In the eyes of the people of Hongxing, a general who is famous in history is like an old branch secretary and an old peasant, and he is not a stranger or a little distant from ordinary people.
In October 1969, General Wang Zhen was sent to the Red Star Reclamation Farm in Dongxiang, Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province for labor training, which opened an indissoluble bond between him and Jiangxi.
In that special era, Wang Zhen lived in Dongxiang Hongxing for two and a half years with a special identity, and formed a deep friendship with Hongxing's mountains, rivers, grass and trees. He has said many times that Red Star is a good place, I have feelings for Red Star, and the people of Dongxiang have not forgotten him.
Portrait of General Wang Zhen. Courtesy of the author
One
Red Star Reclamation Farm is an agricultural reclamation enterprise established in the late 50s of the 20th century. In late October 1969, Wang Zhen and his staff left the Fuzhou Military Sub-district and the Cadre Rest House and came to the Red Star Reclamation Farm to squat. As a general, after Wang Zhen came to Red Star, he became a guest-oriented, and actively participated in and guided the work of the reclamation farm as his own "squatting".
Seeking development for the farm, welfare for the masses, and wealth for the society is the starting point for General Wang Zhen to base himself on the Red Star and take root in the Red Star.
In order to clothe the tens of thousands of acres of barren mountains in the Hongxing Reclamation Farm with green clothing, and to turn the Huangnigang, which has "one bag of pus when it rains and one bag of copper on three sunny days," into fertile soil with the fragrance of melons and fruits, he called on the workers of the reclamation farm to dig silt in reservoirs, ponds, and ditches in the depths of winter, build reservoirs in ravines, and divert mountain springs; mobilize all branches to set up chicken farms and cattle farms, and use pig and cow manure to improve the soil; reclaim barren mountains and wastelands to plant peanuts, sweet potatoes, melons, and fruits, and increase their income from sideline businesses; and vigorously develop the production of equipment for agriculture, breeding, and feed processing.
At that time, the "PuraPharm" milk powder produced by the Red Star Milk Powder Processing Factory, the feed crusher produced by the Red Star Machinery Factory were well-known throughout the country, and the pigs produced by the major farms were of good quality and exported to all over the country. In just three years, it not only greatly increased the income of the cadres and workers of Hongxing and allowed them to live a subsistence and clothing life in advance, but also had a profound impact on the agricultural development and entrepreneurship of Dongxiang.
These are the amazing miracles created by this "squatting" cadre and "supernumerary employee" who has no formal position in the Red Star Reclamation Farm, does not receive a fixed salary, and does not even fully implement the welfare benefits of the field department, with his foresight and advanced thinking.
Today's development of Dongxiang is inextricably linked with the "integration of agriculture, industry and commerce" business model founded by General Wang Zhen in Hongxing. General Wang Zhen has cultivated a large number of cutting-edge talents in major enterprises in Red Star, including technical personnel, management personnel, and sales personnel.
Today, there are a number of well-known agriculture-related enterprises in Dongxiang, including pigs, poultry, starch processing, etc., which are all related to the development ideas advocated by General Wang Zhen back then.
To this day, the people of Dongxiang are still sharing General Wang Zhen's way to get rich through a variety of operations. This is also a concrete embodiment of the older generation of revolutionaries who have the masses of the people in their hearts and do everything for the sake of the masses.
The former residence of General Wang Zhen. Courtesy of the author
Two
During the days of Red Star's "squatting", General Wang Zhen has been living in a low brick house that was idle in the former Red Star Guest House. In 2012, in order to carry forward the noble character and revolutionary spirit of General Wang Zhen, the county people's government renovated the original Wang Zhen's residence and cleaned up the messy sheds around it.
However, the grapes planted by General Wang Zhen and his wife Wang Jiqing in the courtyard are still preserved. In this hut, under this grape trellis, General Wang Zhen received the chiefs and comrades-in-arms who had come to visit him. In his conversations and interactions with the cadres and workers of the field department, neighbors, and the masses, General Wang Zhen was always so amiable and approachable.
Maintaining close ties with the masses and taking the lead in setting an example in everything is the deepest impression that General Wang Zhen left on the people of Hongxing.
At the site of the transformation of the red soil, in the rice fields planted in spring, General Wang Zhen, who is over 60 years old, often wears a hat, a coat, and trouser legs, and works together with the cadres and the masses. When I was tired, I sat cross-legged on the ridge with everyone to rest and chat. At night, they bathe in the river with the people in the neighborhood and cool off under the trees. In those days, the cadres and masses of the reclamation farm felt lucky and happy to be able to work and chat with the general.
Don't look at him as a respected national leader, but in the eyes of the people of Red Star, he is a farmer. He has done all the heavy and dirty work.
Comrade Wang Zhen gave on-site guidance at the pig farm of Hongxing Reclamation Farm. Courtesy of the author
Once, one of his old comrades-in-arms came to visit rashly, and the staff told him that General Wang Zhen had gone to the pig farm of the Dongshan branch. Accompanied by the staff, this old comrade-in-arms drove more than ten miles to the pig farm, and after a circle around the pig farm, there was no trace of Wang Zhen. It turned out that he was wearing a pair of boots and injecting a sick sow with veterinarian Li Ruqing in a low pig barn. Later, together with the breeder, he removed the pig manure from the pigsty.
When the old comrades-in-arms saw this scene, they couldn't help but shed tears. It turned out that General Wang Zhen had pig dung on his cheeks, arms, and clothes, and when he stuck his head out of the fence more than one meter high, the old leader and the people present did not recognize him for a while. He's a famous general, but at the moment, he's a breeder, even more dedicated than a breeder.
In the Wang Zhen Memorial Hall, there is a special photo. In the photo, General Wang Zhen squatted on a worn wooden chair wearing a faded single coat and holding his high trouser legs. On the opposite side were a few workers who had also rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, who, like General Wang Zhen, had just returned from the farmland. General Wang Zhen smoked a cigarette and talked to them cordially. They may be talking about agricultural production, or they may be talking about the shortcomings of parents, the atmosphere is so harmonious, and the topic is so relaxed......
At the Hongxing Reclamation Farm in Dongxiang, Fuzhou, General Wang Zhen squatted on a chair and talked cordially with the masses. Image source network
In the eyes of the people, the generals are tall, burly, and majestic, but how can the general in this photo squat and sit on a chair? This is because General Wang Zhen often starved during the Long March, reclamation, and other arduous days, and eventually suffered from serious stomach problems due to irregular meals and rest. Whenever it is cold in winter or spring, the condition worsens, and sometimes the pain is so painful that it is difficult to sleep and eat for several days.
In order not to delay his work, General Wang Zhen always squatted like this, with his knees against his abdomen, and the severe pain could be relieved. Back then, General Wang Zhen was like this, often squatting on a chair and talking to the grassroots front-line cadres and workers about the international and domestic situation, and the development plan and grand blueprint of the Red Star Reclamation Farm.
At that moment, a staff member of the field department, who is also a photography enthusiast, filmed this scene. Visitors all said that this was a rare moment, a general who went down in history was like an old branch secretary and an old peasant in the eyes of the people of Hongxing, and there was no strangeness or distance from ordinary people.
Three
If you live in a temple, you are worried about the people, and if you are far away from the rivers and lakes, you are worried about your king. In the face of adversity, General Wang Zhen never forgot his loyalty to the party and his concern for the future and destiny of the country. During the days of Red Star, he insisted on listening to the radio and reading newspapers every day, and also told the workers of the reclamation farm about national events and international news in a timely manner.
General Wang Zhen's "Red Star is My Home" Monument. Courtesy of the author
After returning to Beijing, General Wang Zhen also returned to Dongxiang Hongxing several times, had a long talk with the cadres and masses of Hongxing, inquired about the development of Dongxiang, and wrote many letters to the leaders and workers of Hongxing Reclamation Farm, encouraging them to continue to run the state-owned farm well, continue to carry forward the spirit of "hard work and courage to open up", and make suggestions for the development of Hongxing Reclamation Farm. The cadres and workers of Red Star all said that General Wang Zhen's feelings for Red Star cannot be expressed in words, and they cannot be described in words.
In April 1973, Comrade Wang Zhen led the leaders of six ministries and commissions of the Central Committee to inspect the Red Star Reclamation Farm, and the most common sentence he said was: The people of Dongxiang have not forgotten me, and I will not forget the Red Star of Dongxiang. I'm a part of the Red Star Reclamation Farm, and Red Star is my home!
A general who has repeatedly made meritorious contributions to the cause of the liberation of the Chinese people and devoted his whole life to China's agricultural reclamation cause regarded Hongxing, where he had only lived for two and a half years, as his second hometown and Hongxing as his home. How affectionate!
Author: Wang Yunfei
Source: "Contemporary Jiangxi" WeChat public account