In June 1954, in order to reduce the organizational level, overcome bureaucracy and strengthen leadership, the Central People's Government decided to abolish the administrative organs at the regional level and merge several provinces and regions.
As secretary of the Southwest Bureau of the CPC and commander of the Southwest Military Region, He Longfeng was transferred to the Central Committee and began a more brilliant stage in his revolutionary political and military career. In September 1954, at the first session of the First National People's Congress, He Long was appointed Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the State Sports Commission, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission.
In September 1955, the Chinese People's Liberation Army implemented the rank system for the first time, and Chairman Mao, president of the People's Republic of China, awarded He Long and 10 other people the rank of Marshal of the People's Republic of China, and He Long was also awarded the August 1st Medal of the First Class, the Order of Independence and Freedom of the First Class, and the Liberation Medal of the First Class.
In September 1956, he was elected as a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee at the Eighth National Congress of the Party, and participated in the study of the major principles, policies and lines of the Party and the State. From 1954 to 1966, in accordance with the decisions of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, He Long successively led the reorganization of central state organs, was in charge of the State Sports Commission and the national defense industry, presided over the daily work of the Central Military Commission for many years, and constantly participated in various state affairs and foreign affairs activities, becoming a highly respected party and state leader. All this fully proves Chairman Mao's high trust and reliance on He Long.
He Long became the director of the State Sports Commission at the end of 1952, when he was still serving as the number one party, government, and army in the Southwest Bureau. However, at that time, the State Council was called the State Council. The reason was that in August 1952, after observing the 15th Helsinki Olympic Games, the All-China Sports Federation proposed to the Central Committee that a National Sports Committee parallel to the ministries should be set up in the Government Council, and the director should preferably ask Comrade He Long to serve.
At that time, Deng Xiaoping, who had just served as executive vice premier from the Southwest Bureau to the State Council, after consulting with Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and Chairman Mao, telephoned He Long and said: "Boss, the State Council has decided to set up the Central Sports Commission, and the National Sports Federation has a report proposing to ask you to be the director. ”
"What about Chairman Mao's opinion?" He Long asked.
"Chairman Mao is also in favor."
"Well, Chairman Mao told me to do it, and the Party Central Committee told me to do it, and I will do it!"
With He Long's consent, Zhou Enlai held the 19th meeting of the Council of Ministers in Huairentang on November 15, and unanimously approved He Long as director of the National Sports Commission and Cai Tingkai as deputy director.
In April 1953, He Long rushed from Chongqing to Beijing and presided over the first national sports work conference, discussing the guidelines and plans for the development of sports in China. Subsequently, He Long convened a meeting of the party group of the Central Sports Committee, seriously studied and revised the specific plan, and in the name of the party group of the Central Sports Committee, wrote a "Report on Strengthening the People's Sports Work" to the Party Central Committee, and put forward the principle of "improving the people's health and enhancing the people's physique." Soon, Chairman Mao issued a call for this: "Develop sports and enhance the people's physique." ”
He Long loved sports, as early as the Anti-Japanese War, he founded the 120th Division combat basketball team, which was once famous in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Jinsui Border Region. After entering the great southwest, he recruited talents everywhere, and created the first professional sports team in new China in the southwest, which sent a large number of sports talents to the country and was admired by the national sports circles.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, hundreds of industries were waiting to be revitalized, and all aspects needed to build talents, but because many people held historical prejudices and regarded sports and culture as amateur activities, the development of sports in New China was very slow and difficult.
After he was appointed, with a high sense of responsibility, a strong sense of professionalism, outstanding organizational skills, starting from scratch, working hard to start a business, relying on the masses, respecting talents, setting up a basic framework for the State Sports Commission, equipping the leading backbone at all levels, and building 38 stadiums that can accommodate 25,000 people in major cities across the country, he devoted all his energy to the development of new China's sports cause. He said with great pride: We must get rid of the hat of the "sick man of East Asia, which insults the Chinese nation."
In the early days of the Establishment of the National Sports Commission, there were almost zero professional coaches and athletes, and even if there were a little professional talents from the old society, they did not dare to use it because of various social relations, some people simply changed their careers completely, and some people were exiled overseas and were reluctant to engage in professional sports.
After He Long presided over the work, with the courage and boldness of a proletarian revolutionary, he vigorously overrode the public opinion and boldly selected a number of coaches and athletes in an eclectic manner. Among them were Tu Guangbin, a swimmer whose relatives were in Taiwan at the time, Wu Chuanyu, a swimmer who returned from Indonesia, Cao Qiwei, granddaughter of Foreign Minister Cao Rulin of Yuan Shikai's government, Fu Qifang, who had defeated the British table tennis world champion in Hong Kong but was heavily indebted, and Sun Meiying, a domestic table tennis champion who did not want to engage in sports.
Soon, under the care of He Long and the National Sports Commission, they all joined the professional team of the National Sports Commission and made great contributions to the creation of the new Chinese sports cause. In particular, after Fu Qifang returned from Hong Kong, he won the third place in the men's singles in an international competition in 1954, winning the honor for the first time in New China. Later, he became a coach and trained famous players, which shocked China and foreign countries by winning the "triple crown" of men's team and men's singles in the 26th, 27th and 28th World Table Tennis Championships.
Under He Long's broad mind, it not only united a group of domestic sports experts, but also attracted a group of overseas naked children to return to serve the motherland, the most prominent of them are a group of outstanding badminton players such as Wang Wenjiao, who returned from Indonesia, and Rong Guotuan, a table tennis player who returned from overseas in the 50s, who are all meritorious subjects in the cause of new Chinese sports.
Through the arduous efforts of He Long and the National Sports Commission, the sports professional organizations of New China have established national football teams, basketball teams, volleyball teams, table tennis teams, track and field teams, tennis teams, gymnastics teams, and swimming teams since 1954. Later, it developed a badminton team, a mountaineering team, a martial arts team and so on.
In order to implement the principle of "developing sports and enhancing the people's physique," He Long placed great emphasis on the need for sports to serve the people's health, economic construction, and national defense construction, and to combine the development of grass-roots mass sports with professional training.
In the 14 years that He Long served as the director of the State Sports Commission from 1953 to 1966, in order to develop the sports of New China, wash away the shame of the "sick man of East Asia", lead the sports front to work hard, so that New China has all refreshed the records of old China in a very short period of time, broken more than 100 world records, won more than ten world championships, trained a large number of red and professional sports workers, and more than 300 have won the National Sports Medal of Honor. The two bright flags of the Chinese table tennis team and the Chinese mountaineering team were erected, which greatly encouraged the fighting spirit of the people of all ethnic groups in the country. He Long is worthy of being the pioneer and founder of new Chinese sports.
As one of the vice premiers of the State Council, He Long assisted Premier Zhou Enlai in implementing the diplomatic policy of good-neighborliness and friendship and seeking peace, friendship and cooperation, and frequently participated in foreign affairs.
From September 1954 to May 1966, in the past 12 years, he has participated in or led the Chinese party, government, army delegation and sports delegation to visit 14 countries eight times, and received more than 30 heads of state and government of 24 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, including President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, Prime Minister Kim Il Sung of the DPRK, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia, General Secretary of the CPSU Khrushchev, and other 24 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America, as well as other government, military, sports and party delegations, in order to publicize China's domestic and foreign policies. It has made due contributions to developing good-neighborly and friendly relations with its neighbors, strengthening China's friendship with all countries in the world, safeguarding peace in Asia and the world, safeguarding the dignity of the Chinese people, and safeguarding Chairman Mao's thought and Chairman Mao's personal lofty prestige.
From November 5 to 13, 1964, at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Government, China sent a Delegation of Chinese Party and Government headed by Zhou Enlai and Deputy Headed by He Long to Moscow to participate in the commemoration of the 47th anniversary of the October Revolution.
On the evening of 7 July, He Long, Together with Zhou Enlai, attended the National Day banquet held by the Soviet Government at the Kremlin. Marshal Konev of the Soviet Union was very happy to see Horlong. He told the members of the Chinese delegation: "Marshal He Long is an old friend of mine. Rokossovsky and Marshal Moscalenko also expressed their friendship with China.
After Brezhnev Kosygin and other leaders toasted, Zhou Enlai and Helong went to the seats of the Soviet marshals and toasted them. Zhou Enlai proposed to toast the friendship between the Chinese and Soviet peoples and the friendship between the armies of the two countries! The Marshals of the Soviet Union happily raised their glasses and said that this glass of wine must be dried!
At this time, the Soviet Defense Minister Malinovsky came over. He first exchanged a few words of greeting with Zhou Enlai, and then provocatively said: "We don't want any ghosts to mess up our relations between the two countries, we want to be friendly." Zhou En: "Strengthening friendship requires the joint efforts of both sides. Malinovsky said: "We the people want happiness, you people want happiness, do not want any Chairman Mao, any Khrushchev to hinder us." ”
Zhou Enlai immediately pointed out solemnly: "What are you talking about? Because of the presence of Western envoys and reporters, Zhou Enlai did not say much and no longer paid attention to Malinovsky.
Malinovsky touched the nail, but did not give up. He said to He Long with ulterior motives: "Comrade He Long's marshal clothes are very beautiful, and this is no longer like the cloth cotton jacket of that year." He Long said: "It is still the cotton clothes of that year, I am reluctant to throw it." Malinovsky said: "I also think that cotton clothes are good, and the marshal clothes are flashy and vain." Our marshal's uniforms have been defiled by Stalin, and your marshal's uniforms have been defiled by Chairman Mao. He said brazenly: "We have already got rid of Khrushchev, and you will get rid of Chairman Mao, but the time has not yet come." ”
When He Long heard this, he suddenly changed color and pointed out sternly: "Your words are completely wrong, and I cannot agree with them at all." He walked over to Zhou Enlai and reported what Malinovsky had just said. Zhou Enlai was very angry and immediately pointed out to Mikoyan: "Malinovsky has just talked nonsense. Mikoyan said: "This in no way represents our route. He drank a few more glasses of wine before he said such stupid things, please don't take this seriously. ”
On the morning of the 8th, the Soviet leader visited Zhou Enlai, He Long, and others at the Chinese delegation's residence. After the two sides had exchanged greetings, Zhou Enlai pointed out to the Soviet leaders on behalf of the Chinese delegation: Malinovsky's provocation at the banquet last night was an insult to Comrade Mao, the great leader of the Chinese, and an insult to the Communist Party of China, the Chinese, and the Chinese party and government delegation. This did not happen even during Khrushchev's reign.
Brezhnev argued: Yesterday Malinovsky drank too much wine, which was a gaffe after drinking.
Zhou En: This problem is very serious, and something as serious as this cannot be explained by drunken gaffes. There is a Chinese saying that tells you the truth after drinking. Then, Zhou Enlai questioned: "Do you want to incite opposition to Comrade Chairman Mao?" This is wishful thinking and cannot in any way damage Chairman Mao's lofty prestige within the Chinese Party. ”
Brezhnev had to express his gratitude to Zhou Enlai and He Long for their measured approach last night. Malinovsky was not a member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, and as a member of the Central Committee he had no right to express his personal opinion. His words have nothing in common with the views of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the new leadership, and in no way represent the views of the Presidium. Malinovsky is willing to formally apologize to the Chinese side. I also apologize to you on behalf of the Central Committee. Brezhnev has repeatedly said: This is the view of our leadership and the official statement of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, requesting the Chinese side to trust and make a positive evaluation, hoping that this matter will not affect the work already scheduled to be carried out by both sides.