pic丨Yu Qiuli
Chairman Mao personally clicked
On November 17, 1963, Premier Zhou described the achievements made on the economic front in the "Government Work Report".
When talking about the achievements made by the oil industry, Premier Zhou said: "The oil needed for my country's economic construction, national defense construction and people's lives, whether in terms of quantity or variety, can basically be self-sufficiency."
Just as Premier Zhou's words fell, thunderous applause rang out in the Great Hall of the People .
For China's oil industry, as early as the early 1960s, an American military expert said: "For Red China, oil self-sufficiency barriers are extremely serious... Red China does not have enough fuel to carry out a single one, even a defensive modernization war, not even a few weeks."
Now, the report made by Premier Zhou in the Great Hall of the People undoubtedly breaks the military expert's prediction.
pic丨Prime Zhou inspected Daqing Oilfield
Oil is an important strategic resource. Since the founding of New China, Western countries have imposed an embargo on my country; in the early 1960s, with the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations, the Soviet Union began to stop supplying refined oil that my country urgently needed, which caused great difficulties in my country's economic construction, national defense construction, and people's lives.
However, in the face of such difficulties, my country did not retreat, but began to take the path of self-sufficiency. Finally, it successfully developed Daqing Oilfield , and a large number of outstanding oil workers emerged.
Yu Qiuli, who was the Minister of and Party Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum at the time, once said: "The exploration and development of Daqing Oilfield was completely done by us Chinese people themselves, and no foreigner intervened. Facts have proved that our country is able to rely on itself, rely on itself, explore large oilfields at high speed and at high levels, and develop large oilfields, and do it faster and better than copying others in the past."
But it is also the stage of Daqing Oilfield that allows Yu Qiuli to fully utilize his intelligence and talents. Yu Qiuli showed his selfless and fearless revolutionary courage, perseverance in organizing and leading the development and construction of Daqing Oilfield, and his leadership ability and command art to organize thousands of troops to fight in a decisive battle are deeply appreciated by Chairman Mao and admired by the majority of cadres and the masses.
pic丨Yu Qiuli's old photos
Chairman Mao praised when talking about Comrade Yu Qiuli: "One of his arms is tighter than your hands!"
It is out of recognition of Yu Qiuli's work ability that in December 1964, Chairman Mao personally transferred Yu Qiuli to the National Planning Commission for leadership position.
The National Planning Commission was established in November 1952. During the planned economy period, the National Planning Commission was responsible for preparing annual and long-term national economic plans, holding the power to allocate financial, material and manpower, and playing an important role in national economic activities. However, due to lack of experience, organizational setting and planning methods were basically copied from the Soviet Union.
Chairman Mao has always been unsatisfied with this, and held a meeting in June 1964, proposing to change the method of preparing plans and carry out a revolution in planning work. However, the State Planning Commission failed to escape from its previous limitations in the process of changing its planning work methods. Chairman Mao was very dissatisfied and planned to reorganize the State Planning Commission.
However, if you want to reorganize the organization, you have to find candidates. Chairman Mao turned his attention to Yu Qiuli, who successfully organized and led the Daqing Petroleum Battle in .
Picture丨Chairman Mao
In December 1964, at a meeting, Chairman Mao proposed to transfer Yu Qiuli to the National Planning Commission to work, but some comrades believed that Comrade Yu Qiuli was a powerful general and a pioneer and might not be very suitable for the work of the Planning Commission.However, Chairman Mao did not agree with this comrade's opinion: "Comrade Yu Qiuli's work ability is obvious to all. This time, he was asked to work in the Planning Commission because he wanted to bring him a new work style!"
also agreed with Premier Zhou Yu Qiuli. After learning about Chairman Mao's appointment, he said: "I agree with the appointment of Comrade Yu Qiuli, let him break through that pool of stagnant water!"
Not long after, Premier Zhou personally found Yu Qiuli and talked: "After the organization's discussion, I decided to transfer you to the National Planning Commission."
Yu Qiuli said after hearing Premier Zhou's words: "The State Planning Commission is a comprehensive department, and its work is very complicated. I am worried that I can't do this job well."
Picture丨Prime Minister Zhou
Premier Zhou waved his hand and said: "Don't refuse anymore. This is the general ordered by Chairman Mao himself. Other comrades in the Party Central Committee also agreed to you take up this position."
That's it. In December 1964, the Central Committee appointed Yu Qiuli as the first deputy director and secretary-general of the National Planning Commission and secretary-general.
Chairman Mao’s praise of Yu Qiuli
On December 31, 1964, Li Fuchun presided over a meeting of cadres at the deputy director and above of the State Planning Commission, and Yu Qiuli attended the meeting.
At this meeting, Li Fuchun conveyed the decision of the Party Central Committee, announced that Yu Qiuli would work at the Planning Commission, and expressed his warm welcome to Yu Qiuli. Li Fuchun said:
The future party group meeting will be chaired by Yu Qiuli, and all major issues must be passed by Comrade Yu Qiuli. Everyone should learn from him and help him do a good job in the planning committee.
After Yu Qiuli came to work in the State Planning Commission, Chairman Mao decided that Yu Qiuli would be responsible for forming a "Planning General Staff Department", also known as the "Sub-Planning Commission", to focus on major strategic issues. The former "Da Planning Commission" was mainly responsible for handling the daily affairs of the Planning Commission.
pic丨Yu Qiuli's inspection work
Chairman Mao specifically explained that the "Sub-Planning Committee" is directly led by Premier Zhou, and the Vice Premiers of the State Council shall not interfere in their work.
Premier Zhou conveyed Chairman Mao’s instructions to Yu Qiuli and studied the work of the “Sub-Planning Committee” with him. Premier Zhou proposed that there are two main things to do at present: First, based on Chairman Mao’s previous instructions on the planning work, draft a "Preliminary Concept on the Revolutionary Issues of Planning Work"; second, a list of members of the "Sub-Planning Committee" should be proposed.
Yu Qiuli immediately launched an action in accordance with Premier Zhou's instructions. After several days and nights, he finally wrote "Some Preliminary Ideas on Discussing the Revolutionary Issues of Planning Work" and was recognized by Premier Zhou. Chairman Mao and other leaders of the Party Central Committee came to talk to him after reading the report drafted by Yu Qiuli, and were finally very satisfied.
On October 13, 1965, the National Planning Conference was held in Beijing.
This is the first time Yu Qiuli presided over a national planning meeting. At the beginning and end of the meeting, Yu Qiuli delivered two speeches. These speeches were full of Yu Qiuli's work style and characteristics, which brought a new atmosphere to the planned economic work at that time.
Picture丨Yu Qiuli
After the National Planning Conference ended, the Sub-Planning Committee further studied the deployment of in the third line construction of . When studying the construction of the steel industry, relevant departments reported that the steel production capacity in the third-tier area was 3 million tons and the pig iron production capacity was 1.5 million tons. Yu Qiuli asked, "How to solve the insufficient pig iron?"
Some comrades replied, "Only from the mainland."
After hearing this answer, Yu Qiuli decisively refused: "This is not possible. If the production capacity of steel and pig iron is not matched, it will not form a comprehensive capacity. In this way, a 'hard three-line' cannot be built, but only a 'soft three-line' is only 'soft three-line'. The iron production capacity must be increased in the third-line area."
In order to solve this problem, Yu Qiuli also visited the local area many times and finally successfully solved the problem.
It can be said that Yu Qiuli did not disappoint Chairman Mao’s expectations for him. He played a huge role in this job.
