preface
Tiananmen, a building over 600 years old, from
it
The moment it appeared on the national emblem of the People's Republic of China, it became a landmark of the Chinese nation.
In the fifteenth year of Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, that is, in 1417 AD, the "Chengtian gate" was completed, which is the future "Tiananmen", but it has not yet been renamed.
Until 1651 AD, when the Jiangshan had already changed, to the eighth year of shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, "Chengtianmen" ushered in its name "Tiananmen", which has been used to this day.
The Huabiao in front of Tiananmen Square in the early 20th century shows the glory of the Qing Empire
As the main gate of the imperial city of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tiananmen Square has been on the political stage of Chinese civilization since its completion, witnessing a scene of unknown history.
For example, it happened to the story between the last emperor Puyi and the last president Li Zongren and the founder of new China, Mao Zedong.
After 600 years of hardship, Tiananmen square today represents the people.
Beijing- Forbidden City - Tiananmen, at the same time ushered in its old and new masters
On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was solemnly held in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
As the party and state leaders ascended the Tiananmen Tower together, Chairman Mao solemnly declared on the tower that "Chinese the people have stood up," the greatest moment in the history of the Chinese nation, has arrived.
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong read out the "Announcement of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China" at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China.
Ten years later, on November 30, 1959, in the city of Fushun in Northeastern China's Liaoning Province, there was a special place: the Fushun War Criminals Rehabilitation Center.
Imprisoned here are war criminals serving chiang kai-shek's clique and puppet Manchukuo.
At this time, in this war criminals rehabilitation center, there was a thin but tall middle-aged man, who was right
wear
Wearing a pair of reading glasses, holding a newspaper of the People's Daily in his hand, he carefully pondered every word on it.
This is a "People's Daily" published two months ago, and what is unusual is that the front page of this newspaper has a front page headline about the proposal of the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to request amnesty for war criminals, the decision adopted at the ninth session of the Standing Committee of the Second National People's Congress on amnesty for criminals who have indeed been reformed into evil and good, and an amnesty order by Liu Shaoqi, president of the People's Republic of China.
The last emperor who testified in court was Ai Xinjueluo Puyi
The newspaper can be said to have been read countless times, and every day a different war criminal came to study it word for word, and then asked himself whether he could meet the conditions of the amnesty mentioned in the newspaper.
Because, the content of the first article of the amnesty decree is that the Chiang Kai-shek clique and the pseudo-Manchukuo war criminals who have been imprisoned for 10 years and have indeed changed from evil to good shall be released.
But today, the middle-aged man who reads the newspaper has a different mentality than the others, and although deep down he will think of one day regaining his freedom, reason tells him that this is an impossible thing.
So, he just makes a judgment in his mind to see who can meet the criteria and conditions of the pardon.
There are always some people who deliberately come to the middle-aged man and "show off" how he has transformed in the past ten years, how his thinking has changed, and get psychological satisfaction in the middle-aged man's constant nod.
Figure 丨 Puyi, who is self-reliant in the management of war criminals
Finally, I have to ask: Do you think you can get the first amnesty?
Since the People's Daily issued an amnesty order, the middle-aged man has been asked the same question by other war criminals almost every day, but he has never lost his temper, but has calmly said every time:
"I can't do it, no one can have me, my sins are too serious, I am no better than you in terms of performance, and I still can't meet the conditions of amnesty."
Whenever the middle-aged man finished these words, the other war criminals who chatted with him would not say anything more.
Why he had such a special situation, the answer has long been called out, this middle-aged man is the last emperor Puyi.
Picture 丨 Transformed Puyi
On the arrival of December 4, all the war criminals were gathered in the playground, because this day was the day when the first batch of amnesty war criminals conference was held at the Fushun Criminal Rehabilitation Center
As the congress began, representatives of the Liaoning Provincial High People's Court began to read out the amnesty notice:
"Notice of Amnesty from the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China - 1959 Annual Pardon Zi No. 001, Ai Xin Jue Luo Puyi", that is, the first war criminal in the country to be pardoned.
As the name of Ai Xinjue luo Puyi was shouted out by the representatives of the people's court, all the staff and all the war criminals in the audience, including Puyi himself, were stunned for a second, which greatly surprised everyone.
Of course, all this is related to Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, who first mentioned Puyi's name at the report meeting on the handling of war criminals, and listened carefully to Puyi's situation and the facts of his study and reform, and the two great men made the first decision to grant Puyi amnesty on this basis.
Pictured 丨 Amnesty of War Criminals Conference
Puyi's red eyes were in tears, and when he trembled and held the amnesty notice in his trembling hands, it was as if the world was quiet at that moment.
On December 9, 1959, in that cold early winter, Puyi finally returned from Fushun to the city of Beijing, where he had been away for 35 years.
Five days after returning to Beijing, Premier Zhou Enlai and Marshal Chen Yi visited Puyi.
Under the personal arrangement of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, Puyi was assigned to work at the Beijing Botanical Garden, and four years later he was assigned to the Cultural and Historical Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as a commissioner of literature and history.
On October 1, 1961, the twelfth year of the founding of New China, Chairman Mao specially invited Puyi to participate in the National Day ceremony.
Figure 丨 The moment puyi was pardoned
This was the first time after forty-nine years that Ai Xin Jueluo Puyi had ascended the viewing platform of the Tiananmen Tower.
Sixty years ago, over Tiananmen Square, there was a large balloon fluttering in the wind
A giant banner hangs on it:
"Hard work, thrift and thrift to build a country"
"Strengthen the agricultural front, overcome natural disasters, and strive to increase agricultural production"
"Increase production and save, produce more and better industrial products"
see! Now walking through Tiananmen Square are teams of workers' representatives, carrying models of steel conglomerates and driving floats full of coal blocks toward Tiananmen.
see! The peasant representatives came, holding heavy red sorghum and golden rice in their hands, corn cobs full of corn, their floats and a huge grain depot...
Chairman Mao waved to the people marching on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square
This is the people of our country and nation, who, in the simplest form, express their strong determination to obey the Party's orders and overcome the current difficulties.
Puyi, who was 55 years old standing on the viewing platform, had never seen such a scene, and he saw the faces of his subjects who once belonged to him, and there was a smile that he had never seen before, and this smile was from the heart.
Because at this moment, Puyi's face was hanging with this kind of smile, and at this moment he finally felt fresh happiness.
As the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi was only 3 years old when he ascended the throne, but he faced a country full of holes and exhausted gas.
Therefore, Puyi did not feel the majesty and grandeur of an emperor when he issued an edict at Tiananmen Square.
Chairman Mao received Puyi
But now after the reformed Puyi amnesty, as a citizen of the People's Republic, he has ascended to the Tiananmen Observatory, what a lofty honor.
After that, Puyi received invitations to important holiday receptions and ceremonial activities from Premier Zhou every year, and repeatedly climbed the Tiananmen Observatory.
The "acting president" of the National Government returned to China
The annual golden autumn arrived, and on October 1, 1965, an old man in his late 80s climbed the Tiananmen Tower for the first time.
When he saw Chairman Mao Zedong walking toward him, he hurriedly greeted Mao Zedong and first held out his hand to the old man, who quickly shook Chairman Mao's hand with both hands, and the two shook hands while exchanging greetings.
Li Zongren and Chairman Mao shook hands with each other and had a very pleasant conversation
When Mao Zedong shook hands with him, he said with concern, "Please take care of your body, the Communist Party will not forget you, and the two were so harmonious, cordial and sincere when they met.
This old man is a famous figure in modern Chinese history, Li Zongren, who served as the "acting president" of the Kuomintang Nanjing government.
Since joining the Chinese League in 1910 to participate in the revolution, he has been holding important positions in the Nationalist government, and during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression he was the commander of the Fifth Theater of Operations, and he was famous for commanding the Battle of Taierzhuang and winning victories.
Beginning in 1948, Li Zongren served as vice president of the Kuomintang government, and by January 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's military defeat began to face internal and external pressure, and he was forced to declare his resignation and issued a proclamation: "Vice President (Li Zongren) will take his place." ”
Figure 丨 Kuomintang first-class general Li Zongren
It was under such circumstances that Li Zongren became the titular "acting president" of the Nationalist government, but the real power was still in the hands of Chiang Kai-shek.
In order to keep his position, Li Zongren, who had just come to power, immediately telephoned Chairman Mao and asked for peace talks to begin on the basis of the "eight conditions" he proposed on January 14.
The peaceful settlement of disputes is our Party's consistent stand, so from April 1 onwards, the Kuomintang government delegation represented by Zhang Zhizhong as the chief representative and the Chinese Communist Party delegation represented by Zhou Enlai began peace talks in Peiping.
Pictured with Li Zongren and his wife
During the peace talks between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chairman Mao stayed at the Shuangqing Villa in Xiangshan, Beijing, where he met with the Kuomintang government's peace talks representatives Huang Shaohu and Liu Fei and said:
"Li Zongren is now six relatives and has no one to rely on; first, Chiang Kai-shek is unreliable; second, US imperialism is unreliable; third, Chiang Kai-shek's army that has been beaten to pieces is even more unreliable; fourth, although his Guizhou army has not yet been broken, this strength is also unreliable; fifth, some people in Nanjing now support him for peace talks, and he cannot rely on these people if he does not engage in peace talks; sixth, he is not sincere in peace talks, and the Communist Party cannot rely on him, and he must accompany him to the end!"
Speaking of this, Chairman Mao added another sentence, saying:
"In my opinion, the most reliable of these six relatives is still the Communist Party, and as long as you sincerely negotiate peace, our Communist Party is a man of words and trustworthiness."
Photo left by Li Zongren in Taierzhuang
But At that time, Li Zongren did not think so: he had not yet completely broken with chiang kai-shek of the Nationalist government, and if the Communist Party agreed to rule by drawing the river, then the word "acting president" could also be removed.
Under the control of this kind of thinking, peace negotiations are also delaying time, and failure is inevitable.
After Chairman Mao issued the order to "fight across the Yangtze River and liberate all of China," Li Zongren fled to Guangxi and Guangzhou and became "acting president" for several months, but his relations with Chiang Kai-shek further deteriorated.
With the liberation of the Great Southwest by the People's Liberation Army, Li Zongren did not want to go to Taiwan to be controlled by chiang kai-shek, and eventually he chose to go to the United States.
Although Li Zongren came to the United States, as a patriot with the country and the nation in his heart, his life did not go well.
Chairman Mao received Li Zongren and his wife
Li Zongren once said to his secretary: "The tree is thousands of feet tall, and the leaves fall back to the roots, this is the old saying of the ancestors, I have been in the United States for fourteen years, and I miss the motherland all the time!" ”
In the eyes of Western countries, China is a geographical term, but after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the victory of the Korean War, our country and people have regained their chests, such a motherland is worthy of our heartfelt support."
On July 18, 1965, Li Zongren and his wife Guo Dejie finally returned to the motherland and arrived in Beijing, the capital of New China, after various twists and turns and risks.
At the moment when he set foot on the land of the motherland, Premier Zhou Enlai, who stood up to the scorching sun, led the people of various democratic parties and the masses to come forward and welcome the anti-Japanese heroes home.
Li Zongren returned to China, and Premier Zhou Enlai waited at the airport in the face of a hot summer
Premier Zhou Enlai also specially introduced Puyi to Li Zongren, so that the two former supreme leaders of the country could get to know each other.
On July 26, Li Zongren suddenly received news that Chairman Mao was going to meet him in Zhongnanhai.
To be received by Chairman Mao is an exciting thing for anyone, and naturally anyone here includes him Li Zongren.
When Li Zongren came to Zhongnanhai and walked quickly to Chairman Mao's side, Chairman Mao saw Li Zongren's arrival and warmly greeted him, and at that moment the two men's hands were tightly held together.
Chairman Mao said happily: "You are back, very good, welcome." ”
Li Zongren and Zhou Enlai shook hands
After greeting each other, Mao Zedong, who had just sat down, jokingly said to Li Zongren:
"Haha, Mr. Delin, you mistakenly boarded the thief's boat when you returned to China this time, and the Taiwan authorities claimed to call us bandits, and they also called the mainland of the motherland a bandit area.
Cheng Siyuan, who was beside Li Zongren, replied for Li Zongren: "We have boarded this boat and have already landed on the other shore." Everyone present laughed.
Subsequently, Li Zongren thanked Chairman Mao for allowing himself to return to the motherland, and he also saw the achievements made in the motherland's socialist construction under the leadership of the Communist Party.
Immediately afterward, Li Zongren told Chairman Mao that there are many people like him abroad who miss the great motherland and look forward to returning to the embrace of the motherland.
Pictured Chairman Mao at work
Upon hearing this, Chairman Mao immediately said: "We welcome anyone who has gone overseas and is willing to come back, and we treat each other with courtesy." ”
When Li Zongren mentioned the Taiwan issue, Chairman Mao said domineeringly:
"Mr. Delin, don't worry, Taiwan will return to the motherland one day, this is an irreversible historical trend!"
Just two months after Li Zongren's return to China, he received an invitation from Chairman Mao to go to Tiananmen Square on the day of National Day and review the parade on National Day together.
Receiving this news, Li Zongren was so excited that he could not speak for half a day.
On the upper floor of Tiananmen Square, Li Zongren and Chairman Mao talk
Just as excited as Li Zongren was, there was Ai Xin Jue luo Puyi, because he received an invitation from Premier Zhou Enlai's handwritten letter.
Another year's National Day, at this time the new China has turned 16 years old.
Puyi also cherished the ceremonial activities during this National Day, and he deliberately put several items related to this activity into a white envelope to save.
It contains: a red invitation card inviting you to attend the reception, an appendix indicating the area and table where your seat is located, a reception menu with a golden coat of arms, a red silk cloth badge that proves the qualification to watch the ceremony, and a notice explaining the precautions for viewing the ceremony.
Photo 丨Puyi took a photo at the Forbidden City
But the most memorable of these is the red invitation signed by Zhou Enlai, which reads:
To celebrate the 16th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a reception will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 30, 1965, in the Banquet Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
Please
To
Zhou Enlai
In Puyi's view, the three words "Zhou Enlai" on the invitation card are so great, how kind, and how solemn!
The top leaders of the three social postures gathered at Tiananmen Square
The National Day of 1965 was slightly different from the past.
Under the gaze of the party and the people, Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of New China, ascended Tiananmen, followed by Li Zongren, the former "acting president" of the Nationalist government, and finally at the mouth of Tiananmen Square, that is, China's last emperor, Ai Xinjueluo Puyi.
When Li Zongren, former acting president of the Republic of China and a first-class army general, returned to China, the last emperor Puyi greeted him at the airport and shook hands, hugged and took a group photo with Li Zongren
On the morning of National Day, after Li Zongren and Puyi attended the National Day ceremony at Tiananmen, they went to the tiananmen tower in the evening to watch the fireworks display, and they were excited and excited all day.
October 1, 1965, was a day written into history.
Under the great bosom of the Communist Party of China and Chairman Mao, the emperor from feudal society and the "acting president" of capitalist society, together with Chairman Mao Zedong, the supreme leader of the party and the state, jointly ascended the Tiananmen Tower.