On February 11, 1998, Qiao Shi, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, paid tribute to the deputies of the National People's Congress in Hong Kong. On the same day, Qiao Shi met with the deputies to the Eighth and Ninth National People's Congresses of Hong Kong in Hong Kong and delivered a speech. Photography by Bobby Yip
The man I respected the most went
China News Weekly article / Wu Xingtang
On the morning of June 14, when I received the news of Comrade Qiao Shi's death, I was very sad in my heart and could not express it in words.
Qiao Shi was old, and I knew that he was not in good health and had been living in Beijing Hospital for many years. But he had no organic diseases and sang and wrote big letters every morning.
Perhaps, in his heart, the death of Mrs. Yuwen hit him too hard. He is a very introverted person, usually does not speak much, in the words of Shanghainese, like a "hot water bottle", hot inside and cold on the outside, the heart is full of fiery emotions for career, family, especially for Yuwen.
In early 2013, Yuwen passed away. His family hid it from him and did not let him go home to live, for fear that he would touch the scene. For many days, months, or even a year or two, he didn't see Yuwen, and he might have a number in mind. He sometimes asks his sister, who is accompanying him in the hospital, "Why has Yuwen not been seen for many days?" His sister said, "Didn't you come to see you the other day?" Why don't you remember?" He let out an "Oh" and didn't speak again. But he must have known it in his heart. Once he wrote a big word, and suddenly wrote a "Dian" word. Perhaps, this is for Yuwen.
His secretary Chen Qun often tells us the news that "the chief's body is OK", and everyone is very pleased after hearing it. The book "Qiao Shi on Democracy and Law" has been published, and we are compiling his second and third anthologies, which are very informative. He experienced the important decision-making process of reform and opening up, especially the important turning point in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and had unique views and expositions. We hope that he will see the publication of these two anthologies in his lifetime. Unfortunately, the sky is not what people want.
Qiao Shi is a "revolutionary predecessor", I am a "three-door cadre" cultivated in New China after liberation (going out of the house to enter the school door, out of the school door and into the door of the organs), due to the gap in age and position, in fact, I have little direct contact with him, but I have great respect for him, his speech and personality charm are deeply imprinted in my mind, his attitude of seeking truth from facts and studying problems, modesty and even gentle and frugal style, are all examples for me to deal with people.
Contact with Qiao Shi's work
My connection with Qiao Shi is mainly twofold. First, I work in the research office of the Central Liaison Department, and Yuwen is the director of the research office. Qiao Shi likes to study problems and understand the actual situation, and sometimes through Yuwen asked me to come to his house to talk. Second, I was the spokesperson of the Central Liaison Department at that time, and Qiao Shi met with important foreign guests of the Central Liaison Department and the China Association for International Exchange, and I published the news. According to the custom, the chief of state has to have an hour or so to report before meeting the foreign guests. In particular, in the early 1990s, he met with foreign guests from the Central Liaison Department almost every month. In addition to reporting on the situation, he always raised some exploratory issues and asked me to express my opinion.
In the autumn of 1984, Qiao Shi had left the Central Liaison Department and was transferred to the Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and the head of the Central Organization Department. Because I had worked at the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany, he gave me a topic through Yuwen - the situation of the modern enterprise system in Germany, and asked me to prepare for it and go to his house to talk about it.
A few days later, I went to his house and made a general introduction. He said with a smile: I also understand those things with thick lines, and I want to understand the specific situation, how the modern enterprise system operates, what is the relationship between enterprises and the central and local governments, how workers and employees participate in management, and how the central government regulates the economy. After my detailed report, he said, "You know a lot about the situation. We now have many difficulties in promoting the modern enterprise system, and we are afraid of this and that, and we cannot find a way. I think that we mainly rely on our own exploration, but we can refer to the advanced experience of foreign countries, and Germany's experience is very good, and we should learn from it. There is no question of whether the surname 'capital' or the surname 'society' exists in these experiences. ”
Beginning in 1988, the political situation in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries underwent major changes. In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, and the international pattern changed dramatically. The Politburo of the CPC Central Committee asked the Central Liaison Department to submit an analytical report. One night at about 8 o'clock, Yuwen called me and said, "Old Joe please come here." "Qiao Shi asked me to talk about my views on the drastic changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the position we should take. In this conversation, Qiao Shi proposed: We should learn from the lessons of the past and stop engaging in open polemics. China's main thing is to get its own business done. We should adhere to reform and opening up at home and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence externally.
After Deng Xiaoping's speech on his southern tour in early 1992, Qiao Shi emphasized the important guiding significance of Deng Xiaoping's speech at the Central Party School and in many speeches in other places. Qiao Shi said: Comrade Xiaoping's speech is very pertinent, he has not spoken publicly for about two years, and this speech is well thought out. He clearly expounded the problems and ideological tendencies in the Party that are worthy of attention and to be prevented, and talked about many extremely important issues. Some of the words are sharper and more straightforward than the documents that have been collated. Qiao Shi also expounded the viewpoint on deepening and speeding up reform and opening up in light of reality.
When compiling "Qiao Shi on Democracy and the Legal System," at the meeting of the writing group, Yuwen told us: "The content of Old Qiao's speech was excerpted and compiled by a copy of "Internal Reference" at that time, and Comrade Xiaoping wanted to relay to the CENTRAL Committee Office after seeing it that he had not seen such a good speech for a long time. ”
Rules
Qiao Shi's calligraphy is very famous in the Central Liaison Department and society. After a meeting with foreign guests, we talked about this topic.
Qiao Shi told me that he had studied art when he was young, and then when he became interested, he practiced according to the writing. He also wanted to learn calligraphy from Qi Gong as a teacher, and he had many exchanges with Qi Gong. As far as I know, on Qiao Shi's 80th birthday, Qi Gong wrote a couplet to give Qiao Shi: "Eight Yuan Changqing River Qinghai Yan, Qian Qiu Du Guo Tai Min An." ”
I told him: "Comrade Qiao Shi, many people know that your calligraphy is very good, and often some units and individuals have difficulty finding you, so they want to write an inscription for them through I hope you." Some people are still very anxious, in order to get your ink treasure, directly send gifts and money. Qiao Shi said: "Not a pen or a penny can be received, and all that is sent must be returned." Please Yuwen and you must put this off. ”
Qiao Shi and Yuwen are very strict with their children and relatives, and everyone knows it. Yuwen told me that Qiao Shi made a rule for his family, and resolutely returned the door-to-door gifts, and no matter who it was, they should not be affectionate. Zhang Xiangshan, who was once deputy director of the Central International Liaison Department and vice president of the China Association for International Exchange, is more familiar with Qiao Shi, and he once said to me: "Old Qiao has held important positions in many important institutions and is also an important leader of the party and the state, but he never appoints cronies, let alone gangs and factions." Some people say that he is too principled and not affectionate, and he will suffer losses in the future. I don't think so. I think this is a good tradition of the party and a good work style established since Minister Wang Jiaxiang of the Central Liaison Department. ”
After retirement
In the spring of 1999, a year after Qiao Shi left his party and state leadership position, I visited him at his house.
Qiao Shi told me that he is now "unofficial and light" and can have more contact with his family. "In the past, due to the busy work, I had very little contact with the children, and they had some opinions about me. Fortunately, they all work their own and become self-reliant. ”
He also told me that he wanted to study party history. "The most important thing in party history is to write good experiences and lessons and elevate them to theory." He said he was considering what experiences and lessons could be elevated to theory.
He said: "Marx believed that the developed countries could rise up at the same time to revolution and practice socialism at the same time. But that's not possible. Lenin pursued a policy of 'war communism' at the beginning of the October Revolution, abolishing money. Later, the implementation of the 'New Economic Policy' was changed. Our Party has been practicing the 'Left' policy since the mid-1950s, all the way to the 'Cultural Revolution', and wants to enter communism at once. Always want to rush to achieve, the result is not fast. Moreover, Chairman Mao put forward the theory of integrating Marxism with China's reality and leading the Chinese revolution to victory, but what is China's reality? How to investigate and study the actual situation in China? We tend to be overly optimistic about the situation. At the same time, we must also study the world accurately, the development of contemporary capitalism and contemporary socialism. ”
Then, he fondly recalled his work and life in the Central Liaison Department. He said: "At that time, in the Central Liaison Department, although the work was very hard, it was very simple, and the relations between comrades were also very simple. At that time, we could go to the designated store with a ticket to buy a refrigerator. In order to buy a refrigerator, there was also a family meeting to discuss the decision. Everyone also went for a run by the river every morning. Do you remember? It's still interesting to think about now. ”
In September 2011, I was invited by Yuwen yu to join the editorial team of Qiao Shi's anthology. When Yuwen was alive, we often went to Qiao Shi's house to discuss the collection of essays. Qiao Shi's health was not very good at this time, and he didn't talk much, and we were not in a position to bother much. But he still knew people he knew.
Every day after breakfast, he usually sings with his family and the staff around him, singing old songs, such as "The Sky in the Liberated Areas is a Clear Day" and "We Workers Have Strength", and then write brush characters. I watch a movie once a week and I watch it all the time.
Yuwen once told me that she and some old comrades wanted Qiao Shi to write a memoir. "But Old Joe said he was just an ordinary man, doing something, and there was nothing to write about." ★
(The author is the former director of the Research Office of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee and a researcher of the Center for Contemporary World Research)
This article was published in the 712th issue of China News Weekly
Disclaimer: The publication of the article of China News Weekly shall be authorized in writing
