Where is the difference between great men and mortals? Is the difference between great men and mortals present since they were born? Obviously not! Does it start with an enlightenment? Obviously not!
We can see from Zhu De that the difference between great men and mortals began in adolescence - mortals considered how to solve their future personal life problems, while great men had already turned their attention to the entire country and nation in adolescence, and how to save this country and nation!
Zhu De when he was studying in Göttingen, Germany
Zhu De's ancestors were originally Hakka people in Shaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, due to years of war and severe post-war epidemics, Sichuan's population dropped sharply, and a large amount of land was abandoned, and some towns even became places where tigers and wolves appeared.
At that time, in order to ensure the rule and taxation of Sichuan, the Qing government carried out large-scale immigration. This was the "Huguang Filling Sichuan" in the early Qing Dynasty. Zhu De's ancestors entered Sichuan at this time, and initially managed to make a living by operating small businesses in the area of northern Sichuan.
By the end of Qianlong, Zhu De's ancestor Zhu Wen first moved his four sons to Ma'anchang in Yilong County, and then settled in Dakou. Zhu De's grandfather Zhu Bangjun pawned the land and the thatched house for 300 yuan in 1882, and led the whole family to 2 kilometers outside the big house. He rented 16 acres of landlord Ding Qiuchuan's family to cultivate 16 acres of land, which means that the Zhu family is already the poorest tenant farmer.
Zhu De's parents had 13 children, but because they were too poor, they were unable to support them all, leaving only 6 men and 2 women. Later, all those born were forced to drown. This is really an unimaginable tragedy on earth!
Zhu De has 2 brothers and 1 sister. Zhu De's father was very loyal and honest by nature, and he only knew how to get up early and work in the fields late in life; Zhu De's mother was a very amazing rural woman, tall, strong, hard-working, and deeply understand the righteousness.
Zhu De's mother worked hard all her life. She got up before dawn every day and cooked the whole family's meal. She also had to farm, grow vegetables, feed pigs, raise silkworms, spin cotton, carry water, and carry manure. She was cooking in front of the stove the moment she gave birth to Zhu De, and her mother had the greatest impact on Zhu De's life.
Zhu De later recalled that my mother's habit of hard work and frugality and kindness still left a deep impression on me. Zhu De said that it was the knowledge my mother taught me about production and the will to revolution, and the experience of fighting difficulties. This is an ordinary and great mother.
Zhu De's family has more than 20 people, and parents who run the family must be extremely save enough to maintain the family's life. They live in a warehouse where landlords use them to store grain, and the light is dim; they eat mostly rice , sweet potato rice, mixed grain rice , and there is very little oil and salt. They have never eaten white rice. During the Chinese New Year, you have to keep a pig for a year, so that you can only eat some meat during the holidays.
If you have a good year, you may also be able to make new clothes for the children. The shoes are also made at home, and the oil used to light the lamp is made at home. This extremely hard and simple life in his youth left an indelible impression on Zhu De.
At that time, Zhu De, who was the commander of the Yunnan Army, had a large family in Luzhou, but his arrangements and organization of labor were very regular. Zhu De's grandfather, a Chinese farmer, worked diligently in the field all his life. The whole family's labor is arranged and organized by the grandmother, and all production affairs are managed and assigned by the grandmother. The first person to get up every day is my mother, then my grandfather, and then everyone gets up to do their own work. This regular and organized life since childhood has had a significant impact on Zhu Deyi's birth.
Zhu De was very stubborn when he was a child. He decided that he would do whatever he wanted to do and would never give up halfway. He has loved exercising since he was a child, such as climbing, swimming, rolling bars, etc., so Zhu De has been very strong since he was a child.
Zhu De's parents were deeply oppressed by the country gentry and landlords and bullied by the yamen servants. Their ancestors suffered from the pain of being bullied by no education for generations, forcing them to make up their minds that even if they were frugal, they would cultivate a scholar to "support the portal". Therefore, although Zhu De is a child of a tenant farmer family, he was sent to receive cultural education by his parents. Zhu De’s parents had such insights, which was very remarkable at the time.
1892, the year before Mao Zedong was born, 6-year-old Zhu De began to receive cultural education. Among the students at that time, Zhu De was the youngest, but he was very smart and studious, and recognized the most. The next year, Zhu De transferred to another private school, and his two brothers went home to farm, but because Zhu De was young and adopted by his uncle, he was able to continue studying in the private school.
Zhu De studied in this private school for 2 years. In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics, he also learned to make couplets. At this time, Zhu De's family had a heavy burden. Apart from paying 50 dan of rent every year, the surplus grain was only enough for the whole family to eat, and there was no food or clothing. In 1895, Zhu De's family was unable to pay the additional rent requested by the landlord, and was forced to withdraw the tenant and move on New Year's Eve. The big family was forced to split into two, and Zhu De moved back to Dawu with his adoptive parents.
Zhu De witnessed the tragic experience of the big family with his own eyes. The cruel reality deeply hurt Zhu De's young heart. He hated those landlords who oppressed the poor. These also made him deeply realize at a young age that there are too many unfairness in the world! These unforgettable painful experiences inspired Zhu De's thoughts on resisting oppression and pursuing light in his childhood.
After moving back to Dakou, Zhu De followed Teacher Xi Pin San to study for 8 years. This private school is 4 kilometers away from home. Zhu De gets up early every morning to do some housework first, and goes to school after breakfast. No matter how severe the cold and the heat, Zhu De has to walk back and forth four times a day. These 8 years of experience have made Zhu De develop the habit of walking fast. He spent about 6 or 7 months studying except farming every year.
This difficult life in his youth had a great impact on Zhu De: He grew up hungry since he was a child, so he was not afraid of hunger during the revolution; he worked since he was a child, and later he never felt embarrassed when he was doing physical labor; he walked so many ways every day since he was a child, and later he often marched and fought for wars for a long distance during the revolution, so Zhu De could easily bear it; he suffered so much since he was a child, so he thought that he would not feel much harder when he traveled around the world after the revolution, even when he was a child, Zhu De did not feel bitter.
Zhu De's former residence
Zhu De's private school teacher Xi Pinsan is a very knowledgeable local scholar. He has experienced many vicissitudes throughout his life, experienced all kinds of bitterness in the world, and has very good knowledge. He is a very backbone and understanding of the world. He is open-minded and likes to talk about the past and the present, criticizes the current and is very insightful. Zhu De studied with Xi Pin San from the age of 10 to 18. He was deeply influenced by Xi Pin San, which made Zhu De's horizons become more and more broad.
is studying here at Xipin San. Zhu De can teach whatever he wants. Zhu De was studious and smart, and always received praise from Xi Pin San. It was in the past few years that Zhu De not only laid a solid foundation for traditional Chinese studies, but also widely read many new books published after the Reform Movement . Zhu De always seized the time to read those "new learning" books desperately.
has read more books, broadened his horizons and increased his knowledge, and Zhu De was no longer willing to stay at home. He wanted to go to the outside world to see it. At that time, Sichuan was already on the verge of collapse in poverty and the entire social economy was on the verge of collapse. Once, Zhu De witnessed 6 or 700 extremely hungry victims being beaten and even massacred by more than 100 officers and soldiers invited by local gentry. After witnessing this extremely tragic scene, Zhu De's heart was deeply hurt.
Zhu De, under the enlightenment, guidance and education of Mr. Xi Pin San, and the many tragic things he witnessed and experienced with his own eyes, made Zhu De begin to develop simple patriotic ideas, and he is increasingly consciously concerned about the future of the country and the destiny of the nation! He did not focus his attention on himself and his family like many mortals. This is the beginning of the difference between great men and mortals!
1906, Zhu De was admitted to the Nanchong county official Li Liang class primary school. The principal of the school was Zhang Lan, a famous democrat, and Liu Shouchuan . Zhu De was greatly influenced by them, especially Zhu De often listened to Liu Shouchuan talk about the incident since the Meiji Restoration in Japan. He looked at the physical and chemical instruments and slides he brought back from Japan, which touched Zhu De very much.
Zhu De only studied in this new school for one year, but he was greatly affected. He learned a lot of principles of saving the country, began to receive scientific education, and increasingly developed the idea of "not forgetting to save the country when studying." The next year, Zhu De studied in the Sports School for another year, and Zhu De gradually developed the idea of "overthrowing the emperor and building a good country."
It can be seen from this that Zhu De, like many mortals, witnessed and experienced many tragic things when he was a child. When mortals experienced these tragic things, they often thought about how to change the fate of themselves and their families. However, great men like Zhu De never confined their vision to the narrow scope of themselves and their families, but put the entire country and nation into their hearts, thinking about how to save the country and nation. This is the beginning of the difference between great men and mortals!
References:
"Biography of Zhu De": Written by the Central Document Research Office of the CPC Central Document Publishing House August 2006
