A Fateful Day in Nanjing

November 1, 1935 began as an ordinary day for political ceremony in Nanjing. The Kuomintang (KMT) was holding its Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee at the party headquarters on Hunan Road. Following the morning’s opening ceremony, tradition dictated that Central Committee members would gather for a group photograph outside the Central Political Conference Hall.

The scene was one of controlled chaos – officials jostled for position in the five-row arrangement, with the most prominent figures taking their places in the front. The center seat remained conspicuously empty, reserved for Chiang Kai-shek. When the Generalissimo failed to appear, Wang Jingwei, then head of the Executive Yuan, went to summon him, only to return alone with the message that Chiang felt unwell and would skip the photo session.

As flashbulbs popped and officials began dispersing, history took a dramatic turn. From the press corps emerged a man who shouted “Punish the traitors!” before firing three shots from a concealed pistol. Wang Jingwei collapsed in a pool of blood, beginning one of Republican China’s most intriguing political dramas.

The Attack and Immediate Aftermath

The assassination attempt triggered remarkable scenes of both bravery and suspicion. Elder statesman Zhang Ji, then 53, became the unlikely hero by tackling the gunman despite the obvious danger. Young marshal Zhang Xueliang, drawing on his martial arts training, assisted in subduing the assailant. The chaotic response revealed much about the political tensions of the era – Wang’s bodyguard fired questionable shots at the already restrained attacker, while Chiang Kai-shek’s delayed appearance fueled conspiracy theories.

Wang’s wife Chen Bijun openly accused Chiang of orchestrating the attack, forcing the Generalissimo into an awkward position. His immediate order to keep the assassin alive at all costs reflected both political necessity and personal frustration. The would-be killer had become Chiang’s best chance to prove his innocence.

The Man Behind the Gun

The wounded assailant was soon identified as Sun Fengming, a reporter for Nanjing’s Chenguang News Agency. His background revealed a complex political journey. Born in 1905 to a poor Jiangsu family, Sun had joined the nationalist 19th Route Army after the 1931 Mukden Incident. This unit, known for both its anti-Japanese stance and opposition to Chiang, shaped Sun’s political consciousness.

After leaving military service, Sun fell in with a group of anti-Chiang activists led by Hua Kezhi, a former left-wing KMT member. Their organization, operating under the news agency cover, had actually planned to assassinate Chiang Kai-shek on three previous occasions before settling on Wang as an alternative target during the November plenum.

A Mission of Sacrifice

Sun’s commitment to his cause was absolute. Before the attack, he had sent his wife to Hong Kong and participated in a farewell banquet where he distributed personal belongings – clear signs he expected to die. His final words to his interrogators – that his only master was his conscience – became legendary among Chinese nationalists.

The aftermath was brutal. Over 200 suspected accomplices were arrested, many tortured or executed. Sun’s wife Cui Zhengyao was captured after returning from Hong Kong to help imprisoned friends, enduring torture without confession before her execution. Only Hua Kezhi escaped, later joining the Communist Party and surviving to rehabilitate Sun’s memory decades later.

The Bullet’s Long Shadow

The third bullet fired by Sun remained lodged in Wang’s spine, causing chronic pain and eventual paralysis. Its removal in 1943 led to complications that likely contributed to Wang’s death in 1944. The projectile became symbolic of how the attack haunted both men – one physically, the other politically.

For Wang, the shooting marked a turning point in his controversial career. Already seen by some as too accommodating toward Japan, his later collaboration with Japanese occupiers would cement his reputation as a traitor in Chinese historiography. Ironically, the man who shot him became celebrated as a patriot.

Legacy of an Assassination Attempt

The 1935 incident reveals much about Republican China’s turbulent politics. It demonstrated the persistence of anti-Chiang factions, the blurred lines between patriotism and treason, and how individual actions could shape national narratives. Sun Fengming’s eventual recognition as an anti-Japanese hero in 1987 completed a remarkable historical rehabilitation, while Wang’s reputation followed the opposite trajectory.

The story endures as a powerful metaphor about the cyclical nature of political violence and how historical judgment can transform villains into heroes and vice versa. Both men – the assassin and his target – became trapped in roles they never entirely chose, their fates intertwined by three gunshots on a Nanjing morning.