In the early morning of September 9, 1976, Mao Zedong, the great leader of the People's Republic of China, passed away suddenly. When the news came out, the whole country mourned, and tens of thousands of people flocked to Beijing from all over the country to prepare to bid Chairman Mao his last journey.
In order to take care of the Chairman's funeral arrangements, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China established a Funeral Committee , which is responsible for formulating and selecting candidates for Chairman Mao's memorial service and arranging for family members to hold a wake for the Chairman.
After the funeral committee confirmed the wake list, it handed the list to Chairman Mao's eldest daughter Li Min to check for any omissions.
Li Min took the list. After a while, she said to the staff: "Why is there no my brother Mao Ancheng?"
The staff was stunned, and the relatives and friends standing guard around were also confused. As we all know, because of the hardships of the Anti-Japanese War, many of Chairman Mao's Children are missing and dying. Only three sons could be found. Mao Anying sacrificed his life for the country and died on the Korean battlefield at the age of 28; Mao Anying is guarding Chairman Mao at this moment; Mao Anying had a difficult life due to persecution by the enemy in his childhood and died of illness when he was less than four years old.
In addition, there was a lost child named Xiao Maomao. Someone whispered: "Could it be that the lost Xiao Maomao was found?"
However, everyone soon realized that this was impossible, because Little Maomao’s name is Mao Anhong.
While everyone was whispering, Li Min explained again: "It's my cousin. His name is He Lucheng now. My father always missed him when he was alive. Unfortunately, they never met each other. No matter what, Let him see his father off for the last time, fulfilling his father's wish. "
Who is this Mao Ancheng? What is the relationship with Chairman Mao? Why did Li Min say that the chairman longed to see him but could never do so?
Mao Ancheng is the only son of Chairman Mao Zedong's third brother Mao Zetan and his wife He Yi. He Yi is the sister of Mao Zedong's wife He Zizhen. Therefore, Mao Ancheng is both Chairman Mao's nephew and nephew, and his blood relationship is very close.
As for why he keeps using the name "He Lucheng", it starts with his growth experience.
In January 1935, Mao Ancheng was born in a valley in southern Gansu, Jiangxi. When he was born, his father Mao Zetan was leading the Red Army Independent Division to fight guerrilla warfare tenaciously with the enemy in Ruijin.
His mother, He Yi, who stayed in Ganzhou and worked underground, successfully gave birth to him with the help of her comrades and fellow villagers.
Taking into account the current situation of white terror permeating the whole of China, the child's surname is Mao. Naming the child according to the Mao family's seniority will easily reveal his identity and be persecuted by the enemy. He Yi decided to let the child take his mother's surname and name him "He Lucheng".
"麓" represents the Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, which is the longing for hometown and helps children never forget their roots; "成" means that the revolution will definitely succeed, and expresses the vision for the early success of the revolution.
As luck would have it, just three months after Mao Ancheng was born, He Yi received the news that her husband Mao Zetan had died in battle in Ruijin.
The grief-stricken He Yi didn't even have time to remember her husband. The enemy began to raid frantically, and He Yi and other revolutionaries were forced to move continuously in the mountains.
He Yi thought that the child in her arms was her husband's only flesh and blood, and she could not take him to take risks with her, so she reluctantly gave the child to her family, He Tiaoyuan, to raise.
He Tiaoyuan lives in a remote village called Huating Village in Yongxinshan District, Jiangxi Province. His family is relatively well-off. When Mao An was young, he had no worries about food and clothing and lived a stable life. This is the only comfort in He Yi's heart during difficult times.
Because he had been living with He Tiaoyuan for three months, Mao Ancheng always thought that He Tiaoyuan was his biological grandfather. He Tiaoyuan was also afraid that the child would be young, so he told him his life experience. It would not be safe for the child to tell him later, and he never mentioned him. Parental things.
When Mao An grew older, he always asked his grandfather where his parents were. Other children have parents, why do I only have a grandpa?
Faced with the child's questioning, He Tiaoyuan had to tell the child that he was not your biological grandfather. Your parents were both heroes who fought against the Japanese. You were too young to take you to fight, so he handed you over to your grandfather. raised.
Your father’s name is Mao Zetan, and he died for the revolution. My mother's name is He Yi. Those letters and your clothes at home were all sent by her. But I really don't know where she is now.
Mao Ancheng asked his grandfather: "Then when will mother come to pick me up?"
He Tiaoyuan told him: "Come soon, mother will come to pick you up after the revolution is successful..."
Knowing his life experience, Mao An unexpectedly had a dream An expectation that his mother will appear in front of him one day and lead his life with him.
What he didn't know was that after sending him away, He Yi had been traveling to many places to complete underground work under the arrangement of the party organization. In 1940, He Yi was betrayed by a traitor during a mission. Unfortunately, Arrested.
The enemies learned that she was Mao Zetan's wife and Mao Zedong's sister-in-law. They believed that she knew a lot of information about the party organization and tortured her to extract a confession.
In order to keep the secret, He Yi swallowed a gold ring to express her loyalty to the party and defend her beliefs. However, "swallowing gold" did not kill her, but caused severe gastroptosis , which made her angry. The enemy therefore beat her severely.
Facing the torture of gastroptosis and the enemy's rounds of torture, He Yi never wavered. What the enemy heard from her was always "The revolution will eventually win, and long live the Communist Party of China." The enemy could not pry her away. mouth, threw her into prison and left her to fend for herself.
Later, Premier Zhou learned of He Yi's situation, and he gave instructions: Our party must find ways to rescue whether it is the widow of martyr Mao Zetan or the loyal Comrade He Yi. At that time, during the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the reactionaries also wanted to maintain superficial harmony. Premier Zhou personally came to negotiate and exchanged captured Kuomintang prisoners of war, so the Kuomintang agreed to let He Yi go.
After escaping from the clutches of the devil, He Yi was sent to Yan'an by Premier Zhou for treatment. However, because the gold ring stayed in the stomach for too long, adhesions occurred, which is likely to cause massive gastric bleeding, and surgery must be performed as soon as possible.
However, He Yi suffered serious trauma in prison and was very weak. The risk of going to the operating table was also high, and the situation was not optimistic.
Before the operation, the hospital had to ask family members to sign, but He Yi's husband Mao Zetan had died and her sister He Zizhen was still being treated in the Soviet Union, so no one could sign.
In the end, Mao Zedong learned of the situation, rushed to the hospital, and signed the operation sheet. After this disaster, He Yi was left with serious illnesses, but at least she saved her life and could continue to work for her beloved revolutionary cause. Do your best.
In August 1949, He Yi was transferred to Jiangxi to serve as the Organization Minister of the Central Ji'an Prefectural Committee. After fourteen years, He Yi returned to Jiangxi again. She couldn't help but feel excited. She could finally visit the son she had longed for.
That day, she came to Huating Village with gifts and found He Tiaoyuan's home according to her memory. After meeting, everyone was very excited. He Tiaoyuan sighed that it was good that He Yi was alive. He Yi asked him about it Regarding the situation at home, I took the trouble to express my gratitude.
Just when they were happily telling interesting stories about Mao Ancheng's childhood, Mao Ancheng came back from an outing. When he saw a strange woman appearing at home, Mao Ancheng was stunned. He was obviously someone he had never seen before, but he was inexplicably familiar.
When He Yi saw Mao Ancheng, she recognized him at a glance. The young Mao Ancheng and her husband Mao Zetan were so similar. After her husband passed away and mother and son were separated, years of sorrow came to her heart. He Yi couldn't help crying.
He Tiaoyuan looked at Mao Ancheng who was stunned on the spot, and hurriedly stepped forward and told him: "My child, don't be stupid, this is the mother you have been waiting for day and night. She is back to pick you up..."
Listening to congratulations It took Mao Ancheng a long time to recover from his grandfather's words, hugged his mother, and shouted out the words he had been holding in his heart for more than ten years: "Mom, why did you come to pick me up..." and then burst into tears.
He Yi hugged her son tightly and comforted her: "It's my mother's fault. She made you wait for too long. Now you're better. We'll never be separated again.""
Mao Zedong, who was far away in Yan'an, was very happy when he heard the news that He Yi had found his son. He wrote a letter to tell He Yi that it would not be easy to reunite. He should take good care of the child and take the child to meet him if he had the opportunity. He also sent a deer antler. , nurse Mao Ancheng back to health.
It can be seen that Mao Zedong missed his third brother's only flesh and blood and eagerly wanted to see this child.
After finding his son, He Yi still had a problem, which was that his sister He Zizhen had lost him in Jiangxi. The son, Xiao Maomao, has not yet been found.
When Xiao Maomao was two years old, the Red Army's Long March began. Mao Zedong and He Zizhen were both going to participate in the Long March, so Mao Zedong entrusted their young son to the care of Mao Zetan and He Yi, who stayed in Jiangxi to fight guerrillas.
Later, due to the tense war in Jiangxi, Mao Zetan handed over Little Maomao to a guard for foster care. After Mao Zetan and the guard died, the clues to Little Maomao's foster care were lost.
Little Maomao's disappearance became a permanent concern in Mao Zedong and He Zizhen's hearts. He Yi felt extremely guilty about this, so he took Mao Ancheng on the road to find his relatives. Just when He Yi did not miss the clues and ran around Jiangxi to search, an accident happened.
On November 21, 1949, He Yi happened. When the mother and son were driving through Taihe County , a serious car accident occurred. He Yi died on the spot. Mao Ancheng's left leg was crushed and he fell into a coma.
After Mao Ancheng woke up and learned the sad news of his mother's death, his heart seemed to be hollowed out. , he and his mother had just been reunited for three months, and before their good days had begun, they were separated forever.
He Zizhen, who was working in Shanghai, was deeply saddened when she heard that her sister had an accident. She immediately decided to take her nephew to her to raise her.
In early 1950, He Zizhen. I picked up Mao Ancheng at the Shanghai Railway Station, which was the first time they met. From then on, Mao Ancheng grew up under the care and care of his aunt He Zizhen and his uncle He Minxue.
At that time, Mao Ancheng's left leg bone was broken in three parts due to a car accident, and He Zizhen carried it with heartache. He underwent surgery and actively rehabilitated.
With her encouragement and careful care, Mao Ancheng slowly got off the crutches and gradually recovered. At the same time, with the gentle comfort of his aunt, he got out of the haze of losing his mother.
The relationship also heated up rapidly during the period of recuperation. He Zizhen not only warmed Mao Ancheng's life, but also became Mao Ancheng's life mentor, which had a profound impact on his life.
He Zizhen has always taught him: "Don't take advantage of your parents." Live under the brand name of Mao Zedong, let alone take advantage of Mao Zedong’s family. We must be self-reliant like ordinary children. "
" In front of others, don't say that you are a child of the Mao family or a child of the He family. You must study hard and become a person with real talents and learning. "
With the help of He Zizhen, Mao Ancheng went to a middle school in the southwest suburbs of Shanghai. The education he received in the countryside of Jiangxi was incomparable to that in Shanghai, so it was difficult for Mao An to follow the successful courses when he first entered school.
He also said Mao Ancheng spoke a Jiangxi dialect and was laughed at by his classmates. Faced with the difficulties in his homework and the ridicule of his classmates, Mao Ancheng did not lose heart. He put all his energy into his studies, studied hard in school, and did not even go home during the holidays. Go out to play and study at home.
At that time, He Zizhen was working in the organization department in Shanghai. Due to work needs, colleagues often came to her home for meetings and entertainment. The environment was noisy, and Mao Ancheng could not concentrate on studying, so he simply hid in the most secluded storage room. Studying lasted all day, often forgetting to eat, and spending the night there when I was sleepy.
Thanks to Mao Ancheng's unremitting efforts, his academic performance improved by leaps and bounds. In one exam, he got a perfect score in mathematics and his overall score improved. In 1952, Mao Ancheng was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University with excellent results and entered the electrification major. Mao Ancheng did not relax at all. He found that there were more things to learn, and he studied harder. He spent time in the library when there was no class. At night, when the school turned off the lights and went to bed, he ran under the street lamp and continued to read books.
Mao Ancheng devoted himself entirely to his studies and lived a very simple life. He never asked his uncle and aunt for money and relied on a monthly scholarship of 22 yuan to survive.
With this meager living expenses, Mao Ancheng insisted on saving 5 yuan every month and sent it to He Tiaoyuan, who adopted him.
After four years of hard work, Mao Ancheng graduated with honors and was admitted to the postgraduate program in the Soviet Union, which has a very low admission rate. His uncle and aunt were so excited when they heard the good news. Seeing him growing up so well is also a blessing to his sister He Yi. There is an explanation.
Unfortunately, due to the current situation, Mao Ancheng was unable to study in the Soviet Union. However, Mao Ancheng did not give up his ideals because of this. He firmly believed that China must overcome technical difficulties to develop its aerospace industry. If he could not go out to study, he would be buried. Focus on studying below.
In 1958, 23-year-old Mao Ancheng was selected by Mr. Qian Xuesen with his outstanding professional ability and hard-working spirit to enter the newly established Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense to conduct missile research.
Mao Ancheng was delighted that his dream had found a platform and began to concentrate on missile theory knowledge. In order to obtain first-hand data, he translated nearly a million words of literature and became one of the first batch of missile engineers in our country.
When Mao Ancheng was obsessed with missile research, Chairman Mao and his family were looking for him. That was in August 1959, when Li Min was preparing for her wedding and asked her father Mao Zedong to decide on the guests to be invited. Chairman Mao specifically said: "Your brother He is also in Beijing, so he should be invited to the wedding! "
Chairman Mao has always cared about Mao Ancheng and knew that he would stay in Beijing to work after graduation. However, because Mao Ancheng's work was classified at the time, Chairman Mao did not know exactly what he was busy with.
Li Min asked for the contact information of his brother's work unit from He Zizhen, but Mao Ancheng's research and development was at a critical period, and he basically stayed at the launch base and research room 24 hours a day. Li Min called many times but could not get through to Mao Ancheng. , so we couldn't invite him to Zhongnanhai to watch the ceremony.
Chairman Mao's wish to meet Mao Ancheng at his daughter's wedding was put on hold. Although he never met his uncle, Mao Ancheng's achievements at work made his uncle proud.
In 1961, Mao Ancheng participated in the development of the short- and medium-range missile Dongfeng-2, which was China's first independently developed missile. After
failed again and again, Mao Ancheng and his colleague Wang Taichu spent more than three years studying and testing repeatedly, and finally broke through the technological blockade in Europe and the United States, constructed a set of self-created missile control solutions, and independently developed medium and short-range missiles. success.
This missile control system was later applied to my country's first missile nuclear weapon and artificial earth satellite .
The 29-year-old Mao Ancheng also became one of the best young missile experts in New China. There was a saying at the time, "Qian Xuesen solved the problem of our country's missiles hitting far; Ding Henggao solved the problem of hitting accurately; He Lucheng solved the problem of flying well.
Mao Ancheng's achievements are brilliant, and the relevant departments have also given recognition. 1981 The General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army of China awarded him the title of senior engineer. The "No. 001" printed on the certificate of honor is enough to highlight this honor.
But no one thought that this engineer who was gentle, low-key and obsessed with research would actually be. He was Chairman Mao's nephew. His identity was not made public until Chairman Mao passed away and Li Min mentioned it at the memorial service.
The staff of the Funeral Committee screened over and over again the applications submitted by the masses to attend Chairman Mao's memorial service and found out. It is true that no one named "He Lucheng" submitted the application.
What was Mao Ancheng doing at that time? Why didn't he send his uncle off for the last time? It turned out that he was overcoming difficulties in the development of new missiles and had no idea about the death of the chairman. No application was submitted to attend the memorial service.
At Li Min's insistence, the staff began to search for Mao Ancheng, but after Mao Ancheng entered the Fifth Research Institute, the files were kept confidential, and the outside world could not find any information about him. Next, the funeral committee contacted Mao Ancheng's army and found the extremely low-key "congratulatory worker" Mao Ancheng.
Only then did Mao Ancheng learn the sad news that his beloved uncle had passed away. He felt his mind went blank and stumbled to Zhongnanhai to visit his uncle who was already lying in the crystal coffin.
are obviously the two closest people in the world, but because they have to stick to their posts, they have never been able to meet each other. They have never exchanged greetings face to face and expressed their longing for each other.
This was the saddest day in his memory after his mother passed away. After seeing off his uncle, he returned to his job and immersed himself in research. At this time, his colleagues and friends still did not understand his life experience.
It was not until 1983 that the Civil Affairs Bureau issued a martyr certificate for the descendants of martyr Mao Zetan. Only those around him knew that he was a martyr and that he was the pride of the Mao family.
People often ask him why he didn't change his surname back to Mao? He smiled and did not answer. In fact, the reason was very simple. The boy did not give up his surname Mao to avoid persecution by the enemy. Later, he still did not give up his surname Mao because he wanted to avoid taking advantage of the Mao family and rely on his own efforts to make a career.
However, he has always been proud of being a descendant of the Mao family, and asked his children to change their surname to Mao , urging them to strive for self-improvement and not to live up to the expectations of their ancestors or discredit this surname.
After retiring from the front line of research, Mao Ancheng became busy with public welfare undertakings. He spent 50,000 yuan of his savings to help his hometown get rid of poverty. He also donated the bonuses he had saved for many years to rural primary schools around Yongxin County.
Mao Ancheng lived there when he was a child. He knows how poor the people there are and how difficult it is for children there to go to school. He hopes to do his best to help the villagers improve their living environment and help more children receive better education.
Mao Ancheng, a martyr who came out of a remote mountain village, has always been grateful, working, living and devoting with a pure heart. This is probably the most beautiful look of the family tradition of a general and a leader!
