In August, 1991, Wang Zhen returned to Xinjiang to inspect work at the age of 83. He said, “I once said in 1980, and now I reiterate that if I go to see Marx and Chairman Mao, I have entrusted my comrades in arms and relatives to withdraw my ashes on Tianshan Mountain and guard the northwest frontier of the socialist motherland with the people of all ethnic groups forever.”. Before returning to Beijing, Wang Zhen waved his arms at the door of the cabin for a long time to greet the farewell crowd. When the hatch was about to close, Wang Zhen slowly bent down and bowed deeply to the land of Xinjiang and the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
On April 5, 1993, the general’s loyal bones, accompanied by bright roses, chrysanthemums and roses, slowly fell on the top of the glittering Tianshan Mountain and the Shihezi Reclamation Area he dreamed of.
We sorted out Li Shenming, former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the world socialism research center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and recalled what he saw, heard and felt when working around Wang Zhen, and shared it with readers.
Wen Shenming, former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the world socialism research center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Editor Ding Guizi outlook think tank
In order to look at the book excerpts of the think tank, this article is excerpted from “recalling Wang Zhen in his clothing, food, housing and transportation” (published in the 6th issue of the century tide, 2008), “Comrade Wang Zhen’s Communist feelings” (published in the 6th issue of the Party Construction, 2018), “senior general’s preparation for the border — Recalling Wang Zhen’s care for Xinjiang in his later years” (published in the 12th issue of the research on the history of the Communist Party of China, 2009), and the original text is deleted.
one
Read Marxism into the marrow
I worked with Comrade Wang Zhen for more than ten years. I first saw him in Xinjiang on September 27th, 1980. At that time, he led a central delegation to express condolences to the soldiers and civilians of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. As a reporter of the people’s Liberation Army Daily, I interviewed with the delegation. At the end of 1982, I was transferred to work next to him until his death.
On October 31, 1951, Wang Zhen made a speech at the third session of the first National Committee of the Chinese people’s Political Consultative Conference. Figure Xinhua News Agency
He is very sensitive and sober politically. At major historical juncture or on major issues, he stands firm and dares to take responsibility.
In the fifth counter campaign against “encirclement and suppression” in the Hunan Jiangxi Soviet Area, under the pressure of Wang Ming’s left leaning military line, Wang Zhen resolutely implemented the instructions given to him by Mao Zedong during the second National Congress of the Chinese Soviet to fight ambushes, mobile wars and annihilation wars. In the ambush in Shashi, he completely wiped out the 43rd brigade of the Hunan enemy’s ace army, killed more than 600 Kuomintang troops, captured more than 1000 under the brigade commander, and surrendered more than 2000 guns. During the Long March, he fought resolutely with Zhang Guotao’s line of splitting the Red Army, and ordered all the pamphlets of splitting the Red Army issued by Zhang Guotao to be burned. He Longlian said, “well done! Well done!” Ren Bishi praised, “the beard of Wang beard is hard!”
For the sake of overall victory, Wang Zhen was willing to sacrifice the interests of his troops, departments and regions. He and his troops often suffered hardship, charged and even died in front.
Before going south in 1944, Mao Zedong’s original idea was to send a head of the 359th brigade to lead a reinforced battalion to escort more than 3000 cadres to Guangdong to expand the Anti Japanese base behind the enemy lines. Wang Zhen felt that the task of escorting the cadres was arduous and asked for permission to go in person on the spot. Mao Zedong said, “if the victory of the war of resistance against Japan comes soon, Chiang Kai Shek may command his troops to encircle and suppress you. You should prepare for the annihilation of the whole army, including Wang Zhen yourself.” Wang Zhen immediately said to Mao Zedong, “all my soldiers are holding the heroic determination that the heroes will never return.”
In February, 1936, Wang Zhen (first from the front left) took a group photo with the Miao people on the Long March (information photo). Figure Xinhua News Agency
Under difficult circumstances, Wang Zhen led the southbound detachment to pass through eight provinces, across most of China, trekked 20000 miles, broke through more than 100 enemy blockades, fought bravely for more than 300 times, and returned to Yan’an successfully. Mao Zedong said with emotion, “if you change people, the team may not be brought back. This is the second long march in military history.”
In dealing with the relationship between individual and collective interests, Wang Zhen always put the fundamental interests of the people in front, and put personal interests and even his own health and even life behind.
During the war, he was wounded seven times. During the nine years from 1957 to 1966, he spent six spring festival in Beidahuang and one spring festival in Xinjiang reclamation area. At the beginning of spring in the northern wilderness, he waded with everyone. At that time, an old Chinese doctor said to him, “Minister Wang, you are old. If you can’t do this, your body will fall ill.” In his later years, he also laughed at himself many times and said, “Oh, the old Chinese medicine is really clever. Now he often doesn’t know that his feet are still on his legs. His feet are wooden, as uncomfortable as binding an iron plate, and it’s difficult to sleep.”
Wang Zhen is a workaholic. Besides work, he has two hobbies: reading and chatting with others. He often said, “I’m a rude man and haven’t finished a career.” “I don’t have much knowledge. It’s OK to think deeply, but it’s not good to think carefully, and I’m not good at words.” In fact, he read Marxism into the bone marrow and melted it into the blood.
The first time he came into contact with Marxist Leninist works was when he listened to the Communist Party member and chairman of Hunan Federation of trade unions Guoliang explain the Communist Manifesto, Communist ABC and other works in Changsha workers’ night school in 1926. In January, 1932, before the all Soviet Congress ended and returned to Hunan and Jiangxi, Mao Zedong said that “in the tense gap between wars, we should pay close attention to the study of revolutionary theory”, and personally signed the inscription to give Wang Zhen Lenin’s three books, “the infantile disease of the” left “in the Communist Movement”, “state and revolution” and “imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism”.
He has read these works many times, including the Communist Manifesto. He said many times, “I haven’t read the Communist Manifesto 100 times, but I have also read it 80 times.” He can recite many paragraphs of the Communist Manifesto skillfully. He has also read the selected works of Mao Zedong many times. In the works of Marx and Lenin he read, circles and dots can be seen everywhere, and comments are made from time to time. In order to make a difference in each reading, he marked it with red, blue, black pencils and pens.
He often discusses problems with theorists, scholars, authors in person or in letters, so as to make his study more in-depth. He successively discussed with Hu Qiaomu Mao Zedong’s “theory of contradiction” and “theory of practice”, Deng Liqun’s “Philosophical Notes on learning” on the protracted war “, Hu Sheng’s” from the Opium War to the May 4th Movement “, Yang Dongliang’s” commentary on Zuo Zongtang “, Peng Ming’s” history of the May 4th Movement “, and Xia Dongyuan’s” biography of Zheng Guanying “.
In August, 1983, Wang Zhen was hospitalized with acute pneumonia. He wrote his will in a high fever: “ashes are scattered on Tianshan Mountain, standing guard for the Chinese nation forever, and always yearning for magnificent communism.” It can be said that the communism he believes in is his soul and life.
In addition to studying Marxist Leninist works, he also read history, biographies, ancient poetry, novels, modern science and technology, etc. After serving as the Minister of the Ministry of agriculture and reclamation, he systematically studied books on pedology, cultivation, hydraulics, cytology, biology and genetics. After knowing this, Mao Zedong said happily, “it is necessary for those who lead agriculture to learn a little agricultural scientific knowledge.” Mao Zedong also asked Wang Zhen to introduce several books on agricultural knowledge. He often consulted mathematician Hua Luogeng, agronomist Jin Shanbao, and biologists Tong Dizhou, Fang Zongxi, and Tan Jiazhen. In order to find out whether Mach number is a factor or a speed, he specially consulted aerodynamic scientist Wu Zhonghua and others.
two
The senior general raised the edge, disgusting and fearless
After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wang Zhen was in his seventies, but he was more attached to Xinjiang, which he regarded as his second hometown, where he had fought, worked and lived. From 1953 when he was transferred from Xinjiang to his death, he returned to Xinjiang for 14 inspections. He also often wore reading glasses, wrote in person, scratched words and sentences, and repeatedly wrote reports and made suggestions to the Central Committee on the cause of reform, opening up and modernization in Xinjiang.
On September 23, 1980, the Central Committee held a symposium on Xinjiang work. The summary of the symposium said: “the Central Committee decided to send Comrade Wang Zhen to Xinjiang to express condolences to cadres, people of all ethnic groups and commanders and fighters of the people’s Liberation Army in Xinjiang on behalf of the Central Committee.” At this time, Wang Zhen had been operated on for bladder cancer for less than four months and was very weak. But on the fourth day of his appointment, he boarded the plane and set out with books such as manlies Mao on national issues, Lenin and Stalin on China, the history of tsarist Russia’s invasion of China, and Zuo wenxianggong in the northwest.
On September 29, 1985, Wang Zhen led a central delegation to Urumqi to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and celebrate the festival with the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Figure Xinhua News Agency
During the 17 days of visiting and condolence in Xinjiang, Wang Zhen often worked twelve hours a day. The peripheral neuritis on his feet often made it difficult for him to fall asleep late at night, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted, having a direct discussion with hundreds of people. On September 27, after the welcome banquet in the autonomous region, ethnic minority comrades invited him to dance. He was very happy to be invited and danced a Xinjiang dance gracefully, which won the unanimous applause of the cadres and the masses of all ethnic groups present.
During his visit to Xinjiang, Wang Zhen led the central delegation to feel that vigorously developing Xinjiang’s economy is of great strategic significance to strengthening national unity, stabilizing the situation in Xinjiang and improving the lives of people of all ethnic groups. In addition to stressing the unity of the people of all ethnic groups, the consolidation of border defense and the construction of the four modernizations, almost every speech he made in various places emphasized the important position and role of agricultural reclamation.
On October 5, when Wang Zhen met with the old Red Army, the old eighth road and the old pacesetter who followed him into Xinjiang to develop Tarim and still worked in the former 1st agricultural division in Aksu, he said, “it is our ancestors who left us to cultivate and guard the border. Our reclamation policy is correct. I hope the old comrades will maintain and carry forward the glorious tradition of hard work and work in the border… And make greater contributions to the development, construction and defense of the border.”
After returning from his first trip to Xinjiang, Wang Zhen immediately suggested to the Central Committee that more than 10 departments, including metallurgy, the Agricultural Commission, land reclamation, agriculture and forestry, agriculture, water conservancy, chemical industry, finance, petroleum, three machinery, five machinery, and the head office of the people’s Bank of China, should assign special personnel to form a central inspection team to Xinjiang to investigate the industrial and agricultural production in Xinjiang, help solve specific problems, and speed up the economic development of Xinjiang.
The Central Committee approved Wang Zhen’s proposal. In the middle of May, 1981, as the head of the central inspection team, Wang Zhen personally led seven vice ministers and dozens of department leaders and experts. After arriving in Xinjiang, except for a few comrades who followed Wang Zhen’s activities, the rest were divided into various professional research groups and went to all parts of Xinjiang for investigation and research, which lasted about a month. They put forward good suggestions on the development of water conservancy, non-ferrous metals, oil, natural gas and various mineral resources in Xinjiang, and accelerating the construction of infrastructure and key projects. Some departments work on site and solve problems immediately; Some returned to Beijing and reported to their ministries and commissions to carry out research quickly.
Wang Zhen is more concerned about the key projects related to the overall economic construction of Xinjiang.
On May 18, Wang Zhen led the central inspection team to listen to the work report of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. When he learned that the Xinjiang large chemical fertilizer project with an annual output of 300000 tons of synthetic ammonia and 520000 tons of urea was included in the suspension project in November 1980, he was very anxious. On the morning of the 19th, Wang Zhen came to the construction site. When he saw that the complete sets of equipment purchased from Japan and the Netherlands at a cost of 230million yuan were stacked in a simple warehouse or in the open air on a 40 hectare construction site, and that more than 2000 professional construction workers mobilized from Sichuan and other places did nothing, he was even more “angry”.
Wang Zhen knows that Xinjiang has sufficient sunshine and large temperature difference between day and night, which is very suitable for crop growth. If an additional investment of 250million yuan is made, after the completion of the project, the annual income of grain, cotton, oil, sugar beet, etc., which are only increased in Xinjiang, can reach more than 1 billion yuan, and the total agricultural output value can increase by more than 30%. At the same time, the annual industrial output value can be increased by 180million yuan, and nearly 100million yuan of extra profits and taxes will be paid to the state.
Wang Zhen gathered his eyebrows, waved his cane and knocked on the ground “Dong Dong Dong Dong”: “I want to swear! I also know that swearing is uncivilized. In the long run, if the construction is suspended, the equipment of more than two hundred million will become piles of scrap iron! Thousands of construction workers have to pay wages. If it is not built in a hurry, the loss is too great! The national economy needs to be adjusted, but it must not be one size fits all.”
Then Wang Zhen came and quickly wrote:
“The director, deputy director and chief engineer of Urumqi Petrochemical Plant: it has been 20 years since Xinjiang built a large chemical fertilizer plan. Now the equipment has basically entered the plant site, we should strengthen leadership, speed up construction, stress quality and mobilize construction.” “To increase food, cotton, sugar, oil, meat, milk, people’s daily necessities”, to “consolidate national defense and revitalize China”. “This order is urgent. Wang Zhen, head of the central inspection team.”
After writing, Wang Zhen asked the construction headquarters of the large chemical fertilizer to submit a formal report on his request for commencement. After returning to Beijing, Wang Zhen stated in detail the reasons for the continuation of the construction to the relevant leaders of the State Council. Soon, the Planning Commission of the Xinjiang autonomous region received the notice that the State Planning Commission officially agreed to continue the construction of the Xinjiang large chemical fertilizer project.
On June 3, 1982, during his stay in Xinjiang, Wang Zhen once again visited the project in person, encouraging everyone to “closely unite, carefully construct, ensure quality, and accelerate construction”. On July 31, 1986, the large chemical fertilizer plant was successfully commissioned. It took only 102 days from boiler ignition to urea discharge. Compared with similar domestic devices, the test run time was the shortest, and the domestic investment saved more than 20million yuan compared with the budget.
Wang Zhen rushed to promote the targeted new industrial and agricultural technologies.
Since the 1970s, Wang Zhen has actively advocated the experiment of film mulching cotton planting in Shihezi Reclamation Area. On January 12, 1981, Wang Zhen inspected Shihezi Reclamation Area and was very happy to learn that the film covered cotton test field produced 270 Jin per mu. That evening, he met with the head of Xinhu farm in Shihezi Reclamation Area, Huangjinshan, and encouraged them to convert all the 35000 Mu cotton field of that year into plastic film cotton. When Huangjinshan was worried that it would take too much time, Wang Zhen said, “you originally planned to double or even more the yield of cotton by 70 Jin per mu in 1981 with mulching film. The profit is quite considerable. This is labor-intensive, but you have more than 200000 employees, and you have sufficient labor force, so you can do it.”
In order to ensure the promotion of plastic film cotton, Wang Zhen signed the following contract with Huangjinshan on the spot:
“In Xinhu farm, 35000 mu of cotton is planted, and the technical measures of cotton planting with plastic film are used. The per unit yield is more than 150 Jin, and the profit is more than 150 yuan.”
On the morning of January 13, Wang Zhen signed a contract with xiuxinmin, director of Kuitun Agricultural Reclamation Bureau, to plant 200000 mu of cotton with plastic film in 1981. In order to mobilize employees to adopt the new technology of film mulching cotton planting, the contract also states:
“Strive for a lint yield of more than 150 Jin per unit area, and strive to strive for a lint yield of 270 Jin per mu in Shihezi experimental field. If you reach the first yield index per mu, you can get a bonus of 140 yuan per person. If you reach 270 Jin per mu, you can get a bonus of 380 yuan per person. This is to announce to all employees that there will be an innovation competition.”
After returning to Beijing, Wang Zhen specially instructed the relevant departments of the State Council to arrange agricultural film for Xinjiang reclamation area. On the afternoon of August 13 of the same year, Wang Zhen accompanied Deng Xiaoping to Shihezi general site for an inspection. Looking at the nearly one person tall and growing film mulched cotton, Deng Xiaoping shouted “Wang beard” and said:
“You came to Xinjiang and pushed the mulch away!”
Then, Wang Zhen instructed the technology to be popularized throughout Xinjiang, and later wrote a letter to Vice Premier Wan Li, suggesting that it should be popularized throughout the country, thereby raising the production of cotton, grain and vegetables to a new level.
three
Feel at ease in the frontier and take root in the frontier
Wang Zhen is the pioneer of modern reclamation in Xinjiang and the founder of Xinjiang production and Construction Corps.
On 30 January 1981, he submitted his report:
At present, there are 2million people in Xinjiang agricultural reclamation, “reclamation is all over Xinjiang”. “The main force of cultivation is in the Junggar (north of Tianshan Mountain) and Tarim (south of Tianshan Mountain) basins, and more than 70 border regiment level farms have been built to undertake production and border guard.” “The… Xinjiang production and construction corps should be restored to a joint agricultural, industrial and commercial enterprise under the dual leadership of the central Ministry of reclamation and the autonomous region.”
From August 10 to 19 of the same year, Wang Zhen and Wang Renzhong, then Secretary of the Central Secretariat, accompanied Deng Xiaoping to Xinjiang for inspection. This was Wang Zhen’s fourth visit to Xinjiang in less than a year after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. On the morning of his departure, Wang Zhen had a cystoscopy and injected drugs to treat cancer into his bladder. His heart rate was as fast as 160 times per minute. The doctor told him to rest for at least half a month. But Wang Zhen knew the importance of this trip and set out in the afternoon.
On May 17, 2005, Shihezi City, Xinjiang, took on a new look. Figure Xinhua News Agency
On August 13, accompanied by Wang Zhen and Wang Renzhong, Deng Xiaoping inspected Shihezi, a new military reclamation city. He was delighted and sighed at the oasis connected by the paths, the forest belt high into the clouds, and the cotton field with a bumper harvest in sight. Shortly after returning to Beijing, Deng Xiaoping emphasized at a central meeting that:
“It is indeed necessary for the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps to recover. Its organizational form is different from that of the military reclamation farm, and its task is to integrate the party, the government and the army. The Xinjiang production and Construction Corps, now the agricultural reclamation force, is the core of stabilizing Xinjiang.”
Wang Zhen gathered the Party group of the State Agricultural Commission and the Party committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to draft the report on the resumption of Xinjiang production and Construction Corps to the Central Committee. The report was officially written on September 22nd, 1981 after Wang Zhen’s many personal revisions, discussions and approval with the Party group of the State Agricultural Commission and the Party committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The report summarizes the experience and lessons of Xinjiang’s agricultural reclamation cause in the past 30 years and believes that “the system of production and Construction Corps is conducive to the stability and unity of Xinjiang and is suitable for the development needs of the economic and cultural undertakings of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”. On December 3 of the same year, the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission jointly issued a document based on the above report and decided to resume the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps. Since then, the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps has been reborn.
Wang Zhen is even more concerned about the restored corps and takes great care of it.
He was concerned about the construction of the corps’ leading group and the rejuvenation of leading groups at all levels. He said that there are many veteran comrades in the corps’ leading groups at all levels. Those who are old and physically unable to support their work will retire. Veteran comrades should do a good job in disseminating, helping and leading, and select successors. These old comrades have made contributions and must be well placed. Members of leading groups at all levels must strengthen their study and transformation, gradually establish a communist outlook on life and world outlook, and serve the people wholeheartedly.
Wang Zhen contacted leaders at all levels of the Corps as soon as he had the opportunity. He listened to the report, recalled the past, chatted and laughed, taught by words and deeds, which made everyone feel cordial and deeply educated. Guo Gang, former political commissar of the Corps, recalled the matter and said:
“In the six or seven years since I came to work in the Corps, I have visited Comrade Wang Zhen 12 times. I deeply felt the profound friendship that Comrade Wang Zhen devoted all his efforts to the development and expansion of the Corps, and was also educated and inspired by Comrade Wang Zhen’s vision and insight in thinking and making decisions from the commanding height of history.”
Wang Zhen loves listening to and singing the song “Xinjiang is a good place”. When he visited Beijing or other places, he boasted about the good of Xinjiang and mobilized everyone to settle down in Xinjiang. For veteran comrades who have been transferred from work in Xinjiang, Wang Zhen has repeatedly encouraged them to return to Xinjiang to settle down after retirement. In October, 1986, when he learned that Zhang Xiqin, the former deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region, Xu Guoxian, the former deputy commander of the engineering corps, and Jin Zhongfan, the former deputy political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region, had retired together, he was very happy to settle down in Xinjiang. He wrote a letter to the three veterans of the former 359 brigade, saying:
“You regard Tianshan as your hometown and home, a glorious and loyal communist soldier, and an excellent son and daughter and citizen of the Chinese nation. I extend my high salute to you.”
Wang Zhen stressed that on the one hand, we should vigorously promote the spirit of reassuring and taking root in the border, on the other hand, we should encourage leaders at all levels to care about the sufferings of the masses, and create various conditions for everyone to reassure and take root in the border. He suggested restoring the border allowance and was also very concerned about the improvement of the living conditions of the corps’ employees. Under the deep care and careful guidance of Wang Zhen, the Corps built 200 small towns with large farms and small farms in the depths of the vast Gobi in Xinjiang, standing in the north and south of Tianshan Mountain with a unique style.
When the Corps just recovered, Wang Zhen pointed out: The Corps at all levels should not have such a huge mechanism. In peacetime, the Corps is mainly an organized and disciplined production force. It is an economic entity. In fact, it is a large enterprise company. It mainly focuses on economic benefits. At the same time, it is a task force and combat team responsible for safeguarding the reunification of the motherland and consolidating the border defense of the motherland.
In October, 1989, Qian Zhengying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese people’s Political Consultative Conference and former Minister of water resources, sent Wang Zhen a report after returning from an inspection trip to Xinjiang. The report said that after the restoration of the Corps, various construction undertakings have made great progress, but many problems have also been encountered: the corps’ production of grain, cotton, oil and other popular products and sugar, cloth, yarn and other products are carried out in accordance with the national system, and most of the products are handed over to the state at par, while the prices of agricultural products are low, most of the required means of production are purchased through negotiation, and many regiments and enterprises suffer losses; The Corps has rich water and soil resources, a strong workforce, mechanization and other advantages, but the corps’ industrial and agricultural production plan is not directly included in the plans of the state or relevant national departments, so these advantages are far from being brought into play.
Soon, the State Council convened seven departments, including the State Planning Commission, the Ministry of finance, the Ministry of agriculture and the Ministry of water resources, to hold a special meeting to study and form a summary, agreeing to make necessary adjustments to the planning and economic management system of the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps; The Corps can directly ask for instructions and report work to various departments of the State Council, and all departments should actively support the corps and make arrangements in planning industry planning; The industrial and agricultural production plan of the Corps shall be incorporated into the national plan or the plan of relevant departments; All products produced by the Corps itself are allowed to have the right to operate and sell, as well as the right to import and export foreign trade.
The implementation of this summary has brought the construction of the corps to a new level.
He is concerned about the relationship between the corps and the autonomous region. On August 17, 1991, Wang Zhen visited Shihezi Reclamation Area for the last time. In the cotton field of the 143rd regiment of the 8th agricultural division of the Corps, Wang Zhen specially took Timur dawamati, chairman of the autonomous region government, and Jin Yunhui and Guo Gang, leaders of the Corps, who accompanied him on the inspection, to his side, and earnestly urged: “the local government and the corps should not divide you and me, but should support each other and strengthen unity.” Wang Zhen laughed with satisfaction when the three leaders reported that the local governments and the corps had always been united well and that they all expressed the need to further strengthen unity.
Wang Zhen devoted a lot of efforts to the Xinjiang production and Construction Corps, which is a pearl inlaid in the northwest border of the motherland. As of 1993, the corps’ industrial and agricultural output value had reached 11.905 billion yuan, an increase of seven times from 1.656 billion yuan in 1980 before the recovery; The per capita income reached 1619 yuan, an increase of 4.8 times over 1980. The corps’ education, scientific research, culture, health and other social undertakings have also made great progress, creating a good living environment and conditions for cadres and workers of all ethnic groups to settle down and take root in the frontier.
At 11:30 a.m. on April 5, 1993, the annual traditional Tomb Sweeping Day of the Chinese nation, the general’s loyal bones, accompanied by bright roses, chrysanthemums and roses, slowly fell on the top of the glittering Tianshan Mountains and Shihezi Reclamation area where he was haunted by the snow. The great spirit of hard work and ceaseless struggle of the general and the earnest mandate of “peace of mind and taking root in the border” will always exist in the hearts of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
four
Hard work and plain living, honest in performing official duties
After following Comrade Wang Zhen for more than 10 years, I saw it with my own eyes and listened to what his old subordinates talked about. I know more about his hard work and plain living and honest performance of official duties.
On April 4, 1993, the ashes of Comrade Wang Zhen, vice president of the people’s Republic of China, arrived in Urumqi from Beijing. According to Comrade Wang Zhen’s will, his ashes will be scattered in Tianshan Mountain, Xinjiang. Figure Xinhua News Agency
In the 1950s, when he was commander of the railway corps and Minister of the Ministry of agricultural reclamation, he often wore an old military uniform. His wife Wang Jiqing said, “it’s difficult to add a piece of clothes to him! He doesn’t allow others to make clothes for him. Once he says to do it, he will make a fuss!” Later, he didn’t change his clothes, so he made it according to the tailoring of his eldest son Wang Bing, who was about the same size as him. Then he washed it in the water to make it old, so that he wouldn’t notice it, and changed it.
When he returned to Beijing in the early 1970s, Wang Zhen didn’t have any decent clothes. Wang Jiqing pulled the 18 foot blue gray polyester card cloth with their cloth tickets and made him a suit of Zhongshan suit. The polyester card cloth was strong, durable and casual. Wang Zhen often wore it not only at home, but also during daily activities. He wore it until his death. It was so old that it turned white for more than 20 years.
After the reform and opening up, Wang Zhen added a black woolen tunic to wear when going abroad and foreign affairs activities. In 1984, suits rose, and his family and staff persuaded him to make another suit while he was about to lead a delegation to Japan. In 1985, he led a delegation to visit the United States and was advised to add another suit for washing. Wang Zhen said, “don’t add it. My suit of Zhongshan suit can be replaced.”. It is said that visiting the developed United States cannot be too shabby. Wang Zhen said, “frugality is the traditional virtue of our Chinese nation.” He insisted on not allowing, and everyone encouraged his two favorite granddaughters to do grandpa’s work. Wang Zhen scolded and cried both granddaughters, and finally asked the clothing store to make another suit according to his original suit.
In the 44 years from the founding of new China to Wang Zhen’s death, apart from military uniforms, he only bought sevenoreight sets of clothes.
In the 1950s, Wang Zhen stipulated that the cook should cook four or five dishes and one soup for each meal of his family, and the food cost should not exceed 30 yuan per person per month. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the food cost per person gradually increased to 80 yuan. He also stipulated that you should eat more roughage and eat the leftovers after the next hot meal. When eating, if the grain of rice fell on the table, Wang Zhen would pick it up with chopsticks and eat it again; If he fell to the ground, he often sighed and said, “it’s going to be wasted again.”.
Wang Zhen doesn’t eat seasonal fresh vegetables in winter. He said, “they are all produced in greenhouses, and some are more expensive than meat.” Cabbage, radish and potatoes are often on the table in winter. In order to adjust his life, he asked the cook to soak a vat of pickled vegetables and pickle potherb mustard, mustard, carrots and other side dishes before winter.
In October, 1971, Wang Zhen returned to Beijing. The stove at home had not been repaired. The organization arranged for him to eat and live in Beijing hotel. He said there was no waste. He asked the administrator to build a pot with bricks in the yard. Like his family, he ate noodles with boiled cabbage and fried pepper every day for a week.
Canned drinks rose after the 1980s. As soon as Wang Zhen saw this kind of drink, he settled accounts: “a can of more than two yuan, the drink inside is not worth a yuan, and the packaging alone is more than one yuan, which is too wasteful. Comrade Chen Yun said that Coca Cola is not coke. In the future, this kind of drink can’t be served on the table or in the room.” All staff members consciously abide by it. On November 15th, 1985, Wang Zhen said in Zhuhai, Guangdong, “I feel distressed when I see someone driving that canister.”
When visiting other places, Wang Zhen didn’t take a car. He always took medium-sized bread with more than 10 seats with his entourage and the staff around him. In this way, he could save gasoline. Secondly, he could talk with his entourage at any time in the car to understand the situation. On rainy days, he often told the driver to drive slowly beside pedestrians to avoid splashing water on people.
He always felt that he was a member of the people, dealing with the people as an ordinary worker, without official atmosphere, never put on airs, treat people equally and sincerely. In June, 1992, guard soldier Yang Xiaoqiang came to him to take care of his daily life. In the middle of the night, he found Xiao Yang still waiting by his side, so he moved out of the half of the bed bit by bit to let Xiao Yang go to bed and lie down with him. On the afternoon of the day before New Year’s day in 1993, the staff pushed him to rest in the courtyard. When he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he insisted on getting out of his wheelchair and entering the courtyard. At the door, when the armed police soldier on duty saluted him, he bowed deeply to the soldier on duty.
Wang Zhen advocated a clear distinction between public and private affairs. He often tells his family that my car is public, which is only allowed for my work and meetings. You can’t use it casually. Wang Zhen is a dutiful son, but his old mother is ill. He asked the staff to accompany the old man to the hospital by bus. The children go to work by bike and don’t give him a lift. If you need to use a car for personal use under special circumstances, Wang Zhen always asks master Yu to register clearly.
When his grandson was a child, he wanted to use his office paper as calculus paper. He said, “this can’t be done. We should talk about five things and four beauties.” He opposed the use of public furniture. Except that the sofa in the reception room, the bookcase and office desks and chairs he used were distributed by the public, he had to buy the rest by himself. Whether it is distributed by the public or bought by the family, it is required to be convenient and practical, and it is opposed to distributing or buying high-end ones. A big wardrobe has been used since the 1950s. He died. If the door of the wardrobe couldn’t be closed, it was padded with old newspapers. The sofa in the living room has been used for nearly 20 years and hasn’t been replaced.
Many people may not believe it. Wang Zhen didn’t use bath liquid in his bath. Even soap, soap is rarely used. He said, I didn’t work and I wasn’t too dirty. Once you use soap and water, it will be dirty, and others will not be able to wash clothes and baths again. After he brewed it with hot water, he asked his grandchildren to wash it. They won’t let go after washing, and let the nanny use it to wash clothes.
In his later years, he suffered from chronic bronchitis and phlegm. When going out, the security staff has hand towels in their pockets for standby. He criticized that it was a waste. Let’s put some sand in a waste tin on the car, and then put new sand on it when we get home. At the last moment of his life, although he was very weak and unable to spit up, in order to save paper towels, he still insisted on leaning over very hard to spit into the sputum tank, and did not let the medical staff pick it up with paper towels. Talking about this matter, the medical staff and other staff around them all cried excitedly and said, “Wang Zhen is a brilliant example of our hard work and thrift!”
These events not only reflect the shining noble sentiments of the older generation of proletarian revolutionaries of our party, but also the unique way for Communists to maintain their true colors and maintain close ties with the masses in that particular era. These excellent qualities embodied in Wang Zhen are the true expression of his inner world without any affectation. The spirit of Wang Zhen and other proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation of hard work and plain living and honest performance of official duties is always worth learning from.