Former Commanders of the New Fourth Army - Director of the Political Department Deng Zihui (20)

Deng Zihui

In 1962, after investigation and study, Deng Zihui summed up the experience created by the masses of the people in a timely manner in view of the "Left" mistakes that were rampant in rural work, and once again reiterated the need to establish a strict production responsibility system. In April, Deng Zihui received a letter from Wu Nianci, secretary of the Fuli District Party Committee in Suxian County, Anhui Province, about recommending to the central government the production and operation methods of "responsible fields." He immediately dispatched a working group to Dangtu, Suxian and other places in Anhui Province to conduct field investigations. The working group made an investigation report and held that in some areas of Anhui Province, the "responsibility fields" have achieved five unifications (that is, the collective unified production plan, the main means of production, labor, distribution, and handing over tasks), correctly handled the economic interests of individuals and collectives, and the enthusiasm of members for labor and production is very high. Deng Zihui was very excited to see the report and personally summoned relevant personnel to discuss and study. But in late June, when the Secretariat of the Central Committee discussed the issue of Anhui's responsibility for the field, there was a debate. Deng Zihui insisted that the majority of the responsible fields could do a good job in the "five unifications," did not change the nature of ownership, and could not be regarded as a mistake in direction; this was a great creation of the Chinese peasants in the collective economy. With the support of Deng Zihui, the Ministry of Rural Work recommended the "Investigation Report on the Implementation of Contracting Production to Household Responsible Fields" written by the investigation team in Anhui to the central work conference held in Beidaihe. However, deng Zihui's correct views were once again wrongly criticized. From late July to late August, at a work conference held in Beidaihe, the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee severely criticized Deng Zihui's advocacy of a production responsibility system in the rural collective economy, accusing him of advocating contract production to households and supporting peasants to "go it alone." At the meeting, Deng Zihui argued on the basis of reason, pointing out that the purpose of advocating this form of production is to enhance the peasants' enthusiasm for production, which is conducive to the division of labor and cooperation according to their ability; he reiterated: "I still see it this way with regard to the responsible fields. In late September, at the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Deng Zihui's claim on the production of responsible fields continued to be severely criticized, and he was also linked to his 1955 proposal against impatience and aggressiveness on the issue of agricultural co-operation, accusing him of attempting to overturn the case and even saying that he was keen on capitalism.

After the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Rural Work Department was abolished. At the Third National People's Congress held in January 1965, Deng Zihui was dismissed from his post as vice premier of the State Council and replaced by vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in charge of financial and economic work.

After the "Cultural Revolution" began, Deng Zihui was brutally attacked and persecuted. However, Deng Zihui still had deep feelings for the party and firmly believed that the party would tide over this difficult situation. During the period under review, he continued to write reports to the central authorities on the management of agricultural production. His children lived in the next room, saw his father working day and night, and often heard his father's sharp cough in the middle of the night, so they got up to persuade him to rest early; his lover Chen Lan was also worried about his health. Whenever this happened, Deng Zihui always said excitedly: "I am a Communist Party member, and I believe in the Party." I am engaged in agricultural work, I understand the situation in the countryside, how can I not write? ”

In October 1968, the 12th Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. Deng Zihui attended the meeting with illness. Under the clamor and conspiracy manipulation of Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, and others, the meeting not only made an extremely wrong decision on Liu Shaoqi, but Deng Zihui was also slandered as a "member of Liu Shaoqi's anti-party clique" and an "old right-leaning opportunist" and was besieged. They even criticized deng Zihui's well-studied "cattle insurance system" and other propositions that were beneficial to the peasants, and denounced them as "exploiting the peasants."

In October 1969, Lin Biao evacuated a large number of veteran cadres such as Zhu De, Chen Yun, Chen Yi, and Ye Jianying from Beijing in the name of evacuation preparedness for war, and Deng Zihui was also relocated to Guangxi. In 1970, Deng Zihui's health was even worse, often fever, diarrhea, due to years of diabetes, bone thin, even in the buttocks needle injection is difficult. In late June, Zhou Enlai received a report from Deng Zihui asking to return to Beijing for medical treatment, and immediately instructed him to take him back to Beijing.

In November 1971, Deng Zihui's diabetes and brain atrophy became more severe, and he finally became bedridden. At that time, although Lin Biao had collapsed, the "Gang of Four" was still rampant, so his illness was not taken seriously and seriously treated, and even continued to be hit.

In 1972, Deng Zihui's condition became more serious, and he was often in a coma. On the evening of December 8, Deng Zihui's condition suddenly deteriorated, and he died on the evening of December 10 at the age of 76. On December 14, a memorial meeting for Comrade Deng Zihui was held in Beijing, where Mao Zedong and the CENTRAL Committee of the Communist Party of China sent wreaths and Ye Jianying delivered a eulogy.

On March 9, 1981, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a circular to the whole party to formally rehabilitate Deng Zihui, overturning all kinds of erroneous criticisms of him in the past and the slanderous and untrue words imposed on him by Li Biao and the "Gang of Four". The circular pointed out that Deng Zihui was an outstanding leader of the peasant movement led by our party and one of the main founders of the revolutionary base areas in western Fujian; he turned to the Central Soviet Region and the great rivers and south and north of the great river during the arduous war years and made outstanding meritorious contributions; during the period of socialist construction, he presided over the Central Rural Work Department, adhered to the socialist orientation, adhered to the party's line, principles, and policies, and made tremendous contributions to China's agricultural socialist construction. These historical deeds of Deng Zihui and the lofty qualities of the great communist revolutionaries will always be remembered and admired by the people.