In the 1930s, the night was dark and quiet on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai... Han Huiying, an underground member of the Communist Party of China who was carrying out the task, was suddenly arrested; at the same time, Chen Weiren, who was waiting for her safe return in the building of Shikumen, "she was as long as a year", faced alone with a young child and more than a dozen boxes of "extremely dangerous" core secret documents of the Communist Party of China.
transfer! Transfer! Transfer! In the desperate situation of isolation and helplessness, they were terrified step by step, and wanted to use their faith and courage to turn all "impossibility" into "possible" - Shanghai Opera "No. 1 Secret" "reproduced" an underground struggle surrounding the "No. 1 Secret" of the Communist Party of China at a thrilling rhythm.
The picture is a still from the Shanghai Opera "Confidential No. 1". Shanghai Shanghai Theater provides
"No. 1 Confidential", namely Central Library . It was the first central-level secret archive of the Communist Party of China, which almost concentrated all important documents of the Communist Party of China before the evacuation of the central leadership organs from Shanghai, and stored the party's early memories.
For this central library, in the " Far East largest city", more than a dozen CCP members hid their names, endured the loneliness that ordinary people could not bear, overcame all kinds of unimaginable difficulties, and even sacrificed themselves, rushing and hiding under the eyes of the Kuomintang and the Japanese, leaving nearly 20 boxes of archives related to the life and death of the CCP "unscathed", and finally "finished the library and returned to the party" when the revolution was victorious.
This is a great "relay" in the past 20 years! In the ultimate darkness surrounded by dangers, they promised to protect the "No. 1 Secret" and wrote absolute loyalty with their lives.
Guarding the Central Library - the mission of a group of "nameless people"
Zhang Wei, Chen Weiren, Han Huiying, Han Huiru, Xu Qiang, Li Yun, Wu Chengfang, Zhou Tianbao, Liu Zhao, Miao Guren , Zheng Wendao, Chen Laisheng ... Has anyone ever heard of their names?
They are so different, the only similarity - when the Party entrusts them with the task of protecting the central library, they all promised and swear to guard with their lives.
These unknown people who protect the "No. 1 Secret" are a group of people forged with what "special materials"?
Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporters interviewed experts from the historical community, trying to "restore" that secret and great relay from their narrative.
is located in the former site of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee on Jiangning Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai. Photo by Xiao Mingliang
On June 10, 2021, on Jiangning Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, a new Shikumen building lasted for three years and was completely opened to the public. It was named: the former site of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
"No. 10, Lane 673, Jiangning Road, this can be said to be the location of General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the earliest Central Archives . From 1927 to 1931, some major leaders in the history of our party often read documents and hold meetings here, and the decisions on some major events in the history of the party were also made here." Guo Xiaojing, deputy director of the Party History Research Office of the Jing'an District Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, told reporters.
After July 1926, the first central library of the Communist Party of China was established here. From its inception, it has been a future-oriented archive. In April 1927, Chiang Kai-shek launched the "April 12" counter-revolutionary coup, and the Communist Party of China was forced to move underground. Faced with an extremely sinister environment, in order to ensure safety, the central government made it clear that documents and agencies must be separated, and located in Shanghai, where the central leadership organs are located, the extreme importance of the central library is even more prominent.
In 1931, on behalf of Zhou Enlai, Qu Qiubai drafted the "H Document Disposal Measures for ", which had clear and detailed regulations on the scope, content of the document information that should be collected and kept at that time, and the principles and methods of how to classify and catalog. This is the earliest regulation on the management of archives and documents in the history of the Party.
1931 Comrade Qu Qiubai drafted a "Document Disposal Measures" on behalf of the Party Central Committee. After reviewing it, Comrade Zhou Enlai personally wrote a note on the homepage of the manuscript: "Trial to see if it is a bento." Xinhua News Agency expansion pack
At the end of that method, Qu Qiubai also added a general note:
"If possible, of course, the most ideal thing is to save two copies for each type, one for storage (prepared for review, that is, return), and the other for storage, and submit it to the Party History Committee of the Future (our world)."
Next to the word "future", Qu Qiubai put a key circle. Countless beautiful longings for the future China are hidden in two words that are powered by the paper. After the establishment of the central library of
, Zhou Enlai attached great importance to it and directly appointed Zhang Wei as the first custodian.
is unique, who is the one? His true identity is the head of the Documentary Section of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. His external identity is the boss of the Wooden Artifacts Industry and is known as "Old Master Zhang".
"In fact, Zhang Wei was born in 1892. He was only in his 30s at the time and had nothing to do with 'old'. But he was very calm, always calm, steady, and fearless in the face of danger, so the 'synonym' that everyone gave him became 'old Mr. Zhang'." Zhang Ding, assistant researcher at the Party History Research Office of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said. It is this calmness and courage beyond age that makes Zhang Wei the first person to protect the central library.
Zhang Wei, who had joined the left side of the Kuomintang, witnessed the counter-revolutionary behavior of Chiang Kai-shek's group and joined the Communist Party of China after the "87 Conference " in 1927. Zhang Wei's wife Ali once wrote in "Remembering Comrade Zhang Wei": "At this time, the revolutionary situation was at a low point, and the reactionaries hunted and killed Communists and revolutionary masses everywhere, but they resolutely joined the Communist Party of China fearlessly. This determination is indeed very valuable."
In the clerical department, the calm "Old Master Zhang" turned this determination into a careful and responsible heart of secret work. He is in charge of the central document storage office and the document reading office, and handles telegrams and documents from the central government and various places, and disguises the sent documents. Sometimes, he also needs to use medicine to "wash" the documents and notes brought from outside to see if there is any secret written. A comrade moved because of work needs, and he told him to go to the alley to dismantle the characters to dismantle the characters, just like the people who chose the auspicious day of the zodiac, and were not suspected.
was "clicked" by Zhou Enlai, and Zhang Wei started his "two-faced life" like this: disguised during the day, a generous businessman, and at night he went upstairs to work at his desk, meticulous. Once there are any dangerous signals, you must move your house immediately with more than a dozen boxes of documents and not be suspected by your neighbors.
protects the central library, which is an extremely "lonely" cause. According to the provisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the database site must meet the requirements of independent residence and independent activities; only one leading cadre is sent to contact the head of the library for a single line, and other leading members shall not interfere in the work of the library; the library staff cannot participate in branch meetings, rallies, and other activities, and minimize contact with the outside world to avoid exposing their identities; the library address cannot be fixed, and every time a person in danger or the person in charge is replaced, they must be relocated immediately.
"I will protect each other with my life, and I am willing to burn with the documents!" Shortly after the establishment of
, the Central Library was in great danger due to the rebellion of Gu Shunzhang , the then main person in charge of the Central Special Section.
"At that time, Zhou Enlai sent someone to inform Zhang Wei urgently, asking him to bring all the documents immediately to transfer. Zhang Wei hired a rickshaw and transported so many boxes of documents to his home in several times overnight. It was an independent building on Kaizier Road (now Jinling Middle Road) in the French Concession." said Xu Jiangang, Executive Vice President of the Party School of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
"Loneliness" shows the value of "lostness" at this time. Zhang Wei rarely contacted outsiders because he kept the Central Library and was not exposed at the time. At his home, the Central Library escaped a disaster.
Not long after, Zhang Wei's work became increasingly heavy. In order to ensure the complete plan, the central library handed over to the second custodian.
"Selecting a custodian is very demanding. First of all, he must be absolutely loyal. Secondly, the fewer people who know him in Shanghai, the better." Xu Jiangang said that the heavy responsibility fell on Chen Weiren's shoulders.
Chen Weiren is an old party member who joined the party in 1921. He has rich revolutionary experience and has also served as Secretary of the Manchurian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.He was arrested and imprisoned twice, tortured but always strictly abides by the party's secrets. He has been tested and very reliable.
Chen Weiren. Xinhua News Agency Expansion
"There is another thing, Chen Weiren was severely sentenced in prison and contracted serious lung disease. He worked in the north for a long time and was rescued by the party organization and recuperated in Shanghai. No one knew him." Xu Jiangang said that the work of keeping the library was relatively quiet, which was also suitable for Chen Weiren's physical condition at that time.
Another important thing is that Chen Weiren's wife Han Huiying is also an "old revolutionary" who joined the party in the early days of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The two were revolutionary partners who came together because of pretending to be a couple as a cover for work. According to the central government's regulations on secret work at that time, the custodians of the central library had to appear in the form of "familyization" to the outside world, so the couple devoted all their energy to this cause. Their superior is "Old Master Zhang".
Chen Weiren is from Hunan, pretending to be the owner of the Xiangxiu store. He opens a store on the first floor, and the central library is hidden on the upper floor. Chen Weiren usually reorganizes documents, isolates them from the outside, and transfers them into documents, and is contacted by Han Huiying and Zhang Yishuang.
In the second half of 1932, Chen Weiren took over the Central Library. He rented a house at No. 15, Hexingfang, Xiaoshadu Road (now Xikang Road) in Shanghai, and used the pavilion room on the second floor to preserve the central library. Xinhua News Agency Expansion
If there is a shot in history, it will record this scene: the night is late, and Chen Weiren is guarding the central library upstairs, copying and trimming. He copied the words on the original thick paper onto the thin paper, copied the big characters into small characters, cut off the blank edges of the paper and burned them into ashes, and placed them in the gutter that was stuck and washed away with water - the purpose was to minimize the storage area and reduce the target. Often, he also needs to move documents up and down to prevent moisture and mildew.
Chen Weiren and Han Huiying are the male and female protagonists of the Shanghai opera "The No. 1 Secret". In the play, their names were changed to "Chen Dawei" and "Han Huifang" by the screenwriter. They worked together and made a vow when receiving the task: "I will protect each other with my life, but I would rather set fire to the building, and I would like to burn the documents together!"
After years of careful sorting, the file volume was "indented" from more than 20 boxes at the beginning. The document "cut" by Chen Weiren without paper edges is written on paper with "upright" content, which is unforgettable.
How many people can be recorded in history? Sisters relay to forge loyalty
unexpectedly comes again.
In February 1935, the underground contact point of the Communist Party of China located in Wen'anfang, Leimi Road, Shanghai (now Yongkang Road, ) was destroyed by Kuomintang spies, and Zhang Wei was arrested. Two days later, Han Huiying, who was unknown, went to the contact as originally planned and was arrested by the spy waiting there.
The incident happened suddenly, and the conceivable response measures and warning signals failed to be issued. "Han Huiying reacted very quickly after being arrested. She pretended to be a rural woman and was very scared. She cried and said that she was here to find a job and that she was visiting her for the first time and knew nothing." Zhang Ding said. But Han Huiying was still discovered by the Kuomintang spies and was imprisoned in prison .
In prison, Zhang Wei and Han Huiying were tortured, kept their mouths tight and did not reveal a word about the party’s secrets. Single-line contact once again ensures the safety of the central library. No one knows the whereabouts of the central library, which also makes Chen Weiren completely "isolated from the world" and becomes a "isolated island" for one person.
Xu Jiangang said several times that "it's simply unimaginable" about the situation at that time. "All contacts with the party organization are on his wife, and he has no contact. According to the agreement, Han Huiying has not come back after more than time, so Chen Weiren must take the central library to move immediately. He has to find a large house to put so many boxes of documents, but he has no source of income. There are three children under school age at home."
Chen Weiren made a quick decision and evacuated alone with his children and documents. Without any social relations, he could not find a guarantor in Shanghai. He had to rent a two-story building in a high-end residential area in Shanghai for a high-end residential area of 30 o'clock per month. The owner of the Xiangxiu Store transformed into the owner of the timber shop. In fact, in order to provide cover for the central library, Chen Weiren has exhausted all his funds and has not eaten with his children every day.
This story is interpreted in the Shanghai Opera "No. 1 Secret": "In this family, No. 1 Secret is hidden deep; 20,000 pieces, 20 boxes of the central library. I was instructed by the party to protect it, promising people in the library, waiting for triumphant songs, even if... endure humiliation, eat vegetables, eat bran, and die in obscurity!"
After persisting for a while, Chen Weiren, who was at a loss, had no choice but to write a letter to Han Huiying's sister in Hebei's hometown, Han Huiru, saying that Huiying was seriously ill and invited her to visit Shanghai.
Han Huiru, who once kept the central library. Xinhua News Agency expansion pack
arrived in Shanghai, and Han Huiru understood everything in surprise. In her memory, she recorded: "I will never forget this difficult time."
"As soon as I arrived at his house... the youngest girl was over one year old at that time, and she was still sleeping in a cradle, she could only climb, but could not walk, and was wearing a torn vest with cotton removed." "I took on the responsibility of taking care of the children... In the future, even the money I brought to Shanghai was used up." "In order to raise money to pay the rent on time, maintain this building, and ensure the absolute safety of the documents, we sold all the furniture on the second floor. But the decorations of the lower floor rooms should not be moved too much, making outsiders look like home. In the future, not only furniture, but even the clothes that could be sold."
When he first arrived in Shanghai, Han Huiru was not a member of the Communist Party of China, but under the influence of his sister, he had already been interested in revolution. After understanding my brother-in-law's job, she took over her sister and became an underground traffic officer. According to the underground work method, she tried every means to rebuild contact with the party organization. Every day when she went out, she posted a note of "The sky was panicked, the earth was panicked, my home had a note of night crying ...", sometimes she posted it in reverse, sometimes she posted it diagonally, hoping that the organization would find it and contact it.
The library custodian in "Physical Isolation" is hidden in the terrifying darkness of white, meticulous and extremely alert. They endure "lostness", strictly abide by discipline, but are always optimistic and believe that there will be a bright future. Chen Weiren is hungry during the day, sorts out documents at night, and runs around to find relationships with the party organization... However, his health is getting worse and worse.
Han Huiru turned her admiration for Chen Weiren into her belief in the party: "Infected by his revolutionary spirit, I also joined the party in the future and decided to fight for the cause of communism like him for life."
28 years old, 38 years old... This is an increasingly long list of "victims"
1935, Han Huiying, who was tortured by the enemy, was released from prison and returned home. Later, Han Huiying, who went out to teach and make a living, became connected with the party organization through the school's underground party members. At that time, the party organization had been investigating Chen Weiren and the Central Library for a long time.
The head of the Communist Party of China’s intelligence system is Xu Qiang, the head of Shanghai, and he met Chen Weiren in a small restaurant. Han Huiru remembered that when her brother-in-law came home that day, she was very happy and told the children, "Dad was finally full today and licked all the dishes."
What really makes Chen Weiren happy is certainly not a full meal. Getting in touch with the party organization made him relieve his burden. But at that time, Chen Weiren's physical condition was no longer optimistic. The party organization asked Chen Weiren to transfer the central library to Xu Qiang's home, and the former must be hospitalized for treatment immediately.
Chen Weiren refused to receive further treatment. He said, "I can't work now and can't spend the party's funds anymore." But his face still had a smile, and he often said to his family, "When the illness is cured, I will take you back to my hometown to see Hengshan... After fighting with the enemy for so many years, can't I still fight against the disease?"
On June 14, 1935, Chen Weiren wrote a "must-read unboxing" while he was sick as the last instruction to defend the library to the death. The "must-read for unboxing" explains the classification of 5 boxes of files, lists detailed reference instructions and all directories, and classifies and numbers according to the time, region, author, etc. of the file, and simplifies the complex and is clear at a glance.
In March 1937, Chen Weiren died of illness and gave his life to protect the central library at the age of 38.
Mission is relayed in the hands of the Communists. Li Yun, Zhou Tianbao, Liu Zhao... For a period of time, the custodian of the central library had been changed several times due to the need for party organization work, and the library also experienced several relatively intensive transfers and relocations.
In 1942, the then custodian of the central library, Miao Guren, became increasingly severe in lung disease, and the party organization had to find another reliable comrade to replace him.
That summer, Wu Chengfang, head of the Shanghai Intelligence System of the Communist Party of China, brought misfortune news to Miao Gumin: Zheng Wendao, the underground traffic officer between them, was arrested by the Japanese military police. One of Zheng Wendao's tasks was to be responsible for a single-line contact with Miao Gumin.
Central Library is in danger again!
This time, Zheng Wendao, who just turned 28, paid the price of his life. While the Japanese military police were escorting him, Zheng Wendao jumped out of the carriage, injured both head and feet, and was bleeding. Afterwards, the wounded he was detained in the ward and was under strict custody by the enemy.
A week later, Zheng Wen said that he was tried in the ward. He jumped into the window and jumped off the building again while the enemy was unprepared and died heroically. In the historical turmoil of protecting the "No. 1 Secret" of the Central Library, 28-year-old Zheng Wendao may only leave us a vague silhouette, but his death is undoubtedly "heavy as Mount Tai". The campus martyr's monument of Shanghai Tongji University is engraved with his name to commemorate this outstanding alumnus.
Central Library escaped danger like this - the enemy got nothing, and the "No. 1 Secret" is still safe.
"future" has finally arrived! "No. 1 Confidential" is the party's custodian
Chen Laisheng is the custodian of the central library who has served the longest time. It lasted for seven years from July 1942 until the liberation of Shanghai in May 1949.
Chen Laisheng, who took over the central library. Xinhua News Agency expansion pack
When Chen Laisheng took over the library, it was the period when the Japanese invaders implemented the harshest rule. The streets and alleys of Shanghai were filled with Japanese puppet military police and spies and other secret posts. The first problem he faced was how to safely transport so many boxes of documents from Miao Gumin's family.
"Chen Laisheng thought of a solution, 'Little Fish drilled into the mesh', and mobilized all his family, father and younger brother and sister, each of them brought only a few documents at a time, pretending to be a small vendor, hiding the documents in bamboo baskets and flour bags , walking the path, turning around in the alley, and crossing the enemy blockade lines one by one." Xu Jiangang said that after more than a month of "ant moving", the central library was safely transferred to the new site.
Later, Chen Laisheng borrowed money from his father-in-law and rented a wing room at No. 3, Lane 972, Chengdu North Road, and opened a "Xiangrong Noodle Floor" as a cover.
In the winter of 1942, Chen Laisheng and his family rented a house in No. 974, Chengdu North Road, Shanghai (now No. 3, Lane 972, Chengdu North Road, Shanghai) and opened a "Xiangrong Noodle House". The central library was safely transferred to the attic and closed in the wall of the attic.
In the attic of Chen Laisheng's house, the space is cramped, but the walls are particularly thick. It turned out that Chen Laisheng piled the archives of the central library along the wall from the floor to the ceiling, nailing a layer of wooden walls outside, and the wall was covered with newspaper disguise.
"In order to protect the central library, Chen Laisheng used up all his family's money. Opening a noodle shop is not just a disguise, he really needs to make money. Because the organization was difficult at that time, he needed to solve the problem of keeping the central library's funds." Xu Jiangang said.
This is the former loft site of No. 974, Chengdu North Road, Shanghai, which once preserved the Central Library (now No. 3, Lane 972, Chengdu North Road, Shanghai).
After that, Chen Laisheng transferred the library several times to protect the security of the file.
The Party Central Committee has never forgotten these central documents in Shanghai. In 1943, in order to cooperate with the Yan'an Rectification Movement , Chen Laisheng selected some documents such as the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Sixth Central Committee according to the requirements of the central government. After copying it, he sent it to Yan'an through the Central China Anti-Japanese Base Area. In 1946, Liu Shaowen, who accompanied Zhou Enlai to Nanjing and Shanghai to participate in the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, used his special identity to transfer the central library to Yan'an. The first batch of 5,000 documents were transferred from Liu Shaowen to Yan'an through Nanjing and Xi'an. Due to the breakdown of the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the remaining documents continued to be kept quietly in Shanghai.
…
After nearly 20 years of long relay, the clock of history finally turned to 1949. The Chinese revolution ushered in a great moment of victory! The two words Qu Qiubai circled in the "Procedures for Document Disposal" 18 years ago became a reality this year. These two shining words are - "Future".
in the future! future! Even in the darkest and loneliest moments, these two words burned in the chests of Zhang Wei, Chen Weiren, Li Yun, Zhou Tianbao, Liu Zhao, Miao Guren, Zheng Wendao, Chen Laisheng, and others, turning into the belief and courage to protect the "No. 1 Secret".
May 27, 1949, the red flag was rolling around and Shanghai was liberated!
4 months later, Chen Laisheng handed over the approximately 15,000 documents he kept to the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. This batch of documents protected by underground members of the Communist Party of China have gone through ups and downs, and the Organization Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee issued a certificate: "It has not been damaged by mold, insects, rat bites, etc.."
This is not damaged at all. It is a relay race composed by more than a dozen Communists with faith and life.
At this point, the "No. 1 Secret" has been completed and belongs to the Party.
On September 18, the General Office of the East China Bureau received a telegram approved and issued by Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De: "A large number of historical documents of the Party are very precious. Please designate a few reliable comrades to be responsible for cleaning, registering, packing, and sending special personnel to escort them all to Beiping Central Secretariat. For those who have made contributions in preserving the documents, please give them first rewards."
On this telegram, you can still see the original "comrades who have made contributions" in the original "comrades who have made contributions". This revision was written by Mao Zedong, and the meaning was clear: comrades, friends and families who have made contributions in protecting the central library should be commended and rewarded.
In February 1950, all documents were shipped to Beijing and submitted to the Secretariat of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee. Today, they are intact in the Central Archives.
They are - the records and resolutions of various (session) sessions of the Party Central Committee, instructions from the Party Central Committee to various places and reports from the Party Central Committee to the Party Central Committee, instructions from the Communist International to the Communist Party of China, documents and archives from the Central Committee to various aspects of party affairs, organizations, labor movement, peasant movement, military movement, women's movement, party newspapers and magazines, the leftovers, wills and portraits of revolutionary martyrs such as Su Zhaozheng, Peng Pai, Luo Yinong, Yun Daiying, and Qu Qiubai... This is an extremely precious historical material, a history of the founding of the Communist Party of China, a history of the growth of the team, and a history of leaders.
The picture is a still from the Shanghai Opera "Confidential No. 1". Shanghai Shanghai Opera Theater provides
In 2021, the Shanghai Opera "No. 1 Confidential" appeared on the stage. The lyrics in the play read: "If you don't change, you should try your courage. Morality will continue to fight forever. People are in the library, and you can keep the wind and rain singing triumphant."
Morality will fight forever and keep the wind and rain singing triumphant! Let us remember these unknown guardians - they overcome obstacles and subdue demons in the darkest night; they have experienced loneliness and hardship, and used their lives to light a bright lamp called the "future" for China. (Reporters Sun Liping and Guo Jingdan)
(Thank you: Party School of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Party History Research Office of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China)
Source: Xinhua Daily Telegraph
