In June 1976, after the deliberation of the Party Central Committee, it was decided to appoint He Zizhen, who was 70 years old, as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and after learning this news, she burst into tears with excitement: "Thanks to the party and the country, I did not expect to remember me organizationally!" In order to be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, He Zizhen began a tenacious struggle with the disease.
When she took office, she put forward three wishes buried in her heart to the party organization, what are the three wishes of the first female Red Army of Jinggangshan? How did the central authorities approve the reply?
Figure | He Zizhen
In the autumn of 1948, with the liaoshen campaign coming to an end, He Zizhen finally ended her nearly ten years of soviet travel, after returning to China, He Zizhen's greatest wish was to meet with Chairman Mao, she and her daughter Jiaojiao wrote a letter to Chairman Mao, but her letter was never replied to.
It was not until the following year that Chairman Mao wrote back that he missed his daughter and hoped to take her to his side, and He Zizhen quickly agreed. With the help of his sister He Yi, Li Min came to Chairman Mao's side safely. Li Min was only four years old when she was sent to the Soviet Union, and she had not seen her father for seven or eight years.
After a long time of separation, she was extremely happy to see her father, but after all, it was a mother-daughter connection, after a few days in Beijing, Li Min remembered her mother again, and the little Li Min took He Yi's hand and asked: "Aunt, when will my mother come over?" As soon as these words came out, Chairman Mao pushed the door in, and seeing this situation, He Yi directly threw the question to Chairman Mao.
Figure | Mao Zedong and Li Min
The whole room fell silent for an instant, and after getting no response, He Yi said directly to Chairman Mao: "Chairman, I have come this time mainly for two things, first of all, I sent my niece, and then I want to fight for my sister to get her rightful place. ”
When He Yi's words reached Chairman Mao's ear, he fell into a brief period of deep thinking, and after much consideration, he sighed and said to He Yi slowly: "He Zizhen came here, is it a fact caused by history, or do it according to China's old rules!" Although Chairman Mao's words He Yi did not quite understand, she felt that this time she would definitely be able to let her sister meet Chairman Mao.
As long as they meet, the sister's problem may be solved. So He Yi hurried to Shenyang to pick up He Zizhen. In June, He Zizhen packed his bags and took a train to Beiping. During the trip, He Zizhen and her sister were still imagining what might happen in Beijing.
Figure | He Yi and He Zizhen
However, the sudden change shattered the beautiful life enjoyed by the two. When the train stopped at a station at Shanhaiguan, two young people suddenly came up, who claimed to be performing the tasks assigned by the organization, and told the two sisters: "You cannot enter Beiping, you can only continue to go south, at this time the organizational arrangement." ”
Hearing these words, He Zizhen was extremely sad in her heart, and she knew that this was not to let her enter Beiping. Now that it's over, what else can she do? But when it reached He Yi's ears, she felt that this was too harsh, and seeing her sister's mood drop, she immediately quarreled with these two people.
But the order is the order, will never be because of He Yi's few words to change, in desperation, the two had to buy a ticket again, turn around and go to Shanghai to visit their brother He Minxue, at this time He Zizhen did not know that she would spend most of her life there.
Figure | He Minxue
When Chairman Mao learned that He Zizhen had not come to Beijing, but had gone to Shanghai instead, he specifically told The Mayor of Shanghai, Chen Yi, that all of He Zizhen's expenses in Shanghai were deducted from her writing fees, and that Comrade He Zizhen must be taken good care of. Chen Yi refused this request for a fee, but made it clear to Chairman Mao that Comrade He Zizhen would make proper arrangements.
He Zizhen's trip to Peiping was thus shelved, but not being able to go to Beijing and not being able to see Chairman Mao had become He Zizhen's obsession, and she buried it tightly in her heart, and if she seized the opportunity, this young seed would break through the ground at a speed of a thousand miles a day.
On September 15, 1954, Chairman Mao delivered an opening speech at the First National People's Congress, and when the voice reached He Zizhen's ear through the radio, He Zizhen was very excited, which was the first time she had heard Chairman Mao's voice since the separation of Yan'an.
Figure | Chairman Mao
After more than ten years of passing, this voice is both familiar and unfamiliar to He Zizhen, but it seems that it is not heard enough. Since then, He Zizhen has not even been able to eat, holding a radio all day, even sleeping at night.
The next day, the radio malfunctioned, and He Zizhen was also ill and hospitalized because of excessive worry. After learning of He Zizhen's situation, Chairman Mao immediately sent his daughter Li Min to visit, and personally wrote a letter to He Zizhen for her daughter to take with him. In the letter, He Zizhen was repeatedly instructed to take care of his body and take medicine on time.
For He Zizhen, receiving Chairman Mao's letter worked better than any medicine, and his spirit was already very good, coupled with the doctor's careful treatment, within a few days, his body showed a significant improvement.
Figure | He Zizhen on the hospital bed
In 1959, Chairman Mao held a meeting in Lushan, where he met briefly, not knowing that this was the last time the two of them saw. Under Shui Jing's arrangement, He Zizhen entered the Meilu Villa, and at this moment, she did not know who to meet with.
When he saw Chairman Mao, He Zizhen was momentarily stunned, and his wish for many years was realized so unexpectedly, perhaps because of his near-hometown feelings, he originally had a stomach to say, but he choked up several times, and finally did not say anything. Only after Chairman Mao's persuasion did he tell his latest situation.
Without saying a few words, the meeting had come to an end, and given that He Zizhen's health was not very good, after 90 minutes of talking, Chairman Mao asked the other party to go to rest first, and something would be said tomorrow, but the next day, Chairman Mao had to leave because of some things, but no matter what, He Zizhen's wish was finally fulfilled.
Picture | a group photo of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen
But not being able to go to Beijing is also a piece of He Zizhen's heart disease. In September 1966, He Zizhen's niece He Xiaoping was going to Beijing for work reasons, and when she heard the news, she immediately went to her niece, hoping that she would go with her.
For his aunt's decision, He Xiaoping felt very embarrassed: "How do you go?" The municipal party committee will not agree. Although He Zizhen knew about this situation, he still retorted: "Why can't I go?" When I arrived in Beijing, I could live in Jiaojiao, and he went to be his chairman, and I did not disturb him. And I heard that there are ten most famous buildings in Beijing, and I also want to go to Beijing to have a look. ”
Listening to He Zizhen's words, He Xiaoping also felt his aunt's grievances, but there was no way, he had to constantly persuade his aunt, and after feeling his niece's weakness, He Zizhen had to give up this decision.
Figure | from left: Liu Ziyi, He Xiaoping, He Zizhen, He Haifeng
Since then, He Zizhen has never mentioned going to Beijing, fiddling with flowers and plants in the house in Shanghai all day, giving people the illusion that they have forgotten about this matter, but if you look closely, you will find that He Zizhen planted all the chairman's favorite plum blossoms, and she did not give up, but put all her thoughts on the surrounding affairs.
This peaceful life belonging to He Zizhen came to an abrupt end until September 9, 1976, when Chairman Mao still could not withstand the ravages of the disease and passed away forever at the age of 83, and he spent his whole life fighting for the cause of the liberation of New China and living a happy and peaceful life for all the people of China.
Since Chairman Mao's death, Li Min was afraid that his mother He Zizhen would be sad to hear of his father's death, and his illness would worsen again, so he hurried to Shanghai with her husband and daughter Kong Dongmei to take care of her mother's body.
Picture | a group photo of Li Min, He Zizhen and her daughter
To this day, Kong Dongmei still remembers the scene when she met her grandmother: "When my grandfather died, my grandmother's behavior was very abnormal, even as if she had never heard the news. She just paced back and forth around the room and said to herself, 'Hasn't the chairman's body always been tough?' How did you get there so quickly? ’”
But He Zizhen's calm did not last long, and in the next few days, He Zizhen's mood changed drastically, washing her face with tears all day long, and her body was visible to the naked eye, she said to her daughter with tears: "Your father died, but before he died, his children were not by his side, so pitiful!" ”
Li Min's husband Kong Linghua saw that his mother-in-law did not eat or drink all day because she was sad, so he comforted him on the side: "As the head of state, the president sent him to the end not only about his children, but also worried about the hearts of the people of the whole country." Hearing such words, He Zizhen's heart was still extremely uncomfortable, and he said bitterly: "This can't work!" ”
Picture | Li Min, Chairman Mao, and Kong Linghua
Later, He Zizhen was still distressed that Chairman Mao had not been taken care of by his children before his death, so he had a grudge against his daughter, and more often regretted his willfulness in going to the Soviet Union. At the last moment of bidding farewell to Chairman Mao, He Zizhen was also not invited to participate.
So He Zizhen paid tribute to Chairman Mao in her own way, only to see her find a photo of Chairman Mao from her home, cover it with a black veil, bow three times to the statue, and silently read on her mouth: "Runzhi, rest in peace!" At this time, Li Min returned from Beijing to deal with his father's burial matters, and found that his mother's head suddenly added some white hair, and the whole person was much older.
Li Min knew that for her mother, no amount of comforting words were empty, so she had to tell her mother from another angle: "If you want to better commemorate your father, then inherit your father's wishes and serve the people." After listening to her daughter's words, He Zizhen eased up from her grief and told her daughter: "I can continue to work, even if it is to write a memoir." ”
Figure | Li Min and He Zizhen
At that time, He Zizhen was nearly 70 years old, the old diseases were repeated, and her physical condition was very bad, but she never forgot her original intention and wanted to contribute her last bit of strength to the country and the people.
The following year, He Zizhen specifically went to visit his brother He Minxue, and in the conversation, he recalled that the brothers and sisters and Chairman Mao were full of spirit on the Jinggang Mountain, and then experienced the 25,000-mile Long March. She told her brother that she would continue to fight for the building of the country.
But just as she was full of ambition and ready to use her residual heat again, the disease fell on her again. Just after a little sleep, He Zizhen felt uncomfortable, and the left half of her body was completely out of her control. After being taken to the hospital, the doctor told her the unfortunate news that she had suffered a stroke.
Figure | He Minxue and He Zizhen
This also means that He Zizhen can only spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and after learning of his illness, He Zizhen's heart is even more miserable. It has become her habit to be with illness for many years, and what really makes her feel sad is that she cannot inherit the spirit of Chairman Mao and continue to benefit the cause of the people.
At the moment when He Zizhen's heart fell to the bottom, a new turn came from the center. After the reorganization, the country came back to life. In 1979, the fifth session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held in Beijing, and from this meeting, those comrades who fought side by side with He Zizhen proposed that He Zizhen be listed as an additional member of the NATIONAL Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
This proposal was also unanimously approved by the participants. On June 10, Xinhua News Agency informed the people of the whole country of the news, and at the time of its release, it also attached a photo of He Zizhen, which showed He Zizhen's face, although old, but his eyes were always firm.
After learning this news, He Zizhen suddenly had the infinite courage to fight against the pain of illness, and she immediately said to the medical staff: "I still have to continue to work, I want to work hard for the four modernization constructions, please help me recover my health as soon as possible, and I will also strive to cooperate with your treatment and strive to improve my body as soon as possible." ”
In the later rehabilitation training, even if she suffered great physical pain, He Zizhen always gritted her teeth and continued to persevere, which made the medical staff who accompanied her training also lament her tenacity.
After recovering, in September 1979, after He Zizhen was elected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, she finally could not suppress her inner desire and made three demands to the central authorities: "First of all, I want to go to Beijing, secondly, I want to visit Chairman Mao's legacy, and finally I want to see Tiananmen Square." ”
Over the past few years, since Chairman Mao's death, she can only secretly pay tribute to him in her own square inches, and every time at this moment, she is extremely envious of those comrades-in-arms and people who can personally attend the scene, hoping that she can also become one of them and personally bid farewell to Chairman Mao.
When the central authorities received these three requests from He Zizhen, they immediately gave instructions: agree. After receiving these two words, He Zizhen's hands trembled with excitement, and this wish was finally realized, and she could finally look at the famous ten major buildings, look at Tiananmen Square, and look at Chairman Mao.
On September 3, He Zizhen stepped on a special plane to Beijing, and on the plane, her mood was a little nervous and excited, this time, it was no longer just a fantasy of herself and her sister, but finally became a reality. After arriving in Beijing, He Zizhen was first arranged to adjust to Beijing 301 Hospital, and then carried out the next activities.
Figure | He Zizhen with Li Min and Kong Jining
But in He Zizhen's view, these acts are superfluous, and she can't suppress her excitement, and when she first arrived at the hospital, she proposed to the surrounding staff to go to Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall to see Chairman Mao.
In view of the fact that her mother is old, running and toiling along the way, her body is already overwhelmed, and it is really not suitable to continue the trip, so Li Min advised her mother: "I must go back to the memorial hall, my mother is not in a hurry, we will go again for two days." After Li Min's persuasion, He Zizhen's excitement calmed down slightly.
On September 18, accompanied by Li Min and Kong Linghua, He Zizhen finally arrived at the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Before this, Li Min and the staff repeatedly advised He Zizhen: "In the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, you can't make any sound, you can't cry, you must be quiet." ”
Picture | Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
The reason for this move is because Li Min always remembers the advice of the medical staff to her before: "In the process of going to the memorial hall, try to shorten the time a little, you must always pay attention to your mother's situation, so that her emotions remain in a stable state, your mother's health is not very good, you must not let her be too sad." ”
He Zizhen entered in a wheelchair from the south gate of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, before that, she also carefully selected a white handkerchief for herself, and at the moment when she first entered the door, the sitting statue of Chairman Mao placed in the center of the house just openly and dangled into He Zizhen's eyes, attracting her eyes tightly, as if recalling the green onion years of that year.
Under the soft call of her daughter Li Min, she returned to Her senses, and then she asked Li Min and Kong Linghua to present a large wreath to Chairman Mao's seated statue on her behalf, and the words on her ribbon seemed to be to write her life -- "Forever inherit Chairman Mao's revolutionary legacy", and the title of the person who dropped the money had also become: Old comrade-in-arms He Zizhen led his daughter Li Min and son-in-law Kong Linghua to pay tribute.
Picture | Kong Linghua, He Zizhen, Li Min and Chairman Mao seated in a group photo
He Zizhen, who stood here, was no longer willful and stubborn, and all he had in his heart was his incomparable respect and remembrance of the chairman, and after stopping for a moment, the three people took a group photo in front of Chairman Mao's statue, and this photo became the only photo of He Zizhen and Chairman Mao after the photo of Yan'an Phoenix Mountain in 1937.
After laying the wreath, He Zizhen came to the viewing hall, and with the help of the staff, the crystal coffin that placed Chairman Mao slowly rose, and at the moment when he saw the chairman's face, He Zizhen's tears could no longer be suppressed, and he instantly burst out of his eyes. Looking at Chairman Mao in the crystal coffin, she immediately recalled the meeting when she was in Lushan.
At this time, he could no longer advise her not to cry as before, and at that time, he still thought of coming to Japan for a long time, and he could continue to see her again the next day, but he did not expect that after that conversation, seeing each other again was already eternally separated.
Figure | In the spring of 1937, Mao Zedong and He Zizhen were in Yan'an
Jinggangshan's fighting spirit was high to Yan'an's worries, so long time seemed to be just a moment, thinking, thinking, the throat was more and more blocked, tears could not be controlled to overflow, but she remembered what her daughter had said before, she used all her strength to suppress her crying.
The medical staff on the side saw He Zizhen's situation and were afraid that she would be stimulated, and her condition would recur again, so she had to end this visit to the visit hall.
This visit only lasted ten minutes, and ten minutes seemed to be impossible for most people, but for He Zizhen, these ten minutes were of great significance, just like the Lushan meeting that lasted only one and a half hours 20 years ago, although short but significant, because this was the expectation and obsession of He Zizhen in the second half of his life.
After the third anniversary of Chairman |'s death, He Zizhen went to the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall for the first time
Since the beginning of this trip to Beijing, He Zizhen has completely rooted in Beijing, and he wants to continue his volunteer work in the place where Chairman Mao once worked, and continue to work tirelessly for a better tomorrow for new China. During the two years of living in Beijing, her family would receive condolences from the central leading comrades from time to time, and some old comrades-in-arms accompanied her to reminisce about the glory days of that year.
Here, He Zizhen's expectations over the years have been met, but the years of living in the south, making her unable to adapt to the dry and cold environment in the north, coupled with differences in diet, humidity and other aspects, is not conducive to the health of He Zizhen's body, and He Zizhen has lived in Shanghai for a long time, and the foreign country of Shanghai has become extremely kind in her eyes.
After staying in Beijing for a long time, she missed the days when she lived in Shanghai at that time, so she made a request to the central government to return to Shanghai, and the central government also expressed great understanding of He Zizhen's idea, so she told the other party that she could travel between Beijing and Shanghai.
He Zizhen Memorial Hall
In 1981, He Zizhen returned to Shanghai, but it was not long before her body had problems again, and she fell into a coma for a while, until April 19, when the illness struck again, and the 78-year-old He Zizhen did not resist the menacing illness and died suddenly, at the age of 75.