Recently, when I recall the past, the voice and smile of a person often appear, and that is Liao Gong (Chengzhi). After looking through the information, I found that this year is the centenary of his birth, but there was no commemoration. I would like to record this fragment that remains in my memory as a centenary tribute to him.
Liao Chengzhi's family is a revolutionary family and plays an important role in the modern history of China. Liao Gong himself is also a legendary figure. There are many biographies and countless articles about his illustrious life, outstanding contributions and life treasures, as well as his own collected works, so it is not my turn to go into details.
It’s just that among his many positions, he also includes the actual main person in charge of the “Peace Movement” and the “Asian-African Solidarity Movement”. Over the past few decades, I have had many contacts with him at work, and I have been fortunate enough to go abroad with him for many meetings. And I saw it several times until the late 1970s, so I had some close-up experience. Among the senior revolutionary officials I have come into contact with, he is the most colorful, honest, innocent-hearted, and fun-loving. He can be said to be a man of good temperament. What this article narrates are just some "tiffs" of my personal experience. There is no "official history".
I first met Liao Shengcheng in the early 1950s. At that time, no matter in the circle where I worked, People of all ages called him "Liao Gong" (actually he was not yet fifty years old at that time). Only Premier Zhou Enlai called him "Xiao Liao". In my impression, he had absolutely nothing to do with being "sanctimonious", and most of the time he was not. He is laughing and joking, and seems to be joking around all the time. When his subordinates report work to him, he often doesn't speak seriously, and sometimes imitates him (her) in a humorous manner. He speaks in a tone of voice, and often calls people nicknames instead of names. For example, there is a male colleague named Liang. He imitates the accent in the Yue opera " Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" and never calls him "Brother Liang". call name During the meeting, he seemed to be taking notes in his notebook, but he was actually drawing caricatures of characters, whether Chinese or foreign, with a few strokes of outline, which were vivid and vivid. The leader's foreign language is so good (it's actually not very difficult), his English is also very good, he can take care of himself, but he is still willing to go through an interpreter for important conversations. He is impatient, and I was known for my quick reactions when I was young, so I followed him. Mostly. He never speaks in official terms internally or externally, has his own unique vocabulary, is sharp in arguments, and is humorous. Some Westerners are afraid of him and also like him. "Mr. . "Liao" did not come, they will all be a little disappointed.
Montague (Ivor), a leader of the British "Peace Movement" Montagu, a descendant of the aristocratic Montagu family, a member of the Communist Party of England, and the former chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation. He is tall and has a particularly protruding belly. He is familiar with Liao Gong and is also Liao's favorite painting. The object, both profile and frontal, are very vivid. When the differences between China and the Soviet Union were difficult to bridge but had not yet become public, the Communist Party of Britain was a representative figure. On the side of the Soviet Communist Party, Montessori often worked as a lobbyist for the Soviet side. During a group meeting, Montagu stood up and spoke non-stop. Mr. Liao happened to be sitting opposite him, bowing his head and drawing in a notebook, waiting for Montague. As soon as Gu finished speaking and sat down, Mr. Liao stood up. People thought he was going to speak. He raised the portrait of Montague he had just painted in his hand to show the crowd, which caused a roar of laughter and resolved the issue. Montagu's speech replaced serious statements and arguments.
Another time, during the break, Montague came to talk to Liao Gong. First, Liao Gong chose a caricature of himself, with an exaggerated big belly, and they laughed at each other. Laugh, let’s talk about a very serious topic. Liao himself is also fat and has a protruding belly. , but a head shorter than Montagu, and a small circle. He listened to the other person while stroking his own belly and the other person's belly in turn. Montague accidentally slipped a word (I don't remember it). What a word, it was generally a "politically incorrect" term in progressive circles at the time), Liao immediately caught it, repeated it, laughed and said: "Haha! Our comrade Montague said so! " This made the other party very embarrassed, and he hurriedly defended and corrected him. After a while, the break was over and the meeting resumed. Mr. Liao waved his hand playfully to him and returned to his seat. As a result, a serious conversation ended without getting to the point.
Montagogu is the instruction of the Soviet Union. When China could not agree, and before he publicly opposed the Soviet Union, Liao Gong sent him in his unique way to laugh and scold. Such things like this are not enough. But he joked that there are also people, only people such as Britain and France, and they are more familiar. For the representatives of the Third World, the attitude is different. People who come to talk about are mostly required support or assistance. Essence
Liao Gong always tends to be flexible and pragmatic in grasping policies. When the general atmosphere is left, he explains that the rate of work emphasizes the truth, and it is reasonable. It is often said that others should not worry about you "right". This is especially true for Japanese work. Until the "Cultural Revolution", when he presided over Japan's work, he strictly distinguished the Japanese far -rightist rightist with other circles and various Japanese people. Work. Once a certain event of "He Big" should have participated in, but because he received a group of important Japanese guests, he did not come to Liu Ning and said: As soon as the Japanese come, Liao Gong is "all kinds of products"! It shows that he attaches great importance to work in Japan. Although
did not have diplomatic relations between China and Japan at that time, it has never been broken with Japan's folk friendship and economic relations. There are many sincere friends in Japan. This laid the foundation for the successful establishment of diplomatic relations when the situation was changed in the future. Therefore, Sino -Japanese relations are a model of "promoting officials with the people". This was of course related to the central government's decision -making at that time and Premier Zhou's own grasp, and Liao Gong's special effects were indispensable.
, but in the "anti -repair" struggle after China and the Soviet Union, he treated the Soviet Union. I felt that he had long opinions on the Soviet Union. During the "unbelievable" period, I saw the private words of the Soviet Union in private, only he and Li Yinger. They are not satisfied with the "Big Brother", and they have their own views on some policy issues. I heard Liao Gong said that in the past, when Yan'an , "we" followed the Soviet policy and did a lot of wrong things. For example, American writer Anna Louis Struis was framed by the Soviet Union as a "international class". After expelled from the country, she wanted to come to Yan'an (she first visited Yan'an, and she wrote an article praising Yan'an and the CCP. The hidden cause) was rejected. She returned to the United States and of course rejected by the mainstream society, and the left of the United States also followed Moscow and did not accept her, making her situation very isolated and extremely difficult. At that time, Li Dunbai, an American who worked in , , , was implicated by the Struis case, and was also a "agent". The CCP arrested him into prison according to the requirements of the Soviet Union. Liao was the head of Xinhua News Agency at that time and handled the matter in person. Li Dunbai's newly married Chinese wife had to divorce. So when Liao mentioned this, he said that he had done a "lack of virtue". I guess that with his experience, he has a deep understanding of the historical grievances of the CCP and the CPSU. Once he can publicly criticize the Soviet Union, he does not need to "turn". Although
always does not seem to focus on the meeting, at the critical moment, the response is fast. Making decisions and instructions are rarely hesitated. In 1962, the "World Peace Council" Stockholm Conference, the Chinese delegation left the game for the first time to protest the Soviet representative's speech on the national independence movement, marking that China and the Soviet Union broke publicly in "Heyun", which was his leader. At that time, I saw the seat of the Chinese delegation from the translated box at the time. I saw that Liao Gong suddenly took off his headset and threw it on the table. He stood up and walked away. This is to cut first and then play. The "exit" is not among the "plan" before going abroad, but the debate between China and the Soviet Union has been made public. Later, the Soviet representative's speech was written as one of the "Nine Comments" of the Sino -Soviet public argument as a example of the Soviet "Slandering National Independence Movement" (how to look at the right and wrong of those specific issues today).
Afterwards, he and Liu Ningyi (another leader of the delegation) and half -jokingly warned the Chinese league members: "You can't retreat easily. If you don't get tired in the future, you will leave. No! "I realize it, the masterpiece here is also an art.
and mother He Xiangning Elderly
have experienced countless stormy waves in his life. But he rarely tells the story of revolutionary experience and fighting stories. It only claims to be an "international jail expert": foreign, China, Kuomintang, and the Communist Party's prisons have sat seven times: Japan three times, the Netherlands once, the Kuomintang twice, the Zhang Guozhang prisoner once on the Long March (later during the "Cultural Revolution" period was the period of being the period of "the Cultural Revolution" period. Zhou Enlai specially protected for five years under house arrest. He claimed to be "half"), and he died a few deaths.
Remember that he said that he was a prisoner at Zhang Guozhang. He was originally among the killing, and he could save him. Zhang needed him to draw publicity and painting. Later, Zhou En came to Zhang Guozhang and cleverly rescued him.
has read countless people, and many celebrities are at hand. They are all fun. Speaking of Japanese , he said that Japanese men, women, and people with different identities are different, especially in honor and words, and hear the speaker's identity when he hear. For example, a girlfriend (at that time was also a leading cadre) originally worked as a Japanese prisoner of war in the liberated area. As a result, he learned a fluent "Qiu Baba" and couldn't change it. (Liao) No way to stop her in Japanese without any way. And when studying in Japan in the past, there was a poor Japanese Chinese classmate. Suddenly there was no appearance for a while, and the classmates didn't know where he went. When a few months later, Japanese made great progress, but a big man spoke a particularly humble "lower woman" (that is, women's hospitality). The classmates all knew where he went to mix during this time. There are also some celebrities who have entered the elderly at that time. When he was young, he was studying abroad. He also said some, such as a man pursuing a lady and taking out the "Chengmen Lixue". Standing one night, wait. He also talked about his past pranks. The most proud thing was to tie his two feet's thumbs together while he was asleep, and he would fall down when he got up. In this way, if you write it down, you can compile "New Smile Forest". After he finished speaking, he smiled and was very happy.
he doesn't care about his "fat", and often laughs at himself. A thing that often loves to talk about is that the tailor is to measure his clothes and find that the waist is longer than the pants. He did not believe it at first, and he believed it several times before he believed it. Speaking of which he laughed happily. He has a great amount and a strong appetite. The typical Cantonese people eat everything. In China, as long as the lady is present, it will always be restrained, but as soon as he goes abroad, let go of his belly.
was once known as a snail in a small town in a small town in a mountainous area of Switzerland. Each snail was a large plate. Others couldn't finish eating. South Asian specialty durians, many Chinese people smell their noses, planes, hotels, are not allowed to take in, but he is considered delicious. Once, our delegation passed by Yangon. Li Lian was stationed in Burma Ambassador. At first sight, the delegation said that when he saw Liao Gong in the list, he knew that he came from durian, so he had already prepared. When I opened the durian, I and some female colleagues hid far away. He laughed at us as "too no culture" and was very happy. He also heard Chen Lemin (Note: The author's husband) said that he took a car on the highway during the Ghana meeting, and suddenly saw a large field running through the car. Liao Gong was excited and immediately called a parking. Go chase, actually caught up. The master of the Chinese Embassy peeled the braised burn that night, and he was eaten with interest.
once took a plane, I was sitting next to him, and I saw a report about weight loss in a foreign magazine: Someone weighed more than 300 pounds, and after the weight loss was successful A appetite medicine reduces the amount of food. I introduced him to read that article for reference.After reading it, he said: "What fun is there in that kind of life? Don't do it!"
I was very thin at that time and my appetite was very small. Sitting next to him while eating was such a stark contrast that he always found it incredible. Can I survive on this little food? ?It’s like eating cat food! So he nicknamed me "Kitten". Among the many cartoons he drew, there was a portrait of me with a cat's head, wearing a cheongsam, with a big head and a small body, and a pair of glasses on the cat's face. It actually looked like me. He gave me one, but unfortunately I didn't keep it and lost it at some point. When we met again after the Cultural Revolution, he still called me "Kitten" in public. However, he also called cadres who were much older than me by nicknames. Some of them were already old ladies. He also called her "little girl", so I didn't care.
He would never dare to be naughty in front of two people. One is his mother He Xiangning. He is a well-known filial son who takes great care of his mother and is very respectful. One is Premier Zhou Enlai.
Premier Zhou was very strict with him. He was like a junior, always giving advice. I personally witnessed the 100th anniversary celebration of Sun Yat-sen's birth in 1966. Even though the "Cultural Revolution" had already begun, the meeting was still grand and held in the Great Hall of the People. Before the meeting, a VIP lounge was filled with old friends and relatives from overseas who were related to Sun Yat-sen. Premier Zhou Enlai walked in, looked around, and immediately turned around and asked: "Xiao Liao, where is Mrs. He?" Liao said that she was in another lounge. Zhou said to invite her quickly. So Liao hurriedly went out. After a while, he pushed Mrs. He's wheelchair in and stood beside her, bowing his head to introduce the guests who came to greet her.
At a banquet to celebrate the birthday of Strong (KhrushchevAfter Strong was rehabilitated, Strong came to China to settle in 1958 until his death. He was received by the "He University" where I am, every year. A birthday party was held for her, and Premier Zhou attended it in person every time). During the conversation, Premier Zhou mentioned an important article he had just seen from "Reference Materials" that day, and immediately turned around and asked "Xiao Liao" if he had read it. . Liao replied that he had not had time to see it yet. Zhou immediately became displeased and said sternly, "If you don't read such an important article in time, are you reading those fancy foreign magazines again?" Then he turned to Jing Puzhuang and said, "In the future, please make sure to put some serious material on his bedside." , put those magazines away. Jing Puzhuang said, I can't control this. Zhou said: How can you ignore this and just focus on life? Liao could only listen respectfully. I feel that Premier Zhou is very strict with Liao because he has special trust and respect for him. He loves him deeply and holds him accountable. Liao looked like a primary school student in front of Zhou. After being criticized, he would turn around and stick out his tongue at others.
and his wife Jing Puzhuang are together with his mother He Xiangning.
There is another person who has an extraordinary relationship with Liao. The person whom Liao absolutely respects is Soong Ching Ling . I have never seen the two of them together, but I heard that only Liao could come to see Song at any time. Song treated him like a nephew and trusted him the most. Later, after several political movements, Liao became probably the only person Song could trust. Therefore, Liao Gong was also "knocked down" and criticized during the "Cultural Revolution", which was a big blow to Song Dynasty. It is said that she never saw anyone behind closed doors from then on.
Mr. Liao did like to read widely foreign newspapers, periodicals and books, and he often asked people to read them when he went abroad. The first time I heard about the book "Lolita" was from his conversation with others. At that time, they talked mysteriously. Although I didn't know the content, I could tell that it was a banned book. Many years later, this book was officially introduced to China. I remembered that Mr. Liao had read it when it was first published, and I realized how "open" he was.
After the "Cultural Revolution" began, I met Liao Gong again in 1973, when Helen Snow (Edgar Snow's first wife) visited China. The timing was just after the "Lin Biao Incident" and before the "criticism of Lin Biao and Confucius". There was a brief respite period for criticizing the "ultra-left", and the atmosphere was slightly looser. Premier Zhou took the opportunity to implement the policy and "liberated" a group of veteran cadres one after another, including Liao. He was one of the people Helen asked to meet and arranged to have a meal with her.
I haven’t seen him for many years. I feel that Mr. Liao is old and haggard. But when he spoke, his expression remained the same. Helen's first words when she saw him were: "Ah, it's great that you are still alive!" He laughed.Later, he told others that this lady had a special way of greeting her, which was "Ah, you're not dead yet"! That time we only reminisced about old times, not current affairs. Helen was very excited and talked a lot. She was satisfied to see him alive, but did not ask him about his experiences in the past few years. In this way, Liao also avoided saying anything against her will to the "Cultural Revolution" (one of the policies for receiving Helen Snow at the time was to make her "understand" "Cultural Revolution").
From the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan to the reform and opening up, it was of course an opportunity for Mr. Liao to show his talents. In addition, overseas Chinese affairs work is also an area in which Mr. Liao has special advantages. I remember he said that he had received many invitations to visit Hong Kong, but he did not dare to go because the Liao and He families had at least 400 distant relatives in Hong Kong. How could he cope with it! Of course, there are also quite a few scattered in overseas countries. Because of this, he is the leader of overseas Chinese affairs.
In 1982-1983, I was a visiting scholar in the United States for the first time. It was the beginning of academic exchanges between China and the United States, and both sides attached great importance to it. At that time, our country still had many outdated frameworks and rigid dogmas in its foreign relations. In fact, my mind was not very liberated, but at least I had some basis for "seeing the world" in the past. This time I had the opportunity to gain perceptual knowledge in the United States and They have more freedom of movement than official personnel, have wider contacts, and know more about the actual situation. It is inevitable to have some new understandings of Sino-US relations and even my country's entire foreign relations, and to have some reflections on my country's usual ideas and practices. I am just a commoner who speaks softly. If I have any "suggestions", it will be difficult to break through the layers of barriers to reach them through normal channels.
The only person I could think of at that time, who was within reach, and who probably could listen to my opinion, was Mr. Liao. Of course, Mr. Liao had already held various important positions at that time and was a busy man. He was not specifically responsible for the work with the United States, and he and I did not belong to the same system. But somehow, I believe that if I ask for a meeting, he will meet me. With his interest and sensitivity in new things, he will be interested in listening to me. Therefore, I secretly decided that when I returned to China after my visit in the summer of 1983, I would try to see him once and express my thoughts. Unexpectedly, just before I returned to China, I stopped by California and stayed at the home of Professor Harry Harding, an expert on China. One morning, he told me "Mr. Liao Chengzhi passed away." I felt very sudden and deeply saddened. It doesn't matter that I lost an opportunity to see him again. What matters is that people like him are the product of a special history and cannot come from anywhere. He is only seventy-five years old, which cannot be considered old. At the critical moment when China has just opened up. The loss of such a person is irreparable.
2008
