"Spring correspondent" Wu Songying: "At that time, everyone was really happy to know that he came"

In 1993, in Shenzhen, China, a busy intersection under the portrait of Deng Xiaoping. (Visual China/Photo)

Wu Songying, 77, was once the deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and is now a librarian at the Guangdong Provincial Research Museum of Culture and History. In 1992, when Deng Xiaoping visited Shenzhen from the south, he was directly responsible for Deng Xiaoping's record-keeping in Shenzhen, recording the bits and pieces that occurred at that time. In 2014, People's Daily called him a "spring correspondent" in a report.

In addition to being the deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, he has also served as the director and editor-in-chief of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Newspaper, the secretary of the party group and the president of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Newspaper Group, and other positions. Because of witnessing this important historical moment, the book "Deng Xiaoping and Shenzhen in the Spring of 1992", the documentary "The Choice of History" and later the huge portrait of Deng Xiaoping on Hongling Road are all related to him.

On April 26, 2021, Southern Weekend reporters interviewed Wu Songying in his office.

Southern Weekend: Can you talk about why Deng Xiaoping's inspection of the South in 1992 has such an important historical status?

Wu Songying: At that time, there was a controversy within the party about reform and opening up, believing that the windows and doors were open, the stench came in, and the flies also came in. Everything should be asked for the surname "society" and the surname "capital". The result of the debate is that many places have stopped work and production, like the migrant workers in Shenzhen have gone home, no one has worked, and the factories have closed. In this case, the whole country is like a sailing ship, without direction, circling in the sea.

Looking back now, this economic development curve of more than 40 years of reform and opening up was the fastest from 1984 to 1988, and the annual development rate exceeded 20%, but in the three years of 1989, 1990 and 1991, it completely slowed down, like a "U-shape". Therefore, the purpose of Deng Xiaoping's coming to the south was to promote reform and opening up, so everyone was really happy to know that he came. The spirit of Deng Xiaoping's speech ensured that China's ship continued to move in the direction set by the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee. When I listened to it at that time, I felt that the old people wanted to tell the whole country and the whole world, and China must continue to reform and open up.

Southern Weekend: What were the details of the accompanying inspection that you were impressed with?

Wu Songying: Deng Xiaoping was 88 years old at the time. The ear is not very good, many words must be passed on to him by his daughter, and it is not good to speak. The most impressive thing was his speech at the International Trade Building. Although man is old, his mind is still very clear.

At that time, he sat down, did not need to report at all, and kept talking on his own, talking for more than half an hour. Everyone was listening carefully to him. I first stood behind to record, and then crouched behind him to record.

At that time, I felt that the old man looked at the problem, saw it higher and farther, and he talked about how socialism should be and where the superiority of socialism lies. Because of the timeout, after his daughter reminded him, he received it very beautifully, saying that "people are old, old, and have more words, and some words are not up to their expectations." He said this and was very sober.

Southern Weekend: How did you get public coverage from Deng Xiaoping?

Wu Songying: On January 23, the day Deng Xiaoping was leaving for Zhuhai, after breakfast, I and Li Hao, then secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, waited at the gate of Guiyuan Garden, intending to report in person. After standing for a while, Deng Xiaoping and his wife Zhuo Lin came out, and we quickly greeted them.

I put forward a few reasons with Comrade Li Hao: First, his old man's speech is too important and must have a very important impact on the country and the party. Second, the foreign media are now making up random rumors and distorting his speech. Third, our own media, reported by the municipal party committee organs, can correct the audio-visual.

Deng Xiaoping could not hear clearly, and his daughter Deng Rong repeated loudly next to him: Comrade Li Hao said that they hoped to report publicly. He thought for a moment, waved his hand, smiled and said, "Don't make this exception." ”

Southern Weekend: But you still insisted on reporting.

Wu Songying: At that time, we were thinking a lot and taking a lot of risks, but we still felt that we should do this. After all, it is in line with the trend of history. The week after the report was the most torturous, with no one to criticize and no one to praise. Such a big thing is spread all over the country. Later, when the central authorities also began to propagate and continued to persist in engaging in the market economy, we became as if we had made great contributions and won various awards.

Southern Weekend: Why do you think Shenzhen can create the "Shenzhen Miracle" in the reform and opening up?

Wu Songying: I have been in Shenzhen for more than 40 years, and the development of Shenzhen has basically participated. Shenzhen was originally a backward frontier town, and it is very important to rely on people's spiritual wealth to develop. When I first came, I didn't even have a road, I didn't have to eat vegetables, and I had to go around to open up the wilderness to grow vegetables. Some people from other places went to the dormitory of the municipal party committee, thinking that they were going to "Little Hong Kong", but it turned out that they had arrived at "Nanniwan". At that time, when they saw that the cadres of the municipal party committee were cultivating vegetables in the wilderness, some people ran away with the organization introduction letter and the household registration book in their pockets, but many people persisted.

In 1993, I was transferred to the newspaper as the president, the entire Shenzhen Special Administrative Region newspaper only 80 million, we built a newspaper building, did not use the government's money, to the bank loan. Therefore, Shenzhen's development mainly relies on a spirit of reform to maximize the role of the central government's policies.

Shenzhen was the first to summarize the spirit of the cattle, pioneering and innovative, unity and dedication, inheriting the spirit of Yan'an, hard work, and hard work. Without so many cattle and pioneers, Shenzhen cannot get up.

Southern Weekend reporter Gao Yichen