About the Author: Xiong Xianghui Agent, diplomat; the most legendary figure in the history of the CCP's intelligence work, with his superhuman wit, courage, and tenacity, won Hu Zongnan's appreciation, skillfully sent out the Kuomintang's "blitzkrieg of Yan'an", "Xi'an Military Conference" and many other important intelligence, and repeatedly built a miracle to thwart the Kuomintang's anti-communist conspiracy, consolidate the anti-Japanese national united front, and defend the CPC Central Committee of Yan'an; in August 1972, he was appointed as the first Chinese ambassador to Mexico.
On January 8, 1976, Premier Zhou Enlai passed away. On the morning of April 15, Comrade Deng Yingchao met with Dr. Yang Zhenning, his mother Luo Menghua and his sister Yang Zhenyu in the Jiangsu Hall of the Great Hall of the People. He was accompanied by a famous scientist, Professor Zhang Wenyu. I was also fortunate to attend. According to the notes at the time, the main contents of this conversation are introduced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of the beloved Premier Zhou Enlai (this article was written in 1996).
On April 15, 1976, Deng Yingchao (fifth from right) and Yang Zhenning (fourth from right) took a group photo, with Xiong Xianghui in the fourth from left. ("My Intelligence and Diplomatic Career")
Comrade Deng Yingchao first expressed his gratitude to Dr. Yang Zhenning. She said: "I received a Chinese-language newspaper in the United States and saw that after the death of Comrade Zhou Enlai, overseas Chinese compatriots from all walks of life in New York held a grand memorial service, Dr. Yang Zhenning delivered a eulogy, and in the eulogy, I also quoted Chairman Mao's exposition on the issue of life and death, which made me very moved. ”
Yang Zhenning said: "In the United States, the overseas Chinese, Chinese and Americans I know, although I have not met Premier Zhou, but all admire Premier Zhou. When I came to Beijing this time, they asked me to be my representative and lay a wreath to premier Zhou's spiritual seat, expressing everyone's infinite nostalgia for Premier Zhou. They also asked me to visit Mr. Deng on behalf of everyone and express their sincere condolences to Mr. Deng. After I arrived in Beijing, I realized that there was no spiritual position of Premier Zhou, and I could not complete this task. When I see Mr. Deng today, when I return to the United States, I can tell them that I have conveyed their friendship for Mr. Deng in person. Mr. Deng received his mother and sister today, and I feel equally honored by them. ”
Then, Comrade Deng Yingchao talked to Dr. Yang Zhenning on three issues:
Regarding the disposal of the remains of Premier Zhou Enlai
Yang Zhenning said: "I not only have great admiration for Premier Zhou, but also have a feeling that is difficult to describe in words. When I heard the news of Premier Zhou's death on the radio, I was very sad and I was able to control myself. But when I heard Premier Zhou's last words to scatter the ashes into the rivers and land of the motherland, it immediately caused a very strong conflict of feelings and reason in my heart, and I really couldn't control myself (Speaking of this, Yang Zhenning lost his voice and cried bitterly. In addition to Comrade Deng Yingchao, all of you here also lost their voices and cried bitterly). ”
Deng Yingchao said to Yang Zhenning:
I understand your feelings very well, please don't be upset. You are a famous scientist in the world, and you know better than I do the truth of the immortality of matter. Since you are so concerned about the handling of Comrade Enlai's body, I can tell you about the decision process on this matter.
In the early fifties, the Central Committee of our Party decided to advocate the cremation of mortal remains, but not to impose them on others. For thousands of years, Chinese people were buried in the earth after their deaths. From burial to cremation, this is a revolution in funerary customs that cannot be easily achieved. Members of our Party's Central Committee voluntarily took the lead, signing their signatures to express their determination to cremate the remains after their deaths.
At that time, Comrade Enlai and I talked individually, and he said: "After we die, we should not increase the trouble and burden of the living, and after the body is cremated, we will not keep the ashes." Scattering ashes in rivers can be used as fodder for fish, sprinkled on cultivated land, and can be used as fertilizer for crops. Although it is only a little bit, it may be able to play a role in serving the people a little bit at the end. "
I said, totally agree. The two of us made an appointment and made assurances to each other, and the latter promised to fulfill this wish of the first deceased.
Comrade Enlai added, "I can fulfill the promise to you, but you may not be able to fulfill the guarantee to me." "
At that time I thought that his opinion was reasonable. He is a responsible comrade of the Central Committee, I am an ordinary Communist, if he goes before me, the handling of the matter will be decided by the Central Committee, and I can hardly guarantee the fulfillment of my promise to him. I didn't make it out at the time, and we didn't talk about it for a long time.
The year before, Comrade Enlai was admitted to the hospital, and I often went to visit him. Again, he said to me, in the past, the two of us had made an appointment and promised each other, and we would scatter the ashes after death. By then his condition was already serious, and I did not answer him. When Comrade Enlai's heart stopped beating, several comrades from the Politburo were present, and I made a request to them that Comrade Enlai scatter his ashes in the rivers and land of the motherland. Comrade Enlai's wish has finally been fulfilled, and the assurances I have made to him have finally been fulfilled. At this point, I am worthy of him. ”
Yang Zhenning asked: "Has Premier Zhou's ashes not been preserved at all?" ”
Deng Yingchao replied, "No. There have also been comrades who suggested that a little ashes be kept and symbolically placed in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, but I do not agree, that is not complete. There is actually no difference between retaining a little and keeping all of it, and as a result, Comrade Enlai scattered all his ashes in accordance with his wishes during his lifetime. ”
Seeing Yang Zhenning wiping his tears with a handkerchief, Deng Yingchao said:
I can give a few more examples of the handling of remains.
At the end of the fifties, during the "Great Leap Forward", Comrade Enlai consulted with me that we would not propagate or publicize it, and that, with the consent of our close relatives, we would change the graves of our ancestors to deep burials and hand over the original cemetery to the people's commune for use.
It is absolutely necessary that Engels and his comrades-in-arms buried Marx's body in London, that the Soviet party and government permanently preserved Lenin's body, and that the Vietnamese party and government permanently preserved Ho Chi Minh's body. Chairman Mao praised Dr. Sun Yat-sen as the great revolutionary forerunner, and our Party and Government have always paid attention to protecting the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, which is also completely necessary. We advocate the cremation of the remains after death, and the urns of many deceased comrades within and outside the Party are placed in the spiritual hall of the cemetery, which is in line with the regulations of the Central Committee. However, if the person requests that the ashes not be retained, he should also meet the requirements of the person.
Engels in his later years
As far as I know, after Engels's death, his comrades-in-arms followed his last words and scattered his ashes into the sea on the seashore where he often walked during his lifetime. Comrade Xu Guangping, Lu Xun's wife, also said that the ashes should be scattered. Therefore, in China, it was not Comrade Enlai who was the first to scatter the ashes, and it was not he who set this precedent.
Wedding photos about Premier Zhou Enlai
Yang Zhenning said: "At the memorial service for Premier Zhou in New York, some photos of Premier Zhou were displayed, including one photo of Premier Zhou and Mr. Deng. Some say it's a picture of the two of you getting married when you returned to Guangzhou from France. ”
Deng Yingchao said:
No. There are many misinformations, some people say that I am from Tianjin and that I was a classmate of Zhou Enlai at Nankai School; others say that so-and-so is Comrade Zhou Enlai and my introducer. In fact, my ancestral home is Guangshan, Henan, and I have never been there. My grandfather lived in Nanning, Guangxi. I left Nanning when I was very young and went to Tianjin to live by teaching my mother, who also knew Chinese medicine. Later, I went to school at the Tianjin Female Teacher, and because I had been studying in Tianjin since I was a child, my accent was influenced by the people of Tianjin.
In 1919, I participated in the May Fourth Movement in Tianjin with Comrade Zhou Enlai. Comrade Enlai and I were introduced not to so-and-so, but to the "May Fourth" movement.
In 1920, after graduating from the Tianjin Women's Teacher, I went to Beijing to study, and later transferred to Tianjin to teach. Before I joined the Party, I was a primary school teacher for about five years. Since I was going to support my mother and myself, I didn't go to France.
In early September 1924, Comrade Enlai returned to Guangdong from France. My time from Tianjin to Guangdong was in early August 1925, and Comrade Enlai and I were resolutely opposed to the old customs, we did not want wedding ceremonies, did not invite people to drink happy wine, eat happy sugar, and did not take wedding photos.
In October 1925, Comrade Enlai's second crusade against Chen Jiongming, before leaving, the two of us took a photo, you may be talking about this one.
On the spirit of Premier Zhou Enlai's work
When he learned that Yang Zhenning's mother had a heart disease, Deng Yingchao said: "Comrade Enlai also has heart disease. Yang Zhenning asked in surprise: "Premier Zhou also has heart disease?" Deng Yingchao said: "He has been suffering from heart disease for ten years. However, what killed him was not heart disease, but cancer. She told Yang Zhenning: "In 1973, when Comrade Enlai saw you, he already knew that he had cancer. Yang Zhenning said with emotion: "At that time, I didn't see that Premier Zhou's body was different at all, and I felt that he was still so energetic." Now that you know you're sick, why don't you let him rest and let him continue working? ”
No one forced him, he himself was willing. He has been like this for decades since I've known him. An American journalist reported that Zhou Enlai may be the only person in the world who can live without sleep, which is an exaggeration, and no one can live without sleep. However, compared to the average person, his sleep time is indeed much less. Some people also say that Zhou Enlai worked tirelessly. This statement is also inaccurate, and he also feels tired after working long hours. He doesn't smoke, he gets tired from night work, and he drinks coffee to refresh himself. After drinking coffee, it didn't work, and when I was sleepy, I put gold oil on my forehead. Later, the oil did not work, and he wiped his face with a hot towel when he was about to doze off, and after wiping, he could continue to work.
Zhou Enlai accompanied Mao Zedong to meet with Yang Zhenning
Some comrades have said to me that this will damage his health, why don't you dissuade him? These comrades have good intentions, but they do not understand Comrade Enlai. Marx pointed out that one of the hallmarks of communist society is that labor is not only a means of earning a living, but also the first need of life. It is still far from communist society, but I deeply realize that for people like Chairman Mao and Comrade Enlai, work (including study) has long become the first need of life. Other needs of life, such as eating, sleeping, and entertaining, must be subordinated to and serve the first needs of life. The first need of life is met, and even if they are tired and bitter, their hearts are comfortable and happy. If life's first needs are not met, they will feel distressed, which is more damaging and more damaging to their health.
In September 1975, Zhou Enlai met with Ilya Wildertz, head of the Romanian party and government delegation, at the hospital. This was the last time he met with foreign guests before his death.
After Comrade Enlai got cancer, he knew that the rest of his days were short, and as long as he could persist, he increased his workload extraordinarily, which sometimes alleviated his pain. After the death of Comrade Enlai, the obituary issued by the Central Committee said that he "bowed down to the best of his ability and selflessly contributed his life's energy." I think that Comrade Enlai's comment is indeed well deserved.
When shaking goodbye, Deng Yingchao said to Yang Zhenning: "Comrade Enlai does not have a spiritual seat, and I have received your kindness of laying a wreath to his spiritual seat on behalf of those friends." After you return to the United States, I would like to ask you to give them some explanations, and I would also like to convey my heartfelt thanks to Comrade Enlai and my friends who care about me. ”
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Article source | My Intelligence and Diplomatic Career
Author | Xiong Xianghui
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