In order to commemorate the four founding leaders, the fourth edition (1990 edition) contains the heads of Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Mr. Zhu and Comrade Liu Shaoqi on the 100 yuan. Familiar characters, familiar pictures, let's look at those familiar and unfamiliar historical stories.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="73" >: "Borrow money and pay it back"</h1>
Let's start with Mr. Zhu, the eldest of the four leaders.
Zhu De was born in 1886 in Yilong County, Sichuan Province, to a very poor family. He later recalled the poverty of his childhood, to the point where he could not afford to eat salt: "Poor people like us can only buy dirty and black salt. "Even such inferior salt cannot be put into the dish one by one, but a soup bowl is filled with water, a little salt is dissolved in the water, and the vegetable is carried in the salt soup when eating the vegetables; or the salt pieces are placed in the bowl in the center of the table and rubbed on them when eating.
The family was destitute, and Judeben had no access to education. The uncle and aunt had no heirs and succeeded Jude as their adopted son. This was the first turn in Jude's fate. The adoptive parents' family was also not rich, and they worked hard for Zhu De to read and write. This great kindness, Zhu De will never forget. Zhu De was admitted to Xiucai, but he had no intention of "career" - even if the exam and the first, the family did not have money to donate to the official; and Zhu De hated the bureaucratic class at that time: "When I was young, I saw that when I first came to the government, I was as thin as a hungry tiger, and when I left, I was full of fat. He violated the expectations of his family and quietly applied for the Chengdu Normal Sports Student. On the morning he left his hometown, the disappointed family did not come to see me off, only "My adoptive father, who has always loved me, sent me for miles before returning." He was probably sixty years old, very old, wearing a patchy dress and a pair of old straw shoes. As he walked back, I cried. ”
The simple language, its appeal, is equally strong as the depiction of his father in Zhu Ziqing's "Back Shadow"!
Later, Zhu De searched for the Communists, went to Jinggangshan, and left home for many years, and the news was interrupted; it was not until the Kuomintang and the Communists cooperated that Zhu De resumed contact with his family on the anti-Japanese front in Shanxi. He was very happy to learn that his birth mother and adoptive mother were still alive, and he was very sad to learn that there was a major drought in Sichuan, and the family was in difficulty, and he was worried about the lives of the two old mothers. At that time, Zhu De and his wife Kang Keqing only had a monthly allowance of five or six yuan, and sending this little money back would not help. Kang Ke was in a hurry and said to Mr. Zhu, "Can you find someone to borrow some money and pay him back later?" Jude replied, "Still?" What will I do in the future? This moment actually stopped Kang Keqing. The couple has no money now, and there will be no high salary and private property in the future, how to pay the debt? Kang Keqing thought of another way: "Can there be such a person who borrows money and does not have to pay him back?" This reminded Zhu De, and Zhu De said happily: There is really such a person! Yes, just ask him for help.
This man's name was Dai Youling, and he was a classmate of Zhu De's childhood. When Zhu De was the brigade commander of the Dian Army, Dai and Ling defected to Zhu De, and later participated in the Nanchang Uprising together, and after being injured, returned to their hometown of Luzhou to make a living by opening a pharmacy. Zhu De hurriedly wrote a letter to Dai Youling, in which he said: "But there are two mothers in the family, and all of them who gave birth to me and raised me are eighty years old, and they are still healthy. However, due to the famine of the year, this year is short of food, I am afraid that I will not be able to spend this year, and I will not be able to give a loan. I haven't had any money in ten years, and I will do the same in the future. I raised two hundred yuan from you as a friend, and asked you to send it to my home on my behalf. I can't repay you this money, please donate it. Although Dai Youling and Zhu De had not seen each other for a long time, they took care of each other and immediately sent 200 yuan to Zhu De's family, which solved the urgent need.
Even after the victory of the War of Resistance, Mr. Zhu still had no money left. In January 1946, a foreign reporter interviewed Zhu De. In his report, Mr. Zhu was described as sitting in a cold and windy cave, "unpaid, poorly clothed, and with a rank equivalent to that of a five-star american general." Zhu De dedicated himself to the revolution, borrowed and repaid, and achieved this good story.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="72" > Chairman Mao: The central government is also very difficult</h1>
Everyone is familiar with the story of Xu Haidong's 5,000 pieces of ocean in the central region that have just arrived in northern Shaanxi. Xu Haidong said in his "Life Self-Statement": Yang Zhicheng took the note approved by Chairman Mao and borrowed 2,500 yuan from the Red 25 Army, and Xu Haidong brought the supply minister and asked: "How much money do we have?" The supply minister said that there are still 7,000 pieces in total. Xu Haidong said: Leave 2,000, and send the remaining 5,000 to the central authorities.
The soldiers and horses did not move, and the grain and grass went first. Chairman Mao was a man who was very dashing about money, but the Central Red Army had just arrived in northern Shaanxi, and tens of thousands of people had little clothing and little food, forcing him, the leader, to work hard to raise funds. It's no easier than fighting! Not only was it difficult when I first came to northern Shaanxi, but it was also difficult later. One thing that the founding general Wang Ping recalled is very interesting.
At that time, the War of Resistance had just begun, and Wang Ping, as the political commissar of the Red 27 Army, received orders for him and his commander He Jinnian to lead the troops from Fu County to Zhengning to take over the defense. This section of the road took three days, and they all marched in the national unification area, and there were no supply units along the way, so they had to buy their own grain to eat. Partial Red 27th Army "Jianghu Emergency" - the military headquarters that were ordered to be mobilized plus a regiment, a total of only 100 yuan!
Wang Ping reported difficulties to the central authorities, and the central authorities replied that there was no money. How to pull out without money? So Wang Ping called Chairman Mao for help, asking for an appropriation of 3,000 yuan, no 3,000 for 2,000, no 2,000 - for 1,000! Unexpectedly, Chairman Mao's answer was very crisp: "No, I don't have a single dollar." "What if you don't?" Wang Ping asked. Chairman Mao said: "Then think of a way, one person can't think of two people thinking, two people can't think of three people thinking, and if they can't think of it, they can go to sleep, and they will think about it when they sleep." ”
When it comes to this, there is no rut. "There is nothing difficult in the world, but I am afraid of those who have a heart," He Jinnian and Wang Ping, who were forced by Chairman Mao to "fall asleep and think again," really found a way. Near the red 27th army garrison, there was a Kuomintang-appointed joint security director, who lived in an earthen enclosure and hoarded a lot of grain and sold it to the local people and the garrison. This man had a rule: the man who bought the grain could only go to the suspension bridge of the tuweizi, hand in the money, and then he would release the grain. The Red 27th Army sent logistics cadres to buy grain, and as soon as they got on the suspension bridge, they shot in the dirt fence. At this time, He Jinnian and Wang Ping became angry, found the county magistrate of the FuXian National Government, and accused the director of the joint security of sabotaging the anti-Japanese resistance. The county magistrate summoned the director of the joint guarantee, gave him a harsh rebuke, and asked him: "Do you admit to beating or accept punishment?" The director of the joint guarantee said one after another that he would admit punishment and accept punishment. So the three parties signed an agreement to fine the director of the joint insurance 500 quintals of grain and 5,000 oceans.
This can make Wang Ping happy for them. Wang Ping telephoned Chairman Mao to announce the good news, and Chairman Mao laughed and said: The central authorities are also very difficult, and you cannot take all this money with you. You didn't mean 1,000 yuan, the remaining 4,000 was sent to Yan'an. Wang Ping was dumbfounded when he heard this, and quickly pleaded: "Chairman, we only have 1,000 yuan left too little, and we can't solve the current difficulties." Chairman Mao said, "Well, you bring 2,000." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="54" > third, Liu Shaoqi: Frugality starts from me</h1>
Before the Long March in July 1934, Comrade Liu Shaoqi was appointed secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee of the Central Soviet Region, and undertook the arduous task of expanding red and raising grain for strategic transfer. Liu Shaoqi arrived at the Fujian Provincial Party Committee organ, and after several days of observation and understanding, he found that the organ was eating a large pot of rice, and if he did not eat enough, he went to the pot to scoop it, which was not conducive to savings. Liu Shaoqi came to a "bag to eat people" and "a bag to be spirited": Each cadre of the organ took a certain amount of grain from his own rations, wrapped it into a rice bag, hung a small bamboo sign with his own name on it, and handed it to the cookers to steam in the pot. Comrade Liu Shaoqi took the lead in eating packed rice and responded to the call to save 3 liters of rice per month, which not only reduced the burden on the masses, but also raised military food for the Red Army. This style of strict discipline and leading by example was consistent and later elevated to the theory, which is the famous "On the Cultivation of Communist Party Members."
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Comrade Liu Shaoqi, as the leader of the country, lived in Zhongnanhai and still maintained a hard and simple family style. Wang Guangmei recalled that after the state implemented the salary system, the salaries of the leaders were required to provide for the family to eat, wear, live and travel, and the housing in Zhongnanhai also had to pay rent and furniture rent. At that time, a canteen was set up in the West Building, and Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Yang Shangkun and Liu Shaoqi ate in this canteen. Liu Shaoqi's family and Zhu Laozong's family eat poorly because they have more children.
Comrade Liu Shaoqi's son, Liu Yuan, later a general, who was still a child at the time, recalled: There were many children in our family, especially on Sundays, the children all returned home, and when it came to dinner, it was very lively. When it came time to eat, my father always used an empty plate, sandwiched a little bit of the same dish, buried his head in his own food, and left after eating, not talking much. Every time he finished, the children came forward to grab the dishes. Comrade Yang Shangkun's family has few children, and his wife Li Bozhao works in a literary and art group, and her treatment is relatively good, and she always brings their good dishes to the children to eat. Mr. Peng was often the only one in the family, and often asked the children to eat at his place.
This is the family life of a president of a country. Comrade Liu Shaoqi also maintained a simple style when he traveled on business. In 1958, Liu Shaoqi visited Dujiangyan during a meeting in Chengdu. After the visit, accompanied by local cadres, Liu Shaoqi and Wang Guangmei came to a Sichuan restaurant, and everyone invited Liu Shaoqi and his wife to taste the famous local specialty - "living water bean flower". In fact, bean blossoms are very common and cheap dishes in Sichuan, and the so-called "living water" only means that the water used is flowing. Liu Shaoqi went to the table to take a look, and in addition to the bean blossoms on the table, there was also a table full of other dishes. Liu Shaoqi didn't speak, and when he had just finished eating, he said to Wang Guangmei, "You go and settle the account." For this meal, I invite you. ”
His own life is simple, but the people have money, and Comrade Liu Shaoqi is happy. According to Comrade Deng Liqun, who has long followed Liu Shaoqi's work, in 1956 Liu Shaoqi went to Hebei to understand the treatment of coal miners, and when he heard that high-income underground workers could get 400 yuan, he smiled happily: "The monthly wages of coal mine underground workers exceed the president of the state, which is a good thing!" ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="74" > Premier Zhou: The begonia flowers in the West Flower Hall have bloomed again</h1>
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the central authorities moved into the city of Beijing, and Zhou Enlai arranged the residence of Zhongnanhai, and Zhou Enlai chose a relatively remote Xihua Hall for himself. The West Flower Hall is a "new" building in Zhongnanhai because it was built in 1910 for the father of the last emperor Puyi, the regent Zaifeng, to assist the emperor in handling state affairs. Unexpectedly, before I could move in, Daqing died. Houses where no one lived, were dying down very quickly. Forty years later, the West Flower Hall, in disrepair, has crooked columns and sloping walls. The mud bricks on the floor are very cold in winter, and the rain is wet, with a bad smell of musty smell. The paint on the surrounding walls has cracked, and in some places it has fallen off.
Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao insisted on living together. He said: "This is much better than the cave dwellings in Yan'an; the state's resources are limited and should be used for production, not for improving the living conditions of the leaders." This is 10 years of living. Once, when Premier Zhou went on a business trip for two months, the staff renovated the West Flower Hall, the square bricks on the floor were replaced with wooden planks, the floor was also covered with beautiful carpets, the beams and columns were replaced, the walls were painted with new paint, and new furniture and new curtains were replaced. Zhou Enlai looked back and asked, "What's going on?" Who told you to do that? How much did it cost? It's extravagant waste! Zhou Enlai said angrily that he would not go back to live without returning to his original state. Later, he calmed down and admitted that it would cost more money to restore the original situation, so he returned to the West Flower Hall. He reviewed the matter twice at a State Council meeting, saying that he was responsible for this waste, "The standard of decoration is too high, you must not repeat my mistakes." ”
This is the only renovation of the West Flower Hall. What Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao love the most is the begonias that bloom in the West Flower Hall every spring. Premier Zhou worked and lived here for 26 years until his death. The same house, But Premier Zhou allocated a huge amount of money for decoration. What's going on?
In 1962, Xiong Xianghui, China's chargé d'affaires to Britain — the equivalent of ambassador, at the time, when Sino-British diplomatic relations were at chargé d'affaires — sent a report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Premier Zhou requesting the maintenance of the embassy. The Chinese Embassy in the Uk, located at 49-51 Portland Street in central London, is an old house built in 1785. From the Qing government to the Republic of China to New China, this is the Chinese embassy. By the 1960s, the nearly 200-year-old building, with its decaying bricks and wood, had become a dangerous house. It has been estimated that £700,000 will be needed for repairs and reconstructions. At that time, China's economy was in difficulty and its national strength was not strong, and this report was suppressed.
In 1963, Xiong Xianghui returned to China to report for duty, and in a conversation with Premier Zhou, he once again mentioned the issue of embassy maintenance. Premier Zhou asked: "When Dr. Sun Yat-sen was killed in London, was he imprisoned in this place?" Xiong Xianghui replied: "The Qing Dynasty legation has a small room of less than ten square meters on the second floor, where Mr. Sun was locked up. In May 1933, the National Government Legation in England set it up as the 'Room of Sun Yat-sen's Death'. Now there are still many overseas Chinese and even foreigners to visit it. Premier Zhou solemnly pointed out: You have failed to mention such an important matter in your report; Sun Yat-sen's death chamber should be protected to commemorate this great revolutionary forerunner!
Soon, the agency in the UK received 700,000 pounds of maintenance money, and the surveying and mapping and design personnel sent by Premier Zhou also came to London to collect data and prepare for maintenance and reconstruction. I didn't expect things to twist and turn again. When handling the demolition and construction procedures of the house, I suddenly received a notice from the British Cultural Relics Preservation Society: because these two buildings are from the handwriting of the famous 18th century architectural designer Adam brothers, they belong to the "Adam Building" and cannot be demolished!
This was delayed for 10 years until 1973, when Sino-British diplomatic relations were upgraded to ambassadorial level, and the British side finally agreed to china's reconstruction of the embassy. After another 10 years, the reconstruction project began in 1983 and was completed in 1985, and according to the instructions of Premier Zhou that year, sun Yat-sen's death room was preserved as it was.
Time has entered the new century. The Chinese Embassy on Portland Avenue could no longer meet the needs of use, and China purchased the former British Royal Mint as the new embassy building. The Royal Mint Court is abbreviated as RMC, and at the handover ceremony in 2018, China's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiao, cleverly interpreted RMC as Right Moment of China – "a moment that belongs to China".
Half a century, vicissitudes. Premier Zhou, this prosperous world, as you wish!
The author of this article: Ma Yi, "This is the war" to join the author, without the author himself and "this is the war" permission, may not be reproduced, violators will be investigated for legal responsibility.
Editor's Profile: Wang Zhengxing, former officer of a field unit of the People's Liberation Army, has served in infantry detachments, headquarters, logistics departments and other units, is committed to the study of war history and tactics, and has a unique understanding of military tactics and non-war operations. His book "This is War" was recommended in two issues in May and June 2014 by Phoenix TV's "Eight Minutes of Open Volume" column. His public account name is also "This is war", welcome to pay attention