Everything mentioned in this article is based on reliable sources, and I will tell you about the specific sources at the end of the article.
Text: Dream Chaser
●—≺ opening introduction≻—●
She is not only the baby daughter of Marshal Nie Rongzhen, but also the world's first female lieutenant general! You know, her wedding was a sensation, and no one can match that kind of specification until now. At that wedding, the five founding marshals and many founding generals came to send her blessings, which was amazing!
What kind of person does this groom have to be to match the world's first female lieutenant general? What are the two of them busy with right now?
●—≺ cross-dimensional romantic marriage≻—●
In the spring of 1962, in the Lingering Garden in Guangzhou, a unique wedding kicked off in a low-key manner. This wedding, at a glance, does not have those bells and whistles decorations, it looks quite simple. However, the bride this time is not simple, she is the daughter of our founding marshal Nie Rongzhen, named Nie Li.
After a famous family like Nie Li, the marriage partner will naturally not be an ordinary person. Although it doesn't have to be a famous family, it must at least be a military family. Surprisingly, the groom does not have a prominent family background.
The groom, Ding Henggao, was the director of the research office of the Fourth Department of the Second Branch of the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense at that time, and he could be regarded as a section-level cadre. In his family, his parents are both teachers, and they have never been soldiers or officials, so they are quite ordinary.
Ding Henggao's official position stays at the section level, and he doesn't have any background as a founding father in his family, so from all aspects, it is unlikely that he will have anything to do with the daughter of the marshal's family. After all, the two people have too many different backgrounds, and they may not even have the opportunity to meet in ordinary times, let alone get married and become a family.
But ah, fate is very wonderful, I didn't expect Nie Li and Ding Henggao to be so fateful and let the two come together.
Ding Henggao was actually a year younger than Nie Li, he was born in Nanjing in February 1931, while Nie Li was born in Shanghai in September 1930. The two of them are still a pair of "sister and brother love", this fate is really not shallow.
Ding Henggao's parents are both teachers who teach and educate people, which has immersed him in the cultural atmosphere since he was a child. Influenced by his parents, he has always regarded learning as very important and regarded it as something he has to pursue all his life.
In 1952, 21-year-old Ding Henggao graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Nanjing University. Later, he was arranged to go to the Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and began to work as an assistant researcher.
Although Ding Henggao is still a new face to us, his learning ability is super strong, and his skills have risen quickly, even better than some old-timers. Because of this, the leaders value him very much and feel that he is a young man with potential.
Ding Henggao worked silently in the institute for nearly five years, and after some careful consideration, the organization decided to send him to the Leningrad Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optical Instruments in the Soviet Union for further study. It was during this trip to the Soviet Union that he was lucky enough to meet Nie Li, and since then the fates of the two have been closely linked, and they have begun to bite and turn each other like gears.
●—≺ in love≻—●
Nie Li went to the Soviet Union earlier than Ding Henggao, where she studied in 1955. Coincidentally, she and Ding Henggao are classmates in the same school.
During that time, she got acquainted with Ding Henggao, who was one year younger than her. This junior's first impression on Nie Li was quite good. Ding Henggao grew up in a family with a strong cultural atmosphere, and he was always so gentle and polite.
Although Ding Henggao didn't talk much, he could always point out the key to the problem every time he spoke, and this unique temperament deeply attracted Nie Li and made her look at this junior brother with admiration.
After a long time, feelings slowly developed between the two of them, and then they quickly fell in love. In the eyes of outsiders, this little couple is simply a world apart, Nie Li is the daughter of a wealthy family, but Ding Henggao is just an ordinary child of a teacher's family. This kind of love with disparity in status, to be honest, will not end well most of the time.
Nie Li and Ding Henggao didn't care about the difference in each other's backgrounds, and they found that they had a lot in common. Moreover, Marshal Nie Rongzhen also supported his daughter's choice. As a result, their romance developed very well.
In the spring of 1960, Nie Licheng left school and temporarily separated from Ding Henggao. However, this kind of short parting is usually to make the reunion between the two more beautiful.
One year after Nie Li returned to China, Ding Henggao successfully obtained a doctorate degree in Soviet technical science. After getting his degree, he immediately returned to China and reunited with Nie Li. After that, he was also arranged to work in the same unit as his girlfriend, that is, the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. So that together they can contribute to the country.
The two of them work in the same company, and they are still working in the same field, and this time, the two of them have two more identities, they are lovers and colleagues. It's really special to work together and struggle together.
The reason why the couple's relationship has been warming up is because they are like-minded and appreciate each other. They share a common ideal, like a "preservative" in love, which keeps their relationship fresh and energetic at all without any feeling of boredom.
Nie Rongzhen is quite satisfied with Ding Henggao, this kid is very capable, very practical, and diligent in his work. If you want to be a son-in-law, he is definitely a reliable choice, and my daughter follows him, and I am very relieved.
●—≺ tie the knot≻—●
Before the Spring Festival in 1962, 31-year-old Ding Henggao and 32-year-old Nie Li held a wedding in the Lingering Garden in Guangzhou, and the two entered the palace of marriage hand in hand and started a new chapter in their lives.
Although the wedding was very simple, the people present were all big shots. Nie Li's father, Nie Rongzhen, also came, and the other four founding marshals sent blessings to the newcomer. In addition to these, General Luo Ruiqing and Tao Zhu and other founding fathers also came, and the scene was really lively.
Tao Zhu's daughter Tao Siliang once recalled the wedding fondly, saying that it is something that people will never forget. She said that she had never seen such a special wedding, which was both amazing and simple.
Nie Li didn't deliberately dress up, and he dressed very daily, just like when he usually worked. The wedding scene does not have that kind of grand wedding banquet and luxurious gifts, it is simple, but it looks extraordinarily warm. The most attractive thing is the conspicuous red paper, on which is written a congratulatory poem full of blessings, sending the best wishes to the couple.
After that wedding, Tao Siliang's view of marriage completely changed. She no longer envies weddings that wear Western-style wedding dresses and hold lavish banquets. She felt that holding a simple and simple wedding like Nie Li was the real way to break out of the shackles of the traditional concept of marriage. Now she values the essence of marriage more than the external form.
In 1963, Nie Li and Ding Henggao welcomed their baby daughter. Marshal Nie Rongzhen liked this little granddaughter very much, and specially named her Nie Fei.
The reason why Nie Fei's surname is Nie is because her father Ding Henggao doesn't mind whose surname the child is, and Nie Fei's mother Nie Li is Nie Rongzhen's only daughter, and the couple only has Nie Fei. Coupled with the advice of the people around him, he finally decided to let Nie Fei take his mother's surname.
In the days that followed, they still worked hard for China's national defense, always busy day and night, Nie Li was a little regretful, after all, after getting married, they didn't go out to play well, and the time they spent with their daughter was so distressing that it was distressing. They really have paid too much for the country, and they can't even take care of their own small lives.
In the 80s, China reinstated the military rank system. During this period, Ding Henggao was honorably awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1988, and Nie Li was also awarded the rank of major general in the same year. The promotion of these two generals is undoubtedly an important milestone in the development of the Chinese armed forces.
In July 1993, Ms. Nie Li was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, which is the first female lieutenant general in the world! Not long after, her husband Ding Henggao was also promoted to general and was honorably elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Both husband and wife are the best in the army, which is really admirable!
●—≺ summary ≻—●
Now, Nie Lidu is already a 93-year-old man, and Ding Henggao is also 92 years old, but their bodies are still very strong, and they usually take care of each other.
The main ways to obtain information are:
1. On the CCTV website on May 17, 2014, there was a report called "Revealing the Marshal's Daughter: The Legendary Life of Nie Li, the World's First Female Lieutenant General".
This article first appeared on August 15, 2001 in the monthly magazine "Literature and History Expo", under the headline "Two Pairs of Generals and Couples in the Republic".
On December 15, 1997, Fujian Party History Monthly published an article entitled "Husband and Wife Generals' Different Feelings - Remembering Lieutenant General Nie Li and General Ding Henggao". This article tells a different love story, which is about Lieutenant General Nie Li and Admiral Ding Henggao.