapital, a great work in the treasury of Marxist theory, to the Chinese people.Second, they both value their time. The story of Wang Yanan sleeping on a "triple bed". When Wang Yanan was a child, he was ambitious and loved to read. When he was in middle school, in order to compete for more time to study, he specially turned his wooden bed into a "triple bed". The reason Guo Dali came to the Great Buddha Temple in Hangzhou was just to study and to cherish the time. Again, they are all educated youth. Wang Yanan and Guo Dali both graduated from college. Wang Yanan studied at the Department of Education of Wuchang Zhonghua University (the predecessor of Huazhong Normal University) in 1923. 150 Guo Dali entered Xiamen University in 1923 to study chemistry, then transferred to Shanghai Daxia University to study philosophy, and began to study Marxism. To translate "Das Kapital", one must have knowledge reserves. 3. Co translation of Das Kapital 3.1. Learn German and Japanese and Pass the Language Test for the Translation of Das Kapital Wang Yanan was supported by his friend Fang Dagong and went to Japan for further study at the end of 1928. Wang Yanan studied Marxist political economics in Tokyo and read a large number of Marxist works and European classical economics. On the one hand, he began to translate bourgeois classical economics, on the other hand, he studied German and Japanese, which laid the foundation for the translation of Marx's Das Kapital. When he was in Japan, there was an old lady next to his house who could speak German. He humbly asked her for advice every day. That's how he learned German. He returned to Shanghai from Europe through Japan in 1935 and lived in Japan for a total of four years. Marx wrote Das Kapital in German. To translate it, you must understand German. At that time, the research level of Japanese on Marxism, especially capital, was higher than that of China, so it was very necessary to refer to the Japanese version of capital, which was also the reason why Wang Yanan came to Japan to study. 3.2. The Translation of British Classical Political Economy Works Lays the Political Economy Foundation for the Smooth Translation of Das Kapital Due to the encyclopedic works of Das Kapital, there is no way to complete the direct translation of Das Kapital at the beginning. The direct theoretical source of capital is British classical political economy. Marx's labor value theory inherits and develops the labor value theory of Adam Smith and David Ricardo in English classical political economics. The representatives of British classical political economy are William Petty, Adam Smith and David Ricardo. Therefore, before translating Das Kapital, it is the best choice to first translate the works of British classical political economy. In 1929, Wang Yanan and Guo vigorously cooperated in the translation of Adam Smith's wealth of nations. In 1930, Wang Yanan independently translated the history of land rent thought by Gao zisu of Japan. Understanding the history of land rent thought is conducive to understanding the relevant knowledge of differential land rent in Das Kapital. In 1932, they co translated David Ricardo's principles of economics and taxation, which made them famous at one stroke. In 1933, Wang Yanan began to translate Knight's European economic history.To translate into Chinese accurately, we should not only have exquisite Chinese expression ability, but also have profound theoretical cultivation and profound knowledge accumulation. Wang Yanan and Guo vigorously translated six famous works of economics and economic history before Marx, including Adam Smith's wealth of nations and Ricardo's principles of economics and taxation, in eight years in strict accordance with their plan formulated at the Great Buddha Temple in Hangzhou, opening a channel for the full translation of capital. 3.3. A Study of the Capitalist System In Western Europe, With A View to Enhancing the Perceptual Understanding of the Translation of DAS Kapital In 1933, Wang Yanan was wanted by the Kuomintang because of the "Fujian incident", so he had to take refuge in Europe. Following the pace of Marx, Wang Yanan lived in Germany and Britain for more than a year, deeply investigated the capitalist system in Western Europe, extensively collected the struggle deeds of revolutionary mentor Marx and Engels, and continued to write and translate economics. To translate Das Kapital, we need not only a deep rational understanding of the capitalist system, such as the background of the times and the capitalist mode of production, but also a perceptual understanding of Marx, the author of Das Kapital. 3.4. Official Translation of Das Kapital At the end of 1935, Wang Yanan returned to Shanghai and met Guo Dali again. They talked about their experiences in Europe. They officially began to translate Das Kapital. According to the German original, referring to the Japanese translation and the first part that has been translated and published in China, they translated the full text of Das Kapital as widely as possible. In 1938, the hard work of Wang Yanan and Guo Dali finally came to fruition: the three volume Chinese translation of capital, the cornerstone of Marxism, was finally published. It has been ten years since the translation of Das Kapital at Hangzhou Buddhist temple in 1928 to the publication of the Chinese translation of Das Kapital in 1938. The publication of the full translation of the three volumes of Marx's great work capital in 1938 is a milestone in the systematic dissemination of Marx's economic theory in China. Das Kapital is recognized as a great and profound work, but before that, there has been no complete translation in China. 4. Using Das Kapita Wang Yanan has made remarkable achievements in teaching and educating people, academic activities and scientific research and writing in Sun Yat sen University, which is reflected in the use of the knowledge of capital to study Chinese problems. In 1940, Sun Yat sen University moved from Chengjiang, Yunnan to Pingshi, Lechang, Guangdong. At the invitation of Xu Chongqing, President of Sun Yat sen University, Wang Yanan came to Pingshi, Guangdong Province in September 1940 as professor and Dean of the Department of economics of Sun Yat sen University, teaching courses such as higher economics, Chinese economic history and history of economic thought. Wang Yanan spent more than four important years of his academic career in Pingshi. Wang Yanan summed up his own academic path: before 1940, he "although published some things about economics, he established his own theoretical system with my own thoughts, sentences and writing methods, and extended it to all social sciences according to this system, but it obviously began after CUHK." [2] Wang Yanan's Q & A, teaching, academic exchange and democratic politics in Sun Yat sen University are of great significance to understand the qualitative leap in the development of his academic thought.From about 1940, Wang Yanan began to systematically and comprehensively use the structure, system, law and category of Marx's capital to investigate and analyze 151 the economy of old China. In Das Kapital, Marx began with commodity analysis and successively analyzed the categories of money, capital, surplus value, wages, capital accumulation, capital circulation and economic crisis. Wang Yanan analyzed the economic categories of goods, money, capital, interest, interest, wages, land rent and economic panic in China's semi colonial and semi feudal society. Finally, he investigated the tendency of economic development under China's semi colonial and semi feudal economic relations. The results show that old China belongs to the economic form of semi feudal and semi colonial. The original theory of China's economy is the result of this investigation, which deeply reveals the law of China's semi colonial and semi feudal economic movement for the first time. Therefore, the original theory of China's economy is known as China's capital. It also has Japanese and Russian versions. The other is the study of the former semi feudal economic form of China, and the other is the study of the former semi feudal economic form of China. These works have their own unique and incisive views on the commodity economy theory, capital theory, profit interest theory and economic crisis theory of old China, and form a complete economic theory system. In order to maintain the correct view that modern old China was a semi feudal and semi colonial society, he made a scientific and systematic theoretical analysis. This is of great significance for understanding the nature, object and strategic strategy of China's new democratic revolution. It is an outstanding contribution to the theory of new democratic revolution. The original theory of China's economy and the outline of the feudal system of China's landlord economy study the economic foundation of old China. The study of Chinese bureaucratic politics studies the political superstructure of old China. In the 1940s, Wang Yanan published the outline of economic science, the Chinese economic treatise and other works, proposing the establishment of "Chinese economics". He said: "in theory, although there is only one economics in each country, in application, economics is not the same for any country" [3], because "any society, its natural conditions and thus its historical conditions cannot be exactly consistent with other societies" [4]. Therefore, the study of China's economic problems "can not apply ready-made formulas like a map" [5], and apply them like cutting feet to suit shoes ". He urged Chinese economic theorists to pay attention to the study of China's national conditions and combine the principles of Marxism with the specific practice of China's social economy. 5. Study Das Kapita Wang Yanan really studied capital systematically in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At that time, he published a series of articles, the main content of which was to make an in-depth analysis from the era background, historical tasks, research objects and methods, structure and system, historical achievements and other aspects of capital, and refute the criticism of capital by contemporary bourgeois economics and modern revisionism in combination with the experience of studying and studying capital, He put forward his own views on the hot topics debated in the economic circles at that time. The works of this period were organized and integrated by the Institute of economics of Xiamen University. The book "Research on capital" was published by Shanghai People's Publishing House in 1973. Wang Yanan's study of capital can be roughly divided into three situations: holistic research, local research and critical research. 5.1. Holistic Research Holistic research refers to Wang Yanan’s research on the background, historical task, object structure and system, and historical achievement of capital. In 1963, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Marxism’s death, he published his paper capital and its historical background and class mission. In 1964, he published a paper, capital is a model of political economy, but also a model of class studies In 1960-1961, he published a series of four papers: “On the influence of the general structure, dialectics and its system on the study of political economy”. [4] he published the following papers on how to Study Das Kapital: 1959 on the purpose and requirements of our current research on Das Kapital; 1960 on how we should study DAS Kapital; In 1961, the study and application of capital and in 1961, he wrote in front of capital and popular lectures. “The method of capital”(1962) ; “Restudy of the method of capital”(1963) . 5.2. Local Research The local research refers to Wang Yanan’s systematic and brief introduction of the main points of the first, second and third volumes of DAS kapital. In view of the method of studying the first volume of DAS Kapital, he published the following papers: 1961’s DAS Kapital & GT; systematic understanding of the first volume; in 1962, the materialism of history and the methodology of the Marxian Economics: A few prefaces and postscripts of the first volume of Capital & GT; in 1964, the Theory of Capital & GT; the summary of the first volume and its problems;In view of the methods of studying the second volume of DAS Kapital, he published the following papers: (1) DAS Kapital & GT; (2) systematic understanding of the second volume; (2) Das Kapital & GT; (3) Das Kapital & GT; (3) the summary of the second volume and its problems;In view of the methods of studying the third volume of DAS Kapital, he published the following papers: The systematic understanding of the third volume of DAS Kapital, the comprehensive systematic understanding of the third volume of DAS Kapital, 1962 Study & Lt; Capital & GT; some noticeable problems in Volume III, 1964; 5.3. Critical Research Critical research refers to Wang Yanan’s critical study of contemporary bourgeois economics and modern Revisionism’s criticism of DAS kapital. These include on & Lt; on Capital & GT; on the question of whether there is any reality to the stage of capitalist monopoly; on the new attitude of Contemporary Bourgeois Economists Toward & GT; on Capital; and on the question of applying & GT; on Capital & GT; on the system to study the socialist part of the political economy. Taking Wang ya-nan s capital as an example, this paper criticizes the outmoded theory of capital. Wang Yanan pointed out that, “Das Kapital is not outdated, it is a great work concerning the fate of mankind: Because of DAS Kapital, the historical materialism has changed from a scientific hypothesis to a universal truth, from a Utopian socialism to a scientific one, and the proletariat has become a revolutionary class of its own and a vanguard of human liberation. [5] 6. Enlightenment to Scientific Research Workers Wang Yanan and “Das kapital”complex, to the scientific research workers left a valuable scholar spirit. 152 First, dedicated. Concentration means concentration and concentration. Scientific Research is an extremely serious undertaking that requires careful observation and documentation, logical analysis and reasoning, and repeated verification. Some scientific research projects involve many factors and take a long time to produce results. Because of the special nature of scientific research work, the staff engaged in scientific research must have the spirit of concentration.Whether it was Wang Yanan who spent ten years translating DAS Kapital, also in the 1940s, Guangdong Pingshi National Sun Yat-sen University wrote three representative works, the economic principles of China, the study of Chinese bureaucracy, and the outline of the economic feudalism of Chinese landlords, in the 1950s and 1960s, he was engaged in the translation, research, dissemination and application of “Das Kapital”. Concentration is an essential element of scientific research workers. Second, study hard. A great deal of scientific literature needs to be followed up and read, and to be studied and thought over. A great deal of scientific research needs to be devoted to observation and practice. Studying hard is one of the essential elements for scientific researchers. The story of Wang Yanan who slept on the “Three-legged bed”before shows that he studied hard. This quality can also be seen in the body-size results of his writings.Wang Yanan studied hard in college and posted a note next to his study desk in his dorm room. It said, “Visitors can talk for 10 minutes. If you have more time, please excuse us.”[6]. After founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China, when he was headmaster, his energy to study still kept up. Every time I go out for a meeting, I always take a box of books with me. Wang Yanan pointed out in “Talk to young teachers about how to study”that, “Under normal circumstances, I usually get up at four or five in the morning, study theoretical books, stick to a regular work and life, not easy to change for decades. In the case of business trips, surprise work, I adapt to the new situation and make other arrangements accordingly, to ensure that in any case, every day can be set aside a certain amount of time to study[7]p49 Third, theory should be combined with practice. Wang ya- nan pointed out that the theory “Can not be separated from the objective reality, is the subjective reality of the most concentrated, the most general role, the most real embodiment.”. [8] Wang Yanan’s representative work, the theory of the Chinese economy, is an example of using the structure, system, law and category of Das Kapital to inspect and analyze the integration of theory with practice in old China. He also urged that “Economics should be studied from the standpoint of the Chinese”[9] . He believed that economics was a practical science that should face the reality of China and make Marxian Economics Chinese. He advocated the establishment of “Chinese economics”. He believed that we should not treat theory with dogmatism, disregard the actual situation and copy it mechanically.Wang Yanan's critical research is also the performance of integrating theory with practice. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Why should theory and practice be related but not separated from each other? Because theory is generated from practice, whether the theory is correct must be tested by practice and must be enriched and developed in practice; at the same time, theory can only be related to Only by being closely connected with reality can it play a guiding role in practice and realize its own value and significance.”[10] The connection between theory and practice is the soul of scientific research. Fourth, Gain knowledge through discussion. Discuss is the "foreign aid" of scientific research and the assistant of scientific research. It is difficult to achieve good scientific research results by doing scientific research alone. Discussing and discussing difficulties is an important way of academic communication. Wang Yanan not only advocates it, but also does it. He consulted with friends, colleagues, students and other scholars. Wang Yanan and his close friend Guo Dali, when translating, publicizing and researching "Das Kapital", often "discussed and discussed difficulties, and sometimes even fought over how to translate a term more accurately"[11]. There are many places where Wang Yanan's research results are directly and indirectly lost to Guo Dali. When Wang Yanan was at Sun Yat-sen University, he often had discussions with colleagues such as Hu Tiqian, Liang Shuming and Zhu Qianzhi. Wang Yanan thanked the above colleagues for their contributions in the preface of "China's Economic Principles". Wang Yanan's books such as "Economic Science", "China Economics", "China's Economic Principles" and other books are all inspired by students' doubts. He said, "Many of these propositions were also mentioned by everyone when I was teaching at CUHK, which led to the results of my further research."[7]p230 British scholar Joseph Needham visited Wang Yanan in Pingshi, Guangdong, hoping that Wang Yanan would discuss China's Bureaucracy makes a historical and social explanation. In the following five years, Wang Yanan conducted in-depth thinking and research on this issue, and finally formed the book "Research on Chinese Bureaucracy". Acknowledgment This work was financially supported by Fund Project: the 2020 Guangdong Higher Education Teaching Reform Project "Research on excavating and using the educational historical resources in northern and southern Guangdong to build the 'five systems' of Ideological and political education in Colleges and universities" (Project No. 528) and the 2020 Shaoguan philosophy and social science planning project. Wang Yanan and the research complex of capital (Project No. j20200). References [1] Zhou Yuanliang and Hu Peizhao: A Brief Biography of Wang Yanan [J], "Jinyang Journal", 1980 (3): 81-85. [2] Wang Yanan: "An Open Letter to Students from the Economics Department of Sun Yat-sen University" [N], in "Daily Forum", November 1946 [3] Wang Yanan: "Wang Yanan Collected Works" [M], Volume 1. Fuzhou: Fuzhou Education Press, 1987: 489-490. [4] Wang Yanan: Selected Works of Wang Yanan [M], Vol. 2, Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 2007: 525-582. [5] Wang Yanan: "Das Kapital is such a great book that affects the destiny of mankind" [J], "Academic Monthly" 1959 (1): 1=6. [6] Gan Minzhong, Lin Qiquan: "A Brief Biography of Wang Yanan" [J], "Party History Materials and Research", 1987 (4): 22-31 [7] Lin Jian. Frost Leaf Red in February Flowers: Wang Yanan's Essays and Letters [M]. Xiamen: Xiamen University Press, 2020. [8] Wang Yanan: "Economic Sciences" M], Gan County: China Zhengqi Publishing House, 1943: 38. 153 [9] Xia Mingfang, Yang Shuangli: "Library of Modern Chinese Thinkers (Wang Yanan Volume)" [M], Renmin University of China Press, 2015:6. [10] Writing group: "Ideological Guide and Action Program for Unswervingly Combating Corruption" [M], Beijing: People's Publishing House, 2018: 274. [11] Lin Jian: "The Biography of Wang Yanan" [M], Xiamen: Xiamen University Press 2021: 347. [12] Zhang Fujun. Research on the performance plan of incentive and fair balance in public institutions [J]. Research on Modern State-owned Enterprises, 2018(14):109.