On May 7, 1950, Chairman Mao wrote letters to seven relatives and friends in his hometown, namely: cousin Wen Jianquan, brother Zhao Puzhu of marriage, uncle Mao Yihua of faraway, fellow villager Lin Gusheng, former classmates Su Jishi, Zhang Ding, and his only niece Chen Guosheng.
Chairman Mao’s three brothers, only one adopted sister Mao Zejian. Mao Zejian died heroically for the revolution at the age of 24. Mao Zejian’s child had unfortunately died before the sacrifice. So who is the “niece” written by Chairman Mao?
pic | Chairman Mao
Chairman Mao and Mao Zejian
Mao Zejian is Chairman Mao’s cousin, but she has always been regarded as her own sister by Chairman Mao.
She was born in 1905 and is 12 years younger than Chairman Mao. Her father, Mao Weisheng, was Chairman Mao's cousin. Mao Weisheng suffered from tuberculosis when he was young and often pleated hemoptysis. Mao Zejian's mother also suffered from eye disease, and the family lived a very poor life.
Chairman Mao’s mother Wen Qimei is a kind-hearted woman. She often helps Mao Wei’s family. Later, she sees Mao Zejian being hardworking and sensible. In addition, she only has three sons and no daughters. Wen Qimei plans to adopt Mao Zejian as her adopted daughter. Before Mao Zejian comes to the house, her mother specifically instructs Chairman Mao: "You should treat her as your own sister, let her read some books, and you can live a good life in the future."
Chairman Mao does treat Mao Zejian as his own sister, and he loves this "little sister" very much.
Before, Mao Zejian had no name, because he was born in the season when chrysanthemums were in full bloom, his family called her "Chrysanthemum Girl". After arriving at home, Chairman Mao named her "Mao Zejian". Only then did Mao Zejian have his own name.
pic | Mao Zejian
The young Chairman Mao not only often cares about his sister's life, but also always takes advantage of his spare time to tell her the revolutionary path. Chairman Mao did not think that women do not need to learn. He always taught Mao Zejian that even women could go out of their hometown and participate in the revolution, which made Mao Zejian gradually have revolutionary pursuits.
When Mao Zejian was sent to be a child bride by his family, Chairman Mao took her back despite everyone's opposition. Mao Zejian told his brother: "Three, I want to study with you and go to revolution!"
From then on, Mao Zejian followed his brother to Changsha and studied at Jianben and Chongshi Women's Vocational School. In order to make up for the gap in previous studies, Mao Zejian worked very hard. She studied in self-study colleges during the day and went to civilian night schools to attend classes at night. In less than three years, Mao Zejian finished five or six years of courses.
She studies while assisting Chairman Mao in carrying out the revolution. In 1923, this young girl, who was deeply taught by Chairman Mao, joined the Communist Party. She met many revolutionary comrades and studied revolutionary leadership with everyone and carried out revolutionary activities. Mao Zejian was full of energy. No matter how dangerous the situation was, she was always ahead, and everyone called her a "female vanguard."
It is also on the road of revolutionary struggle that Mao Zejian met his true life partner - Chen Fen , who is also a Communist.
Photo | Mao Zejian (neutral) took a photo with relatives and friends
Mao Zejian and Chen Fen
Because Chen Fen often goes to school to meet Mao Zejian for meetings or discuss problems, as they get along day after day, the two gradually develop feelings.
Chairman Mao also talked to Chen Fen specifically for his sister's happiness. It was in the conference room of the Southern Hunan Student Union. Chairman Mao and Chen Fen participated in the speech. He happened to have time to chat with Chen Fen. He asked Chen Fen: "Xiao Chen, is your family in good condition?"
"My family is very poor. I originally lived in Shixianping Countryside, Liaotian District, Leiyang County. Later, I was bullied by rich people. My father had to move to Leiyang City and open a small tofu shop to make a living." Chen Fen shook his head and said that although Chen Fen's family was poor, he was a young man with great ambition and talent.
Chairman Mao admired this young man very much. He asked straight to the point: "Did your family propose marriage to you?"
Chen Fen replied: "My parents took charge of it and said a girl named Liao. I disagree. Later, I retired." Chen Fen lamented that he was old but had no partner.
pic | Chairman Mao
Chairman Mao took the opportunity to propose Mao Zejian: "What do you think of my sister Daxiang? ( Mao Daxiang , namely Mao Zejian)"
Chen Fen also has feelings for Mao Zejian. When he heard Mao Zejian's name, his eyes lit up. He sighed that his family was poor and he was really not worthy of Mao Zejian.
The next words of Chairman Mao gave him hope:
"I think you have similar interests, which is quite appropriate. I tell her what she meant, and it is necessary to deepen your understanding in the future. I hope you will become a partner."
In this way, with the full support of Chairman Mao, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen, the revolutionary couple, came together. They walked hand in hand and fought side by side on the road of revolutionary struggle.
pic | Chairman Mao took a photo with his family
Mao Zejian Chen Fen and Chen Guosheng
Mao Zejian is in the revolutionary home, and the brothers are all on the road of revolution, and so are Chen Fen's family. Chen Fen's sister Chen Shuyuan and brother-in-law Liang Zenan are also revolutionaries.
Liang Zenan and Chen Fen were classmates who studied in the Third Division of Changsha. In 1923, Liang Zenan joined the Communist Party. After graduating from school, Liang Zenan taught and organized students to go to various places to promote the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolutionary propositions. During the Revolution, Liang Zenan was appointed as a special commissioner of the Hunan Special Committee of the Communist Party of China by the Party organization. He carried out peasant movements and armed struggles in the Hunan Special Committee of Hunan area. In 1928, Liang Zenan was preparing to pull the revolutionary armed forces to Jinggangshan , but unfortunately was arrested on the way to Jinggangshan and suffered a lot in prison. He would never surrender and was eventually killed by the enemy and died heroically.
After Liang Zenan died, he left an orphan and widowed mother. His wife Chen Shuyuan did not dare to go home, worried that the disaster would affect her family. She had been hiding from her place, wandering around, and living a life of separation from her youngest son.
pic | Chen Fen
Liang Zenan Chen Shuyuan has a daughter, whose original name was Liang Guosheng, and later changed her name to Chen Guosheng. The young Chen Guosheng was fostered in his grandmother's house, which is the home of Chen Shuyuan and Chen Fen's mother.
Chen Fen is the child's uncle and Mao Zejian is the child's aunt. Both the couple like this child very much and regard it as their biological child. In addition, in order to prevent the enemy from harming him, Chen Guosheng changed his surname to "Chen" and lived as Chen Fen and Mao Zejian's adopted daughter. Although his biological parents were not around, Chen Guosheng could still feel the love of his "parents".
Chen Fen and Mao Zejian regard her as their biological daughter. The grandmother even sold Tianchang at home and did her best to support her in studying.
1929 was a sad year for this family.
pic | Related reports on Mao Zejian's death
1927 revolution failed, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen were sent to Hengshan County to carry out work. Chen Fen was appointed as the county party secretary and secretary of the military committee, and Mao Zejian was appointed as the county party committee member.
The revolution was frustrated, and it was a period of panic. In order to protect everyone's safety, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen moved to Leiyang to assist the workers' and peasants' revolutionary army led by Zhu De and Chen Yi to fight. After Zhu De led his troops to Jinggangshan in 1928, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen stayed in Leiyang to insist on the guerrilla struggle. At this time, Mao Zejian was already pregnant.
Unfortunately, while leading the guerrillas to carry out the struggle, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen met the enemy. Chen Fen refused to cooperate after being arrested and was brutally killed by the enemy. Mao Zejian happened to be rescued by the Red Army troops sent by Jinggangshan.
But her bad luck did not stop because of this. Mao Zejian, who was about to give birth, was hiding in a fellow villager's home. She had worked hard to give birth to a child. The crying of the child attracted the enemy. Mao Zejian was arrested, and the hungry child died because he had no nutrition.
In prison, Mao Zejian was indomitable and treated death as if he was home. She said:
"The people must be masters, and the cause of communism will eventually win. As long as the revolution is successful, there will be no hatred even if it dies. On that day, we will hold a celebration in the nine springs."
929, with expectations for the revolution, the 24-year-old Mao Zejian was killed by the enemy and died bravely.Before her death, she shouted: "Friends, if you kill a Mao Daxiang, there will be tens of millions of Mao Daxiangs standing up!"
pic | Young Chairman Mao
March 0The sacrifice of Mao Zejian and Chen Fen made their family sad. Chairman Mao said: "It's a pity that Jumei's sacrifice is a good comrade. She is a good comrade."
And the young Chen Guosheng will always remember that he has extremely great parents and extremely great adoptive parents. She grew up under the care of her grandmother, and instead of her deceased relatives, she ushered in the victory of the revolution and the founding of New China.
After Chen Guosheng grew up, under the introduction of his grandmother, she married Song Yigang, who was an inspector of the police station in Xiangxiang County. Song Yigang was once in the Kuomintang army. In 1949, Hunan was liberated, and Song Yigang and hundreds of people from the police station participated in the armed uprising to strive for peaceful liberation.
Song Yigang and Chen Guo lived an ordinary life after marriage. Chen Guosheng just often missed his biological parents and adoptive parents, and his heart was full of thoughts. In addition, she was no different from other ordinary people and was constantly struggling in her simple life.
And the return of Chairman Mao’s son Mao Anying brought a ripple to her ordinary life...
Picture | Chairman Mao and Mao Anying
Chairman Mao and Chen Guosheng
1950, Chairman Mao sent his son Mao Anying back to his hometown to visit relatives and care about the situation of relatives and friends in his hometown. From Wenyunchang , Mao Anying learned about the sacrifice of his aunt Mao Zejian, and at the same time learned that Mao Zejian also had an adopted daughter, who was still in the world.
Mao Anying was very happy about this. Not only did he find out about Chen Guosheng's whereabouts with the help of Wen Yunchang, he also told his father the good news in time.
Chen Guosheng never expected that although she was not Mao Zejian's biological child, she could still receive the care of the Mao family. She was moved. Wen Yunchang specifically instructed her to remember to write a letter to Chairman Mao.
In the same year, Chen Guosheng wrote a letter to Chairman Mao explaining his life situation, and at the same time suggested that he wanted to work in Beijing. On May 7, 1950, Chairman Mao replied to Chen Guosheng:
Guosheng's virtuous nephew personally read:
The letter was received, which was very comforting. I hope you can find a job in Hunan and don’t come to Beijing. If you want to send me a letter to the countryside. This question is close!
Mao Zedong
After receiving Chairman Mao’s handwritten letter, Chen Guosheng was excited. Chairman Mao’s words “virtuous nephew” made Chen Guosheng feel excited. However, at that time, Chen Guosheng had not yet expected that he would still have the chance to meet this "uncle".
pic | Chairman Mao
1951, Chen Guosheng suddenly received a call from the provincial party committee, saying that Zhongnanhai was calling, and Chairman Mao invited her to come to Beijing to reminisce about the past. Chen Guosheng, who received the invitation, tried his best to restrain his excitement and excitement. He quickly packed up his things and prepared to go to Beijing.
In April of this year, Chen Guosheng and Chairman Mao’s cousins Wen Yunchang and Wen Jianquan arrived in Beijing together to meet Chairman Mao. This is the first time Chairman Mao and Chen Guosheng met. Chairman Mao asked Chen Guosheng with a smile: "The first time my nephew has come to meet my uncle, did you bring anything?"
"Third uncle, I didn't bring anything. What do you need? Next time I will ask someone to bring it to you." Chen Guosheng replied embarrassedly, and his face turned red with apologized for this.
"What do I need? Just bring me some materials and reflect more of the situation in my hometown. My uncle will be very happy." Chairman Mao smiled. His humor also made the young Chen Guosheng no longer so reserved and nervous.
Chairman Mao warmly invited his relatives to have dinner together. They talked about the past. At the dinner table, they talked about Mao Zejian who died. Chairman Mao and Chen Guosheng both lamented that at this point, Mao Zejian has been 22 years of sacrifice, and time has passed too quickly.
Chen Guosheng took this opportunity to make a suggestion to Chairman Mao: "Zejian's mother's tomb is buried at the foot of Jinzifeng Peak in Hengshan. There is only a stone tablet on the tomb. Third uncle, can you tell the government? Please give them some money and repair the tomb."
Picture | Chairman Mao
Unlike what Chen Guosheng expected, Chairman Mao did not agree. He told his niece earnestly: "Now just liberated, there are many martyrs who died in the years of revolution, and there are millions of people. Now the new China has just been established, and everything is in trouble. Everything is difficult at the beginning. The government needs a lot of money to build economic construction, so how can I have money to build a tomb! "
Regarding the matter of tomb repair, Chairman Mao said:
"For the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the revolutionary war years in the past, we commemorate and miss them. After the country's economic situation improves in the future, we must build tombs and erect monuments for them, carve stones and inscribe their achievements, so that future generations can remember them. It’s not possible now, the country is still in trouble! My parents’ tomb is also a grass tomb. Many people in the local area suggest building a tomb, but I won’t let it go! "
Chairman Mao's words were easy to understand, and also made Chen Guosheng feel that his suggestions were a bit untimely. She convinced Chairman Mao's "rejection" and responded with emotion: "I listen to you."
pic | Chairman Mao was in front of his parents' grave
After the topic of "Chairman Mao"
in front of his parents' grave, Chairman Mao also cared about Chen Guosheng's life. When he learned that Chen Guosheng was married, Chairman Mao asked her husband Song Yigang. Chairman Mao asked, "Does he have any debts?"
"No, he is just an ordinary inspector, and he is also a poor man. He is a Kuomintang army that draws strong men into." Chen Guosheng answered his uncle obediently.
"We are not going to suppress all the Kuomintang people, but to suppress those who are extremely guilty and not killing them is not enough to quell the anger of the public." Chairman Mao took a few sips of tea and told Chen Guosheng: "There are tens of thousands of people who surrendered to the uprising of the Kuomintang troops. Cheng Qian, the hero of the peaceful liberation of Hunan, is still my friend."
Chen Guosheng clearly felt that Chairman Mao's relationship with her at the moment was not the leader's to the people, but the kindness of the elders in the family to the younger generation. He told Chen Guosheng to know more about her husband's situation. If her husband had done anything wrong in the Kuomintang army before, Chairman Mao said: "You don't go back, stay in Beijing, and bring the children."
The care in his words made Chen Guosheng feel particularly relied on, and her eyes became wet unconsciously. Fortunately, her husband Song Yigang is also a down-to-earth and hardworking person. With Chairman Mao, Chen Guosheng also knew that his husband would be accepted by the new era.
The conversation with Chairman Mao made Chen Guosheng feel much more at ease. That day she chatted with her uncle who had never met but had admired him for a long time for several hours. Before leaving, Chen Guosheng held Chairman Mao's hand and reluctantly left. Chairman Mao specifically instructed his secretary to give Chen Guosheng 300 yuan to supplement their family's life.
Picture | Chairman Mao
With Chairman Mao's sincere care, Chen Guosheng returned to his hometown in Hunan. After that, she wrote letters to Chairman Mao intermittently. In 1955, Chen Guosheng received a letter from the General Office of the Central Committee.
Comrade Chen Guosheng:
The two letters you and Comrade Song sent to Chairman Mao have been received and sent to Chairman Mao for reading. The Chairman entrusts us to tell you that he agrees that you will come to Beijing alone at the end of this month and stay for a week or two before going back.
After receiving the letter, Chen Guosheng took his young daughter to Beijing. In early June 1955, Chen Guosheng and his daughter, as well as Mao Xianmei and Wen Bingzhang and other relatives from the Mao family came to Zhongnanhai to meet Chairman Mao.
Chen Guosheng's daughter is young and especially likes to stick to Chairman Mao, pulling Chairman Mao to shout "Grandpa". Chairman Mao always looks at the child kindly and kindly and teases her.
The little girl ran to Chairman Mao and shouted, "Grandpa, I want to buy a bicycle."
"Your mother wants to buy it." Chairman Mao said with a smile, "I will give your mother money."
This made Chen Guosheng anxious. She quickly grabbed her daughter's hand and pushed and refused to let Chairman Mao give the money. Chairman Mao smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay for grandpa to give the child no gift."
If the last time she came to Beijing, Chen Guosheng felt Chairman Mao's care for the couple, this time, she felt more deeply that Chairman Mao loved the children and how kind they were to their family.
Picture | Mao Zejian Martyrs Cemetery
A few days later, Chairman Mao asked the secretary to send 280 yuan to Chen Guosheng. The secretary said, "This money was bought by the chairman for the children." The girl danced in the room, because her grandfather's love became extremely happy; and Chen Guosheng took the money and didn't say a word for a long time, and his eyes were filled with tears. He didn't know what language to use to express his gratitude to Chairman Mao.
Later, Chen Guosheng returned to his hometown in Hunan, but Chairman Mao did not stop caring about her care. Chairman Mao asked his secretary to give them 200 yuan every year, which was taken out of Chairman Mao's royalties, and it took decades to give it away.
Before, Chairman Mao regarded Mao Zejian as his biological sister; later, Mao Zejian regarded Chen Guosheng as his biological daughter, and Chairman Mao also regarded Chen Guosheng as his nephew, and they continued this true love.
Chairman Mao protected thousands of people throughout his life. Chen Guosheng has always guarded the tombs of Mao Zejian and Chen Fen. With her careful management, Mao Zejian and Chen Fen's tombs have also been repaired.
