Soon after the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in 1950, there was an upsurge of donations and materials to the front-line volunteers in China. Pu Yi, who was in the Fushun War Criminals Management Center, also learned the news from the staff. At the beginning, Pu Yi hesitated about this matter again and again, and struggled in his heart. As the former "puppet emperor of Manchukuo", he was deeply afraid of being severely punished by New China. But on second thought, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for him to prove his loyalty and win forgiveness. After a fierce ideological struggle, Pu Yi finally made up his mind and took the initiative to find the person in charge of the management office. That night, I saw him carefully take out a precious treasure from the inner lining of his cotton coat, hold it in both hands and look at it for a long time, and then slowly hand it to the other party. What is this treasure that Pu Yi holds so dear, and what kind of story will it bring?
Pu Yi handed over the national treasure
After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in 1950, there was an upsurge of donations and materials for front-line volunteers in various parts of China. This patriotic fervor also spread to Pu Yi, who was in the Fushun War Criminals Management Center. At first, Pu Yi was hesitant to participate in the donation. As the former "puppet emperor of Manchukuo", he was deeply afraid of being severely punished by New China. But on second thought, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for him to prove his loyalty and win forgiveness. So, after a fierce ideological struggle, Pu Yi finally made up his mind and took the initiative to find Sun Mingzhai, the person in charge of the management office.
That night, Pu Yi carefully took out a precious treasure from the lining of his cotton coat, held it in both hands and looked at it for a long time before slowly handing it to Sun Mingzhai. It turned out that this treasure that Pu Yi cherished so much was the favorite private seal of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, "Tianhuang Three Chain Chapter". This seal is linked by two square seals and an oval seal, which was once the favorite private seal of Emperor Qianlong, and has been passed down from generation to generation among the Qing emperors until Puyi's generation. When he was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, Pu Yi carried it with him as a priceless treasure, no matter how downcast.
Taking over this important treasure of the country, Sun Mingzhai sincerely said to Pu Yi: "I understand your kindness on behalf of the party and the country, I will definitely hand it over to the country, and it will definitely be kept in the best museum on the mainland in the future." Pu Yi nodded, but looked at Sun Mingzhai thoughtfully, as if there was something unfinished. Sun Mingzhai saw the clue and asked tentatively, "Mr. Puyi, do you have any requirements?"
Hearing this, Pu Yi said with relief: "I want freedom, I want to exchange it for my freedom!" Sun Mingzhai was stunned, and then replied solemnly: "I can't give you an answer to your request now, but I will truthfully convey such thoughts to the superiors." Pu Yi nodded and left, pinning all his hopes on this treasure.
A few days later, Sun Mingzhai approached Pu Yi again and conveyed the praise of his superiors for his handing over of the national treasure, but rejected his idea of exchanging it for freedom. When Pu Yi heard that there was no hope of regaining his freedom, he was immediately depressed. Sun Mingzhai comforted: "Mr. Puyi, don't have cranky thoughts, accept labor reform well, and you will be safe." For the party and the people, what is more valuable are those who change their minds and complete the transformation!"
Sun Mingzhai's words finally made Pu Yi settle down and decided to seriously reform and strive for leniency as soon as possible. Pu Yi knew that handing over the priceless treasure of "Tianhuang Three Chain Seals" was the greatest sincerity he could give, and only by proving his loyalty through transformation could he win forgiveness. So, he began the long road of transformation.
The origin of the Tianhuang three-chain chapter
Although the Tianhuang three-chain seal is only a small seal, its origin is quite legendary. This seal is linked by two square seals and an oval seal, which was originally a treasure in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
According to the "Qing History Manuscript", the Qianlong Emperor suddenly wanted a new private seal, so he ordered the palace craftsmen to go to the treasury to select materials. After some careful selection, the craftsmen finally selected an extremely rare piece of Tianhuang stone. Tianhuang stone is a kind of field material, which is extremely rare among the raw materials of jade, and is only produced in a mountain stream in Shoushan, Fujian. Due to its high scarcity, Tian Huangshi is known as "one or two Tian Huang and one or two gold".
After the craftsmen presented this precious Tianhuang stone to the Qianqing Palace, they were really favored by Emperor Qianlong at a glance. Qianlong immediately ordered the craftsman to carve it into a seal with seals, and personally named it "Tianhuang Three Chain Seals". Since then, this seal has become Qianlong's favorite personal seal, and Emperor Qianlong will carry it with him wherever he goes.
After Qianlong's death, the Tianhuang three-chain seal, as the emperor's personal token, has been passed down from generation to generation among the Qing emperors. The seal remained priceless until the last emperor, Pu Yi, who took it with him when he was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, no matter how downcast.
There is a reason why Pu Yi attaches so much importance to this seal. The Tianhuang three-chain seal is not only rare in material and exquisite in craftsmanship, but more importantly, it carries the royal glory of the Manchu Dynasty for hundreds of years. As the heirloom of the Qing Emperor family, it has witnessed the entire process of the Manchu Dynasty from prosperity to decline. For Pu Yi, the last descendant of the royal family, Tian Huang's three-chain chapter is nothing less than his last spiritual connection with his ancestors.
It is precisely because of this origin that Pu Yi attaches so much importance to this seal and regards it as a priceless treasure. In 1950, when he decided to pledge allegiance to New China, he took out this treasure as sincerity. Pu Yi knew that handing over the Tian Huang Three Chain Seal was the greatest sincerity he could give, and only by proving his loyalty through transformation could he win forgiveness. So, he embarked on a long road of transformation and finally got a new lease of life.
Pu Yi's new life
After deciding to reinvent himself, Pu Yi started a new life with the help of the staff. As a generation of emperors, Pu Yi has been served by the stars like the moon since he was a child, and he doesn't even need to do the most basic daily life. Therefore, when he embarked on the road of transformation, the first task in front of him turned out to be learning how to take care of himself.
In the beginning, Pu Yi didn't know anything about basic life skills such as how to dress, wash, and tidy up the room. The staff had to start from the most basic place and patiently guide him step by step to complete these seemingly simple daily tasks. Pu Yi also studied diligently, humbly asked for advice, and after a week of adaptation, he finally gradually mastered these basic life skills.
After mastering the basic self-care, Pu Yi began to participate in various labor reforms in the management center. From mopping the floor, cleaning to laundry, chopping wood, to logistics services, Pu Yi gradually tried various labors and created value with his own hands. It was indeed a little difficult at first, but with the encouragement and help of the staff, Pu Yi gradually became proficient and gradually realized the joy of creating value through labor.
The process of Puyi's transformation has always received great attention from the top leaders of the party and the state. At the second session of the National People's Congress in 1955, Chairman Mao met Puyi's seventh uncle Zaitao under the recommendation of Premier Zhou Enlai. After Chairman Mao asked Zaitao a lot of information about Pu Yi, he said very solemnly: "I heard that Mr. Pu Yi likes to read, and since he is already in New China, I suggest that he read more Marxist books." ＂
Subsequently, Chairman Mao personally instructed the comrades of the Fushun War Criminals Management Center to purchase more relevant books to facilitate Pu Yi's reading, and to try to meet Pu Yi's reading requirements. It can be seen how much Chairman Mao attached great importance to Pu Yi, the last emperor of the old era, to truly transform into a member of New China.
A year later, in 1956, Chairman Mao met Zaitao again and handed him a few newly made winter coats, asking him to comfort Pu Yi on his behalf. When Zaitao saw Pu Yi, the first thing he said was, "I came to visit you on behalf of Chairman Mao, and Chairman Mao is very concerned about your situation." Hearing that Chairman Mao still did not forget his own guilty person of the old era, Pu Yi was very moved.
With the care and help of the party and state leaders, Puyi's road to transformation has been smooth. He gradually learned to take care of himself, experienced the joy of creating value through labor, and received a new ideological baptism in reading Marxist works. The former "dragon body iron suit" has now taken on a new look and is moving towards a new journey in life.
A combination of leniency and severity
Pu Yi handed over the Tian Huang Three Chain Seal, a national treasure, reflecting his sincerity in his loyalty to New China. However, for this former "puppet emperor of Manchukuo", how to deal with New China, there was once a big disagreement within the party.
On the one hand, Pu Yi was indeed extremely evil, and once colluded with the Japanese and became a traitor and lackey. It is the right thing to do if you don't lend money severely. On the other hand, after all, Pu Yi was the last emperor of China, and he had a special historical status and symbolic significance, and if he could be successfully transformed, it would also play an important role in completely sweeping away the old ideas.
In the end, Chairman Mao Zedong personally decided this issue. During the 1956 National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chairman Mao made it clear: "Even the captured war criminals declare the emperor, I don't think we should kill such people." If we don't kill him, it's not that he doesn't have a crime to kill, but that it's not good for us to kill him. If you don't kill him, you can still keep him to do something practical for the people and set an example for the outside world. ＂
Chairman Mao's remarks fully reflect the party's broad-mindedness in dealing with historical issues. He stressed the need to "punish those who have gone before and those who have done wrong, and treat the sick and save the people." For "patients" like Pu Yi, we should use lenient means to reform them, instead of blindly punishing them severely.
Under the personal attention and guidance of Chairman Mao, Puyi's transformation work has gradually improved. During the second session of the National People's Congress in 1955, Chairman Mao asked Pu Yi's seventh uncle Zaitao about Pu Yi's current situation, and suggested that Pu Yi "read more Marxist books". Subsequently, Chairman Mao personally instructed the Fushun War Criminals Management Institute to purchase relevant books for Pu Yi to meet his reading needs.
A year later, in 1956, Chairman Mao met Zaitao again, handed him a few newly made winter clothes, and asked him to visit Pu Yi on his behalf. When Zaitao conveyed his condolences, Pu Yi was very moved, saying, "Chairman Mao has every opportunity, and he is heartbroken every day for national affairs, and he can still worry about me, a guilty person, when he is so busy, I really didn't expect it!"
With the personal care and help of the party and state leaders, Puyi's road to transformation has been smooth. He gradually learned to take care of himself, experienced the joy of creating value through labor, and received a new ideological baptism in reading Marxist works. In 1959, Pu Yi became one of the first war criminals to receive amnesty and regained his freedom.
In 1961, Chairman Mao met Pu Yi for the first time in Zhongnanhai Yi Nian Hall. At the landmark moment when the leaders of this new era met with the emperors of the old era, Chairman Mao did not say anything big, but only sincerely greeted Pu Yi's work and physical condition. Pu Yi choked up and said: "I am very good, thank you to the Communist Party for giving me a chance to be reborn! To meet Chairman Mao today is the greatest honor in my life." ＂
end
For Pu Yi, a special "patient", New China used the policy of combining leniency and severity, neither blindly punishing nor simply letting him go, but through the way of reform, let him be a new person. This way of dealing with Pu Yi not only reflected the broadness of the party's policy, but also won Pu Yi a new life, so that he eventually became a citizen of New China and contributed to the country's historical revision work.