Chongqing in September 1938. Hu Feng stayed for a year in Guilin from March 1942 to March 1943, and returned to Chongqing after then. In 1945, Hu Feng became the chief-editor of the magazine Hope (). After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Hu Feng became a member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, a member of the China Writers Association, and a member of the First National People's Congress of China. During this time, he wrote the poem Time Has Begun (), which is a lengthy historical epic celebrating the founding of the PRC. Political persecution Hu Feng's literary theory often conflicted with those of Chinese Communists such as Zhou Yang and of Mao Zedong, especially on the issue of "National Form" (). Ruth Y.Y. Hung observed that, "For Hu, any type of formulism in general, and traditional and popular national forms specifically, derived from a Confucius 'ruling-class' ethic and had no prerogative claim on New Poetry." In the 1940s and 1950s, Hu Feng's theory was criticized frequently. In 1951, some wrote to Wen Yi Bao, requesting that it critique Hu Feng's literary theory again. In early 1952, Wen Yi Bao publicized these letters. In July 1954, Hu Feng delivered a 300,000-word report, titled "Report on the Real Situation in Literature and Art Since Liberation", to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. In January 1955, the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party submitted a report to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCCPC) requesting that it criticize Hu Feng. In early May 1955, Shu Wu () submitted his correspondence with Hu Feng and other materials, accusing Hu of forming cliques. Mao wrote a foreword to Shu Wu's letters and materials and instructed People's Daily to publish them under the title "Certain Materials Regarding the Hu Feng Counter-revolutionary Clique" (). On May 17, Hu Feng was arrested. He was detained at Qincheng Prison, and in 1965 he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. China claims that about 2,100 people were persecuted, 92 were arrested, and 72 were detained. Among them, 78 were confirmed as a member of the "Hu Feng Counter-revolutionary Clique", and 23 were regarded as key members. During the Cultural Revolution, Hu Feng and his wife were sent to Lushan, Sichuan for labor. Hu Feng was again arrested in November 1967. In January 1970, Hu Feng