(The Woman Who Told History – Issue 1484)
Marriage and death are the two most important moments in a person's life.
The former represents the beginning of a new good life, and the latter represents the tragic end of life.
In these two most important moments, it is even more of a special significance to be witnessed by the same person, especially by our great chief designer Deng Xiaoping!
He was so fortunate that when he got married, he was witnessed by the 19-year-old Deng Xiaoping; half a century later, when he died in early 1975, at the memorial service, it was Deng Xiaoping at the age of 71 (Deng Xiaoping was born in 1904) who gave him a eulogy!
- Introduction
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >1: Who is he? </h1>
On May 22, 1900, a baby boy was born in Yangzi Village, Shuitang Township, Changsha, Hunan Province, and the baby boy was named Li Fuchun. Li Fuchun's house, although it is cold, but the atmosphere of knowledge is quite strong. His father, Li Shuyun, read a lot of books, earned a living by teaching and educating people, and had close contacts with Xu Teli, who later became Chairman Mao's teacher. His mother, Xu Ruiying, has a gentle temperament and is gentle with others, and these qualities also have a great influence on Li Fuchun.
Li Fuchun was born and grew up in such an enlightened, enterprising, harmonious, and knowledge-filled family environment. Therefore, when Li Fuchun was very young, his parents began to educate him to read and read, and established a great ideal for him to save the country and the people.
At that time, the great powers invaded, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was already on the verge of extinction, the warlords were in a scuffle, and the people were not happy. In his young heart, Li Fuchun had long planted the lofty ambition of "striving for national independence and the liberation of the people." Of course, growth is step by step, and Li Fuchun is no exception. When he reached school age, his enlightened parents sent him to Tsubaki-en Elementary School to study.
In 1913, Li Fuchun graduated from elementary school. The following year, in 1914, his parents sent him to Changsha County Middle School. During his secondary school years, Li Fuchun joined the Student Patriotic Association. Here, the teenager Li Fuchun increased his knowledge. 4 years later, he graduated from high school.
At that time, various trends of national salvation ideas appeared one after another, and going abroad to learn strategies for saving the country and saving the people became a trend. The young Li Fuchun also had this idea with the support of his parents, so in September 1918, Li Fuchun entered the Preparatory Class of Baoding Yude Middle School to study in France for intensive study. During his studies, the "May Fourth Movement" broke out the following year, and Li Fuchun also actively participated in the movement. In October 1919, he embarked on the road of studying in France, the road of seeking truth, and the road of seeking to save the country.
This year, he was 19 years old!
After arriving in France, Li Fuchun began to study various knowledge assiduously. But in order to survive, he worked as a train driver and fitter. However, the work at the bottom did not harm him, but helped him to understand the real situation of French society.
During the French period, Li Fuchun's thinking changed, and he originally thought that engineering was the way to save the country, but after coming into contact with Marxist-Leninist ideas, he understood that communism was a more suitable way to save the country in China. So, he quickly changed his learning direction.
While learning and practicing, he made rapid progress. In June 1922, at the age of 22, Li Fuchun participated in the establishment of the Young Chinese Communist Party in Europe in Paris, serving as the secretary of the local branch of Nomen. At that time, Chinese students believed in communism in France and were divided into two centers:
One center is chinese students in southern France, and the representative students in the center include 140 students, including Cai Hesen, Li Fuchun, Cai Chang, and Xiang Jingyu; the other center is in central France, and the Chinese students in this center are represented by 100 people, including Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and Li Lisan.
Later, the Chinese student organization in southern France was linked to the Chinese student organization in central France, and because they were like-minded, their relationship was very close, which led to another interesting thing. That was his marriage and the witness.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >2: He's married! </h1>
The object of Li Fuchun's marriage is called Cai Chang.
This is a very legendary woman, Cai Chang was born on May 14, 1900, in Heye GuangjiaTang, Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province. He is a fellow hunan native to Li Fuchun, but in terms of age, he is one day longer than Li Fuchun (Li Fuchun is May 22). It is precisely because of this 8 days that Cai Chang will be called "big sister" by Li Fuchun and even Premier Zhou and others for a lifetime.
Cai Chang has a very "tough" mother, named Ge Jianhao. When Cai Chang was 13 years old, in order to learn new knowledge and get rid of the inherent fate of traditional Chinese women, she sold her jewelry and clothes in exchange for money, and took her three children Cai Hesen, Cai Xianxi (Cai Chang) and Cai Qingxi to go out to study together. Yes, she not only encouraged her children to go out and learn new things, but she also took the lead in setting an example. In this way, it is mother and son, mother and daughter, four people, studying together in a school.
As a result, after Graduating from High School, Ge Jianhao returned to his hometown to establish a school and became the principal himself. The youngest, Cai Chang, returned to the school founded by her mother to continue her studies. Ge Jianhao's mother and daughter studying together, his mother running a school and other things were rumored to be beautiful talk for a while!
However, things have not always been smooth. On the way for Ge Jianhao's mother and daughter to study, the biggest obstacle was not from the outside world, but from their own homes. This huge "obstacle" or "roadblock" turned out to be Cai Chang's father, Cai Rongfeng.
This man with a very deep traditional thinking is an old stubborn, returning from Shanghai to find that his wife and daughter are studying, and he is very dissatisfied, especially extremely opposed to his daughter Cai Chang's reading. He believed that girls should not leave their boudoir, let alone go to school, before they got married.
But for a while and could not be stopped, simply in the summer of that year, directly made up his own mind to Set up an in-law for Cai Chang, the other party is the landlord's family, quite solid, after talking several times, simply even the man's 500 yuan dowry was accepted without authorization.
As soon as the dowry is received, the family affair is nailed down, and the next step is to go through the marriage procedure.
When Cai Chang heard about this, she was comparable to the five thunderbolts, and she was only a teenager, except for crying, she didn't know how to resist and escape this terrible fate. But fortunately, she has a mother who "doesn't let her eyebrows be shaved"!
Her mother, Ge Jianhao, was quite dissatisfied with her husband's approach, but she was outwardly reticent. Perhaps, she knew that even if she told her husband, he would not agree to leave the marriage. In short, she knew that this matter could not be solved with her mouth.
Since you can't solve it with your mouth, then use action to solve it!
As a mother, Ge Jianhao planned a plan for his daughter Cai Chang to escape marriage, so that his daughter Cai Chang left home smoothly and came to Changsha. In Changsha, Cai Chang, with the help of his mother, entered the Changsha Zhounan Girls' School to continue his studies.
Cai Chang's fate, driven by her mother, began to change gradually. Especially during the girls' school, she met a group of like-minded friends, such as Tao Yi, Lao Qirong, Xiang Jianyu and so on. Here, she gained knowledge and insight, and gained a clearer understanding of the social and political situation at that time. This laid the foundation for her future revolutionary career.
Fast forward to 1919, which is a very important year, a year when many students have chosen to go abroad to seek salvation. Cai Chang, Xiang Jingyu and other corresponding Cai Hesen, etc., organized an organization of international students from Hunan women's circles to go to France for work-study. But studying abroad after all requires expenses, so at this time, Cai Chang's mother Ge Jianhao is out again.
In order to support his son Cai Hesen and daughter Cai Chang to study in France, Ge Jianhao borrowed 600 silver dollars from the son-in-law's house of Zeng Guofan through his connections. After some meticulous preparation, the following year, that is, on January 30, 1920, under the leadership of Ge Jianhao, under the organization of Cai Hesen, Cai Chang's brothers and sisters, and Xiang Jingyu, they led the twelfth batch of work-study students of the Huafa Education Association to Marseille, France, and embarked on their path of study and exploration.
I still think about it, the scene at that time, not only for Cai Chang to have a mother like Ge Jianhao, but also excited and proud! She is not only a good mother who cares for her children, but also an open-minded leader of her children!
Ge Jianhao in the front row second from left and Cai Chang in the center right (in France)
At that time, there were many Chinese students studying in France to seek a way to save the dead, and in the same year, there was also a group of outstanding students, who were work-study students represented by Zhao Shiyan, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yi, Nie Rongzhen, etc.
In a foreign country, embracing the ideal of national salvation, they soon met. Among them, Li Fuchun and Cai Chang, as fellow villagers in Hunan, met in a foreign country and were like-minded, which was particularly cordial and added a sense of closeness. Therefore, in the process of continuous contact, they help each other, learn, explore, and seek the truth, and the flower of love naturally blooms.
Therefore, the two of them want to give love a home, that is, marriage.
But how to conclude? They don't want to follow the Chinese tradition, they want to get rid of the Chinese tradition and start their married life in a new way, that is, it is just the two of them, find a café, quietly opposite, as a ceremony, is to get married.
So, on a good day in March 1923, they quietly came to a quiet café in Paris. But their own planned wedding was "ruined" by one person!
This person was Deng Xiaoping, who was 19 years old at the time, a friendly, loyal, cheerful and wise young man. He was very friendly to his friends. Li Fuchun and Cai Chang's secret marriage method was not known to Deng Xiaoping. He actually "ambushed" behind the café in advance, and when Li Fuchun and Cai Chang came, he appeared in front of them like "falling from the sky", which really gave them a big surprise!
Deng Xiaoping while studying in France
The 19-year-old Deng Xiaoping was so cheerful and lively that as soon as he appeared, he did two things: the first was He Xi, and the second was to insist on being their witness.
Li Fuchun and Cai Chang did not expect this surprise to be so unexpected and so happy, so they agreed to let Deng Xiaoping witness the marriage for the two of them, and then invited Deng Xiaoping to dinner.
In this way, Under the witness of Deng Xiaoping, Li Fuchun and Cai Chang joined hands in pursuing the truth and struggling hard for the revolutionary cause, which went through a long period of more than half a century.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >3: He struggles! </h1>
Li Fuchun successively studied and searched in France and the Soviet Union, and later actively participated in the great cause of salvation after returning to China. After the defeat of the Great Revolution, he took underground work, and in 1931, he came to the Soviet District and was appointed secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. Around 1935, he served as a leader in the General Political Department of the Red Army, and after the Long March, reached northern Shaanxi. Because of his outstanding achievements in the Long March, he was praised by Chairman Mao.
During the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Fuchun was responsible for political and economic work in Yan'an. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he has been holding work related to finance and economics and industry, successively serving as minister of heavy industry and vice premier of the State Council in charge of financial and economic work, becoming one of the most important left and right arms of Premier Zhou. It has made a significant contribution to the country and the party!
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >4: He died. </h1>
The torrent of history went to 1967, because of the special situation in the special historical period, Li Fuchun was treated unfairly, so in the midst of illness, in the torment of lung disease and lung cancer, his condition suddenly deteriorated, and he survived until January 9, 1975, when the 75-year-old revolutionary finally collapsed!
He left too suddenly, not even waiting to see his wife Cai Chang's last face.
According to the Last 600 Days of Zhou Enlai:
Cai Chang just got out of the car, and the attending doctor stepped forward, tightly held Cai Chang's hand, lowered his head, and did not speak... She saw Deng Xiaoping already waiting for her in front of the elevator entrance. Deng Xiaoping shook Cai Chang's hand and said heavily: "Big sister, mourning and changing... Cai Chang... Looking at Deng Xiaoping in surprise... Rush into the ward... Standing firmly, tears poured out of his eye sockets... "Fuchun, I'm late..."
Li Fuchun and Cai Chang have a very good relationship, hand in hand through more than half a century, love and grace as ever. Hailed as one of the two exemplary couples in Zhongnanhai (the other couple is our beloved Premier Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao).
Imitation couple: Premier Deng Yingchao, Cai Chang li fuchun
These two couples have a lot in common, they both married in the revolutionary period because of revolutionary ideals; then, they both experienced the revolutionary storm and struggled all the way; finally, after the founding of the country, they both held high-level posts in the central government to serve the country; they joined hands with each other, never separated, and always remained as firm as ever! The revolutionary cause is their ideal, but at the same time it is also the hotbed of their love marriage. Therefore, for them, the revolutionary cause and the emotional marriage are interdependent and achieve each other! It is precisely for this reason that these two couples are regarded as a model of a model couple!
After Li Fuchun's death, the memorial service was scheduled for January 15, 1975, at Beijing Hospital.
Li Fuchun died, published in the People's Daily
For historical reasons, the memorial service was extremely simple and extremely deserted.
There were no relatives of Li Fuchun and Cai Chang to participate, (Cai Chang refused to let his relatives participate, insisting that he send off his husband who was full of grievances but did not complain half a word.) ）
At this extremely simple memorial service, a special person delivered a eulogy with infinite affection!
He was Deng Xiaoping, the comrade-in-arms with whom he had fought and the friend who lived and searched together! Half a century ago, he had witnessed his marriage to Cai Chang, and now he is building a coffin for the life of this comrade-in-arms and friend. Therefore, when he delivered the eulogy, his voice was full of affection, sadness and hoarseness, and his eyes were filled with tears!
Half a century ago, Li Fuchun began his lifelong happy marriage with the blessing of Deng Xiaoping!
Now, half a century later, in deng Xiaoping's affirmative words, his revolutionary life has finally come to an end and has come to an end!
Reference: The Biography of Li Fuchun.