Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
After Chairman Mao's death, the Party Central Committee made a decision to build Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall. The project began in November 1976 and was completed in May 1977, lasting more than half a year.
The builders come from high-end professional teams such as the capital Liujian and the PLA engineering troops. Our division (detachment) also set up an on-site command post, which is located on the east side of Tiananmen Square, built with lightweight foam bricks and floor masonry, and the four brick houses are neatly arranged vertically from north to south, and the walls form an independent courtyard.
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall project participation in the construction of the commemorative medal
Certificate of attendance at the commendation meeting
Certificates and medals
Looking back on that experience, it is really unforgettable, I have been stationed in the village many times, but only this time is the most impressive. In terms of geographical location alone, it is also unique in the whole army, based on Tiananmen Square, such an experience, rare and rare, it can be described as the first command post in the world. I don't know when the head of which level will come to ask for data, so I have to keep abreast of the progress of the project, the number of soldiers entering the field, the amount of work completed, etc., every day.
After a long time, I felt that it was not what I imagined. The chiefs were very gentle and understanding, and even if I sometimes made a mistake, they could help me play a dozen rounds so that I would not be embarrassed, and even patiently waited for me to recheck and come up with new data. At that special stage, I had the most contact with Deputy Division Commander Hu Changfu and Chief of Staff Ye Jintang, whom I had known for a long time. The first impression they left on me was that they didn't want to die when they did their jobs, and they were out-and-out doers.
They stick to the construction site all day long, dusty and sleepy. Like many participants, they all have a sincere heart for the great leader Chairman Mao, carefully organized, meticulously constructed, meticulous, and kept improving. Underground engineering construction, in the winter night, I don't leave the scene, a hard hat, a flashlight, my feet are muddy, and I am in the support gap through the narrow space. Drill the rack and check the ventilation; support the template and mold, and require the technical personnel to strictly check the flatness; the steel mesh tells the commander who leads the team to avoid the leakage point of the binding point welding, and the vertical and horizontal combination should be tight; the stubble of the inclined plane of concrete pouring is the key, and the level is gradual and not perfunctory. Ground structure construction, climbing high to inspect the operation surface, the process connection is compact to grab time, reasonable arrangement of array interference, and strive to ensure that the construction period is not delayed. A century-old plan, quality first, a military order is set up around the ring, and the rewards and punishments are clear and ruthless. The subordinate units are required to make the memorial hall project a first-class architectural masterpiece and hand in a satisfactory answer to the party and the people. The underground engineering and the northwest corner of the main surface structure undertaken by our troops have all been of excellent grade and have been commended and praised by the General Headquarters.
Speaking of Deputy Division Commander Hu (then the commander of the 71st Regiment), he was less than 50 years old at the time, a native of Shandong, with a medium build, a square face, although his eyes were not big, he wore two thick eyebrows above, which looked shimmering and spirited, and sometimes he had a straight face, his eyes were sharp, and he was majestic. Since the start of construction, he has hardly left the construction site, and he always has the battalion commanders under his command with him. I often come back to the command post after late at night to study and judge the construction plan, and put forward a series of problems, quality, progress, and safety. He asked everyone to put forward their opinions, take out his reading glasses and diary, listen carefully to the reports of others, and then arrange the troops, spread out the drawings and circles, and slap the table to finalize the case.
Deputy Division Commander Hu was very addicted to smoking, and when he was thinking about problems in his research work, he smoked one cigarette after another, and his movements were skillful, he took out a cigarette roll with one hand and brought it to his mouth, and lit it instantly with a match in the other. At the research meeting, I always listened and talked while smoking, and after a meeting, I saw that the people in the office were like fairies, soaring in the clouds, as if traveling in a fairyland.
He was very simple and loved to drink. It may be that the engineering troops' perennial outdoor life of eating and sleeping in the open needs to ward off cold and dampness. After the meeting, it was often early in the morning, and when I was hungry, I was asked to go to the cafeteria to make two fires, a plate of peanuts and a plate of salted mustards, and I ate my own loose white dried children. Deputy Division Commander Hu's scattered white dry children were poured into the military kettle and stored in my office, which was timely and convenient to use. Therefore, after a busy day, he often came to the office in the middle of the night to patronize his fire, and drank two cups of his loose white dried rice with peanuts.
To describe Deputy Division Commander Hu in today's terms, he is very competitive. I was deeply impressed by the close contact he had in the command post for more than half a year, and his body seemed to be made of iron and steel. He walked with his chest held high, his steps were agile and light, and his military posture was majestic and serious; the commander was on the front line in person, and he was able to make a bamboo in his chest after a glance; he worked day and night, and he never saw him show his tired face. Chairman Mao's memorial hall project, I have personally experienced how many sleepless nights he had, and when he deployed the task, he was always full of confidence, extraordinary courage, sonorous words, and eloquent.
Let's talk about Chief of Staff Ye (then the commander of the fourth battalion), who is in his forties and is a native of Jinhua, Zhejiang. Medium stature, speaking with a Jiangsu-Zhejiang accent, speaking Mandarin very unfluently, speaking a thick and obscure Zhejiang dialect, I didn't understand his language when I first came into contact, and I didn't dare to ask, so I had to pretend to understand, and slowly pondered the analysis and understanding. Who knows that over time, unconsciously, the communication barrier is naturally removed. He has thick eyebrows, a dark face, and often maintains a solemn demeanor, which is always intimidating at first contact, and after a long time, I realize that he is an empathetic, caring warm-hearted person for his subordinates. He is also an excellent commander with well-known military and political qualities, and the whole battalion admires and respects him.
In the thirteen years I had been in contact with from the time I joined the army to the time I was dismantled, I knew him for more than five years, and he knew me better. He cared for me very much, from daily trivial matters to starting a family, he took the initiative to ask me, give me ideas, refer to the pros and cons, and help me solve problems. When I had to leave him for a job change, I was reluctant to give up and was in a dilemma.
The responsibility on his shoulders for the memorial hall project is very heavy, because the construction period is tight, the requirements are high, the whole battalion is concentrated, every operation, every link, every process, he knows it by heart, so he threw himself into the project site, I followed it, I felt physically exhausted, physically and mentally exhausted, my eyes were red, my cheeks became thin, I gritted my teeth and persevered, this perseverance came from the words and deeds of the chief of staff and influence.
The unforgettable experience of working beside the chiefs in the command post forged my will and realized the revolutionary enthusiasm full of them and the fine work style of the people's army. Their work attitude and style of doing things not only influenced my past experience, but also shaped my life pattern, and in the days that followed, their persistent work attitude spurred me not to be afraid of wind and rain, not afraid of difficulties, and to move forward bravely.
These two old chiefs have passed away one after another, and what is buried deep in my heart is a deep longing. Their images will forever remain in my memory and engraved in my mind.
Written in Beijing in March 2024
Photo courtesy of the author
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