September 9, 1976, was a day of great sorrow for the entire Chinese. On this very day, the great Chairman Mao completed his glorious life and passed away.
A young staff member wept bitterly and applied for a haircut on Chairman Mao's body.
This staff member was Chairman Mao's exclusive hairdresser, Zhou Fuming. He had been cutting hair for Chairman Mao for 17 years.
After Chairman Mao's death, he applied to his superiors to voluntarily manage his former residence for Chairman Mao and to guard his home for Chairman Mao. His superiors told him: The Central Committee has no precedent and cannot allocate funds specifically to him.
But he was very firm and said: I will do it without money!
So in this way, he spent the rest of his life managing the former residence of Chairman Mao, telling posterity about Chairman Mao's touching bits and pieces.
So how did he become the president's exclusive hairdresser? Why did he voluntarily oblige to guard Chairman Mao's home?
The answer to all these questions begins with the first haircut in 1960...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" >" ”</h1>
Zhou Fuming was born in 1935 in Jiangsu, an ordinary peasant family. Later, I learned the craft of haircuts with someone, and I relied on this craft to mix rice and eat.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, he has been working in a barber shop in Hangzhou. In 1959, when he was 23 years old, he was named a "young pacesetter" in the barbering industry, so he attended the Hangzhou Youth Socialist Construction Activist Commendation Conference.
And it is this honorary title of "Young Pacesetter" that makes some leaders in the city know about this haircut boy.
Later, when he recalled his own experience, he also admitted that it was this honorary title that allowed him to come to Chairman Mao's side.
Zhou Fuming still clearly remembers the day his fate changed, that is, December 26.
It's almost the end of the year, and the people in the barbershop are all people who want to get a haircut and prepare for the New Year.
He hadn't had a stool on his butt in the barbershop and had been busy getting a haircut for his customers. Near noon, a man suddenly appeared and found him.
He was startled, and the person who came was Zhao Zhao, secretary of the Shangcheng District Committee of Hangzhou City. Just when the second monk was confused, he was taken to the small office of the shop leader.
"How long does it take for you to cut your hair once, and half an hour can you complete it?"
"Are you nervous about getting a haircut for a living person?"
In front of the leader of the barbershop, Secretary Zhao asked Zhou Fuming questions with a serious face. Zhou Fuming was a little nervous, but he was also often dealing with guests, he did not shy away from the stage, thought about it and said: "It can be completed in half an hour." ”
There was a section chief named Wang Wenhe who came with Secretary Zhao, and after hearing this, he said happily: "Oh, well, Master Xiao Zhou, now there is a task, the Hangzhou Hotel has a foreign guest to cut hair, the organization decided to let you go, let you take the usual tools and go with us." ”
Xiao Zhou did not refuse, but he just felt strange. The Hangzhou Hotel is a big hotel, which has a special barber room, and there are many advanced tools for foreigners, where do you need me to bring something?
He was full of doubts, but he did not dare to ask questions, so he had to bring a few of his usual tools: a fader, a comb and a razor, and then follow them with a cross-body bag.
He was first taken to the reception of the Provincial Public Security Department, and after a while he came to a small villa called Wang Zhuang next to the West Lake.
Here, he first helped the chief of the Public Security Department to get a haircut, and then three more people came, and also let him get a haircut one by one. Some of them were called the Captain of the Guards, and he was still strange to hear the title at the time, but he didn't understand the affairs of the system, so he didn't care.
When the three of them had finished their haircuts, they gathered together and muttered, making Zhou Fuming, who was collecting his tools, feel a drum in his heart.
Originally, he should have gone back after cutting his hair, but the people here did not seem to have any intention of letting him go, but just brought him dinner, and did not let him move around casually.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Zhou Fuming got into another car. Looking at the scenery outside the window, he was very familiar with it, knowing that it was between Xizhao Mountain and Nanping Mountain in Hangzhou.
The car drove very fast, and in a short while it reached the Nanping swimming pool. The car stopped, and he followed him, but found the "captain of the guard" he had seen in the afternoon when he was getting a haircut.
He stepped forward and explained the situation to Zhou Fuming: "I am Chairman Mao's chief guard, and I have asked you to come here to give Chairman Mao a haircut. ”
As soon as Zhou Fumin heard the three words "Chairman Mao," his head seemed to fall at once, but in an instant, a stream of heat flowing throughout his body made him excited.
In that era, Chairman Mao was the great leader of every Chinese, and it was everyone's dream to see Chairman Mao. At this time, he also understood: after noon and afternoon, those mysterious temptations were all to see if I was qualified to give Chairman Mao a haircut.
But why did Chairman Mao temporarily ask Zhou Fuming for a haircut?
Originally, Chairman Mao also had his own hairdresser, but master Qian, who cut Chairman Mao's hair in Hangzhou, was unable to cut Chairman Mao's hair because he was sick and had a fever.
Now it is temporary to need a person to cut the hair, but it can make the staff around Chairman Mao sad. Fortunately, the Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee remembered Zhou Fuming, a young man who had only recently been named a "youth pacesetter", so there was something that happened in the afternoon.
Zhou Fumingqiang endured the excitement, holding his cross-body bag tightly in his hand, listening to the captain of the guard, and walking with him to the swimming pool.
"And Chairman Mao's haircut has a request, that is, I hope to be able to go faster... Of course, we must also pursue high quality. The chief guard said that he should pay attention to Chairman Mao's haircut, and finally stressed it in particular.
Zhou Fuming did not dare to say more, only dared to nod his head, and when he arrived at the place, the chief guard also patted him on the shoulder and comforted him: "Relax your heart, the chairman is very approachable, you don't have to be too nervous, just like usual." ”
The place for the haircut is in the swimming pool, but it has been pulled up by curtains and partitioned. There is a fan screen in the corner, and after going around, you will find a single bed and a desk with some books on it.
"This is where the chairman rests temporarily." Zhou Fumin was calm.
The captain of the guard told him to wait here, and then turned and left. After a while, footsteps came from outside the screen, and Zhou Fuming's heart also rose with the footsteps.
"Coming, coming, the chairman is coming." His heart was pounding, almost jumping out of his throat, and his throat was tight.
When the chairman appeared, his eyes could not help but get slightly moist.
It was the chairman he remembered, tall, eyebrows and faces that he had seen in newspapers and photographs. The Chairman was not wearing formal clothes, but instead a long cloth nightgown, which was patched with many patches and the colors had been washed white.
Looking at Chairman Mao, who was so simple and kind, Zhou Fuming was touched in his heart, his throat moved, and he said hoarsely: "Chairman Mao, hello!" ”
The chairman walked over with a smile and extended his right hand to shake hands with Zhou Fuming.
Zhu Fuming was flattered, hurriedly trotted forward, and took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao's warm hand seemed to have an electric current, making him dare not move.
Seeing Zhou Fuming's nervous look, Chairman Mao smiled and asked, "You are going to give me a haircut, right?" ”
A "Master Zhou" seemed to make him return to God at once, back to his time in the barbershop, because the villagers called him that.
He withdrew his hand, stood up straight, and said, "Yes, Chairman, you just call me Xiao Zhou." ”
"Hey, it's the master!" Chairman Mao shook his head, still with a gentle face to correct.
Then Chairman Mao sat down in a chair, picked up a volume of the Twenty-Four Histories on the table, and zhou Fuming said that he could start cutting haircuts.
Obviously, the chairman just wanted to let Zhou Fuming cut his hair while reading the book.
This was different from his usual haircut, but thinking that it was Chairman Mao, he read in his heart: We must not move Chairman Mao's head at will, we must not disturb Chairman Mao's reading, and we must cut our hair according to the posture of the chairman reading books.
The winter in Hangzhou is still very cold, but Zhou Fuming, who wears a cotton jacket, is still nervous and sweaty, and the scissors and faders that he used to manipulate at will seem to be obedient at once. He carefully cut the chairman's hair, but the whole person felt smoke above his head.
Although Chairman Mao was reading a book, he also felt Zhou Fuming's nervousness. He put down the book and took the initiative to talk to Zhou Fuming.
The chairman asked him where he was from, how many people there were in the family, how he learned this craft... Zhou Fuming kept working on his hands and answered Chairman Mao's words in his mouth, just like he usually nags with guests in the barbershop, and slowly, he was no longer nervous.
Zhou Fuming relaxed, and the haircut went smoothly. After the haircut was finished, it was time to shave, and Chairman Mao even puffed up his mouth, seemingly trying to cooperate with Zhu Fuming in shaving.
Zhou Fuming and the chairman said: "Chairman, you are as good as usual, naturally relaxed. The chairman smiled and nodded, then leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let Zhou Fuming shave.
Zhou Fuming's technique was very good, which made Chairman Mao very satisfied, and when the beard was also shaved, he stood up and said to Zhou Fuming: "Master Zhou, thank you." ”
Zhou Fuming smiled shyly and said, "Chairman, no thanks." ”
The chairman shook his head and said seriously, "You serve me, and there is no reason not to thank me." ”
Watching the chairman's approachable remarks, Zhou Fuming's heart was warm. After this haircut, Chairman Mao stayed in Hangzhou for a while, and when he needed a haircut, he asked Zhou Fuming to come over.
Once, when getting a haircut, Chairman Mao asked Zhou Fuming, "Xiao Zhou, you should discuss with your leaders and let you follow me to Beijing. ”
When Zhou Fuming heard this news, he was very excited, and immediately replied: "I listen to the chairman, and I am personally very willing." ”
The chairman laughed at his serious look and said, "Don't be so serious, come to me, the work is very hard, you can't go home often." When you go back, you should talk to your lover and ask your lover's opinion. ”
Fortunately, Zhou Fuming's lover understood her husband very well, and although Zhou Fuming did not say that he was going to give Chairman Mao a haircut, he still agreed that his husband could go to Beijing to work.
In this way, Zhou Fuming followed Chairman Mao to Zhongnanhai and has been accompanying Chairman Mao ever since.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > two, and Chairman Mao two or three things</h1>
When he came to work next to Chairman Mao, he naturally could not make mistakes, and Zhou Fuming's most important job was to help Chairman Mao cut his hair.
Chairman Mao had many busy state affairs every day, and he needed to cut his hair frequently to maintain the image of a country's president, so this gave Zhou Fuming a big test.
The chairman basically has no leisure time for haircuts, and only when reading some documents or books can Zhou Fuming carry out haircuts. The chairman is also very casual about haircuts, there is no special barber room, as long as Zhou Fuming is around, he can cut everywhere.
So Zhou Fuming practiced two skills: the first is unlimited venue, as long as you carry a barber box, the chairman needs to cut hair, and he can handle it anywhere. Zhou Fuming once had haircuts in Chairman Mao's bedroom, study, and even dining room; in the lounge of the Great Hall of the People, he also had experience in his apartment where he went out to inspect.
The second skill is to cut hair according to Chairman Mao's movements, whether Chairman Mao is bowing his head or looking up, reading a book or reading official documents, and even sometimes Chairman Mao is reading a book and looking at the gods, he will smile forward and backward, Zhou Fuming can calmly deal with it, take different methods, and cut his hair.
The chairman was also very embarrassed about this habit of his own, but there was no way to change it. For the skills that Zhou Fuming has trained, he is very trusting, and after a long time, he will also say to Zhou Fuming: "You run your business, I run my husband, we do not interfere with each other." ”
For giving Chairman Mao haircuts, there is one biggest problem that needs to be paid attention to, that is, the chairman's hairstyle needs to be fixed.
In the past, when I was in Yan'an, because of the inconvenience of the conditions, the chairman's hairstyle was changed. But since the forties, the chairman has been basically fixed in the form of a back, until now.
Therefore, Zhou Fu'an gave the chairman a frequent haircut in order to maintain the chairman's hairstyle, maintain the chairman's majesty as the leader of a country, and let the image of the great man in the minds of the people last forever.
Zhou Fuming has been giving the chairman a haircut for a long time, and he has gradually felt that the chairman's current hairstyle is still a bit inadequate.
The first point is that the chairman's sideburns have too little hair, and it is best to leave a little more to make the hair appear more vivid and three-dimensional. Stay longer, but also pay attention to the chairman's right hair will be more encrypted than the left, need to be reasonably cut, appear symmetrical and beautiful.
The second point is that the hair in the bottom circle can not go too short, expose the scalp, can leave a certain length of hair, like the hair cut for four or five days as natural as the best.
Although Zhou Fuming had ideas, he was afraid that he would not be able to do well, and he hesitated for a long time and finally in a haircut, he tentatively told Chairman Mao his thoughts.
Chairman Mao listened carefully to his opinion, trusted him very much, and let him try boldly. With Chairman Mao's encouragement, Zhou Fuming was full of confidence, and his men carried the scissors like a fly, and it was completed in a short while.
Chairman Mao looked at it, it was indeed better than the previous hairstyle, the whole person looked more energetic, he was very satisfied, let him maintain this hairstyle in the future, and praised him: "It is worthy of being rationalized." ”
This elaborately designed hairstyle, which remained until Chairman Mao's death, is also the most majestic and amiable, kind and solemn image of the great man in our memory.
In Chairman Mao's relics museum, there is such a barber box: the shell is painted, and it is full of all kinds of old-fashioned tools, including hand-pushed scissors and razors; there are combs, scissors and brushes; hair oil bottles, hair milk, razor cloth, powder boxes and cotton balls are neatly arranged.
This is what Zhou Fuming used for the chairman's haircut, simple and simple, and he did not even see the new style of hair dryer at that time. The reason why it is not used is that Chairman Mao is not accustomed to using a hair dryer, so in order to fix the hairstyle, Zhou Fuming will use the method of shampooing.
But Chairman Mao didn't have so much time to wash his hair, so more often he would use a hot towel to apply grates instead, and he didn't expect the effect to be good.
Zhou Fumin was at Chairman Mao's side, and although he cut his hair two or three times a week, he could not be left idle for the rest of the time, and Chairman Mao let him be his life manager.
In order to take good care of Chairman Mao, he taught himself massage and massage, and when Chairman Mao could not sleep, he would help him relieve the fatigue of his body.
Especially when Zhou Fu was next year, he was very touched to see the country's rapid development and national strength getting stronger and stronger. But it was uncomfortable, uncomfortable that the former president could not see the powerful country today.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" > third, the last haircut</h1>
On the day Chairman Mao died, Zhou Fuming felt that the sky had collapsed. In the early hours of that day, Chairman Mao left his country and people forever, and when he learned the news, he was heartbroken, and the eldest was alone, crying like a child.
With red and swollen eyes, he found the leader and pleaded with the leader: "The chairman has just left, and the chairman has always been me cutting his hair before he died." I applied for the last haircut and repair of the chairman's body. ”
In the early morning of September 10, lying in bed thinking about Chairman Mao, he had been unable to sleep, and he received a reply at three o'clock, which was notified by the chairman's former chief guard, and his request was approved.
When he came to chairman Mao's body, Zhou Fuming came from it with sorrow. So did Chairman Mao of Wei'an end his life of fighting in this way? How he wished Chairman Mao could get a haircut as usual, laughing and saying a few words to himself...
It took Zhou Fuming about ten minutes to control his emotions, he stared at Chairman Mao who was lying quietly on the bed, and suddenly there was some relief in his heart, and he muttered to himself: "Chairman, you have a good rest, how tired your life is, I will cut your hair for the last time." ”
"You run your business, I do my business, we don't interfere with each other." Chairman Mao's gentle words once again seemed to ring in Zhou Fuming's ears, and he knelt on the ground, moving softly and softly, just like Chairman Mao was reading a book before he was born, only he moved, Chairman Mao did not move.
Later, he was transferred to the office of the Security Bureau, and he was not rare in office work, and after retirement, he took the initiative to ask to go to Chairman Mao's former residence, Fortress Garden, to do management work.
The Security Bureau was very embarrassed, and if it agreed, there would be no extra funds to distribute to Zhu Fuming. Zhou Fuming, who knew about this matter, said firmly: "I also do it without salary, I have taken care of him by the chairman's side for so long, and now that I am old, I still have to take good care of his home in the place where he worked and lived, as long as the gate of Fortress Garden lets me in, I will come!" ”
So, since then, he has become the watchman of this former residence with Chairman Mao's memories, cleaning up, managing related work, and never pretending to be others.
And he will always be the "little week" who takes care of Chairman Mao and cuts Chairman Mao's hair.