In 2007, Bo Yibo, a proletarian revolutionary of the older generation, died of illness in Beijing at the age of 99, but some rumors about him suddenly spread widely on the Internet, which had a bad impact on the image of Bo's family and the revolutionary. For this reason, his children have specially published a clarification in the newspaper to refute the rumors for their father.
What kind of person was Bo Yibo before his death? Why did such rumors circulate after his death? What is the image of this father in the eyes of his children?
The content of this article is based on authoritative historical data, and there are citations at the end of the article
The last political patriarch
Born in 1908, Bo Yibo was one of the earliest founding fathers. During his lifetime, he was also regarded as the last political patriarch.
He joined the Communist Party at the age of 17 and devoted his later years to the study of contemporary Chinese history, such as his book "A Review of Several Major Decisions and Events", which was highly praised in the academic community. His son, Bo Xicheng, said that his favorite was "The Leader, Marshal and Comrades-in-Arms."
In the book "Retrospective", his writing ideas are very different from ordinary personal memoirs, integrating his own experience into the entire history of the party, and consulting a large number of first-hand materials in the process, so the whole book is very weighty and of excellent quality.
In his later years, Bo Yibo's writings were highly praised by Gong Yuzhi, who said that his practice was the first to open up the atmosphere in the leadership.
At the age of 80, he picked up the pen and began to write, and worked until he was nearly 100 years old, leaving behind a large number of books, adding up to about 2 million words. Although there is an assistant to help these works, they still need to be dictated and revised by him, and the workload is still very large.
He was very serious when he revised, always wearing reading glasses and holding a magnifying glass, scrutinizing, considering, and revising word by word, and spent a lot of thought to ensure the quality of his writing.
Bo Yibo's writing activity was not a whim, but also a kind of inheritance of the chairman's instructions during the Yan'an rectification period.
At that time, the chairman stressed that when Sinicizing Marxism, it is necessary to pay attention to the study of history and the current situation.
He is a veteran revolutionary, and writing about his experiences after taking a back seat can provide a valuable research material, which can not only help people understand history and reality, but also not interfere with the work of front-line leaders, which is very politically far-sighted and far-sighted.
In the twilight of his life, Bo Yibo had a deep affection for his early fighting career, and when he was with his family, he often talked about the past events of those years and the founding fathers who fought side by side with him in the past.
In Bo Xicheng's memories, Bo Yibo talked about Chairman Mao the most in his later years.
He has a special affection for Chairman Mao, and feels that their generation is all those who are waiting for King Wen and then rising, and they are following Chairman Mao out, and if there is no chairman, there will be no future for them.
Bo Yibo is most famous for his association with the chairman when he first met the chairman in Yan'an.
After hearing his name, the chairman said, "Walking on thin ice, walking on thin ice", which made him remember this for a long time. Until the later years of his life, he often said that he should be conscientious and conscientious in doing things, walking on thin ice.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Bo Yibo took up a post in the Central Committee, and he had more contact with the chairman in his work, and the chairman's words and deeds also had a more profound impact on him.
Bo Xicheng said that his father was very impressed by the chairman's praise. The Chairman had praised him as the most courageous and resolute in the struggle against the enemy, and this praise pleased him more than all the positions, appointments, and honors he had received.
In the 80s of the last century, he also wrote some articles in support of the chairman, such as "Mao Zedong is a staunch explorer of truth" and "How we commemorate Mao Zedong". He has always advocated that the chairman should be viewed and evaluated in the context of national liberation and letting the people be the masters of the country.
In the evaluation of the Hong Kong media, Bo Yibo is also called "the veteran of the Communist Party of China and the first generation of China's wealthy man", which mainly refers to the work he has done on the economic front.
However, he never felt that he was the big housekeeper in this area in China, and he thought that there were people who were more powerful than him, such as Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yun, Premier Zhou and Deng Gong.
He also said that the cause of the Communist Party began with Mao and became with Deng, and that he felt that he was just a staff member who did some specific work under their leadership, and that his respect for them could be seen in his words and ideas.
practice what you preach
Bo Yibo has strict requirements for himself, and he also pays attention to teaching his children by words and deeds, telling them that no matter what they do in the future, the most important thing is to be a good person first.
Bo Xicheng also said that his father did not have any special requirements for the few of them to be children, and said that they should be ordinary people, ordinary laborers, who could support themselves and do their duty. If you still have the ability, you should do something for the party and the country and be a good party member.
He also once wrote a sentence from Sun Yat-sen to the children, telling them to "aspire to do great things, not to aspire to be big officials".
In fact, this sentence is also a portrayal of his own life, he himself practiced it before, and now he is just using his own way of being a person and doing things to educate his children.
Looking back at Bo Yibo's life, it is true that he has done a lot of big things, but it may seem a little strange to say that he has not been a big official, and he is placed on Bo Yibo, after all, he serves in the central government.
However, it is not strange to say that he is not strange, because most of the positions he holds in the central government are deputy positions, such as deputy secretary of the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan Central Bureau, second secretary of the North China Bureau, deputy director of the Central Finance Commission, vice premier of the State Council, and executive vice chairman of the Central Advisory Committee.
When Bo Xicheng recalled his father, he also said that although he worked in the economic port and had dealt with money all his life, he did not have a lot of money in his pocket, and he did not have his own passbook.
In his later years, he had some manuscript fees for writing books, and his secretary wanted to help him save them, but he always donated a little bit and was unwilling to keep it himself.
Bo Yibo said that he should aspire to do great things, not to let his children seek status and power for this, but to take it as his own responsibility. He once said that he had lived, and he had another responsibility, that is, to take care of the widows and children of those old comrades-in-arms.
When he was still alive, as long as these people had something to do, he would write him a note or send a message, and he would find a way to do it for them. He has genuine feelings for these people.
Bo Xicheng said that some family members of veteran comrades wanted him to inscribe commemorative books and books, and he always agreed. He is in his 90s, his eyes are not very clear, and his hands are not very steady, but he insists on writing.
After Bo Yibo's death, his children have always maintained his image, and in accordance with his last wishes, they donated a primary school in Shanxi - Shucun Primary School. The school is located in Yaoshan Village, Xicun Town, Qinxian County, Shanxi Province, and the name of the school "Shucun" comes from the name of his student days.
Qinxian County is of extraordinary significance to Bo Yibo, it is the base of the Anti-Japanese War in Shanxi and the cradle of the growth of the death squad.
More than 70 years ago, it was on this land that Bo Yibo and the members of the Death Squad of the Sacrifice League lived and fought, and this place is also known as their "second home".
In addition to this primary school, Bo Yibo was very concerned about Shanxi's education before his death. After his death, teachers and classmates in many schools in Shanxi also expressed their remembrance of him.
For example, Hou Qiang, vice principal of Pingyao Middle School, the largest middle school in Shanxi, said that Bo Yibo's enthusiasm and concern for the development of the school touched the teachers and students of the school.
Another teacher recalled the small tree that Bo Yibo planted in the school, which is now very strong, and he hopes that Bo will come back and see it again.
In his hometown of Dingxiang County, Shanxi Province, a primary school student also expressed his thoughts about him in his diary, saying that everyone cried when they knew the news of his death.
The school also held a commemorative event, they made a lot of little white flowers, and the teacher kept telling his story as if he was still by their side.
Clearing up rumors
When clarifying the content of Bo Yibo's 19 speeches, his children mainly emphasized that he had been hospitalized for cancer since October 2005, and that he had fallen into a coma five months later, losing his ability to speak, so it was impossible for him to make any 19 speeches.
They also emphasized that Bo Yibo has more than 80 years of party experience, loves and reveres the party and Chairman Mao, supports reform and opening up, and is full of confidence in the future of the party and the country. The statement stressed that the content of the 19 speeches was clearly fabricated out of nothing.
When Huang Jing, secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee, found him in the matter of interceding with Zhang Zishan, what he said was: "The central government has decided, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to mention it again." ”
For such a serious crime of embezzlement as Zhang Zishan, he was well aware of the chairman's thoughts and practices.
In the end, he just relayed Huang Jing's meaning to the chairman, and the chairman did not open up to Zhang Zishan, which may have been expected by Bo Yibo.
Soon after the clarification statement of Bo Yibo's children was released, some media commented quickly, saying that the statement was just over 100 words, but it was "a small word".
The commentary also said that in the information age, it is more important to make information communication the preferred way to solve problems, which is the progress of democracy.
The rumors about Bo Yibo are a private matter of the Bo family and an important national public affair, so their circulation on the Internet is a "stabbing hornet's nest" and the stakes are very high.
To solve this problem, even the public power can be allowed to intervene, but in the end, it was the Bo family who came forward to solve the problem, and a few words shook the foundation of the rumors, making them pale in an instant, which reflects the government's restraint and rationality, which is commendable.
Resources
1. Children reminisce about Bo Yibo: Listen to my father tell the past of the founding fathers
2. Bo Yibo's children clarified: "Bo Yibo's Nineteen Speeches" is a rumor
3, Bo Xicheng remembers his father Bo Yibo: I have worked all my life in the economy and has not had a passbook
4. The "small words" of Bo Yibo's children's statement