Forum to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Comrade Hua Guofeng's Birth Held in Beijing Wang Huning: Speech at the Symposium Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Comrade Hua Guofeng's Birth

Xinhua

Beijing, 20 Feb (Xinhua) -- A symposium to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Comrade Hua Guofeng's birth was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 20 February. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Han Zheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, attended the meeting.

On February 20, a symposium to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Hua Guofeng was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended and delivered a speech, and Han Zheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, attended the meeting. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Rao Aimin

Before the meeting, Wang Huning, Han Zheng, and other leading comrades met with the family of Comrade Hua Guofeng.

Comrade Hua Guofeng is an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a tried and tested loyal communist fighter, a proletarian revolutionary, who once held important leading positions in the party and the state, and devoted his life's energy to China's revolution, construction, and reform.

In his speech, Wang Huning deeply remembered Comrade Hua Guofeng's life achievements and historical contributions. He said: Comrade Hua Guofeng's life was a life of revolution, a life of fighting, and a life of serving the people wholeheartedly, and he made important contributions to the cause of the party and the people.

Wang Huning said: When we commemorate Comrade Hua Guofeng, we should learn from his political character of having a firm party spirit and being loyal to the party, adhering to his original intention and deep feelings of caring for the people, his fine work style of seeking truth and being pragmatic and really doing solid work, and his noble qualities of being bright and upright and honest and self-disciplined. In the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, enhance the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", achieve "two safeguards", closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, overcome difficulties, blaze new trails, dare to struggle, be good at struggle, strive to create new achievements that are more worthy of the times, the people, and the ancestors, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China with excellent results.

Chen Xi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the forum. Sun Chunlan, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, and Zhang Youxia, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the forum.

At the forum, Qu Qingshan, president of the Central Academy of Party History and Literature; Ding Xuedong, deputy secretary general of the State Council; Li Jun, assistant director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission; and Hu Yuting, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanxi Provincial CPC Committee and executive vice governor, spoke successively. Attending the forum were responsible comrades of relevant departments of the central party, government, and military masses, Beijing Municipality, Hunan Province, and Shanxi Province, relatives of Comrade Hua Guofeng, former friends, former staff members, and representatives of their hometowns.

<h1 toutiao-origin="h1" > Wang Huning: Speech at the Symposium Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of comrade Hua Guofeng's birth</h1>

(February 20, 2021)

Wang Huning

Comrades and friends,

Today, we are here to solemnly gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Comrade Hua Guofeng's birth, to remember his historical contributions to China's revolution, construction, and reform, to reflect on and study his revolutionary spirit and noble character, and to encourage the whole party and the people of all nationalities throughout the country to make unremitting efforts to comprehensively build a modern socialist country and win new victories in socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Comrade Hua Guofeng was born in 1921 in Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province, to a family of tanners. When he was a student, he was concerned about the future and destiny of the country. After the July 7 Incident in 1937, he resolutely joined the anti-Japanese movement, and in June 1938, he joined the Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Group of the Shanxi Sacrifice National Salvation League, embarked on the revolutionary road, and joined the Communist Party of China in October of the same year. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Comrade Hua Guofeng successively served as secretary of the Jiaocheng County League, director of the County Anti-Japanese National Salvation Federation and director of the sub-district peasant department, director of the Propaganda Department of the Jiaocheng County CPC Committee and director of the Anti-Japanese National Salvation Federation. He went deep among coal miners and peasants, women and children to mobilize the masses and arouse the enthusiasm of the masses for resistance against Japan. He led elite armed workers to guerrilla areas and enemy-occupied areas to fight the enemy and establish an anti-Japanese regime. He persisted in the War of Resistance Behind Enemy Lines under extremely difficult conditions and made contributions to the development and expansion of the local anti-Japanese armed forces and the development of anti-Japanese work. During the Liberation War, Comrade Hua Guofeng successively served as secretary of the Jiaocheng County CPC Committee, deputy director of the Organization Department of the Eighth Prefectural Committee of Lüliang District, secretary of the Yangqu County CPC Committee, and director of the Propaganda Department of the First Prefectural Committee of Jinzhong District. He resolutely implemented the spirit of the instructions of the party Central Committee on the land issue, led the land reform in Jiaocheng, Yangqu, and other places, aroused the enthusiasm of the broad masses of peasants, and enabled the masses to enthusiastically join the army and support the front, thus providing a solid logistical support for the liberation of Gujiao, Taiyuan, and other cities. Comrade Hua Guofeng made outstanding contributions to the victory of the Shanxi Liberation War and the establishment and consolidation of people's power.

At the beginning of 1949, Comrade Hua Guofeng went south with the army and served as the first secretary of the Xiangyin County CPC Committee of Hunan Province after liberation. He let go of mobilizing the masses, carried out investigations and studies, and quickly opened up the situation, and Xiangyin's work of supporting the front, building the government, suppressing bandits, disaster relief, land reform, and production was carried out with sound and color. After he was transferred to Xiangtan, he successively served as secretary of the Xiangtan County CPC Committee, deputy secretary of the XIANGtan Prefectural Committee of the CPC, commissioner of the Commissioner's Office, and secretary of the Xiangtan Prefectural Committee of the CPC. In light of the actual conditions in the Xiangtan area, he led the agricultural cooperative movement in the Xiangtan area, conscientiously summed up the experience of agricultural cooperatives in the Xiangtan area, and introduced it at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held in 1955. After 1956, he successively served as a member of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the director of the Cultural and Educational Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Committee, the director of the United Front Work Department of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the vice governor of Hunan Province, the secretary of the Secretariat of the Hunan Provincial Cpc Committee and vice governor of Hunan Province, the vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the director of the Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Committee, the first secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the first political commissar of the Hunan Provincial Military Region, and the first secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Military Region. In the leadership position of Hunan Province, he has made significant contributions to the construction and development of the province in many aspects. He attached importance to agricultural production, especially the construction of water conservancy infrastructure in farmland, and presided over the construction of large-scale water conservancy projects such as the drainage of Dongting Lake and the Shaoshan Irrigation District. He supported Comrade Yuan Longping's research on the hybrid rice project, which played an important role in promoting the success of hybrid rice research and realizing major changes in China's rice production. He paid attention to industrial production and transportation construction, and led key transportation construction projects such as the Xiangqian and Zhiliu railways in Hunan, so that Hunan's industrial production, which originally had a weak foundation, has been greatly developed, and transportation construction has taken on a new look. He pays attention to the lives of the people, strives to promote the development of medical and health undertakings, enthusiastically promotes rural barefoot doctors and cooperative medical systems, and under his direct leadership, Hunan Province has made great achievements in the prevention and control of schistosomiasis. He was good at doing cultural education and united front work, enthusiastically made friends with intellectuals and democrats, paid attention to implementing the principle of "a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contend," and paid attention to protecting and developing local dramas with local characteristics in Hunan.

After the "Cultural Revolution" began, Comrade Hua Guofeng was shocked and criticized. After resuming his work and assuming the main leading position of the party and government of Hunan Province, he did his best to eliminate interference from many quarters in a difficult and complicated environment, worked hard to maintain stability and production order in the province, protected and liberated leading cadres, engineering and technical personnel, and intellectuals, and did a good job in agriculture, industry, finance and trade, culture, and education, so that Hunan's economy could avoid major fluctuations.

At the beginning of 1971, Comrade Hua Guofeng was transferred to the work of the Central Committee and served as the deputy head of the State Council Business Group, and then attended the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee as an observer. In the work of the State Council, he fully assisted Comrade Zhou Enlai in correcting the ultra-left ideological trend, adjusting the national economy, and doing a great deal of work in ensuring market supply and price stability. At the First Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Hua Guofeng was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, assisting Comrade Zhou Enlai in taking charge of agricultural work, and maintaining a relatively stable growth in grain production throughout the country. In January 1975, Comrade Hua Guofeng was appointed Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of Public Security, and in February of the same year, he was identified as one of the executive premiers at the executive meeting of the State Council. He conscientiously implemented the spirit of the party Central Committee's policy on implementing cadres, liberated a large number of cadres in the departments in charge, and made appropriate arrangements for work. He paid attention to scientific and technological work and the cultivation of high-tech talents, and led and supported the research and development of high-end national defense projects. After the death of Comrade Zhou Enlai, according to Comrade Mao Zedong's proposal, the Politburo of the Central Committee passed, and Comrade Hua Guofeng served as acting premier of the State Council and presided over the daily work of the Central Committee. In April 1976, according to the proposal of Comrade Mao Zedong, the Politburo of the Central Committee approved the appointment of Comrade Hua Guofeng as the first vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee and the premier of the State Council. After the death of Comrade Mao Zedong, the question of where China is going is before the Party and the people. At an important juncture in historical development, Comrade Hua Guofeng waged a resolute struggle against the conspiracy of the "Gang of Four" to usurp the party and seize power, and proposed to solve the problem of the "Gang of Four," which was endorsed and supported by Ye Jianying, Li Xiannian, and other central leading comrades. On October 6, 1976, on behalf of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying and other comrades carried out the will of the party and the people, took decisive measures to smash the "Gang of Four" in one fell swoop, saved the party, saved the cause of socialism in China, and pushed the cause of the party and the state to turn a new page. Comrade Hua Guofeng played a decisive role in smashing the "Gang of Four," a struggle that has a bearing on the fate of the party and the country. The party and the people will never forget the important contributions he made.

After smashing the "Gang of Four," Comrade Hua Guofeng took up the posts of Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Premier of the State Council. He presided over important meetings such as the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Eleventh National Congress and the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee. With the support of revolutionaries of the older generation, he put an end to the chaos, restored the normal order of the political life of the party and the state, mobilized and organized the broad masses of cadres and the masses to actively participate in economic construction and other work, exposed and criticized the crimes of the "Gang of Four," and investigated their gang system. In accordance with the requirements of the broad masses of cadres and the masses, he began to review and rectify unjust, false and wrongly decided cases, and gradually implemented policies for some cadres. He proposed that every effort should be made to improve the economy so that industrial and agricultural production could be restored and developed relatively quickly. Under his impetus, the work of education, science and culture began to move toward normalcy, and new progress was made in diplomatic work. Comrade Hua Guofeng has made great efforts in leading the unveiling and criticism of the "Gang of Four" and mobilizing the whole party and the people of all nationalities throughout the country to build the cause of socialist modernization.

In September 1980, Comrade Hua Guofeng ceased to concurrently hold the post of Premier of the State Council. In June 1981, at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, he resigned as Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo and Vice Chairman of the Central Committee until September 1982. From the Twelfth to the Fifteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he continued to be elected as a member of the Central Committee and was a special representative of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth National Congresses of the Party. After retiring from his leading post, he still showed concern for reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, concerned about the masses' production and life, paid attention to investigation and study, abided by the party's discipline, and set strict demands on himself. He supported the leadership of the Party Central Committee and was full of confidence in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics until the last breath of his life.

Comrade Hua Guofeng's life was a life of revolution, a life of fighting, and a life of wholehearted service to the people. The important contributions he made to the cause of the party and the people will forever be recorded in the annals of history.

Comrades and friends!

In the glorious course of the CPC over the past 100 years, generation after generation of outstanding communists have emerged who have made unremitting efforts to fight for national independence and the liberation of the people, the prosperity and strength of the country, and the happiness of the people. Comrade Hua Guofeng is one of them, and his revolutionary spirit and noble character are always worthy of our study.

-- When we commemorate Comrade Hua Guofeng, we should learn from his political character of being firm in party spirit and being loyal to the party. Comrade Hua Guofeng has a strong party spirit and principles, and has always attached importance to the party's cause. He stressed: "Leading cadres at all levels should take the lead in stressing party spirit, taking into account the overall situation, carrying forward democracy, and abiding by discipline." He demanded so, and took the lead in doing so. In the difficult environment of the "Cultural Revolution," he insisted that "in the party, we must stress party spirit, not factionalism, and we are not allowed to engage in factionalism within party branches." In the face of the dangerous situation in which the "Gang of Four" counter-revolutionary clique vainly attempted to usurp the party and seize power, he resolutely said: "History has pushed me to this position, and I must bravely shoulder it regardless of my personal safety." After completing the historical turning point in the new period, he consciously maintained unity, took into account the overall situation, and did not care about personal gains and losses.

No matter how the times develop and how conditions change, loyalty to the party is always the first requirement. In accordance with the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the majority of party members and cadres should consciously enhance the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", achieve "two safeguards", continuously improve their political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in ideological and political actions.

-- When we commemorate Comrade Hua Guofeng, we should learn from his profound feelings of adhering to his original intention and caring for the people. Comrade Hua Guofeng once said: "We Communist Party cadres must keep the sufferings of the masses in our hearts. "We must dare to thoroughly expose and resolutely correct all shortcomings, mistakes, unhealthy tendencies, and evil tendencies that are unfavorable to the people." When he first came to work in Hunan in the early days of liberation, he led the establishment of the first batch of rural health centers in Xiangyin County, trained the first generation of doctors in Xiangyin, and enriched and developed the county people's hospital. After the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, he immediately organized an emergency meeting, established the Central Earthquake Relief Command, and studied and implemented a series of earthquake relief measures. He personally visited the disaster area to guide the earthquake relief work, comforted the people in the disaster area, conveyed the concern of the party Central Committee for the people in the disaster area, and encouraged the people in the disaster area to fight the earthquake and provide disaster relief and rebuild their homes. After that, he inspected the earthquake-stricken areas many times to understand the housing life of residents after the disaster, and mobilized various factors to speed up the pace of post-disaster reconstruction.

Serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of our party. The majority of party members and cadres should follow the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, never forget the original intention, keep in mind the mission, always adhere to the people-centered, always pay attention to the safety and security of the people, do practical things, do good things, and solve difficulties for the people, constantly let the people share the fruits of reform and development, and constantly turn the people's yearning for a better life into reality.

-- When we commemorate Comrade Hua Guofeng, we should learn from his fine work style of seeking truth and being pragmatic and really doing solid work. Comrade Hua Guofeng persists in seeking truth from facts, works in a down-to-earth manner, and has a pragmatic work style. During the "Great Leap Forward," in the face of such unhealthy tendencies as false reporting and exaggeration, as well as the practice of comparing with each other and blindly pursuing high yields, he relied on his many years of grassroots work experience and the actual situation he had learned in various localities to talk to Comrade Mao Zedong in person about his views on the situation at that time, saying: The fields are thin, the cattle are thin, the people are thin, and the output cannot be so high. His attitude of seeking truth from facts and reflecting problems was affirmed and praised by Comrade Mao Zedong. Comrade Mao Zedong later commented that he was "an honest man who tells the truth." He attached importance to agricultural production and emphasized the importance of scientific farming, which played an important role in promoting agricultural mechanization and the development of agricultural science and technology. After smashing the "Gang of Four", he supported the discussion on the issue of distribution according to work in the circles of economic theory, and affirmed that the principle of distribution according to work should be implemented in the historical stage of socialism. He believes that "we must learn from the good experience of foreign countries, including studying science and technology, learning management experience, and carrying out extensive economic cooperation."

New situations and new problems continue to emerge on the new journey, and the tasks of reform, development, and stability are arduous and arduous. In accordance with the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the majority of party members and cadres should strengthen their responsibilities, know their responsibilities, assume their responsibilities, perform their duties in action, dare to face problems head-on, strive for practical results in their work, and promote the implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee on basing themselves on the new development stage, implementing the new development concept, and building a new development pattern with the spirit of nails.

-- When we commemorate Comrade Hua Guofeng, we should learn from his noble qualities of being upright and honest and self-disciplined. Comrade Hua Guofeng said: "A person's ability is big or small, and we can make efforts for the nation and the people in the struggle to turn the fate of the nation." But it is not enough, when old, we must maintain the late festival and continue to carry forward the good tradition of arduous struggle to serve the people. He was modest and prudent, strict with himself, lenient with others, frugal in life, strict with his family and the staff around him, and always maintained the political nature of a communist.

The building of work style is always on the road, and the comprehensive and strict management of the party is always on the road. In accordance with the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the majority of party members and cadres should adhere to self-discipline, be cautious and self-disciplined, always be self-respecting, self-examination, self-vigilance and self-encouragement, be cautious and cautious, take the lead in governing the family honestly, take the lead in opposing privileges, cherish their own discipline like cherishing life, and be a spotless person.

All the achievements made by our party today embody the painstaking efforts and struggles of the revolutionaries of the older generation and carry the entrustment and expectations of the revolutionaries of the older generation. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, overcome difficulties, blaze new trails, dare to struggle, be good at struggle, strive to create new achievements that are more worthy of the times, the people, and the ancestors, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China with outstanding achievements, and build a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modern power. Strive to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.