On April 26, Chen Zhiyuan, a 91-year-old retired professor at the School of History at Nankai University, stood up with the support of everyone and silently stared at the statue of his father, a representative of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China who had never seen him in his life, and a martyr Chen Tanqiu, who sacrificed his precious life for the revolutionary cause, with tears in his eyes.
On this day, Chen Zhiyuan ushered in his "red birthday" of 70 years after joining the party. With the help of teachers and students from the School of History of Nankai University, Chen Zhiyuan fulfilled a special wish through video connection: to "walk" into the memorial hall of Chen Tanqiu's former residence in Huanggang, Hubei Province again, and to comfort his father's soul in heaven with his 70-year original intention and achievements in teaching and educating people.
This father-son video call, which spans 91 years and is thousands of miles apart, is moving.
On the same day, Yang Kexin, executive deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Nankai University, and representatives of teachers and students of the School of History came to Chen Zhiyuan's home to celebrate his "red birthday" and pay high tribute to his contributions to the development of the school and history education.
Chen Zhiyuan told the young students about his father's story
Martyr Chen Tanqiu
Chen Tanqiu was born in Huanggang, Hubei Province in 1896 and participated in the May Fourth Movement in his youth; in the autumn of 1920, he and Dong Biwu and others established the early organization of the Communist Party in Wuhan; and in July 1921, he attended the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Since then, Chen Tanqiu has been running around for the party's cause.
The "Tuogu" family letter written by the martyr Chen Tanqiu
In 1933, the Party Central Committee decided to let Chen Tanqiu work in the Central Soviet District. Before leaving, he wrote a letter to the third and sixth brothers in his hometown: "I have always been a wandering and uncertain person, and I have been running north and south for life for several years, and I don't know where tomorrow will be today." In this kind of life, children will eventually become tired...... Now it's almost production again. After this birth, we also decided not to raise it, and were ready to send it to the trustee ...... "The child who was "orphaned" was Chen Zhiyuan.
More than two months after Chen Zhiyuan was born, his mother Xu Quanzhi was betrayed by traitors, arrested and imprisoned by the Kuomintang authorities, and died in Yuhuatai in Nanjing in February of the following year at the age of 31. When Chen Zhiyuan was 10 years old, Chen Tanqiu died at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and the father and son never met.
"Although I have never seen my father in my life, and I have only been in my mother's arms for 2 months and 18 days, I have been raised by the party since I was a child and have grown up under the care of the party. Joining the party is a lifelong career, and I often recall the stories of my father and other revolutionary martyrs, whose deeds and spirit are the driving force that spurs me forward. 91-year-old Chen Zhiyuan held the "original gift" given by teachers and students - a copy of the cover of his "Volunteer for Joining the Party" 70 years ago, and said loudly.
Chen Zhiyuan in college
The "Letter of Willingness to Join the Party" is the beginning of the procedures for joining the party, recording the original commitment of each party member to serve the people wholeheartedly. In 1953, Chen Zhiyuan was admitted to the History Department of Nankai University. On April 14, 1954, Chen Zhiyuan, a freshman student, solemnly wrote in the "Letter of Willingness to Join the Party" that he was "ready to devote his life to the historical cause of the motherland".
Chen Zhiyuan and students during the master's defense
After graduating from university, Chen Zhiyuan stayed on to teach, and served as the secretary of the general party branch of the history department of Nankai University, during which he studied the history of Chinese political parties and published a series of important treatises such as "Manuscripts of the History of China's Democratic Parties". In the past 70 years, Chen Zhiyuan has never changed his original intention, dedicated his enthusiasm to the cause of education, and practiced the original intention and mission of a communist with actions.
After retiring in 1996, Chen Zhiyuan has always paid attention to the growth of young people, and is often invited to primary and secondary schools to preach the history of the party and the spirit of the Communists to young people, and has served as a part-time organizer for a long time, mainly responsible for the development of party members, party member education, etc., and often talks with new party members. Due to his outstanding work and remarkable achievements, in 2003, Chen Zhiyuan was awarded the title of "Advanced Worker Caring for the Next Generation".
Huang Sizhu and Zhang Yifei, student party members of the School of History, jointly presented Chen Zhiyuan with the student calligraphy work "Eternal Casting of the Original Heart"
"My father was extremely loyal to the cause of the Party, and throughout his life he strictly adhered to the Party's discipline and rules, resolutely carried out the Party's decisions, and persisted in the revolutionary struggle. Inheriting my father's legacy, I have always taken 'love the party in the party, speak for the party in the party, worry about the party in the party, and work for the party in the party' as my motto. Chen Zhiyuan said as he handed over two brand-new party constitutions to two student party members.
"Strict discipline is the glorious tradition and unique advantage of our party, and I hope that you will become good party members, always keep your original intention, and strive to dedicate your strength to the country. Chen Zhiyuan said loudly.
"As a descendant of martyrs, I have always grown up and worked under the glory of the party. This year the Communist Party of China will celebrate its 103rd birthday, and I am too old to do any more work, but I just want to do my part for the organization and express my loyalty and love for the party. Under everyone's gaze, Chen Zhiyuan, who was full of white hair, stood up tremblingly and paid 10,000 yuan to the party organization as a "special party fee".
"I volunteered to join the Communist Party of China...... Fight for communism all your life, be ready to sacrifice everything for the party and the people, and never betray the party. Under the "witness" of the statue of the martyr Chen Tanqiu, everyone raised their right hands and reviewed the oath of joining the party facing the party flag. At this moment, the overlapping hope of history and reality flowing on the timeline allows the invisible red gene to continue under the witness of the bright party flag.
"Father, today is the 70th anniversary of your son's joining the party, and I live up to my expectations for you. Looking at the statue of the martyr Chen Tanqiu affectionately through the screen, Chen Zhiyuan muttered.
The teachers and students present took out their mobile phones and took this special "life photo" for the 91-year-old man