After the death of the great leader Chairman Mao in Beijing on September 9, 1979, his youngest daughter, Li Min, was overwhelmed with grief and immersed herself in the pain of losing her father for a long time. Wang Hairong, who was close to her when she was young, came to visit her after learning of this.
"Boom boom boom..."
Li Min, who heard the knock on the door, got up and walked toward the door, only to see Wang Hairong, who was wearing an army green coat, appear in front of the door and ask her with a smile.
The little daughter who heard the noise rushed to her mother, and a pair of big eyes stared at the person who came and shouted: "Hello auntie!" ”
Li Min hurriedly tugged on her daughter's sleeve and explained, "It's not an aunt, it's a sister, Sister Hai Rong." ”
Wang Hairong squatted down and greeted him, "You are Dongmei, right?" Hello, I'm my contemporaries, call me Sister Hai Rong."
Why did Wang Hairong, who is similar to Li Min's age, become sisters with her daughter Kong Dongmei, and what is the connection?
Wang Hairong
Wang Hairong was born on September 25, 1938 in Xiangtan Hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province.
His grandfather Wang Jifan, because he liked Lin Zexu's wind bones, took a couplet he had written, "Hai Na Bai Chuan, There is tolerance is big." Bi Li Qianling, no desire is just "to name his granddaughter Hai Rong."
Wang Jifan is a well-known local educator who served as the principal of Changsha Changjun Middle School.
Mao Zedong and Wang Jifan's mothers were sisters, and when they were young, the two brothers often lived in their grandparents' homes.
In order to take care of this younger brother who was nine years younger than himself, Wang Jifan took him to school every day, and Mao Zedong also affectionately called Wang Jifan the ninth brother, and the two were particularly close.
Chairman Mao
After the end of the Red Army's Long March, the troops were transferred to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia revolutionary base area, by which time Mao Zedong had become the core leader of the CCP.
When Wang Jifan received the news, he sent his son Wang Deheng to northern Shaanxi and asked him to follow Chairman Mao to participate in the revolution.
After Wang Deheng arrived in Yan'an, he first studied at the Kang Da (Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political University) for a period of time, and after graduating, returned to his hometown in Hunan to carry out underground work.
At the same time, Wang Deheng has formed a happy family and has a pair of children.
The daughter Wang Hairong is three years old, and the son Wang Qihua is one year old.
In the same year, Wang Deheng was found by secret agents on a mission, and the bullet hit the key point, and he died at the age of 30.
battlefield
After his father's death, in order to escape the war, Wang Hairong and his brother lived with their mother in their grandfather's house, relying on their mother's meager salary as a teacher.
It was not until the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan that he returned to his grandfather Wang Jifan and completed his primary school studies.
After the founding of New China, Chairman Mao invited Wang Jifan to Beijing. Before leaving, Wang Jifan asked his grandchildren what gifts they wanted to bring back.
Wang Hairong had always heard that apples in Beijing were big and fragrant, so he said he wanted an apple as a gift.
Grandpa was a little reluctant and said to Xiao Hairong: "I am going to see Chairman Mao this time, he is your cousin's grandfather, don't you have anything to say to him?" ”
At the suggestion of her family, the young Wang Hairong wrote a letter to Chairman Mao, which not only expressed her respect for Chairman Mao but also put forward her desire for a basketball.
Wang Hairong was a girl
After this visit, although Wang Jifan did not bring back basketball to his granddaughter, he accepted Chairman Mao's invitation. A few months later, he took his family north to beijing to live.
Soon after coming to Beijing, Wang Hairong met Chairman Mao at the Yinian Hall. Wang Hairong, who was still young, did not feel nervous and afraid, but instead generously chatted with the chairman.
The Chair said that he remembered the letter she had written, but that he had not had time to reply to her when he was too busy to write to her, and asked her not to take it to heart.
Wang Hairong raised his small face and said bluntly: "I also asked you for a basketball, and you didn't give it to me", which made the chairman laugh.
After coming to Beijing, Wang Hairong successively studied at shida women's attached middle school and Beijing women's fifth middle school, during which she often accompanied her grandfather Wang Jifan in and out of Zhongnanhai.
Her age is similar to Mao Zedong's two daughters, Li Min and Li Ne, and the three of them often learn and play together, and their feelings are very close.
After the college entrance examination in 1958, due to unsatisfactory results, Wang Hairong lost touch with the university. Eager to become a chemical engineer, she was not discouraged, but instead gathered her classmates to form a learning support group.
At this moment, the vigorous "Great Leap Forward" swept across the land of China, and the young heart was blown by the spring wind of workers' and peasants' construction.
Wang Hairong made up his mind to devote himself to the cause of workers and peasants' production. She rushed to her family and spat out her thoughts.
Unexpectedly, they were opposed by their families, who felt that although the production of workers and peasants was important, they still had to study well and study well in school to learn cultural knowledge. The always harmonious family atmosphere was shattered by Wang Hairong's sudden impulse.
Great Leap Forward comics
Soft and hard are used, but the family just does not let go, in desperation, Wang Hairong thought of cutting first and playing later.
Taking advantage of her family's lack of attention, she sneaked down the street in search of a job and eventually found an apprenticeship at a chemical factory in Beijing.
After secretly going through the entry procedures without his family, he revealed the origin and account of the matter. When the family saw that the wood had become a boat, it was useless to say more, so they acquiesced to her decision.
In the days when he was an apprentice in a chemical factory, Wang Hairong's thinking was greatly improved, and his thinking became more and more mature and comprehensive.
Chemical
She later recalled that many people at that time thought that it was too condescending to study for 12 years to become an apprentice in chemical industry, but she did not feel sorry.
The knowledge she learned in chemical industry is not available in textbooks, and it is here that she first experienced the beauty of combining book knowledge and production practice.
She believes that learning scientific and cultural knowledge is to better produce and develop, and it is precisely because of the selfless dedication of so many obscure workers' friends that we will have a better life.
At the same time, she realized that her labor was not for the feudal landlords, not for the bourgeoisie, but for every Chinese people living on the land of China.
Now that the working class is in power, it is the world of workers and peasants, and it is a matter of pride to participate in the practice of production as a worker.
Factory workers
Fast forward to 1960. Wang Hairong's experience as a young apprentice in a chemical factory attracted the attention of China Youth Daily.
In order to encourage the vast number of young people to devote themselves to production and construction, China Youth Magazine issued an invitation to Wang Hairong to write an article about her apprenticeship experience.
Wang Hairong, who had benefited greatly from the chemical plant, was worried that there was nowhere to release his blood, so he happily accepted the invitation. Soon a thousand-word essay was born.
However, considering that his writing was immature and that he would publish it in a Chinese youth magazine to encourage the vast number of young people, Wang Hairong was a little timid.
She wondered if she could ask the chairman's father-in-law to check the gates and give some guidance. So he wrote a letter to Chairman Mao's secretary, Ye Zilong.
China Youth Magazine
The letter reads: "After learning of my experience, China Youth Magazine invited me to write an article to encourage Chinese youth to correct their attitude and actively devote themselves to their work, and at the same time they hoped to get a message from the chairman's father-in-law to the youth group." I have completed the article, but considering that the writing is not good and the thinking is not mature enough, I ask the chairman's father-in-law to guide the revision. The manuscript was sent with the letter, and if the chairman's father-in-law did not have time, please send the original manuscript back as soon as possible. ”
The message and the letter disappeared together, and after waiting for two months, there was still no news. Wang Hairong, considering that the chairman was busy with administrative affairs, decided not to bother again.
But it was such a coincidence that one day in mid-October, Wang Hairong received a notice, and the chairman invited her to meet at three o'clock in the afternoon on October 17.
Chairman Mao and Wang Hairong
On the same day, Wang Hairong came to Zhongnanhai on time. As soon as she entered the house, she saw Chairman Mao holding a thick pile of letter paper in his hand. When the chairman saw her come in, he casually handed it to her.
Wang Hairong took a closer look, and on the first page, the red pen neatly wrote eight big characters, the first line "My Experience", the second line "Apprentice Wang Bo".
She looked at the chairman's father-in-law, and then turned it down, and found that each page had been revised and approved, and some paragraphs were even rewritten separately.
She read it excitedly in her heart: "We must firmly remember that true knowledge is obtained in practice, and any book knowledge can only be truly useful if the authors reflect objective truths in practice." Otherwise, the truths in the books will be useless false truths, and they will never be useful truths that can transform the world..."
After she could see it, the Chairman had a cordial conversation with her. Wang Hairong knew that the chairman named her Wang Bo to protect her from being disturbed by the outside world.
Oriental chemical plant
From Wang Hairong's mouth, the chairman learned about the current living conditions of young people, school students, and factory workers.
Wang Hairong is generous and lively, can speak the Tao, and the chat atmosphere has always been very pleasant. It wasn't until two hours later, when it got dark, that the conversation ended.
Wang Hairong, who came out of Zhongnanhai, took the revised draft of the chairman's father-in-law and was in a very comfortable mood.
Soon after, an article written under the pseudonym "Apprentice Wang Bo", "My Experience", was published in a Chinese youth magazine, and the editorial department also wrote an editor's note for this purpose. This article has brought encouragement and hope to the vast number of young friends and has been greatly welcomed.
"My Experience"
In the year of the publication of "My Experience", Wang Hairong once again challenged the college entrance examination. This time, she successfully got her acceptance letter and entered the Beijing Normal University to study Russian.
It was a three-year famine, and there were people everywhere in and around the capital who did not have enough to eat and were hungry.
A large part of the students of Beijing Normal College need to return to their hometowns in the countryside to supplement nutrition, so the school has been cold and cold for a long time.
Reading is even more precious in the year of hunger, and Wang Hairong grasps every minute of living in school, reading and learning like a hunger, and the scene of not releasing the scroll has become the norm.
To save time, she rarely returns home and spends most of her time in the school's dormitory. In addition to his professional Russian language, Wang Hairong's interests are also quite extensive.
During her time at the school, she made full use of the school's resources to read a wide range of books, dabbling in philosophy, literature, history, military and other cultural knowledge.
Beijing Normal University
On December 26, 1962, it was Chairman Mao's seventieth birthday. Chairman Mao, who was in a happy mood, set up a family banquet in Zhongnanhai and invited relatives and friends to come with their children to celebrate.
Wang Hairong accompanied her grandfather Wang Jifan to the banquet, where she met Zhang Hanzhi, a future English teacher.
Zhang Hanzhi is the daughter of Zhang Shizhao, who teaches at the Beijing Foreign Chinese College, and she also accompanied her father today.
After the banquet began, the elated Chairman Mao talked with all the benevolent people about the past and the present, and pointed out the country and the mountains. The atmosphere is lively.
After the excitement was exhausted, the chairman asked about the recent situation of the juniors, and after learning that Zhang Hanzhi was good at English, he decided to hire her as his English teacher.
Then he said to Wang Hairong: "Hairong, my door here has always been open for you, when you want to come and live, if you want to, you can also stay down and not leave, even if you are a member of our family, do you want to get it?" I just don't know if your grandfather is willing to give up, rest assured or not? ”
Wang Jifan listened and said, "Brother! What is reluctant to be reluctant, if it is not willing to send Deheng to Yan'an. Now that everything is too peaceful, if Hai Rong can follow you to build a new China, how can I not be willing? ”
Group photo of Chairman Mao's birthday
In the blink of an eye, college career is over. After graduation, Wang Hairong accepted the government's assignment and came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dongcheng, Beijing.
Here she received a notice: "Immediately go to Beijing Foreign Chinese College to study English."
Although I had learned some English words bit by bit, I had never received a professional systematic education. Wang Hairong struggled to learn English, but the time was tight and the task was heavy, and she did not dare to slacken off.
After learning about the situation of his cousin's granddaughter, Chairman Mao specially asked his English teacher Zhang Hanzhi to take time to learn English for Wang Hairong.
Since then, every week Wang Hairong will learn English under the careful teaching of Zhang Hanzhi. Because she is diligent and studious, she has improved very quickly.
Beijing University of Foreign Chinese
In addition to studying, Wang Hairong also observed that there are many unreasonable problems in the teaching reform of the School of Foreign Languages.
To this end, she wrote a letter to Chairman Mao, explaining in detail the shortcomings left by the reform and asking the leaders at higher levels to correct them as soon as possible.
Her opinion attracted Chairman Mao's attention, and he immediately forwarded Lu Dingyi, who was then vice premier of the State Council, and asked him to immediately investigate and make corrections in a timely manner.
And left him a passage: "This person's name is Wang Hairong, she is a girl, she has some ambition, she is the granddaughter of Wang Jifan, the representative of the people, and she is also my granddaughter." If you want to talk to her, ask my secretary Xu Yefu to send her. ”
Lu Dingyi
A year later, Wang Hairong graduated from the Beijing Institute of Foreign Chinese, and after successfully completing his refresher education tasks, he was assigned to work in the General Department of the General Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Hairong was mainly responsible for the sending and receiving of documents and telegrams between the minister and Premier Zhou.
In his later years, Chairman Mao was physically inconvenienced and rarely met with guests. As a subordinate and relative, Wang Hairong often accompanies the chairman and often acts as the chairman's microphone to the outside world. Many important instructions were given by her.
At the same time, Chairman Mao also loved this junior, and often gave guidance to Wang Hairong, who had just joined the work, and with his diligence and hard work, Wang Hairong's work ability was greatly improved.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the mainland gradually opened its doors to the outside world and established diplomatic relations with the outside world. The mature and capable Wang Hairong often accompanied Chairman Mao to meet with foreign guests, and in nine of the ten news reports, she became a well-known diplomatic queen.
In the early 1970s, in order to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, Wang Hairong went to Pakistan to meet with Kissinger to discuss matters related to Nixon's visit to China.
In order to restore the mainland's legitimate seat in the United Nations, Wang Hai tolerated the unaccustomed Western food to go to the UN General Assembly to attend the meeting. Running back and forth to receive the Iranian princess, working day and night. Participate in presiding over ping-pong diplomacy and promote the establishment of good diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
She has made great contributions to the cause of diplomacy, and her position has also been further promoted.
In 1970 she was promoted to head of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1971, he was appointed Deputy Director General of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1972 he was promoted to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 1974, at the age of 36, she reached the pinnacle of her career and became deputy minister of foreign affairs.
Chairman Mao died in Beijing in 1976, and the whole country was buried. Wang Hairong, who had accompanied Chairman Mao for 11 years, was so grief-stricken that he washed his face with tears for days.
She missed the chairman's father-in-law's relatives for their kindness, the grace of knowledge, and the affection of cultivation.
Ever since she came to Beijing at a young age, the president's father-in-law has regarded her as his own grandson, and his earnest teachings are still in his ears.
When she grew up and joined the work, the chairman's father-in-law, as the leader of her career, often mentioned points and cared everywhere, and only then was she able to grow into a qualified diplomat.
The chairman's father-in-law suggested that she read the Red Chamber, taste and chat, and the scene of enriching her knowledge was like yesterday. Remembering the past, Wang Hairong felt even more broken.
Time passed like a white colt, and three years passed in the blink of an eye. Chairman Mao's daughter fell into the sad mood of losing her father for a long time.
Wang Hairong was worried that she could not stand it any longer, and in order to comfort Li Min, Wang Hairong came to her residence to visit her, and she encountered the opening scene.
Lee Min Lee Ne
Wang Hairong passed away in Beijing on September 9, 2017. In order to bid farewell to this distinguished diplomat, comrades Hu Jintao, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Wen Jiabao, and other comrades who had served as state leaders came to mourn and participate in the farewell ceremony for the remains.
Mao Zedong's granddaughter Kong Dongmei felt that Wang Hairong and her grandfather had a strange fate.
Wang Hairong's status as a subordinate and relative accompanied Chairman Mao through the last 11 years of his life and was one of the most important people in the chairman's later years.
A few years later, he died on the same day, destined for Providence.
Farewell ceremony for the remains
It is worth saying that Wang Hairong never married in his life and devoted his life's energy to the mainland's diplomatic cause.
Before she died, she lived with her mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephews and nieces in a small European-style building next to Zhongnanhai, and her family was harmonious and happy.