In the 1980s, Wang Guangmei retired from her job as director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. After retirement, Wang Guangmei was not idle. She looked for opportunities as much as possible to keep her life shining and warm. In his later years, Wang Guangmei mainly did three things:
The first thing: to run for the " Happiness Project "
"Happiness Project" is a poverty alleviation plan jointly initiated by China Population Welfare Foundation , China Family Planning Association and China Population Newspaper. The project is based on the mission of helping poor mothers in poor areas. By mobilizing funds and forces from all walks of life at home and abroad, we can help these mothers get rid of poverty as soon as possible and embark on the road to becoming rich. After the establishment of the "Happiness Project", Peng Peiyun, then the State Councilor and Director of the National Family Planning Commission, wrote a letter to Wang Guangmei, asking her to serve as the director of the organizing committee of the "Happiness Project". At that time, Wang Guangmei was 74 years old and had cancer for 6 years. She had declined many invitations to hold honorary positions in society. However, when she learned about the mission of "Happiness Project", she was deeply moved. Not only did she accept the invitation happily, she also promised not to receive a penny salary of the organizing committee and to work for the "Happiness Project".
Wang Guangmei
Family people did not take it seriously at the beginning after learning that Wang Guangmei was in the "Happiness Project", thinking that she was just a name. Unexpectedly, Wang Guangmei worked 8 to 10 hours a day, and she often went deep into Shaanxi and other places to visit the poor and inquire about the hardships.
Shortly after the establishment of the "Happiness Project", Wang Guangmei visited Anlu Township, Dali County, Shaanxi Province. It was raining heavily that day and the village was muddy. The accompanying staff suggested that Wang Guangmei not enter the village, but she insisted on wearing her boots and entering the village in deep and shallow, and visited three families in the rain.
When Wang Guangmei came to the home of a poor mother named Wang Shangying, Wang Shangying's 85-year-old mother-in-law was lying in bed. Wang Guangmei held the old man's hand tightly and chatted with her affectionately. The old man told Wang Guangmei that because her family was poor, there was still a 22-year-old granddaughter who was not married. Wang Guangmei comforted the old man: "It's not that old age at the age of 24. I got married only at the age of 26. After the 'Happiness Project' helps you live a good life, are you still afraid that you won't be able to find your husband's family?"
said this and made the whole family laugh. Two years later, what Wang Guangmei said really became a reality.
Wang Guangmei visited poor areas
It is precisely because she visited a large number of poor areas that Wang Guangmei has mastered many of the poor mothers' first-hand information . In the early days of the establishment of the "Happiness Project", the organizing committee formulated a model for the project's help: "Small funding, direct to households, rolling operation, and getting rich through labor." After Wang Guangmei looked at it, she changed "direct to households" to "direct to people".
Wang Guangmei explained this: Our money is directly sent to poor mothers, and she has to sign the agreement on behalf of the whole family, so "to be with people" is more accurate than "to be with households". The primary and most important thing of the "Happiness Project" is to help poor mothers get rid of poverty rather than get rich. We cannot conquer the world, we must be realistic and have an accurate positioning.
When the "Happiness Project" was first launched, there was a shortage of funds. For Wang Guangmei, the most difficult thing was to raise charity funds. She decided to start with herself and donate every penny she saved to the "Happiness Project".
The first donation received by the "Happiness Project" was the $500 donated by Wang Guangmei, which was given to her by her daughter. It was one night, when his daughter, who lived with Wang Guangmei, urgently needed an international long-distance phone number because she was working, so she used the phone number equipped by her family's family for Wang Guangmei. Wang Guangmei thought this was not a trivial matter, and she asked her daughter to register the phone number so that she could pay for it in the future.
The daughter knew Wang Guangmei's character well. She registered without saying a word and gave her mother $500, saying that she was paying the phone bill.Of course, Wang Guangmei understood that the phone bill could not cost so much. This is her daughter who was filial to her in different ways!
But Wang Guangmei donated the money directly to the "Happiness Project". It turned out that a few days ago, she went to the "Happiness Project" office to visit the staff and learned that the office was harsh and the staff sometimes couldn't have hot rice at noon, so they took out the $500 to buy a microwave to eat hot rice in the office. This money also became the first donation received by the foundation.
One day, Wang Guangmei was flipping through the newspaper and accidentally saw a news about auctioning jade carvings. Her eyes involuntarily fell on the ivory pen holder on the desk. This was a precious relic left to her by her mother, and it was of no value. Wang Guangmei couldn't help but think: This can be sold for money!
Wang Guangmei found out another 5 pieces of porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties that her mother left her. When she saw the things and thought of others, she remembered her mother. Mother Dong Jieru graduated from Tianjin Jinling Women's Normal School. She is a progressive woman full of democratic ideas. She has trained all her children into experts in various industries. After liberation, my mother moved with her to Zhongnanhai , but she was still unable to rest. So she founded the "Jiaru Nursery" in Zhongnanhai to take care of the children of many comrades in the Zhongzhi government for free. To this day, this nursery named after her mother is still run by the local government.
Wang Guangmei thought: My mother practices the principle of being a person that emphasizes education and dedication throughout her life, so let her wish to return the antiquities she left behind! She decided to take the six relics to auction.
11996, at the annual autumn auction held by China-Mao Shengjia International Auction Co., Ltd. , Wang Guangmei took out six family antiques, with the original fixed price of 216,000 yuan. The auctioneer excitedly introduced: "Ms. Wang Guangmei's charity sale is all donated to the 'Happiness Project'." The atmosphere in the venue suddenly became warm. After many bidding, the last 6 antiques were sold for 566,000 yuan.
A reporter once asked Wang Guangmei: "Don't you feel sorry for selling the cultural relics you passed down from your family?"
Wang Guangmei replied: "Of course I feel sorry for donating the things left by my mother, but I feel even more distressed when I think there are so many poor mothers who can't eat enough!"
Wang Guangmei (first from left)
Over the years, as long as Wang Guangmei heard that there was a disaster, she would donate money and materials. She asked her to donate everything that could be taken out at home, and the living expenses at home were not enough. The nanny had to manage the money and only gave her 50 yuan a month. But sometimes Wang Guangmei donated the 50 yuan too.
Under the leadership of Wang Guangmei, her family also enthusiastically donated love to the "Happiness Project". During the Spring Festival in 1996, the "Happiness Project" Organizing Committee Office received a donation of 200 yuan from two elementary school students signed by Wang Beiliang and Chen Nan. The staff felt it was very meaningful and decided to send someone to investigate the situation of the two children and then write a report.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he checked, Wang Guangmei's secretary called the organizing committee: "Don't check it, Wang Beiliang is Mr. Wang's grandson, and the other is my son. Mr. Wang instructed that children must not be reported."
The next day, Wang Guangmei personally called the organizing committee: "Donating money to poor people is very good for children. Let the children feel that this is a matter of course and nature. These two children have donated money to the Hope Project every year over the years. We never praise them, but we are sure that they are right to do so. If you promote it, the children's mood of donating money will not be so pure."
There are more people in society who are influenced by Wang Guangmei and joined her kindness. At the end of 1996, Ye Hua, the widow of the late famous poet Xiao San, wrote a letter to Wang Guangmei, saying: The two editing fees (total of 1,858.56 yuan) of Xiao San's editor-in-chief of "H Revolutionary Martyrs' Poems Copy " were sent to us by China Youth Publishing House. Our whole family agreed that according to Mr. Xiao’s practice during his lifetime, this royalty should be donated to the Happy Project to help poor mothers. Although it is meager, we firmly believe that this approach is in line with Mr. Xiao’s last wish.
After receiving the letter, Wang Guangmei personally replied to Ye Hua and expressed her sincere thanks to her.
There is also an old worker from Panzhihua Steel Factory in Sichuan. He took out only 8 yuan from his pocket and donated it to the "Happiness Project", and his wife was suffering from cancer. Wang Guangmei said to the staff excitedly: "Don't underestimate the value of this 8 yuan!"
In recent years, under Wang Guangmei's running and advocacy, the "Happiness Project" has gone from small to large. 29 provinces, cities and districts across the country have carried out actions to rescue poor mothers to varying degrees, covering 389 counties across the country, with a total investment of 310 million yuan, and free distribution of various equipment and medicines for treating gynecological diseases worth more than 13 million yuan, treating 210,000 gynecological patients, and 650,000 physical examinations for poor mothers. A total of 154,000 poor mothers and families have been rescued, benefiting more than 800,000 people.
In early July 2006, the "Happiness Project" held a charity fundraising party. A painting written by Wang Guangmei "Do good deeds and dedicates love" was sold for 200,000 yuan, ranking first.
Wang Guangmei was seriously ill at the time. After her daughter Liu Ting told her the news, she actually forced her sick body to sit up from the bed, muttering her mouth: "Hold the pen, hold the pen..."
Liu Ting knew in his heart that her mother wanted to fight for the "Happiness Project" for the last bit! But unfortunately, because of the extreme weakness of the body, Wang Guangmei could no longer hold the pen at that time.
On October 13, 2006, Wang Guangmei was already in her dying moment. Liu Ting walked to the bedside and said to her, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll help you with the 'Happiness Project'."
Liu Ting
At this time, Wang Guangmei could no longer speak. She looked at her daughter with gratitude, and then she struggled to lift her thin fists and bowed. Liu Ting was crying like rain, holding her skinny mother, saying, "Don't bow, I can't bear it!"
On the 4th day after Wang Guangmei's death, China Poverty Alleviation Foundation officially awarded her the "China Poverty Elimination Achievement Award".
The second thing: I returned to Liu Shaoqi's hometown many times and contributed to the construction of the Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall
Wang Guangmei returned to Liu Shaoqi's hometown for the first time in May 1961. At that time, our country was in a difficult period of three years. In order to timely and comprehensively grasp the real situation and first-hand materials in the countryside, Liu Shaoqi decided to conduct on-site investigations in rural Hunan, and Wang Guangmei and him returned to their hometown in Hunan.
htmlOn the morning of May 8, Liu Shaoqi and Wang Guangmei came to the home of Liu Shaode, the sister of Zhao Jiachong. I saw an elderly and listless old man lying in the room. Liu Shaoqi immediately recognized that this was his sister. When his sister got married in 1907, he was the one who accompanied his mother to see her here!
Liu Shaoqi and Wang Guangmei each held one of her sister's hands and said to her: "Hello sister, sister! We are visiting you! "
Liu Shaoqi shook hands with the villagers
But Liu Shaode did not react after hearing this. The niece Lu Xinxiu on the side said with red eyes: "Uncle, aunt, you are back! My father passed away last year, and mom was very sad. When this disease is urgent, I became confused..."
It turned out that in 1960, my brother-in-law Lu Ruilin wrote a letter to Liu Shaoqi to report the difficulties of life. Wang Guangmei sent 60 yuan. After receiving the money, Lu Ruilin bought some meat. Because he was usually hungry, he ate a lot at one time. Unexpectedly, because he couldn't digest or pull it out, he was suffocated to death. Liu Shaode couldn't afford to get sick because of this and became confused.
At this time, Lu Xinxiu's husband Huang Liusheng came back from the field. Liu Shaoqi knew that Liusheng was an honest man. He knew how to work all day long and rarely said children's words. He asked Liusheng: "Liusheng, aren't you sick? Why are you going to plow the field again? Seeing that your legs are swollen, didn't you see the doctor? How could you not rest?"
Huang Liusheng replied: "Look, the doctor has asked him to rest a long time ago, but he didn't go to the field to work. He could only eat five taels of rice a day, and he could eat more than one pound of work!"
Liu Shaoqi said after hearing this, "Oh, so that's it!" He felt very painful in his heart.
This time, Liu Shaoqi obtained a large amount of first-hand materials that reflected the real situation in the countryside, providing a solid basis for the Party to solve the problems existing in rural areas at that time. The poor life of the masses also left a deep impression on Wang Guangmei's heart, which also added to her deep concern for the people in her hometown.
Liu Shaoqi chatted with the masses
1983 On November 27, 22 years later, Wang Guangmei returned to her hometown Huaminglou again. Surrounded by the villagers, she walked towards the familiar Liu Shaoqi's former residence and saw the seven big words "Comrade Liu Shaoqi's former residence" hanging above the gate. This was written by Deng Xiaoping himself. She couldn't help but stop and stare for a long time.
Then Wang Guangmei entered the former residence, carefully looked at the photos displayed inside, and carefully touched each item displayed carefully. yes! All of this is so familiar, so kind, so unforgettable! This carries too much thoughts and concerns!
After the visit, Wang Guangmei asked her accompanying son Liu Yuan to take a photo at the table where his father sat, hoping that he could inherit the spirit of studying in his father's teenage years.
Then Wang Guangmei invited some leading cadres and the masses in her hometown to have a discussion. When she heard that the people's living standards had improved greatly, she said happily: "I saw new houses everywhere, and the lives of the villagers have improved. Everyone dressed beautifully. Of course, this is due to the good lines and policies since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In the future, as long as everyone implements the party's lines and policies well, life will get better and better!"
At 3 pm, Wang Guangmei, surrounded by the villagers, came to visit the grave of his mother-in-law Lu's grave. Lu died of illness as early as 1931, and Wang Guangmei only saw her in the portrait of Liu Shaoqi preserved. Wang Guangmei has always respected her mother-in-law very much. For many years, she has kept the only portrait of her mother-in-law during her lifetime. The Heavenly King Guangmei put pine branches on her mother-in-law's grave and bowed three times.
Wang Guangmei has said to her children many times: "I come to Huaminglou and should come to worship my mother, because Comrade Shaoqi is very filial to his mother." It is precisely because of his deep respect for mothers all over the world that Wang Guangmei resolutely launched the "Happiness Project" in her later years, regardless of her age, and made important contributions to our country's charity.
988, the Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall officially opened after preparation. Wang Guangmei is well aware of the importance of cultural relics to the memorial hall, and she has donated a large number of precious cultural relics about Liu Shaoqi to the memorial hall on many occasions. Among the cultural relics donated by
, there is a pair of dark blue nylon socks that Wang Guangmei cherishes the most. This pair of socks was given to Liu Shaoqi by a Japanese friend in the early 1960s. At that time, this kind of socks were quite rare in China. Liu Shaoqi wore them again and again, and had to be patched. After Liu Shaoqi passed away, Wang Guangmei wore this pair of socks for more than 10 years. The soles and roots were no longer decent. She used patches to patch them up layer after layer. Despite her reluctance, Wang Guangmei still donated the socks with tears in her eyes.
Since returning to his hometown in 1983, Wang Guangmei has also returned to Huaminglou four times. The last time was in October 2003. Xiao Pugang, director of the Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall, made a special trip to Beijing to invite Wang Guangmei to return to Huaming Building to attend the "Commemoration of the 105th Anniversary of Comrade Liu Shaoqi's Birth and the Opening Ceremony of Huaming Moral Education Park". She happily agreed.
Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall
November 24, 2003, Wang Guangmei, who was already 81 years old, stepped on the land of Huaminglou again. When she saw that the construction of the Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall was getting better and better, she couldn't help but say to everyone happily: "Seeing that this place is built so well, I sincerely thank you everyone! I hope you will manage and make good use of the memorial land so that it can play a greater role!"
When she parted, the villagers were reluctant to part with Wang Guangmei, and hoped that she would go back to her hometown to take a look on the 110th anniversary of Liu Shaoqi's birth in 2008. But unfortunately, Wang Guangmei did not wait until that day. She unfortunately died of illness on October 13, 2006 at the age of 85.
Before Wang Guangmei passed away, her children asked her if she had any wishes. She said 3 words: "Huaminglou!"
The short 3 words made everyone present burst into tears. Wang Guangmei was still thinking about her hometown until the last moment of her life!
The third thing: work hard to be a bridge for communication between Mao and Liu
On early summer night in 2004, Wang Guangmei, who was 83 years old and rarely went out for social engagements, instructed her son Liu Yuan to invite Li Min and Li Na families to have a meal together. Wang Guangmei also specifically told her son to prepare early because it was a gathering between the two families, so she would not bother the secretary and others.
In fact, the relationship between Mao and Liu families has never been separated. Li Min and Li Na sisters often come to visit Wang Guangmei. On October 18, 1996, the Xiling Yangtze River Bridge of the Three Gorges Project was officially opened to traffic. Liu Yuan, who was the political commissar of the Armed Police Hydropower Command at that time, took the time to meet Li Ne who came here to visit this afternoon.
Liu Yuan and Li Na
After Liu Yuan and Li Na met, the two hugged each other tightly. Li Na looked up and down at Liu Yuan and found that he had already put on the rank of Major General of the Armed Police . He couldn't help but sigh: "Is it Yuanyuan, or Yuanyuan when he was a child? When I was a child, I liked Yuanyuan the most. Yuanyuan was very beautiful when he was a child, and now he is a major general!"
Liu Yuan quickly said: "I also liked Sister Li Na the most at that time. The eldest sister was also very young and beautiful at that time!"
Although Liu Yuan was 45 years old at this time, Li Na still called him "Yuanyuan" like when he was a child. She kept praising Liu Yuan and said: "I heard that you have been transferred to Armed Police Hydropower Force , and you did a good job! Since the Three Gorges Project started, you have been to the construction site. 28 times! How proud you can do the Three Gorges Project with your own hands! "
Liu Yuan said humorously: "You should be proud too. With your younger brother doing the Three Gorges Project here!"
The last two took a photo together. Liu Yuan also told Li Na: "In the future, the Three Gorges Dam is built. Uncle Mao's name and his big words "High Gorges Out of Pinghu, I am shocked to the world" are engraved on the dam. Let the wishes of the two old chairmen become a reality in the hands of our children!"
Wang Guangmei's banquet for Li Min and Li Na is set at 7 pm on a Sunday. Liu Yuan, the contact person for the party, came to the hotel early to wait. After a while, Li Min and his daughter Kong Dongmei and Li Ne arrived one after another. Liu Yuan quickly welcomed them into the hall and arranged for them to sit down and rest.
After a while, Li Na's son Wang Xiaozhi ran in with great enthusiasm. He ran and said, "The car is too congested, it's time to hit it, it's time to hit it!" Everyone laughed after hearing this.
Liu Yuan first chatted with everyone, and he said to Li Min: "Dongmei doesn't believe that I have attended your wedding. Do you remember? We also performed a show!"
Kong Dongmei said seriously: "Then why are you not in the photo taken by my mother when she got married?"
Li Min smiled and said, "At that time, he was not as tall as his butt, and even if he lined up to take photos, he couldn't take pictures! (Liu Yuan was 8 years old at the time)" After everyone heard this, they burst into laughter.
At this moment, Wang Guangmei walked in with the help of her daughter Liu Tingting. Li Min and Li Na hurriedly came forward and held her hand tightly.
Wang Guangmei, Li Min and Kong Dongmei
When eating, Li Min and Li Na sat on both sides of Wang Guangmei. The two families raised their glasses frequently, wishing Wang Guangmei good health and longevity.Wang Guangmei smiled and said to Li Min and Li Na, "You are both weak and not young, but you are still much younger than me, so you should pay more attention!"
Then Wang Guangmei raised her glasses to Li Min and Li Na, "Take care!" She raised her glasses to Kong Dongmei and Wang Xiaozhi and said, "I wish the children a bright future!"
During the meal, Liu Yuan stood up, pulled Wang Xiaozhi to Wang Guangmei, and said to her, "Look, does Xiaozhi grow longer and get better." Like the photo of Uncle Mao wearing an octagonal hat ? "
Wang Xiaozhi waved his hand and said, "No, don't look like it!"
Liu Tingting smiled and said, "It's not that he doesn't look like it, do you want to say he can't look like it, right?"
The atmosphere of the banquet this day was very good. It took more than two hours in total. The recorder took scenes full of laughter and joy.
Mao and Liu families took a photo
After this party, Kong Dongmei wrote an article with more than 3,000 words titled "When the mountains are full of friendship, different - Side note of the gathering of descendants of Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi families." Before the article was published, she specifically asked Liu Yuan to modify it.
Liu Yuan added this passage to the article:
or they are right: After all, the people are the real heroes; fortunately, history is written by the people. Now, the people have inherited them and surpassed them, embarking on the road of prosperity, prosperity, self-esteem and self-improvement.
Yes, the two great men left endless spiritual wealth to their families, future generations and the people!
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