In 1936, American journalist Snow met Chairman Mao in a security guard and wrote a rare oral autobiographical article in the Chairman's life. When talking about the changes in his thoughts during his teenage years, Chairman Mao mentioned to Snow a " radical " teacher:
"At this time, another thing that had an impact on me was that a 'radical' teacher came to a local primary school. He was said to be a 'radical' because he opposed Buddhism and wanted to remove gods and Buddhas. He persuaded people to turn temples into schools. Everyone talked about him. I admired him the most and agreed with him. his claim. ”
Chairman Mao and Snow were in northern Shaanxi
Mr. Li Shuqing was a native of Chong, Shaoshan, , only three miles away from Chairman Mao’s home in Shangwuchang. He was nearly 20 years older than Chairman Mao. Although he was a little-known teacher, he was an open-minded, erudite and progressive intellectual full of patriotic enthusiasm. He graduated from Xiangtan Normal School and Local Autonomous Law and Political College, and accepted the reform ideas early. He taught at Qidu School and Shaoshan Li Clan School in the West Second District of Xiangtan County for many years.
In that era, Li Shuqing was considered a rare intellectual in the countryside. He should be respected by everyone, but he was criticized a lot. He often persuaded people not to ask gods to worship Buddha, and resolutely opposed feudal superstition and feudal ethics. He advocated the abolition of temples and the establishment of schools so that children from farm families could go to school. These ideas of his were strongly opposed and even slandered by the wealthy gentry, who slandered him as an "extremist". However, Chairman Mao respected Li Shuqing very much as a person and admired his knowledge. He often went to his home to borrow books and ask for advice. He listened to his talk about current affairs, the principles of reforming and saving the country and the touching deeds of patriots, and was enlightened by democratic ideas.
When Chairman Mao was ordered to drop out of school due to conflicts with teachers and changed to several private schools, he communicated with Li Shuqing many times. Both of them hated the feudal education methods. At that time, Li Shuqing was planning a new school. Chairman Mao was the first to promise to go there to study. However, the "boss" who managed the ancestral temple ignored Li Shuqing's proposal.
Although the new school came to an end, Chairman Mao and Li Shuqing's "previous contacts" continued, and the two often discussed their views on the current situation and the future together. When Chairman Mao was about to be sent to Midian as an apprentice by his father, Li Shuqing rushed to Shangwuchang and persuaded Chairman Mao's father to let his son continue studying.
When Chairman Mao went out to study, he always went to see Mr. Li Shuqing every time he came home. This was still the case even after he participated in revolutionary activities. Even if I couldn't go home, there was always a constant exchange of letters. In February 1925, Chairman Mao returned to Shaoshan to launch the peasant movement, and Li Shuqing also returned to Shaoshan to assist in the work. He introduced his son, Li Genghou, who was a primary school teacher at the time, to Chairman Mao as his secretary. Under the leadership of Chairman Mao, Li Genghou participated in the movement to defeat local tyrants and divide their fields. He also served as a teacher at a peasant night school and became a backbone of the farmers' association. Soon, he joined the Communist Party of China under the introduction of Chairman Mao and became one of the five party members of the first party branch in Shaoshan.
By July 1925, the number of night schools for farmers in Shaoshan had grown to more than 20. At that time, we were in the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Li Genghou also participated in the work of the local Kuomintang district party headquarters under the leadership of Chairman Mao. When the local reactionary government wanted to arrest Chairman Mao, Li Genghou and others protected Mao Zedong's safe escape. After Chairman Mao left his hometown, he first went to Changsha and then to Guangdong.
In August 1925, Chairman Mao left Shaoshan for Guangzhou, where he served as the Acting Propaganda Minister of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang and edited the " Political Weekly ". He specially invited Li Shuqing to assist in running the newspaper. Although Li Shuqing was over fifty at this time, he still said goodbye to his wife and children and happily went to Guangzhou to work in the library of the Central Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang, helping Chairman Mao edit the "Political Weekly" . "Political Weekly" played an important role in criticizing and exposing the Kuomintang right wing headed by Dai Jitao . Li Shuqing, who was over fifty years old, worked diligently and conscientiously, and was highly praised by Chairman Mao.
In May 1926, Chairman Mao resigned as Acting Minister of the Central Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang. He used his relationship with the upper echelons of the Kuomintang to recommend Li Shuqing to return to Hunan to work. Li Shuqing went to Changsha and worked in the Hunan Provincial Committee to Investigate Reverse Obstetrics. This committee was responsible for confiscating the property of all warlords, their accomplices, and corrupt officials in order to provide pensions to old, weak, and disabled soldiers.
When Chairman Mao was the Acting Minister of the Central Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang, Li Jiehou, the second son of Li Shuqing, worked in the Shuikou Mountain Mine in Hunan. The mining authorities knew that Li Jiehou and Chairman Mao were from the same hometown in Shaoshan and that the two families were closely related, so they arranged for Li Jiehou to attend the National Labor Union Congress in Guangzhou in an attempt to gain some benefits for their labor union from the relationship between Mao and Li. Li Jiehou went to Guangzhou to meet Chairman Mao. After learning of his purpose, Chairman Mao told him that the labor union at Shuikou Mountain Mine was not a real workers' organization and did not represent the fundamental interests of the working class. He warned him not to attend the meeting and not to be taken advantage of. After learning the inside story, Li Jiehou followed Chairman Mao's instructions and did not attend the meeting. Chairman Mao proposed to arrange for him to work on the Guangdong-Hankou Railway.
After the failure of the great revolution , Li Shuqing lost contact with Chairman Mao, so he returned to his hometown in Shaoshan and resumed his old career as a teacher. He continued to support his children and grandchildren to follow Chairman Mao and join the revolution. After participating in the Autumn Harvest Uprising led by Chairman Mao himself, Li Genghou followed Chairman Mao to Jinggang Mountains. Li Genghou also organized the peasant armed "Xiangxiang-Ningborder Peasant Red Guard" in the border areas of Xiangtan, Xiangxiang, and Ningxiang counties to suppress the heinous tyrants and tyrants there, and his reputation was greatly enhanced. Li Gonghou and Li Deshen's uncle and nephew also joined the revolutionary ranks.
During the revolution, Li Shuqing’s two sons, Li Genghou and Li Gonghou, died successively, and his eldest grandson Li Deshen, the son of Li Genghou, also died in 1928. It can be said that it is a loyal family. Influenced by his father and elder brother, Li Shuqing's other two sons, Lianghou and Jiehou, also participated in the revolution.
After the liberation of the country, Li Jiehou wrote to Chairman Mao at the instruction of his father, asking about the whereabouts of Li Genghou. Chairman Mao immediately replied:
Mr. Jiehou: I appreciate the letter and appreciate it deeply. Brother Geng Hou has not been seen again since 1928 when he met him once in Ninggang County on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi and led his team back to Shonan. The rumors of martyrdom seem to be credible. There is no way to find out the time and place. It is a celebration that the distinguished man is alive and well, and I pray that you can extend your regards.
Mao Zedong's reply letter to Li Jiehou (photocopy)
On November 12, 1950, Chairman Mao wrote to Li Shuqing:
Mr. Shuqing: Li Genghou, Li Gonghou, and Li Deshen sacrificed their lives for the revolution, and they should all be issued glorious commemorative certificates. Please bring this to Xiangtan County Government to discuss the matter.
After seeing this letter, the relevant person in charge of the local people's government determined that Li Genghou was a revolutionary martyr based on Chairman Mao's words. Li Gonghou and Li Deshen's uncle and nephew who sacrificed their lives for the revolution were also designated as martyrs.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao received a large number of letters from relatives and friends. He basically rejected all requests for office, job, or enrollment, and asked everyone to go through normal channels. However, Chairman Mao often made exceptions for the family of loyal martyrs like Li Shuqing.
Li Jiehou graduated from the Hunan Provincial Public Industrial Vocational School in 1921. After breaking up with Chairman Mao in 1926, Li Jiehou successively worked as a draftsman, teacher, accountant, engineer, and principal of a primary school. His life was very unstable. During the Anti-Japanese War, Li Jiehou returned to his hometown and co-founded a "Sisan Higher Primary School" with more than a dozen people in Ruyiting, Qingxi Township, Xiangtan County. Li Jiehou serves as the principal as a non-party person, and there are a number of hidden Communist Party members in the school. The local landlords and gentry believed that Sixan School was the headquarters of the Xiangtan Communist Party and sued the county government. Li Jiehou guaranteed with his property and life, and through the activities of acquaintances in the county, he protected the revolutionary forces.
In the spring of 1948, shortly after Li Jiehou resigned from his job at Qingdao China Textile Company for some reason, the local Kuomintang authorities came to the company to arrest him, saying that he was "Chairman Mao's man." A man named Li Dexian was arrested. After interrogation, he was arrested by mistake and released on the spot. Li Jiehou survived.At the beginning of liberation, Chairman Mao introduced Li Jiehou to study at North China People's Revolutionary University after learning about his situation.
After negotiation with the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, Li Jiehou entered the North China People's Revolutionary University in Xiyuan, Beijing in May 1950. When he first arrived at the North China People's Revolutionary University, Li Jiehou often felt uneasy and inferior. He was new to learning Marxism-Leninism and felt very unfamiliar and was not used to the discipline and restraint of collective life. For this reason, he sometimes showed emotional instability during his studies. Chairman Mao was very concerned about Li Jiehou's studies. He once provided him with a certificate for entering and exiting Zhongnanhai . He asked Li Jiehou to go to him directly if he had anything to do. He also gave Li Jiehou a set of "Required Reading for Cadres" as a gift. Chairman Mao took Li Jiehou to Zhongnanhai for talks twice.
On November 2, 1950, Li Jiehou forwarded a letter from his father Li Shuqing to Chairman Mao, and wrote in the letter: "My school classmates are extremely indignant at the US imperialism's invasion of Taiwan and North Korea. I have expressed my opinion and will absolutely obey the anti-war work assigned to me by my superiors." Chairman Mao wrote in the space of Li Jiehou's letter:
Brother Jiehou: Please forward the other letter to Mr. Ling Zunqing. Are you OK? I wish you progress in your studies!
At the end of 1950, Li Jiehou graduated from North China People's Revolutionary University. With Chairman Mao's care, Li Jiehou was assigned to work at the Machinery Import and Export Corporation of the Ministry of Foreign Trade as an engineer. Chairman Mao knew very well that Li Jiehou studied mechanical engineering and had a good English foundation. In addition, he also did business for a period before liberation, so he was assigned to work in the foreign trade system based on his strengths. In Li Jiehou's work, he can directly negotiate business with foreign businessmen without using an interpreter.
In 1951, Li Jiehou wrote to Chairman Mao, hoping to find a school for his sister. To this end, Chairman Mao replied specifically:
Brother Hou: Please take this letter to the United Front Work Department to find Comrade Xu Bing or other comrades, and discuss with him whether there is a way to find a free or work-study school for your sister, such as obstetrics, nursing or other schools. I think that whenever possible, we should solve her study and work problems.
Not long after, Chairman Mao wrote another letter to Li Jiehou, replying to his question about finding a job for a friend named Li. :
Brother Jiehou: Li Jun has Air Force skills. Can you use this letter to go to the Air Force leadership agency for trial contact and see if it can be included? Because I don't know Li Jun's political experience, I asked him to explain everything to the Air Force Department himself.
The reason why Chairman Mao made an exception to introduce work or study opportunities to relatives and friends recommended by Li Jiehou was mainly because their family was loyal and made sacrifices for the revolution. Chairman Mao has always been thinking about Li Shuqing, his mentor who once influenced him. In July and August 1952, Chairman Mao wrote to his cousin Mao Yuju twice, inviting Li Shuqing to Beijing as a guest. In one of the letters, Chairman Mao wrote:
Mr. Li Shuqing and brother Zou Puxun had previously expressed their wish to visit Beijing. I think you can agree to use this to understand the countryside.
Although Chairman Mao was in Beijing, he always wanted to know the situation in the countryside. He often invited relatives and friends from Shaoshan to Beijing, hoping to learn about the most authentic rural areas of New China from their mouths. And to understand the truest situation, who can be more suitable than this "radical" man back then?
html On September 20, Li Shuqing, along with Chairman Mao’s childhood friend Zou Puxun, Zhang Qian, the principal of the First Normal University, and Luo Yuankun, a history teacher, took the Beijing-Hankou express train and arrived in Beijing the next day. The Communications Office of the Government Affairs Council arranged for a special person and a special car to greet them, and arranged for them to stay in the Far East Hotel, stay in a first-class room, and eat in small pots and stoves. All these traveling expenses, food and accommodation expenses were paid from Chairman Mao's salary and royalties. On the 25th, Chairman Mao sent Ye Zilong and the security chief Wang Jingxian to Li Shuqing's place, and accompanied a group of people to Wangfujing to make a set of woolen clothes, a coat, and a pair of leather shoes.
htmlOn September 26, Li Shuqing and others met Chairman Mao in Fengze Garden. When the Chairman saw that Li Shuqing, who was nearly eighty years old, was in good health, he happily held his hands and said, "You are so healthy!"
Chairman Mao chatted with several elderly people for more than an hour. Chairman Mao said: "I received a lot of teachings from you when I was a child, and you are still the enlightenment teacher of my democratic thoughts!" Li Shuqing said: "Tai Gong met King Wen in his 80s, and now he is prosperous and peaceful, and I, an old man, live a long life and feel refreshed! "
Chairman Mao asked Li Shuqing: "Is your house still the same? Have the trees been cut down?" Li Shuqing replied: "It's fine if the trees are not cut down. The mountains need to be greened. Protect it. Li Shuqing took advantage of the fact that Chairman Mao was in a good mood and submitted a report from the Shaoshan Township Party branch to Chairman Mao. After reading it, Chairman Mao said to Li Shuqing: "Mr. Shuqing, back then you strongly advocated demolishing ancestral halls, destroying temples, and setting up schools. You were a well-known radical. Now, you have to take the lead in all aspects!" Li Shuqing nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, okay, I must wear this head." "While
was talking, Chairman Mao's life secretary asked Chairman Mao to take a rest. Chairman Mao smiled and said to Li Shuqing and other teachers: "My life secretary has great power. Today, let's talk about this first. I will accompany you to visit Zhongnanhai." After visiting Zhongnanhai, Chairman Mao also invited Li Shuqing and his party to watch movies, eat, and take photos. On National Day, he also invited them to visit Tiananmen Square to watch the ceremony.
Mao Zedong and his mentors took a group photo in Zhongnanhai. From left to right: Luo Yuankun, Zhang Qian, Mao Zedong, Li Shuqing, Zou Puxun
On October 19, Li Shuqing and others went to Zhongnanhai to meet Chairman Mao for the second time. The next day, Chairman Mao sent Ye Zilong to give each person a suitcase. One day, Li Shuqing wrote a note to Chairman Mao: "Chairman, I am eighty years old and want to try aviation. I don't know if it is possible. Please approve it, Chairman." Chairman Mao quickly agreed to Li Shuqing's request. Before going back, Chairman Mao prepared gifts and pocket money for several elderly people, all of which were his own royalties.
After returning to Shaoshan, Li Shuqing told his wife and fellow villagers one by one about meeting his student Chairman Mao in Beijing, and wrote many letters to express his gratitude to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao wrote back asking him to "take care of himself" and to inform him of the situation in the countryside. Li Shuqing described the situation in the countryside in detail and wrote to Chairman Mao in a matter-of-fact manner. Chairman Mao wrote back: "I express my feelings about my hometown."
Mao Zedong's handwritten letter to his teacher Li Shuqing
In November 1952, Li Shuqing was hired as a librarian of the Hunan Provincial Museum of Culture and History. He died in February 1957 at the age of 83. Before he died, Li Shuqing repeatedly said to his children: "Please tell Chairman Mao to take good care of his health. Our country still has so many important things for him to do!" "
Chairman Mao was very sad when he learned of Li Shuqing's death. He said that Li Shuqing had done a lot of useful work for the revolution, and repeatedly asked the relevant departments to take good care of Li Shuqing's family.
Chairman Mao had a lot of correspondence with his hometown. The correspondence recipients included the chairman's early classmates, childhood friends, early teachers, friends who had helped Chairman Mao or participated in revolutionary activities together, and Families of martyrs. Most of these letters are now preserved in the Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in Shaoshan.
References
"Mao Zedong's Relics", Shaoshan Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Red Flag Publishing House
"Mao Zedong and His Fathers and Folks", Peng Zhichao, Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House
"Selected Letters of Mao Zedong", Chinese People's Liberation Army Publishing House
