On June 19, 1945, when the Seventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China elected Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Ren Bi, they formed the Secretariat of the Central Committee (Standing Committee), known in history as the "Five Secretaries", of which Mao Zedong was chairman of the Central Committee and chairman of the Politburo. Since then, the first generation of central leadership collectives of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Mao Zedong as the core has been formally formed.
The Five Secretaries
On October 1, 1949, New China was officially established. Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and other party and state leaders all climbed the Tiananmen Tower to attend the founding ceremony. However, among the "Five Secretaries", only Ren Bishi was missing. Why?
Ren Bishi
A few days ago, we interviewed Ren Yuanfang, the daughter of Ren Bishi, who told us a lot about her father's past. "Liberation was made in 1949 and a new China was born. My dad was 45 years old at the time, but he already had hardened his arteries, severe diabetes, and insufficient blood supply to the brain, and his health was very bad. At that time, there were Soviet experts in Yan'an, specifically examining the bodies of the five secretaries, and it turned out that my father was the youngest, but he was the worst. ”
Why Ren Bishi's health is so poor, and his early revolutionary experience is related to the 20s, two consecutive arrests and punishments, which brought great harm to Ren Bishi's body, especially when he was electrocuted, the powerful voltage injured the heart, and he also suffered from severe hypertension and heart disease.
Ren Bishi and his daughter Ren Yuanfang
On the eve of the founding ceremony, Mao Zedong and others asked for the opinion of the doctor, who said that Ren Bishi could not participate in the meeting and could not be too excited. Ren Bishi insisted on going, so Mao Zedong issued a ban: "Comrade Ren Bishi did not attend the founding ceremony, and he must take care of his body as the first priority." As a result, on this day, Ren Bishi could only lie on the bed in yuquan Mountain, recuperating, listening to the radio, and feeling the exciting moment.
After the founding of New China, Ren Bishi went to the Soviet Union to recuperate, but after returning to China, he once again raised objections to the arrangements of the Central Committee. "At the end of 1950, when I returned to Beijing from the Soviet Union, my father should continue to recuperate, but he could not lie down, so he consulted with Chairman Mao's Central Committee and let him work for 4 hours a day, but as soon as he resumed work, my father did not care, sometimes 5 hours, 8 hours were exceeded, and later, working 8 hours a day, excessive fatigue, so that his body could not stand it. Later, since my father's death, Chairman Mao said that all sick people should rest and not go to work. Ren Yuanfang recalled.
On the evening of October 26, 1950, Ren Bishi, who was working, suddenly deteriorated in his condition and left this world in a hurry the next day, at the age of 46. Since the 1950s, generations of Primary and Secondary School students in Beijing have come to a large tomb in Babaoshan every year in the Qingming Dynasty to hold various commemorative activities in the small square in front of the tomb. He is Comrade Ren Bishi. The tombstone of Ren Bishi was designed by the famous architect Liang Sicheng, which is very simple and elegant.
After Ren Bishi's death, Chairman Mao, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and other leaders personally wrote inscriptions to mourn, and Chairman Mao wrote an inscription: "Comrade Ren Bishi's revolutionary spirit is immortal." The white jade tombstone of Ren Bishi is engraved with Chairman Mao's inscription "Tomb of Comrade Ren Bishi" on the front, and the back is inscribed with the life of Ren Bishi.
The first tomb of Babaoshan Mountain
Why is Ren Bishi's tomb called the "First Tomb of Babaoshan"? Some people say that it is because it is the largest and highest cemetery in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, but in fact, it is not, the person in charge of the cemetery said, because he is the first single tomb buried in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, so this is called "the first tomb", not on the scale, but on the order of priority.
After Ren Bishi's death, Marshal Ye Jianying commented on him: "He is the camel of our party, the camel of the Chinese people, shouldering heavy burdens, walking a long and arduous road, without rest, without enjoyment, without any personal calculations. He is an outstanding Communist, the best member of our Party, and our model. ”