The name He Zizhen is always closely associated with Chairman Mao in the eyes of the world. For many years, what everyone has been paying attention to is her marriage to Chairman Mao. But in the history of the Red Revolution, He Zizhen existed not only as Chairman Mao's wife, but also as an outstanding and strong female Red Army soldier, clearly existing in the memories of many revolutionaries.
In June 1979, He Zizhen was co-opted as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and soon made a request to Deng Xiaoping. After thinking for a moment, Deng Xiaoping nodded and agreed: "Agree."
So what is going on? What request did He Zizhen make? What's the meaning behind this?
He Zizhen
A small test to show off his talents
In 1909, in a small mountain village in Yongxin County, Hunan, a family named He gave birth to a girl named Zizhen. She changed her name to Zizhen when she was studying at the age of 6. When He Zizhen was a child, her family conditions were relatively good. Her father was a member of the Qing Dynasty and held certain positions. But it was a pity that due to an unjust lawsuit, the family's conditions declined.
When He Zizhen was 8 years old, his family moved to the south gate of Yongxin County, and his father opened a grocery store to support the family and provide education for He Zizhen's brother and sister. He Zizhen has been fair and tender since she was a child, and has a very pleasant appearance. As time goes by, she has become slim and graceful, and she has become a famous school beauty in Yongxin city.
He Zizhen has a somewhat shrewd personality. She, her brother He Minxue, and her sister He Yi have not been oppressed by the evil forces of the old society since they were young. At that time, it was rare for women to study, but He Zizhen still resisted public opinion and habits, studied with the support of her family, and actively supported the wave of the revolution when she was a student.
In 1925, He Zizhen joined the Communist Youth League. When the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Yongxin County, she also served as the first women minister of Yongxin County and deputy secretary of the Communist Youth League. He Zizhen's hometown is only a few dozen miles away from Jinggangshan . In her early years, she followed her father to the mountains to visit relatives. From that time on, she often heard about the heroes in the mountains who robbed the rich and gave to the poor, so she had special admiration for Yuan Wencai , Wang Zuo and others.
He Zizhen slowly discovered that this team composed of poor people was a group of green forest heroes that threatened the landlords' wealth, so she made up her mind to join this team.
He Minxue
In 1927, with the failure of the Great Revolution, He Zizhen followed his brother He Minxue to Jinggangshan and defected to Yuan Wencai and Wang Zuo who were entrenched here. From then on, He Zizhen's revolutionary life began.
On this day, He Zizhen came to the Daonan District branch to inspect the peasant movement work. As soon as he entered the village, he saw a group of people surrounding Daonan Academy. She was about to go up to ask for details, but she saw Yin Duo, the district minister of agriculture and industry, and Tang Lanying, the district women's director, approaching. At this time, some people in the crowd recognized He Zizhen and shouted: "It's Minister He, Minister He is here!"
He Zizhen shook hands with everyone and asked Yin Duo what was going on? Yin Duo told her the whole story. It turned out that under the leadership of the District Department of Agriculture and Industry, the first farmers' association was established in Xiapantian. Not long after, officers discovered that the wealthy local tycoon Yin Huchen had embezzled a lot of public funds. As soon as this result was announced, the people were angry.
Yin Huchen was very scared, so he hid at home and refused to go out. When the self-defense captain found out, he immediately led all the peasant brothers in the village to surround his house and shouted: "Down with the big tyrant Yin Huchen! Yin Huchen must admit his mistake!" When the comrades of the self-defense force kicked the door open, they saw Yin Huchen collapsed on the ground in fear.
Later, for unknown reasons, Yin Huchen died suddenly. Liu An, the chairman of the district branch at that time, took the opportunity to attack, saying that he was beaten to death by the self-defense captain Man Gu and his men. He then tied Man Gu to a wooden stake in the ancestral hall, saying that he wanted to "exchange one life for another." However, just yesterday, Mangu died suddenly. Liu An said that he committed suicide out of fear of crime, but no one knows what the truth is.
Soon after, Liu An notified Mangu's family to collect the body. This also aroused the suspicion of other members of the Self-Defense Force, which is why many people gathered near Daonan Academy. After He Zizhen learned the whole story, she came to Mangu's body. Yin Duo said to her:
"We checked and found that he was strangled to death. You can see that there is a circle of deep strangulation marks on the back of his neck and foam around his mouth. It was obviously a premeditated murder! But Liu An swore that Mangu was definitely not killed by him."
He Zizhen points He nodded and said, "Do you know where Liu An is now?" Yin Duo said, "He is hiding in his godmother's house now." Before He Zizhen could ask, Yin Duo added, "His godmother is the biological mother of our big bully landlord Long Jingquan, that is, the old monster who eats fake food!"
When He Zizhen heard this, she became interested, and she said confidently: "Okay, then let's have a chat. Capture Liu An alive and give the reactionaries a heavy blow! Then she loudly said to the people around her: "I understand everyone's mood very well. Mangu led everyone to fight against the local tyrants, but I didn't expect that this situation would happen. I believe you must be here to seek justice for Mangu!"
The villagers nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Captain Mangu is a good man. He can't just die inexplicably." He Zizhen said: "Okay, then I will take you to capture Liu An, but the premise is that you must abide by the discipline. Can you do it?" The villagers were gearing up and shouting: "We can do it!" "
Not long after, He Zizhen brought the villagers to the door of Long Mu's house. At first, the housekeeper refused to let them in. Later, He Zizhen got the idea out of sheer desperation and said that she wanted to pay her birthday to the Mother of Dragons, so she let He Zizhen in. When Mother Long knew the purpose of He Zizhen and others' coming, her face instantly darkened. Seeing this, He Zizhen said: "Since the old lady said that the person is not here, we will go back first and give you one night to think about it. We will come back tomorrow."
As soon as He Zizhen and others left, Liu An walked out. He looked uneasy and said to Mother Long: "Godmother, you said after they left "Am I safe? How about I leave now, or what if I drag you down tomorrow?" Long Mu said, "No, what if there's an ambush?"
At this moment, the housekeeper said, "I think it's safer to go through the back door." Later, Liu An walked through the back door under the leadership of the housekeeper. Unexpectedly, he was caught by Yin Duo and others as soon as he went out. He Zizhen sneered and said, "Let's see how you can escape!"
Under the light of the fire, He Zizhen smiled in victory.
and Chairman Mao got married
In October 1927, the Autumn Harvest Uprising Army led by Chairman Mao came to Jinggangshan. Among the group of people who greeted Chairman Mao at the entrance of the village, He Zizhen stood behind Yuan Wencai. After Chairman Mao shook hands with Yuan Wencai and Wang Zuo, he suddenly spotted a beautiful woman. He couldn't help but be a little shocked: He didn't expect there to be such a young woman in this place where heroes gathered.
Chairman Mao quickly came to his senses. He stretched out his hand to He Zizhen and said, "Excuse me, who are you..." Yuan Wencai quickly introduced: "This is He Zizhen, the women's minister of the Yongxin County Party Committee. She is only 18 years old this year!" After hearing this, Chairman Mao said humorously: "Original Coming here, I thought he was the daughter of some family! I didn't expect him to be our comrade."
He Zizhen, who had shaken hands with Chairman Mao, stood quietly and looked at Chairman Mao, who had long admired his name. The figure of the former committee secretary was seen to be a little thin, and his black and shiny hair was parted from the middle to both sides. At this time, He Zizhen never thought that her future life would be involved with this former committee secretary.
More than a month later, He Zizhen was transferred to the front committee as secretary, working on the third floor of Panlong Academy in Maoping. At this time, the quilt factory produced a lot of gray military uniforms. He Zizhen put on this new military uniform that Jinggangshan locals had never seen before, and became a heroic female soldier. She also became the first female Red Army soldier in Jinggangshan.
The front committee had a full-time secretary, and Chairman Mao often came to the third floor of Panlong Academy to check on the work.He read the information compiled by He Zizhen and saw that she was good at writing calligraphy, and he felt more and more fond of He Zizhen.
What made Chairman Mao even more excited was that he discovered from the conversation that He Zizhen knew the history, geography and customs of the Hunan-Jiangxi border very well, and she could also speak the local dialect. So Chairman Mao decided to ask He Zizhen to accompany him to some rural areas in Ninggang and Yongxin counties to conduct social surveys. After hearing this, He Zizhen nodded and said: "Okay, then I will be your translator!"
In 1928, Chairman Mao, accompanied by He Zizhen, went to the rural areas near Ninggang and Yongxin counties to conduct surveys. Through this period of contact with He Zizhen, Chairman Mao gradually discovered that she had a strong ability to connect with the masses and was good at inspiring people. What impressed him even more was that He Zizhen looked like a fierce, fierce and capable warrior, but she was a gentle girl at heart. This kind of character was undoubtedly Chairman Mao's favorite.
html On February 18, after the Xincheng battle ended, Chairman Mao came to Maoping from Longshi and proposed to He Zizhen: "I want to go to Xiangshan Nunnery to sort out the previous investigation reports. Can you go with me?" He Zizhen said with a smile: "As long as you don't mind it. "Abandon me is not a good word, then that's okay!"
During the seven days at Xiangshan Nunnery, Chairman Mao was organizing manuscripts every day, but in his free time, he and He Zizhen would also go for a walk on the path outside Xiangshan Nunnery, or go to the ginkgo tree to talk quietly. It was through understanding each other's life experiences and families that the relationship between the two became better and better, and for a time it developed into love.
In early March 1928, Chairman Mao, Zhang Ziqing and others led the Red Army to leave Longshi. The night before departure, Chairman Mao and He Zizhen talked a lot. He also said: "You go back to Yongxin temporarily. When I come back from southern Hunan, I will send someone to pick you up."
html In late April, Zhu De and Chen Yi led the remnants of the Nanchang Uprising and the Shonan riot armed forces to Jinggangshan. Soon after, the two regiments of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army also returned, and the two armies successfully joined forces. In the past few days in early May, Chairman Mao was busy working every day, and he did not have a little leisure time until the 7th. As soon as he was free, he thought of He Zizhen in Yongxin, so he wrote a letter to Yongxin County Party Committee Secretary Liu Zhen asking He Zizhen to come back.Chairman Mao waited for five full days, but He Zizhen was never seen. He was a little anxious, so he wrote to Liu Zhen again:
"Comrade Liu Zhen, why have Comrade He Zizhen not shown up after so many days?" Did you come back? Are you unwilling to let him go? "Where is your organizational concept?"
When Liu Zhen received Chairman Mao's letter again, he knew that he was really angry, so he quickly informed He Zizhen to go to Jinggangshan without delaying for a second.
When He Zizhen returned to Maoping, Chairman Mao was very happy to see her. He was even so excited that he held her hand and asked her questions. It felt like "a small farewell is better than a newlywed". The sudden appearance of He Zizhen also aroused the curiosity of Zhu De, Chen Yi and others, and they all asked who it was. Everyone didn't know how to introduce the relationship between He Zizhen and Chairman Mao, so they were all hesitant. Yuan Wencai happened to be there, and he said with a smile: "Her name is He Zizhen, she must be Comrade Mao's lover!"
Time passed slowly, and in mid-May, Yuan Wencai saw that the relationship between He Zizhen and Chairman Mao still failed to progress, so he decided to push them one step further. At that time, it happened that the former deputy commander of the First Division of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was getting married. Chairman Mao, Zhu De and others came to attend the wedding. During the meal, Yuan Wencai asked Chairman Mao in front of everyone: "Commissioner Mao, when can I drink your wedding wine?"
Wang Zuo spoke a little directly. He said: "Commissioner Mao, are you and Zizhen's marriage going to be put on the agenda? Don't wait for anything to happen." Zhu De drank a few glasses of wine and also He smiled and said, "Runzhi, you see, Ruolan and I are living quite well. You and Comrade Zizhen will get married sooner or later, so you have something to take care of in your life!"
Chairman Mao looked at He Zizhen with some embarrassment. He Zizhen blushed and lowered his head, then nodded shyly. Wang Zuo saw this and said with a smile: "It seems we have wedding wine again!" As soon as Wang Zuo finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
html On May 28, Xiangshan Nunnery suddenly became lively, and the wedding of He Zizhen and Chairman Mao was held here. It was said to be a wedding, but in fact there was no ceremony. Only some candies and melon seeds brought by Yuan Wencai, and everyone sat together and chatted.He Zizhen and Chairman Mao got married. They only stayed in Xiangshan Nunnery for two days before going to Tangbian Village in Yongxin County to help farmers divide their fields...
He Zizhen wanted to visit Zhongnanhai. Deng Xiaoping gave instructions: Agree.
In October 1934, He Zizhen followed Chairman Mao to participate in the famous Long March, and also suffered serious injuries on the Long March. He Zizhen gave birth to 6 children for Chairman Mao, but it is a pity that most of them suffered accidents due to the harsh war environment, and some were fostered in ordinary people's homes and their whereabouts are unknown, leaving only one daughter, Li Min.
After arriving in northern Shaanxi, although the living environment stabilized, He Zizhen and Chairman Mao often had small conflicts because of their personality differences. At the end of 1937, He Zizhen left northern Shaanxi and went to the Soviet Union via Xi'an to study. From then on, she left her beloved Chairman Mao, which also caused the most painful and irreversible tragedy in her life.
He Zizhen experienced the hardships of the world in the Soviet Union and was once imprisoned in a lunatic asylum. However, despite being in a foreign country, He Zizhen still fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother. She brought Mao Anying and Mao Anying, the two children of Chairman Mao and Yang Kaihui, to her side, and lived with Li Min, who was later sent to the Soviet Union, to deepen the relationship between the siblings.
In this way, He Zizhen lived in the unfamiliar Soviet Union with her three children. It was not until the liberation of Northeast China in 1947 that she returned to Harbin with the help of Wang Jiaxiang and his wife. However, because Chairman Mao and Jiang Qing were already married, He Zizhen was not able to live in Beijing, but was left in the Northeast.
Shanghai ushered in liberation in 1949, and He Zizhen was also taken to Shanghai. Although her brother He Minxue lived here, He Minxue was transferred to work in Fujian soon after. Despite the enthusiastic help from the organization and the company of several nieces, He Zizhen's inner loneliness could not be solved.
In 1959, 22 years later, He Zizhen and Chairman Mao met in Lushan. This was also the last time they met. During the three-year difficult period of our country, Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee gave He Zizhen meticulous care. At this time, He Zizhen was at the bureau level, but in Jiangxi she enjoyed the highest treatment in the province and could eat two taels of pork every day.
Chairman Mao has always been thinking about He Zizhen. He often asked Li Min to visit He Zizhen's mother. When he learned that He Zizhen also liked smoking, he had people quietly send Chinese cigarettes, Panda cigarettes, etc.; in addition, Chairman Mao also sent his secretary Ye Zilong to send her 500 yuan. Some leaders of the central government, such as Chen Yi, Xie Juezai and others, visited He Zizhen and conveyed Chairman Mao's greetings to her.
In the summer of 1966, He Zizhen came to Lushan again to recuperate. On this day, the reception desk arranged for He Zizhen to stay at the Lushan No. 4 Guest House, accompanied by the director Hu Chun'e. He Zizhen was not particular about her meals and would smoke one or two packs of cigarettes a day at most. She usually smoked more at night, one after another.
One night at half past one, He Zizhen had not gone to bed. Hu Chun'e was about to go upstairs to ask her to have an early rest. Unexpectedly, she heard He Zizhen call Li Min: "Is your father's health okay? You have to persuade him to take care of his body."
On September 9, 1976, Chairman Mao passed away. When He Zizhen learned the bad news, he slumped in a chair and could not recover for a long time. In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee was held, and He Zizhen was added as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which also received Deng Xiaoping's instructions.
He Zizhen was not in good health at the time. She also had this awareness, so she made a request to the organization, that is, to go to Beijing and Zhongnanhai where Chairman Mao lived. When the staff reported this request to Deng Xiaoping, Deng Xiaoping thought for a moment and then said: "Agree."
Going to Beijing has always been He Zizhen's wish in her heart. This wish has been since she returned, but it is a pity that it has never been realized. Now she finally has this opportunity, which makes He Zizhen very excited.
In September 1979, He Zizhen, accompanied by his daughter Li Min and son-in-law Kong Linghua, came to Tiananmen Square . Soon after, Li Min pushed He Zizhen in a wheelchair to Mao Zedong Chairman Memorial Hall, pay homage to Chairman Mao’s remains.
Looking at Chairman Mao's familiar face, He Zizhen couldn't help but shed tears. Then she asked the photographer to take a photo of her and Chairman Mao's stone statue. This was also regarded as her "last photo" with Chairman Mao.
On April 19, 1984, He Zizhen died of illness at the age of 74.
