This is a rare photograph and a precious photograph.
The photo is in a venue, Chairman Mao, dressed in Zhongshan clothes, sitting in the first row of the venue near the aisle, bowing his head, holding a pen in his right hand, looking solemn, and carefully writing something in a notebook.
Next to her stood a young woman with short ear hair and cotton clothes and pants, smiling and expectant.
When and where was this photo taken? What exactly did Chairman Mao write in his notebook? Who is the young woman in the photo? What kind of legendary life did she have? What's the touching story behind the photos? In this issue, Luo Shimei told you the untold story behind this photo, and felt the deep affection of the great leader Chairman Mao and the people.
Chairman Mao signed li Xiuying on the spot
Although more than 70 years have passed, Li Xiuying will never forget the scene more than 70 years ago.
For a fan, having a signature from one of his favorite celebrities is undoubtedly a blessing. For Li Xiuying, she feels that she is the happiest person in the world, because the signature she has is unique, and the signature for him is a real "big star" - no, it should be said that "the great savior of the people".
The person who signed Li Xiuying's autograph was Chairman Mao Zedong, the leader of the party and the people.
Why did Chairman Mao sign Liu Xiuying? The story begins in 1951.
The Huai River is one of the geographical dividing lines between the north and the south of China, and this large river flowing from the Tongbai Mountains has nourished 270,000 square kilometers of land, benefited the people on both sides of the strait, and brought endless disasters to the people because of the continuous flooding.
In the summer of 1950, the embankment of the Huai River collapsed, and a rare flood disaster occurred, with the affected arable land alone reaching 43.5 million mu, the affected population reaching more than 9.9 million, and hundreds of people displaced.
The Huai River flooded
One after another, the telegrams were urgently reported to Beijing, and the water disaster in the Huai River tightened Chairman Mao's heart.
"This year's water potential is so great that it has been affected by disasters that have never been seen in a hundred years. Due to the fierceness of the water, there were people who were bitten by poisonous snakes in trees, or who died by overturning boats, many villages and villages sank, and survivors hugged their heads and cried..."
Seeing this confidential telegram from Anhui, Chairman Mao burst into tears and kept repeating a sentence: "What is the Communist Party that does not help to save the people?" ”
The Communist Party led the people to overthrow the three mountains and establish a new China, is it still impossible to govern the Huai River?
In a report forwarded to Premier Zhou Enlai, Chairman Mao signed and approved: "In addition to the current prevention and rescue, we must consider the method of eradicating the disease." Preparations will begin now, and large-scale pilot projects will be organized in autumn, with a view to completing the pilot project in one year to avoid flooding next year. ”
Chairman Mao's instructions on the management of the Huai River
"Please ask the Ministry of Water Resources to make a guide plan for a limited day and send me a reading." This plan must be completed in August, approved by the Council of State, and construction begins in early autumn..."
"Guide Huai bisu, Anhui, and Yu to work at the same time, and the work plan of the party committees of the three provinces must be centered on this and told to them as soon as possible."
"Now at the end of September, the start period of the zhihuai should not be extended for a long time, please supervise the early survey, make plans as soon as possible, and start construction as soon as possible."
In just 2 months, Chairman Mao gave three consecutive instructions, conveying a burning mood between the lines, and prompting him to make up his mind to control the Huai River, and this decision was made almost at the same time as the invasion of Korea.
In the spring of the following year, Chairman Mao issued a great call that "the Huai River must be repaired." At the sound of an order, the mountains called for the sea, and tens of millions of people in the Huai River Basin opened the first chapter of the large-scale transformation of the natural environment in New China.
In the first year of Zhihuai, as many as 3 million migrant workers went to the construction site, and Li Xiuying was one of them.
Li Xiuying is a native of Nanzhaoji Town, Yingshang, Anhui Province, and suffered greatly from the flooding of the Huai River. In the summer of 1950, when the water was heavy, Li Xiuying's family fled to the high hill outside the village, stayed up for dozens of days, and watched the village flood and the family was gone.
Chairman Mao's great call
After Chairman Mao issued a great call, Li Xiuying did not say a word, rolled up his sleeves and went into battle, "When the water comes, it will run, when it is a head!" I made up my mind not to run away, to fight with the water! Li Xiuying made up her mind.
This year, Li Xiuying was in her early twenties, and when she was young and strong, the men on the construction site felt that she could not do the project as a woman and let her watch the children at home.
Li Xiuying was not convinced, she was still a female militiaman in the village, and she could carry a gun! With a wave of his hand, Li Xiuying formed a "women's commando team" with 26 sisters, each carrying a basket on a flat shoulder, and went to the construction site without hesitation.
Although this commando team is a woman, it is not at all intimidating to work. They are not afraid of suffering or tiredness, lifting tracks, digging dirt, pushing wheelbarrows... Dirty work, tiring work, no less than men do. In particular, Li Xiuying played a leading role, fighting day and night on the front line of Zhihuai, lifting four flat burdens one day, swelling his shoulders into steamed buns, and shaking his spirit the next day, and then going to the "battlefield."
In this way, Li Xiuying, who seemed weak, became a "female man" on the construction site, and the old and young masters gave her a thumbs up.
When the hometown Runhe Ji built the flood storage and water sluice gate, there was a shortage of people on the construction site, Li Xiuying was ruthless, left her daughter who was more than 3 years old at home, insisted on going to work every day, tired and fell to the ground many times, everyone advised her to go home and rest, Li Xiuying shook her head and refused: "Chairman Mao said that the Huai River must be cured, and now the river is not cured, and I lie at home and rest without the heart to rest." ”
Li Xiuying at the site of the Zhihuai Project
Li Xiuying's performance is only a microcosm of countless migrant workers in Zhihuai, in order to complete it a day earlier, millions of Zhihuai personnel slept on the construction site for several months in a row, lacking food and clothing, everyone shouted trumpets to endure hunger, and no one complained.
The vigorous Huaihe River control project has attracted the attention of the media, the Central News Documentary Film Studio came to the construction site to shoot a documentary on Zhihuai, taking Li Xiuying as the key shooting object, Li Xiuying was successively rated by the Ministry of Water Resources as a "special level Zhihuai labor model" and "Zhihuai first-class meritorious hero", Li Xiuying suddenly became famous, and her deeds were broadcast everywhere on the construction site.
Young Li Xiuying looks handsome and likable. In 1951, her portrait appeared on the cover of the 9th issue of The People's Pictorial along with several other labor models, and Li Xiuying became a well-known "female star" in the country.
On the eve of the National Day in 1951, the 23-year-old Li Xiuying received a news that made her extremely excited: as a national special model worker and a model worker representative of the agricultural and water conservancy system, she was invited to attend the third session of the first session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
It was at this meeting that Li Xiuying had one of the most unforgettable memories of her life.
Li Xiuying is receiving a certificate of honor
Li Xiuying came to Beijing as scheduled to attend the meeting, and also attended the meeting with model labor representatives from all fronts across the country. Of course, there are also party and state leaders Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, Chairman Zhu De, and so on.
For Li Xiuying, she is very satisfied to meet these leaders.
By the afternoon of the third day of the meeting, the agenda was over and everyone began to leave the venue in an orderly manner.
At this time, Chairman Mao walked in the direction of Li Xiuying, who was hesitating whether to take the initiative to greet Chairman Mao, who had already walked to her side. Just as Chairman Mao was about to pass by Li Xiuying's side, a staff member suddenly told Chairman Mao: "Chairman, this is Comrade Li Xiuying, a model of special level governance. ”
Chairman Mao immediately stopped, turned to look at Li Xiuying, and took the initiative to extend his right hand.
"Oh, you're Li Xiuying!" I've heard that you are a great hero of The Cure! Chairman Mao said cordially.
Chairman Mao is giving instructions
Li Xiuying was extremely excited, she clasped Chairman Mao's hand with both hands, and a warm current of happiness overflowed on her body.
With a smile on his face, Chairman Mao asked Li Xiuying about the management of the Huai River and the lives of the people in the Huai River Basin, and Li Xiuying replied one by one, and at the same time his heart was full of emotions: Chairman Mao is taking advantage of every opportunity day by day, and he is so concerned about the masses on both sides of the Huai River, what reason do we have to make great efforts to cure the Huai River well!
Thinking of this, Li Xiuying did not know where to pluck up the courage to hand over his notebook and pen
Chairman Mao, he said generously: "Chairman, I would like to ask you to sign your name!" ”
Chairman Mao gladly agreed, and he sat down in the first row of aisle-leaning seats, opened the book, picked up the pen, and carefully signed his name on the title page of the book.
Click! A photojournalist keenly captured the shot, leaving behind this invaluable photograph.
Chairman Mao signed Li Xiuying's autograph
In Chairman Mao's life, he has signed autographs for others more than once or twice, but such natural and warm moments are very rare, and Li Xiuying has become the luckiest and happiest person.
"Mao Zedong", three words, the pen walking dragon and snake, vigorous and powerful, written in the book, but also written in Li Xiuying's heart.
At the gathering of women's representatives on the same day, Li Xiuying met Deng Yingchao, vice chairman of the All-China Women's Federation, and Qian Zhengying, deputy commander-in-chief of Zhihuai, who came to the meeting, called Li Xiuying and introduced her to Deng Yingchao, leaving a precious group photo.
Subsequently, Deng Yingchao also signed Li Xiuying's notebook.
This time, he was received by Chairman Mao and had the honor of obtaining Chairman Mao's autograph, which gave Li Xiuying great encouragement.
In the years that followed, no matter where he went, Li Xiuying always took Chairman Mao's signature book with him. Whenever lied to this story, Li Xiuying said with excitement: "This is an invisible encouragement, with chairman Mao's encouragement, no matter what post I am in, I must be an example and an example." ”
In Li Xiuying's view, Chairman Mao's signature is not only an encouragement to himself personally, but also an encouragement to the people on both sides of the Huai River, and this book bears witness to the determination of the party and state leaders to fight water for the people and shows the courage of the Chinese people to fight water.
Li Xiuying with Deng Yingchao and Qian Zhengying
After Beijing returned with honors, the organization arranged for Li Xiuying to study at the Provincial Water Conservancy Department, and after the expiration of the period, he stayed in the provincial capital of Hefei to work and joined the Communist Party of China. Although he bore the aura of a national model worker and had the experience of being received by Chairman Mao and Deng Yingchao, Li Xiuying always regarded himself as an ordinary party member cadre and devoted himself to his work.
Speaking of Li Xiuying, we have to mention the legendary story of her and her husband's separation and reunion.
In 1927, Li Xiuying was born in a place called Wuli Dunfang in Shencheng Town, Yingshang County, and his family was poor since childhood. Because her uncle's family had no children, 4-year-old Li Xiuying was adopted as a daughter of her uncle's family, and followed her uncle to change her surname to Li and take the name Xiuying.
Despite the hardships of life, the uncle's family regarded Li Xiuying as a pearl in the palm of their hands and raised her.
In 1944, Li Xiuying grew into a big girl, and her father (uncle) recruited a door-to-door son-in-law named Feng Xueyong in the name of recruiting workers. Feng Xueyong is sharp in his hands and feet, practical and capable, and is very popular with the Li family.
At the age of 18, under the auspices of her parents, Li Xiuying and Feng Xueyong got married, and the next year gave birth to the eldest daughter, although the family life was not rich, but the life was peaceful and happy.
Such calm days were soon broken. In 1946, the Kuomintang reactionaries provoked a civil war, and in May of that year, Feng Xueyong suddenly disappeared, and since then there has been no news, she heard that her husband may have been forcibly pulled by the Kuomintang to become a soldier.
Group photo of Li Xiuying with classmates in the cadre cram school
Some people say that Feng Xueyong died outside long ago and advised Li Xiuying to remarry while he was young, but Li Xiuying firmly believed that her husband must still be alive and waiting for her husband to return.
In 1952, at the garrison of the People's Liberation Army in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, a company commander saw his long-lost hometown on the screen while watching the documentary movie "We Must Repair the Huai River", which aroused his homesickness.
At this moment, accompanied by the movie commentary "Yingshang County Peasant Girl Li Xiuying", a young woman appeared on the screen, it was the female militiaman, the special level of the Labor Model Li Xiuying.
Seeing this scene, this eight-foot man couldn't stop crying.
This is my wife I haven't seen in six years! The company commander pointed at Li Xiuying and said.
It turned out that this company commander was Li Xiuying's husband Feng Xueyong, who had been away for five years and had not heard from him.
However, Feng Xueyong was worried that Li Xiuying had remarried and had never dared to contact Li Xiuying. It was not until 3 years later, with the encouragement of his comrades-in-arms, that Feng Xueyong finally plucked up the courage to write a family letter to Li Xiuying, who was far away in Anhui.
In 1955, Li Xiuying received a letter from her hometown. When I opened it, it turned out to be a husband from a separation of nearly ten years! Watching her husband tell about her experience over the years, Li Xiuying could not sit still, she immediately asked the unit for leave and stepped on the train to the south.
Li Xiuying and her husband Feng Xueyong
A few days later, Li Xiuying appeared at the Quanzhou Railway Station and saw a strange and familiar figure in the distance, he was a husband who had not met for many years!
The couple, separated by the war for years, hugged each other tightly. Holding hands and looking at each other with tears in their eyes, they were speechless and choked.
A documentary on Zhihuai has miraculously reunited a couple who have been separated for many years, bringing an unexpected surprise to Li Xiuying's fate, which she did not expect, which may be Li Xiuying's persistence and payment in return!
In that year, Li Xiuying gave up his job at the Anhui Provincial Water Conservancy Department and moved with his family to Nan'an County, Fujian Province, where her husband's troops were stationed, and became a workshop director in a local chemical factory.
Since then, Li Xiuying, as a family member of the army, wherever her husband went, she followed her there, successively traveled to 3 provinces, changed 5 jobs, but no matter where she went, Li Xiuying carried a notebook signed by Chairman Mao and a photo signed by Chairman Mao for her, always keeping in mind Chairman Mao's concern for herself, loving her post and dedicating herself to work hard.
Later, Li Xiuying took off the title page of Chairman Mao's autographed notebook and put it in a golden photo frame, which became a "family heirloom" and a driving force to motivate the whole family to move forward, and has been treasured to this day.
In 1982, Li Xiuying, who had worked all her life, retired.
Elderly Li Xiuying is showing off the cover of her People's Pictorial
After retiring, Li Xiuying is not willing to be lonely; she is not only a volunteer in the community, but also a national defense education explainer; units and communities often invite her to give reports and give party lectures; as long as there is an arrangement for activities, Li Xiuying never shirks, and wants to tell everyone about her passionate years of participating in the management of the Huai River and to tell future generations chairman Mao's concern for the people.
In Li Xiuying's view, this is the most meaningful thing.
Today, Li Xiuying is a 95-year-old man, but she still cares about the situation of the HuaiHe, and every flood situation in the Huaihe River makes her worry about her stomach. In April 2021, 94-year-old Li Xiuying came to Wangjiaba in Funan, Anhui Province for the first time, and couldn't help but recall the passionate years of the original Zhihuai, and said with deep affection:
"At that time, don't say that you are doing work for relief, that is, if you don't use work for relief, everyone must also do it." Full of labor, half of the labor are on the embankment, everyone works together, it is for themselves! Chairman Mao is for the people, we are doing it for ourselves, responding to Chairman Mao's call to cure the Huai River, and our life will be better.
More than 70 years have passed since Chairman Mao issued the call in 1951 that "the Huai River must be repaired." For more than 70 years, the Communist Party of China has led the people on both sides of the Huai River to devote themselves to Anlan and made arduous efforts, and today four major irrigation systems have been built on the Huai River, and the barren land of "ten years and nine droughts" has become today's big granary.
Elderly Li Xiuying and Chairman Mao's autographed group photo
What makes Li Xiuying even happier is that in the process of overcoming floods and rebuilding mountains and rivers, the people of Huaihe Have explored a "way of harmonious coexistence between man and water", which not only tamed the recalcitrant Huaihe, but also constantly changed their own destiny. As of 2020, all 13 national key poverty alleviation counties along the Huaihuai in Anhui Province have been lifted out of poverty.
Seeing the tamed Huai River and the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Huai River, Li Xiuying said with emotion: "Our happy life was not easy to come by, and the country was able to develop to this day, so powerful and influential, all because of Chairman Mao and the strong leadership of the Communist Party." Without the Chinese Communist Party, where would I be today with my family. Loyalty to the party, unswerving in this life. ”
Loyalty to the party, unswerving in this life. This is the best portrayal of Li Xiuying's life, and it is also the greatest spiritual wealth she has brought to future generations.
Today's Li Xiuying, a family of four generations, lives a very happy life. The old man's simple words have become the family motto of the whole family: "We are party members, we must not pay attention to conditions, do not consider gains and losses, and work hard for the party and the people!" ”
Under the influence of Li Xiuying and her husband Feng Xueyong, Li Xiuying's children and grandchildren are all upright, some entering the military camp, some entering the police camp, and they all regard their grandmothers (maternal grandmothers) and great-grandmothers (great-grandmothers) as their models and "serving the people" as their eternal pursuit of life themes.
Li Xiuying is showing Deng Yingchao's autograph
With this article, I would like to deeply remember Chairman Mao who is concerned about the governance of the HuaiHe River and the people's livelihood, and to pay tribute to all the working people who have contributed to the governance of the Huaihe River, you are all the most lovely people in my mind!
References: Wen Wei Po "Chairman Mao's Signature became an "Heirloom," and Family Training Was Passed down from Generation to Generation to Serve the People" China National Defense Daily, "Li Xiuying, a 93-year-old militiaman, signed encouragement for her."