At the meeting, he sat quietly in his seat, with gray hair, dull skin, and a large and small face covered with old-fashioned spots. Premier Zhou, who was originally heroic, looked extremely vicissitudes, and even the suit that had been fitted became much more generous.

Preface

On January 13, 1975, Premier Zhou Enlai attended the first session of the Fourth National People's Congress. At the

meeting, he sat quietly in his seat, with gray hair, dull skin, and a large and small face covered with old-fashioned spots. Premier Zhou, who was originally heroic, looked extremely vicissitudes, and even the suit that had been fitted became much more generous.

When it was Premier Zhou's turn to speak, he stood up tremblingly from his seat, his hands shaking constantly.

Everyone in the meeting knew that the beloved Premier Zhou was already terminally ill. He did not listen to the doctor's dissuasion and insisted on unplugging the infusion tube to preside over the meeting.

Under the high-intensity work pressure for many years, Premier Zhou's body finally couldn't bear it. Not long ago, when Premier Zhou was just admitted to the hospital, the staff measured his weight and other data for him to facilitate the use of the dose in the future. When Chairman Mao learned about Premier Zhou's real weight, he rarely got angry with this good friend and old comrade who had supported each other for most of his life:

"Enlai, you are like this, why do you still lie to me!"

Premier Zhou, who has always been realistic, has something unhappy with Chairman Mao? Is there any misunderstanding between the two?

pic | Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou

1. The family has fallen, and three mothers help him soar

Zhou Enlai, whose courtesy name is Xiangyu, was once named Feifei, Wu Hao, Shaoshan, Guansheng... Originally from Shaoxing, Zhejiang.

1898 On March 5, 1898, Zhou Enlai was born in a remote alley in the eastern suburbs of Huaian, Jiangsu Province.

His father Zhou Shaogang is a scholar. He passed the exam for scholars when he was young and served as a "national student" and "maintaining title".

Due to life, Zhou Shaogang has done documents and sent and received documents. He is upright, honest and honest, and has a strong opinionated attitude.

Mother Wan Dong'er is a lady from a family. She is kind and cheerful, and she is competitive by nature.

Zhou Enlai is the eldest grandson of the Zhou family. Zhou Shaogang and Wan Dong'er were ecstatic. They named this precious son "Da Luan". ( Zhou Enlai's nickname, the legendary "Da Luan" ( Qingluan ) is a bird that symbolizes good luck and good luck )

As mentioned in the previous article, Zhou Enlai's ancestral home originated in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and his grandfather moved to Huaian, Jiangsu for this generation.

In the writings of Mr. Lu Xun, Shaoxing has two famous professions, one is a businessman who sells "Shaoxing rice wine", and the other is "Shaoxing army".

Zhou Enlai's ancestors were all authentic Shaoxing masters, and their conditions were much better than ordinary families.

By the generation of Zhou Enlai's father Zhou Shaogang, the originally prosperous Zhou family had already declined.

Zhou Shaogang's four brothers are the second, and his eldest brother and sister-in-law have not given birth to a son and half of their daughter after many years of marriage.

plus my father is old and weak, the burden of life is all on Zhou Shaogang's shoulders.

When Zhou Shaogang was eighteen years old, he married Zhou Enlai's biological mother Wan Donger through his father's introduction.

Dong'er ranks twelve at home, and people call her "Wan Shier Gu". At the end of the 219th century, the corrupt and incompetent Qing government signed unequal treaties with Western countries, and the feudal dregs remained in every corner of society at that time.

Picture | Premier Zhou’s former residence in Huai'an, the two hanging images on the wall are his parents.

As the elderly, women have low social status, and are not allowed to go to school easily, and they also have to bind their feet.

0 Wan Dong'er is straightforward. Unlike other conservative women, she insists on going to school and takes the lead in refusing foot binding.

From this point of view, Wan Dong'er seems to be a "thorn"; at least in feudal society more than 100 years ago, her personality was not likable, and it was not easy to find a husband's family with a good match.

This made Zhou Enlai's father Zhou Shaogang get a big advantage.

After marrying into the Zhou family, Wan Dong'er showed her unique temper and managed the entire family inside and outside in an orderly manner.

When Zhou Enlai grew up to 7 to 8 years old, Wan Dong'er often took him to attend some social engagements. Although he was a woman, Wan Dong'er's actions when talking to others and handling disputes left a deep impression on Zhou Enlai.

Zhou Enlai's future political career and when he was in charge of diplomatic affairs, naturally inherited the cheerful personality, understanding and capable style of his biological mother Wan Donger, and his decisiveness in dealing with problems.

However, even if Wan Donger is so down-to-earth and capable, she still cannot resist the influence of feudal dregs.

When Zhou Enlai was less than one year old, his uncle Zhou Yigan was critically ill. Under the persuasion of relatives and friends, Zhou Shaogang and his wife reluctantly gave up their love and adopted their son Zhou Enlai to their fourth brother. (Changxi)

So Zhou Enlai had a second mother in name, that is, his aunt Zhou Chen.

The second month when Zhou Enlai was adopted by his uncle, Zhou Yigan passed away. Fortunately, Zhou Chen also had an adopted son, and she cared for Xiao Enlai more carefully.

Zhou Chen's father was a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. He was influenced by his family since childhood. She was good at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

If Zhou Enlai learned the understanding and capable way of dealing with his biological mother Wan Dong'er, then he learned the profound principles of being a human being by his side.

The two mothers have such huge differences in personality, which makes Zhou Enlai "move and still" in the future.

In addition to these two mothers, Zhou Enlai also has a wet nurse named Jiang Jiang, who was invited by Zhou Chen from the countryside to take care of Zhou Enlai.

Jiang Jiang never went to school since he was a child, and his family conditions were very ordinary. He was a genuine rural woman.

She has both the characteristics of kindness and kindness of the working people, and also has bad habits such as the lower-class civilians who like to take advantage of small gains.

Alongside the wet nurse Jiang Jiang, Zhou Enlai has absorbed many excellent qualities of the working people. Sometimes she would take Zhou Enlai to the countryside to play. There, like Mr. Lu Xun, Zhou Enlai met many friends like Runtu and witnessed the poverty of ordinary people.

, one of the three mothers, gave Zhou Enlai life; one taught Zhou Enlai the basic principles of being a human being; the other made Zhou Enlai understand the difficulty of the people at the bottom.

The special life and surrounding environment have caused Zhou Enlai to develop noble sentiments since he was a child. He never acts as a young master, and will deal with anything calmly and maintain a tireless original intention.

pic | Jiang Jiang’s image in film and television dramas

That’s why people say- Good tutoring is the most important soil for cultivating a child.

It is precisely because of the sunshine of maternal love and the kindness of the aunt and wet nurse, Zhou Enlai will remain calm in all kinds of environments in the future, laying a good foundation for governing the country.

Despite this, Zhou Enlai is in the transition period of the old and new society. Those big families that have reproduced for hundreds or even thousands of years are inevitably out of touch with the trend of the times.

At the very least, the family will be in ruins, and at the worst, the family will be destroyed.

The wheel of history swept over with the torrent of the times, and the Zhou family gradually became decayed and declined.

Thanks to Zhou Enlai's biological mother Wan Dong'er tried her best to handle housework, she barely saved the crumbling Zhou family.

Zhou Enlai clearly remembers that when he was 8 years old, his mother Wan Donger and others paid for a lottery ticket and won a prize of 5,000 yuan.

, but this family consumes too much money every day. Relying on Zhou Shaogang's meager salary alone, it is simply ineffective. The huge 5,000 yuan is quickly spent.

When Zhou Enlai was 9 years old, his family could only rely on his mother to borrow money and pawn.

In the spring of 1907, the biological mother Wan Donger died of gastric cancer due to overwork, which hit Zhou Enlai deeply.

In the summer of 1908, my aunt Zhou Chen was infected with tuberculosis due to long-term weakness and illness. In less than two years, Zhou Enlai lost his two favorite mothers, and his happy childhood came to an abrupt end. What made Zhou Enlai even more sad and angry was that because his family had no money to bury his two mothers, his father Zhou Shaogang went to borrow money one by one with a face, and suffered countless rolls of eyes. He almost begged to bury the two mothers with the dozens of yuan he borrowed.

2. A life legend, Premier Zhou joined the revolution as a teenager

. Because Zhou Enlai's uncle Zhou Yigeng and his biological father Zhou Shaogang worked in other places all year round, their uncle Zhou Yigan died prematurely due to illness, and another uncle lost his ability to work because of hemiplegia.

As the eldest grandson of the family, Zhou Enlai, who was just 10 years old, helped his father Zhou Shaogang take on the burden of supporting his family with his tender shoulders.

Without the protection of his biological mother Wan Dong'er, Zhou Enlai deeply tasted the warmth and coldness of the world.

Slowly, the entire Zhou family was almost empty-handed, and anything that could be exchanged for money had been taken away, and life was very difficult. The relatives around

are also in poor living conditions. If you want to borrow money, you will basically return in 1009 times.

When it was even the poorest, the house in his hometown in Huai'an was mortgaged and he could only make ends meet by borrowing money.

Despite this, some relatives, friends and elders in the family asked Zhou Enlai to copy a photo of relatives and friends' birthdays. On these days, even if they borrow money, they would give gifts and kowtows. They must not delay etiquette.

Zhou Enlai was indignant about these ignorant behaviors of , but he was unable to stop his resistance, which made him eager to break the feudal shackles.

In order to borrow money and to deal with creditors, Zhou Enlai needs to go out for social activities frequently and ask others to give him a grace.

Every time you laugh and socialize, Zhou Enlai's thoughts and feelings were extremely cold. he could no longer see the future direction of society and nation. It was inappropriate to describe Zhou Enlai at that time, and he should have "swept all thoughts".

At this moment, Zhou Enlai met his first political enlightenment teacher in his life, and his cousin Gong Yinsun.

Gong Yinsun followed Mr. Sun Yat-sen in his early years and read the Four Books and Five Classics. However, he was a revolutionary figure. Whenever Zhou Enlai had time, he went to his cousin's uncle's house and studied with his cousin.

In addition to many ancient books, my cousin's family also has many progressive newspapers and magazines, which broaden his thoughts.

Picture | Zhou Enlai at the age of 11

When Zhou Enlai was 13 years old, his uncle, who was far away in Shenyang, Liaoning, asked someone to send a message back to his hometown in Huai'an, wanting to take Zhou Enlai to go to Northeast China to go to school.

It turns out that my uncle Zhou Yigeng went out to live and had made some achievements in the northern region and had a stable life. Because he had no children, he always wanted Zhou En to come to live by his side. After all, everyone is a close uncle and nephew, and there is a way to take care of each other.

This made Zhou Enlai very excited, and he could finally continue to study.

When he was about to leave, the third mother (wet nurse Jiang Jiang) packed his clothes one by one for him, reluctantly sending away this child whom he regarded as his own.

When he parted, Zhou Enlai looked back at his hometown in Huai'an that he hated and loved, and his thoughts were filled with thoughts. He turned around and left the hometown of fish and rice in Jiangnan and went to Liaodong .

Zhou Enlai actually didn't have much nostalgia for this closed small town. The only thing he was reluctant to leave with was the teachings of the three mothers and the wonderful time in his childhood.

He was even less aware that he never returned to Huai'an again after leaving.

In the spring of 1910, Zhou Enlai successfully arrived in Shenyang, Liaoning. His uncle Zhou Yigeng had been waiting outside the train station for a long time, and he enthusiastically helped Zhou Enlai carry his luggage.

and his group were about to return to their residence. The uncle took Zhou Enlai's hand and pointed to a more prosperous area not far outside the railway station and said: "Don't come here to play when you are fine...."

Before he finished speaking, a car coming quickly swayed from side to side, and "boom" hit a sister holding a child.

The perpetrator didn't even get out of the car and continued to stagger. The eldest sister who was hit was bleeding from her mouth and nose, and she seemed to be unable to survive.

When the foreigner hit someone, there were several policemen patrolling nearby, but the police were indifferent. According to Zhou Enlai's idea, "Murder and repay your life, and pay your debts." Since you hit someone to death, you must receive some compensation and accept legal sanctions.

Perhaps he saw his thoughts, and his uncle said earnestly to Zhou En. "This is the concession of foreigners, that is, the territory of foreigners. If you accidentally cause trouble and don't even have a place to reason, then the elder sister will die in vain."

Zhou Enlai said in confusion: "This is China's territory after all, why are those foreigners allowed to show off their power?"

The eldest uncle replied sadly: "China is absurd!"

After saying that, he hurriedly took Zhou Enlai's hand and bypassed the concession and returned home.

In the autumn of 1910, Zhou Yigeng sent Zhou Enlai to the newly built Liaoning Dongguan Model School to study.

In order to understand major events at home and abroad, Zhou Enlai used his pocket money to subscribe to a Times.

At this time, the Northeast was in a chaotic situation. Not long after the Russo-Japanese War of , ended, more than 100,000 innocent Chinese people died.

Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula, which was only separated from China by force, and then became even more arrogant. It even threatened to adopt the three northeastern provinces of , as the territory of the great Japanese empire. Tsarist Russia declined and did not dare to resist at all.

This scene made Zhou Enlai very sad and angry.

He not only wanted to participate in the revolution to drive away Japanese pirates, but also wanted to awaken the wisdom of the people and make the people stronger.

When the news of the Wuchang Uprising reached Shenyang, Zhou Enlai cut off his braid symbolizing humiliation in order to show his support for the revolution, which attracted the students to follow suit.

One day in class, the principal of Dongguan Model School suddenly had a whim and went to the class to ask the students : "Why do students study?"

Many students said : "Study for the sake of understanding, keeping books for parents, and reading for the glory of the family." . These answers are not very satisfied with the principal.

Zhou Enlai stood up, neither humble nor arrogant, and replied in the heavy Huaian dialect : "Study for the rise of China."

's powerful words made the principal ecstatic. He patted Zhou Enlai's shoulder and said to his classmates : "Those who have ambition should follow Zhou Sheng."

During the three years of school in Northeast China, Zhou Enlai often went to school to help teachers work early. He had good academic performance, but never proud, which left a good impression on all teachers and students in the school.

After Zhou Enlai finished his primary school course, he left Shenyang with his uncle to Tianjin in the spring of 1913, and was admitted to Nankai School with excellent results.

Picture | Zhou Enlai (first row, left) who is studying at Nankai School

Nankai School is a middle school opened in modern China according to the Western, European and American school management methods. The two founders, Zhang Boling, and Yan Xiu , are both very famous and have relatively open minds.

Because of its excellent grades and outstanding performance during school, Zhou Enlai became the only student in Nankai School to waive all tuition and miscellaneous fees.

In September 1917, Zhou Enlai graduated from Nankai School and went to study at Meiji Law School in Japan; in 1919, Zhou Enlai participated in the May Fourth Movement and was arrested. Under pressure, Mr. Yan Fansun expelled Zhou Enlai from school and donated 7,000 ocean for free to support Zhou Enlai and Li Fujing to study in France.

While studying in France, Zhou Enlai met Comrade Xiaoping, who also worked part-time to earn money, and the two of them were like each other and soon became revolutionary comrades-in-arms fighting side by side.

1921, Zhou Enlai joined the Communist Party in France and returned to China in 1924. After

, Zhou Enlai has been active on the frontline of the revolution and has led many workers' movements.

In August 1925, Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao officially got married; in 1927, after the failure of the Nanchang Uprising, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De heard that Chairman Mao established a revolutionary base in Jinggangshan, and decided to go north to meet with Chairman Mao and CEO Chen Yi in Jinggangshan.

Picture | Zhou Enlai during the Whampoa Military Academy

After Zhou Enlai participated in the Long March , the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the War of Liberation, and presided over the "KMT-Communist Negotiation".

In his more than one year of military career, Zhou Enlai has always firmly supported Chairman Mao. They worked hard and experienced countless hardships. Finally, in October 1949, he gloriously announced on the Tiananmen Gate Tower that "the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China has been officially established!"

3. He has been busy every day. Chairman Mao blamed Enlai for "living him"

1954, Zhou Enlai led the diplomatic department to attend the " Wanlong Conference " and put forward the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence".

From December 1956 to February 1957, Zhou Enlai visited 11 countries in Asia and Europe without stopping.

Through diplomatic actions, it not only improved the People's Republic of China's international status, but also won the help of many allies.

This is why the "Resolution 26" proposed by the 26th United Nations General Assembly in October 1971 brought China back to the United Nations as one of the permanent members and expelled representatives from Taiwan Province, China.

In the 1970s, China and the United States established diplomatic relations. The then US President Nixon commented on Zhou Enlai: "He is one of the most impressive people I have ever seen. He treats people modestly and elegantly, and has made great contributions to Sino-US relations."

However, long-term overload work has long made Zhou Enlai's body light up.

In May 1972, Zhou Enlai underwent a physical examination. This examination didn’t matter. Full-time health care doctor Zhang Zuoliao found that the examination report contained four red blood cells .

After a closer look, Zhou Enlai found red blood cells in his urine, which were likely to be urinary tract infection or prostate, bladder tumor , or even cancer.

Zhang Zuoliang dared not think too much, so he hurriedly contacted the hospital leaders to prepare for a comprehensive examination for Premier Zhou.

On May 15, 1972, the Prime Minister's detailed examination report was released, and the results showed that Premier Zhou was suffering from "transplanar epithelial cell carcinoma of the bladder".

has been tested several times in a row, and the results show that they are all cancers. The medical staff did not dare to tell Premier Zhou, so they notified Sister Deng first. Deng Yingchao forced Zhou Enlai to put down his work and go to the hospital for treatment.

Not long after, Premier Zhou did not say hello to anyone, and secretly ran out and returned to Zhongnanhai to continue working. The staff of the

hospital hurriedly chased out and asked Premier Zhou to return to the hospital for treatment. However, he told the doctors : "Don't worry, let me get through this period first. What's the way to detect cancer? I'm so old, I can just work for a few more days." The doctors of

were so anxious that no one could stop the Prime Minister from continuing to work.

In January 1973, Zhou Enlai had an extremely serious blood stool in his office, indicating that his body reached the critical point and that his body would not be admitted to the hospital for treatment and recuperation, the consequences would be unimaginable.

If Sister Deng is still in the West Flower Hall of Zhongnanhai, Zhou Enlai takes care of his wife and pretends to take a few days off; once Deng Yingchao is on business, the Prime Minister will do his own thing.

had no choice but to find Marshal Ye Jianying and ask him to persuade the Prime Minister. Ye Jianying knew that no one except Deng Yingchao could persuade Premier Zhou to continue working, so he had to tell Chairman Mao about the matter.

Chairman Mao was also in poor health at the time. He heard the news that Premier Zhou was extremely weak. Based on his concern for his old friends and old comrades, Chairman Mao asked Zhou Enlai to stay in the hospital for a while in a half-joking and half-order manner.

In March 1973, doctors temporarily set up an operating room in Yuquan Mountain to perform the first operation for Premier Zhou. The

operation was very successful, and the hospital staff were relieved. However, postoperative rehabilitation is very important. They tried their best to ask the Prime Minister to stay in the hospital for rest so that it can be observed at any time.

Picture | Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao

Because of the "learning from the past", the leaders of the hospital directly formed a nursing team and followed Premier Zhou 24 hours a day, just not allowing him to go back to work.

There were even people crying and kneeling to let Premier Zhou recover with peace of mind. The old man waved his hand and forced himself out, and returned to his job.

1974, Zhou Enlai had several surgeries throughout the year, and his condition would recur quickly after each operation.

For an elderly man in his 70s, continuous surgeries have caused him to be seriously injured. Whenever he is about to recover, Premier Zhou chooses to overdraw his body to work.

To put it bluntly, is like "the oil is gone and the lamp is gone".

The doctors repeatedly persuaded him, but Marshal Ye, Comrade Xiaoping and Chairman Mao were still useless.

In March 1974, Chairman Mao had a big physical problem and his eyes were about to be blind, so he was a little tired even when he stood up.

He endured the pain and asked the staff to ask Premier Zhou's condition?

On March 20, 1974, Premier Zhou personally wrote a letter to Chairman Mao, explaining his condition and detailed causes, including other data such as weight.

When the staff reported Premier Zhou's illness, weight and historical causes to Chairman Mao through oral statements, he was rarely angry and angry: "Enlai, Enlai, how could you lie to me for so long?"

As early as the early 1970s, Premier Zhou's health began to be ill. Chairman Mao advised him to put his health first and to let his work go.

Every time the two meet, Chairman Mao always feels that the Prime Minister's originally weak body seems to be getting thinner and thinner. He asks him how heavy it is. Every time the answer is 90~100 kilograms of .

Until March 1974, medical staff measured Premier Zhou’s weight in detail and found that his weight was only 60 to 61 kilograms.

Chairman Mao then learned : For several years, in order not to worry himself, Premier Zhou has deliberately concealed his weight.

Because both of them had physical problems, no one could visit each other, and they cared about each other, so Premier Zhou and Chairman Mao cared about each other by phone and letters.

In June 1974, Zhou Enlai had other health problems and he had to leave Zhongnanhai to go to the hospital for treatment.

Zhou Enlai changed the ward to a "temporary studio" and asked the staff to move all the information to the hospital. He wanted to continue working.

In January 1975, Zhou Enlai came out of the hospital and attended the first session of the Fourth National People's Congress.

1976 at 9:57 am on January 8, 1976, the people's beloved Premier Zhou left the people he loved forever.

Marshal Zhu De, who learned the news that day, went to Beijing 301 Hospital with crutches. Looking at Premier Zhou's body, he burst into tears and called in a low voice: "Em, open your eyes and look at me again. I am Lao Zhu."

Comrade Xiaoping was holding a meeting with Ye Jianying, Chen Xilian and others. When he heard the news, Comrade Xiaoping issued three orders in a row:

first, issued an obituary in the name of the central government, formed the funeral committee, and notified Chinese consulates abroad to lower the flag ;

second, the coastal defense forces entered a first-level combat readiness state;

third, and immediately reported to Chairman Mao about the death of Premier Zhou.

news reached Zhongnanhai, and Chairman Mao sat in front of the window and said nothing for a long time.

On January 11, 1976, hundreds of thousands of people spontaneously walked to Chang'an Street , , and sent them to the Prime Minister all the way.

Picture | Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping

Chairman Mao originally struggled to attend the memorial service, but his body could not tolerate mourning his old friend.

Conclusion

Today's China has long been reborn, and it is not the old society of "sudden revival" back then.

No country in the world dares to underestimate us. This is what all revolutionary martyrs exchanged for sweat and blood, and it is also the wish of Premier Zhou to spend his whole life.

Thousands of words can't express our gratitude to Premier Zhou. He, Chairman Mao and Comrade Xiaoping are enough to be called "great men of the century."

References:

[1] The endless discussion of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, author Zhang Suhua, Bian Yanjun, Wu Xiaomei, Literature and History Expo 2008 Issue 03

[2] Analysis of young Zhou Enlai's practice and responsibility for the original mission of the Chinese Communists, author Shi Huijing Yu Qing, Journal of the Party School of the Guilin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China 2021 Issue 04