Preface
There is such a person. Although his name is only three words long, he always makes us feel warm and proud whenever he is mentioned.
He was high-spirited and revolutionized for the future of China;
He denounced Fang Qiu and struggled to resist foreign enemies;
He worked hard to realize the national rejuvenation ;
He died and left a lasting impression on the Chinese nation and countless future generations!
He had no descendants and no inheritance. After his death, his ashes were scattered into the sea. He was devoted to the people, approachable, with a breeze on his sleeves, and dedicated his whole life. He was the people's good prime minister - Zhou Enlai!
Picture 丨 "Great Man of the Century" Zhou Enlai
1. The People's Good Prime Minister
After the founding of New China, the people ushered in a peaceful era in which they were the masters of their own country. However, US imperialism openly swept across the Korean Peninsula and aimed directly at our northeastern border.
Chairman Mao gave an order, and the Chinese People’s Volunteers marched across the Yalu River in a desperate struggle with US imperialism.
On the eve of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, Premier Zhou went to the Soviet Union many times to participate in talks in order to obtain assistance from the Soviet "Big Brother", and finally successfully signed the " Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance", which provided strong arms for our volunteer army assistance.
finally enabled our volunteers to defeat the enemy and win the final victory in the campaign to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea.
In April 1954, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Premier Zhou led a delegation to attend the "Geneva Conference". When he later visited neighboring countries such as India and Myanmar, he once again reiterated the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" and effectively It safeguarded the rights and interests of New China as a developing country.
In the same year, Premier Zhou was appointed as Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China.
At the " Bandung Conference " that he attended later, Premier Zhou and the Chinese delegation proposed the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" that have been recorded in history, becoming an epoch-making milestone in the process of world history.
In the following time, Premier Zhou had many things to do. In addition to reviewing many domestic documents, he also had to pay attention to the development of international situation and . He visited foreign countries many times and gained the respect and admiration of our people and the people and leaders of other countries. .
Premier Zhou once wrote in "My Recuperation Rules": "Never isolate yourself from the masses, learn from the masses, and help them."
This is not just what Premier Zhou said, but is practiced in real life. .
"approachable" has also become synonymous with the first prime minister of New China.
Although Premier Zhou is usually busy with work, whenever he has time, he will go deep into the masses and listen to the voices of the people.
On May 6, 1956, Premier Zhou and his party came to Taiyuan Iron and Steel Plant for inspection and were warmly welcomed by the local people.
Picture丨Premier Zhou at the Bandung Conference
In the steel casting workshop, the room temperature is close to 40 degrees, which is simply unbearable for ordinary people.
Premier Zhou specifically said to the factory director who accompanied the inspection: "You must care about the sufferings of the workers and do a good job in heatstroke prevention and cooling."
The factory director kept Premier Zhou's instructions in mind, and from then on, the workshop There are many fans and air-conditioned lounges.
When Premier Zhou came to a blast furnace site, a boiler worker was inspecting the equipment.
Premier Zhou stepped forward to greet the employee on duty cordially and extended his hand to shake his hand.
Premier Zhou's move really shocked the boiler workers. At the same time, the workers looked at the stains on their hands and felt a little embarrassed. Premier Zhou smiled kindly "Come on, young man, it's okay!"
It was precisely with such a "handshake" that Premier Zhou firmly "held" him and the people together.
In 1957, Premier Zhou held a special "meeting". The attendees were mainly workers who participated in the Shanghai Armed Uprising with Premier Zhou.
It has been 30 years, but Premier Zhou was able to remember most of the people's names at the venue, which surprised many workers and friends present.
People lament that Premier Zhou has a good memory, but this is precisely because he always keeps the people in his heart.
The famous film actor Zhang Ruifang recalled Premier Zhou with great emotion "Premier Zhou's amazing memory comes from his in-depth understanding of the situation and his passion for the people."
In the summer of 1958, the lower reaches of the Yellow River A serious natural disaster occurs.
When Premier Zhou, who was inspecting work in Shanghai, received the news, he immediately rushed to the Zhengzhou area, which was the most severely affected.
While directing the rescue at the scene, Premier Zhou's secretary specially put up an umbrella to protect Premier Zhou from the rain, but he stopped him. "Don't you see that everyone is getting wet in the rain?"
In the face of natural and man-made disasters, Zhou The Prime Minister is dedicated to the people and is willing to share the joys and sorrows with the people, even if it is only a small matter, and will not make special arrangements.
Picture丨Premier Zhou with the people
At the beginning of 1959, Deng Yingchao was receiving treatment in a Guangdong sanatorium, and Premier Zhou specially took the time to visit.
During this period, he discovered that the unique local hot springs were "occupied" by cadre sanatoriums, making it difficult for local people to enjoy hot spring services.
Premier Zhou specifically asked the staff of the nursing home "Do the children have a place to take a bath? Do ordinary people have a place to take a bath?"
The person in charge explained "Due to financial difficulties, there has not been time to build bathing pools for the local people."
Premier Zhou expressed his anger, criticized the person in charge of the nursing home, and took the lead in making donations and leading everyone to build bathhouses for the local people.
3 years later, when Premier Zhou passed by this place on the way to a meeting, he specifically asked someone about the "bathroom".
When he learned that the local area had built a shower room for people to take a bath, he finally showed a happy smile.
In addition to being approachable, Premier Zhou has also always maintained "integrity" in his daily life.
Although he is the Prime Minister of the State Council, his diet is relatively simple and light. Each meal is basically one meat and one vegetable. If he does not finish a meal, he will keep it for the next meal, so every meal will never be wasted. Grains of grain.
Whenever Premier Zhou has a work meal, he always has the habit of wiping a vegetable leaf on the bottom of the bowl and eating the meal cleanly.
Some people were puzzled by Premier Zhou's behavior, but he insisted "This is much better than what the people eat!"
2. " Two bombs and one star "
Premier Zhou once Once said "Twenty years after the founding of New China, I cared about two things, one is water conservancy, and the other is reaching the sky (two bombs and one satellite)."
In 1958, Premier Zhou personally inspected the Three Gorges Dam dam site and presided over the progress of related projects. matters.
Under the personal organization and leadership of Premier Zhou, our country's "two bombs and one satellite" cause has achieved a major breakthrough, which has greatly enhanced our country's comprehensive national strength and international status.
Picture丨Premier Zhou and his wife Deng Yingchao in Suzhou
In the process of promoting the "two bombs and one satellite" project, Premier Zhou is the planner, participant and promoter. The "technological army" he leads has contributed to this glorious and An arduous cause and immortal achievements.
The reason why Premier Zhou is so concerned about the "two bombs and one satellite" project is because he saw with his own eyes the relevant images of the US atomic bomb explosion during negotiations with the Kuomintang in 1946.
became the first person in the first generation leadership group of New China to see the image of the atomic bomb explosion.
The huge " mushroom cloud " and the power released by the atomic bomb exploded in Japan made him deeply moved. As Chairman Mao said, we must not be afraid of the atomic bomb, but we must not be afraid of it. Research.
On the eve of the founding of New China, Premier Zhou specially found Qian Sanqiang and paid him a sum of money for atomic bomb research.
After the founding of New China, the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established. With the approval of Premier Zhou, it allocated funds twice to build professional laboratories and the Institute of Modern Physics building.
In March 1956, Premier Zhou presided over a meeting of the Central Military Commission and once again listed the "two bombs and one satellite" work as a key project and placed it in an important strategic position for priority development.
Faced with the "zero foundation" state, our country's scientific research and technical personnel are not afraid of hardships. If they don't have computers, they rely on abacus, and if there are no conditions, they create conditions.
At the same time, at the suggestion of Premier Zhou, our scientific researchers cleverly "caught" the Soviet big brother and obtained certain information and technical support.
During that period, my country's "two bombs and one satellite" career achieved good development.
However, even so, Premier Zhou still reminded the staff at all times that "we must focus on self-reliance and cannot rely indefinitely on Soviet experts."
As expected by Premier Zhou, the Soviet Union unilaterally "broke the contract" in 1960 , not only destroyed a large amount of experimental data, but also withdrew a large number of Soviet experts, causing a fatal blow to our country's nuclear industry.
and arrogantly said "Without the support of the Soviet Union, China would not be able to build an atomic bomb for twenty years."
Picture 丨 my country’s first atomic bomb test detonation was successful
Faced with such a situation, Premier Zhou once again cheered for scientific researchers "If he doesn't give it, we will do it ourselves and start from scratch."
In this way, our country's scientific researchers are Under the leadership of Premier Zhou Enlai, on October 16, 1964, the first atomic bomb independently developed by our country was successfully tested!
A "dragon roar" resounded throughout the east of the world.
As soon as the atomic bomb exploded, Premier Zhou, who had been waiting in front of the phone, got the news and reported the matter to Chairman Mao immediately.
In 1966, the Party Central Committee decided to implement the "two bombs combined" experiment and handed over this arduous task to the "Dongfeng Base".
Faced with the arduous task, Premier Zhou gave important instructions on the "nuclear test" "Serious, thoughtful, reliable, and foolproof." This sixteen-character policy has also been affecting the development of my country's aerospace industry. .
On June 12, 1967, when Premier Zhou listened to the report on the test, he specifically instructed the staff to ensure the safe transfer of the surrounding people and to take emergency safety measures if an accident occurred.
On June 17, with the joint efforts of many scientific research and technical personnel, our country successfully completed the test explosion test of the hydrogen bomb . From the successful test of the first atomic bomb to the "two-bomb combination" flight test, our country only experienced two years and eight years. months!
" two bombs " was successfully completed, but the launch of artificial satellite is also an extremely complex and difficult project.
Under the command and leadership of Premier Zhou, the whole country worked together to develop the satellite !
On April 24, 1970, my country's first man-made satellite successfully ascended into the space orbit. When people heard the clear music "The East is Red" coming from the radio, Premier Zhou immediately reported the good news. Report to Chairman Mao.
As Premier Zhou said, "God" has always been his greatest concern. During the twenty-six years of Premier Zhou's tenure as prime minister, he personally organized and led scientific researchers to overcome every difficulty and provided my country with "two bombs and one bomb." Make outstanding contributions to the cause of "Star".
Picture丨my country's first artificial satellite - "Dongfanghong No. 1"
Three and five explorations of the "Dongfeng Base"
During this period, Premier Zhou also forged an indissoluble bond with the "Dongfeng Base".
"Dongfeng Base" is actually the predecessor of "China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center". Premier Zhou was very concerned about the construction of Dongfeng Base.
At that time, facing the blockade and sanctions imposed by Western countries, our party resolutely made the decision to develop cutting-edge national defense capabilities.
In March 1958, in the desert of Badain Jaran, my country's first shooting range for missile weapons testing officially started.
With the concerted efforts of one hundred thousand People's Liberation Army and volunteers who had just returned from the Korean battlefield, after two years and six months, the "Dongfeng Base" resolutely stood on this desert.
Not only that, the "Tiananmen " auditorium that Dongfeng Aerospace people are proud of was also built using leftover materials from the construction of the Great Hall of the People with the special approval of Premier Zhou.
On June 1, 1965, this was the first time Premier Zhou inspected the Dongfeng Base.
When Premier Zhou's special plane flew to Pakistan and Tanzania , it passed through the Dongfeng Base and made a brief stop here.
When Premier Zhou slowly stepped off the special plane, there was fierce applause. Premier Zhou shook hands with the comrades present one by one and said:
"Chairman Mao is very busy with work and cannot come here. I come to see everyone.
Chairman Mao is very concerned about the construction and test tasks here. Your career is very glorious!"
Inside the workshop, Premier Zhou was accompanied by a dedicated person to visit and took the initiative to ask every scientific research technician he met. Names and positions of technical personnel, and encouraged everyone, "We Communists grow our talents through practice. Don't worry about your low educational level. We must learn through practice and develop our own artificial satellites in the future!"
Picture丨"Dongfeng Auditorium"
Due to the short time, Premier Zhou and his party set off for the airport after lunch for the next step of the visit.
html On the evening of the 29th, Premier Zhou returned from his visit to China and stayed one night while passing through the Dongfeng Base to conduct his second inspection of html.Due to the short time of this inspection, there are not many records, but it is not difficult to see that Premier Zhou is always concerned about the scientific researchers working on the front line.
In mid-June, when Premier Zhou visited the Dongfeng base abroad, he stopped briefly again for his third inspection.
Li Zaishan, who was the political commissar of the Dongfeng Base at the time, recalled in his later years:
"Every time Premier Zhou passed by the base, although the time was very short, he would not rest for a minute and always listened to our reports carefully... Even when During meal , Premier Zhou also asked while eating. "
On July 7, on his way back to Beijing after visiting Egypt, Syria and other countries, Premier Zhou inspected the Dongfeng base for the fourth time.
Due to time constraints, this time everyone only had a short gathering with Premier Zhou at the airport.
At that time, a commander named Zuo Naiyuan recorded in his diary his feelings when meeting Premier Zhou, "The welcoming crowd at the scene applauded warmly. The prime minister was in good spirits, but he looked a little old... …”
On June 30, 1966, Premier Zhou concluded his visit to Romania and Algeria and other countries. Premier Zhou inspected the Dongfeng base for the fifth and last time.
Accompanied by Acting Chief of General Staff Yang Chengwu, Premier Zhou inspected many things in the base and watched the live missile launch. When the missile accurately hit the target, Premier Zhou showed a happy smile on his face.
As a souvenir, Premier Zhou took a group photo with the scientific and technological workers of Dongfeng Base.
Comrades entered the venue in advance and lined up, and thoughtfully left the middle seat to Premier Zhou.
When Premier Zhou arrived at the venue, he saw the scene in front of him and waved his hands to refuse. He suggested that the middle position should be reserved for scientific and technological workers. After watching the comrades all stand in the appropriate position, Premier Zhou took his seat.
Picture | Premier Zhou inspected the "Dongfeng Base"
During the dinner, Premier Zhou went to the kitchen to express condolences to the members of the cooking class with a wine glass. Seeing the Prime Minister coming in, the soldiers were surprised. Many people were so excited that they said Speechless.
He stepped forward to greet his comrades warmly, and specially asked someone to prepare a glass of wine for the soldiers, and clinked glasses with them one by one.
On the second day, Premier Zhou, accompanied by Yang Chengwu and others, inspected the living conditions of the soldiers inside the Dongfeng Base and around it. Living in such a Gobi Desert is really not an easy task.
During the inspection in the convertible, Premier Zhou specially invited Li Zaishan to inspect together, and deliberately left the middle seat vacant. "You are the master and should stand in the middle. I will stand on the side so that I can see the people!"
In addition, every time Premier Zhou takes a photo with others, he is always willing to leave the "C position" to others, while he silently "dedicates" himself.
In Premier Zhou's later life, he always worked hard and died to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
4. "Dedication" to the last moment
During that "special period", in order to reduce greater losses, Premier Zhou overcame various difficulties and persisted in completing the tasks assigned to him by the party and the country.
In the struggle against the "counter-revolutionary group", Premier Zhou's unremitting efforts frustrated the conspiracy of the "counter-revolutionary group" and played an important role in controlling and stabilizing the situation.
In February 1967, due to being under high-intensity work pressure for a long time, Premier Zhou's body began to show abnormalities, he became sick from overwork, and was diagnosed with heart disease.
However, even so, Premier Zhou still insisted on working while sick. Sometimes he was busy at work and often forgot to take medicine.
Whenever I see Premier Zhou "forgetting to sleep and eat", the staff around me feel very anxious. For this reason, they even put up big-character posters in Premier Zhou's office to remind the Premier to take care of his health.
When celebrating the 18th anniversary of the founding of New China, Premier Zhou wanted to send blessings to the motherland, but when he wrote only 20 words, Premier Zhou could not finish it because of hand discomfort.
Picture丨Premier Zhou presiding over the meeting
You should be able to notice when watching some documentaries that Premier Zhou's right arm is always bent when walking, which looks very unnatural.
This is because Premier Zhou was injured in his arm during the early war, and he later had to work hard, which led to this situation.
This is the people's beloved Premier Zhou. The Prime Minister himself knows his physical condition better than anyone else. He once said: "We are survivors of the revolution. As long as we still have breath, we must work for the party and the people."
On December 19, Premier Zhou frankly admitted his illness when meeting his old friend Snow: "The special period has defeated me. My health has weakened and I have had heart problems for 4 years..."
In May 1972, Premier Zhou was diagnosed with bladder cancer .
However, at this time, Premier Zhou did not know the condition of his patient and was still in a state of confusion.
Even if someone persuaded the Prime Minister to pay attention to rest, the Prime Minister would just "perfunctory".
In 1974, Premier Zhou's physical condition was no longer optimistic. When preparing for the Fourth National People's Congress, Chairman Mao still believed that Premier Zhou was the best candidate to serve as prime minister. He said with emotion: "The Prime Minister is still our Prime Minister."
On March 11, 1974, relevant personnel performed an operation on Premier Zhou. After the operation, Premier Zhou could not take time to rest, so he was discharged from the hospital and continued to devote himself to work.
html In May, Premier Zhou's condition deteriorated again, and he even had multiple dangers of fainting due to lack of oxygen. But even so, he still sticks to his job and races against time!The staff around Premier Zhou once recorded his work situation from January to May:
"There are 9 days of working 12 to 14 hours a day, 74 days of 14 to 18 hours, and 38 days of 19 to 23 hours. days, working continuously for 2 days There are 5 days out of 4 hours, and only 13 days the workload is within 12 hours! "
Such a huge workload is already "too much" for a healthy young man, but Premier Zhou is doing it on his own. Even though you are seriously ill, you still work like this! I can’t help but feel admirable!
Later, when Premier Zhou attended a meeting in the Great Hall of the People, his body could no longer move, and he was rushed to the hospital for treatment. This time, he never left the hospital again.
Picture丨 Premier Zhou returned to Yan'an for the last time
During the period when he was hospitalized and recuperating, Premier Zhou moved a large number of official documents to the ward and even had to work more than 20 hours a day. Even if the people around him tried to persuade him, Premier Zhou remained "indifferent" .
On January 8, 1976, after fighting the disease for nearly two years, Premier Zhou left his beloved people and motherland forever.
htmlOn November 11, tens of thousands of citizens spontaneously came to the streets of Chang'an to see off the Prime Minister on the ten-mile long street. The people were heartbroken, and a generation of great men also came to an end.Before Premier Zhou died of illness, he made one last request to the party and the country: "Spread your ashes into the sea!"
With the cooperation of relevant departments, Premier Zhou's ashes were scattered to Beijing, Miyun Reservoir , Tianjin Haihe River Estuary, Binzhou Yellow River The mouth of the sea:
Beijing is the place where Premier Zhou worked the longest and is also the capital of China. By scattering the ashes here, the Prime Minister can "stay together" with the people forever;
Miyun Reservoir is where Premier Zhou was at that time. A place where a lot of effort is put into it. I still remember the two things that the Prime Minister once paid attention to: "One is water conservancy, and the other is heaven." Beijing is a city short of water. Scattering ashes here is also to witness and grasp the construction of Beijing's water conservancy work;
Tianjin Haihe Estuary , Tianjin is where Premier Zhou's revolutionary career started. Here he met many revolutionary patriots and his wife, and learned many advanced ideas. Here, there are opportunities and challenges;
Binzhou Yellow River Estuary , the Yellow River is the mother river of our country. Premier Zhou has almost never returned to his hometown since he participated in revolutionary work.
scatters the ashes into the Yellow River, which means "throwing into the arms of mother", hoping that he can do something for his motherland for the last time.
Picture丨Send off the Prime Minister on Ten Mile Long Street
Conclusion
Today, Premier Zhou has left us for 46 years. However, whenever people mention Premier Zhou, they can still feel friendly and natural, as if he is right in front of us.
Premier Zhou is a "bright superstar" of the Chinese nation and an "immortal flag" of the Communists. Premier Zhou's personal charm has moved China and even the world.
His personality charm is like "a bright light", illuminating the progress of generations of Chinese people.
Here, I want to tell Premier Zhou:
"Dear Premier Zhou, the Ten Mile Long Street I gave you back then has now become ten miles prosperous;
The water conservancy issues you are concerned about are now at the world's leading level;
You are concerned about Regarding the question of heaven, Shenzhou 14 has broken through the sky and is galloping in space..."
China is changing the world. Premier Zhou, have you seen it?
Your expectations are gradually coming true, and this prosperous world will be as you wish!
