Source: "A Hundred Years of Tide" Issue 2017, Zhang Baochang dictated, Wang Xue compiled
Week Prime Minister met with North Korean Chairman Kim Il-sung in the hospital. At this time, the Prime Minister had just finished the 24th day of the operation and his health had not recovered. It can be seen that the Prime Minister's expression was poor. Even so, he still insisted on receiving and visiting the head of state of China
Premier Zhou met with the representative of Romanian visiting China at the 305 Hospital. He had just finished the operation and everyone advised him to have a good rest, but Premier Zhou insisted on receiving the envoy himself. It can be seen in the picture that Premier Zhou's body has not recovered and his sitting posture can no longer behave as usual, so he had to bend down slightly to talk to foreign guests
Zhang Guochang, born in Kangzhou in 1936. In 1955, he worked in the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, and in 1956, he was transferred to the Guard Bureau of the General Office of the Central Committee of Zhongnanhai, Beijing. In his 27-year work experience in Zhongnanhai , he first worked as a receptionist and clerk at Central Guard Bureau, and then served as the head of the food group (administrator) at the General Special Stove, specializing in the work of the central leaders, food supply, banquet reception and other work. Later, he served as a political instructor and instructor until he changed his career in 1983. Retired in 1996.
Week Premier was hospitalized in the 305 Hospital and saw very clearly the problems of his life and death. He said: "People should live until they are old, learn until they are old, revolution until they are old, and reform until they are old." He also said that Deng Yingchao and I had already agreed that we would not keep the ashes after our death. Later, it turned out that Premier Zhou's decision was the first to be implemented at the central level. He was a true Marxist. He lived innocence and died "clean".
html During the Prime Minister's hospitalization for one week, I was responsible for the reception work, including entertaining foreign guests, central leaders and other visiting personnel and waiting doctors resting, holding meetings, drinking tea, and eating in the lounge. I have witnessed different attitudes towards the Prime Minister and felt that Premier Zhou was thinking about others and caring about the world even if he was seriously ill.
conversations before surgery
11 In May 1974, Mao Weizhong, deputy director of the Central Security Bureau, informed us that the Service Department went to the 305 Hospital to prepare for Premier Zhou's admission. I was ordered to bring more than ten cadres, soldiers and employees to the fourth district (code name of the main building of the 305 Hospital) to be responsible for on-site hospitality services. On June 1, Premier Zhou was admitted to the 305th Hospital. Premier Zhou took the elevator to the simple restaurant in the semi-basement accompanied by Sister Deng and others. The doctors, guards and other staff were having a meal. Premier Zhou waved to everyone and said affectionately: "You eat first, I will say a few words. This time I am hospitalized due to illness. You all come to serve me. Thank you everyone. I will soon be treated (operation). If the operation is successful and I am well, I will have a meal with you. If the operation is not successful, then this time I will say goodbye to everyone." At this time, everyone stood, listening, tears suddenly poured out, and no one was interested in eating again. More than 30 people present were mixed with joy and sorrow: Premier Zhou was dragging his seriously ill body and was about to undergo surgery soon. He also came down to visit us and thank us for how much our Prime Minister respects others. Later, everyone said that this meal would be remembered for life. After dinner, several comrades from our service department held a symposium, mainly discussing how to do a good job. I said: We must accompany Premier Zhou to the end, do everything possible and hard work, so that his elderly person can be treated well and rest well...
That night, Premier Zhou was about to undergo surgery, and the work of all departments in the four districts was proceeding in an orderly manner as planned. At 9 pm, Deng Xiaoping, Ye Jianying, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen and Wang Dongxing came to the hospital one after another and were on duty to guard the hospital's reception room. Sister Deng and a few of us staff rolled up the carpet in the corridor at the door of the operating room and leaned horizontally against the wall, and we sat on it and waited. At that time, no one spoke except the head of the central government, and the atmosphere was very solemn. We were relieved until after two o'clock in the second half of the night when the doctor came out to report to the Standing Committee and said it was going well.At this time, Chairman Mao, who was far away from home, was also thinking about Premier Zhou. He specially asked someone to call to inquire about the progress of the treatment and instructed: Don't tell the Prime Minister himself (to relieve the burden on Premier Zhou), and don't tell Deng Yingchao. The Prime Minister of 600 million people touches the hearts of 600 million people. From the central government to the local government, everyone hopes for the Prime Minister to recover as soon as possible.
Due to the efforts of medical staff and close cooperation of Premier Zhou, the subsequent treatment effect is relatively good. For example, the Prime Minister can watch movies for less than half an hour and speak too much. Sometimes he can leave the hospital and go to Beihai Park for a walk. We accompanied Premier Zhou and prepared a kettle and towels. Sometimes Premier Zhou misses his old friend - Mr. Lao She , looking far away from the Beihai Corridor.
Once, an American scholar came to visit. Premier Zhou decided to meet in Beihai Park and treat it with watermelon and peeled fresh lychees. Later, as soon as the news was announced, it immediately caused a warm response from Pakistani . I thought that Premier Zhou could meet foreign guests in Beihai instead of the hospital, which means that the disease had been cured and even prepared to send us a congratulatory letter. At that time, we laughed when we heard the news in the hospital, and Premier Zhou also laughed.
Meet foreign guests
week Prime Minister during the week of hospitalization, he would meet foreign guests or talk to someone if conditions permit. Among the many foreign guests, the ones that impressed me the most were Dr. Kissinger of the United States, Chairman Kim Il-sung of North Korea and the leader of the Communist Party of Cambodia.
Kissinger is an old friend and a good friend of the Chinese people. Kissinger played a very important role in the historical process of Sino-US relations turning from cold to hot, and he admired Premier Zhou very much. It is worth mentioning that in November 1974, Kissinger came to China to visit Premier Zhou with his lively wife and children. Their relationship is more than ordinary guests, especially close, like family members. Their conversation lasted for a long time. After the conversation, Premier Zhou and Kissinger's family took a photo. Mrs. Kissinger was close to Premier Zhou when taking the photo. After the newspaper was published, Premier Zhou smiled when he saw the photos in the newspaper and said, "Hi! It's too close."
11975, Kim Il-sung came to visit Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou had just finished the operation, and the blisters on his mouth had not yet disappeared, so he was struggling to speak. Even with this physical condition, Premier Zhou still insists on meeting with his old friend Kim Il-sung. It turned out that Premier Zhou was planning to treat Kim Il-sung to dinner in the hospital, hold a small banquet and have a home-cooked meal, and our service department also made preparations. But at this time, the Prime Minister had just finished the operation. Although it was a little better, he was still persistent. His feet were swollen and he couldn't wear leather shoes. He could only wear cloth shoes, but he couldn't walk anymore. There were a lot of things to talk about at that time and it took a long time, so the banquet was finally cancelled. Kim Il-sung wanted to stay with Premier Zhou for more time, but the doctor said that the Prime Minister was not in good health, so Kim Il-sung had to leave reluctantly. After this operation, Premier Zhou's condition became a little worse.
During the reign of the Communist Party of Cambodia, Pol Pot, an extreme left line was implemented in the country, ignoring national unity and national unity, suppressing patriotic forces outside the party, causing terrorist phenomena that were not conducive to the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Cambodia The situation was grim. Against this background, Chairman Mao asked Premier Zhou to meet with Pol Pot in the hospital and do his job. In June 1975, Premier Zhou, who was seriously ill, told Pol Pot bitterly about the experiences and lessons of China's revolution and construction, emphasizing that all ethnic groups in the country should be united, and to build a united front, so as to strive for as many people to rely on them to build a country under the leadership of the Communist Party. He hoped that Pol Pot would return to the right line. This shows how Premier Zhou’s role model’s power has surpassed national boundaries.
1.1.1.1. In July 1975, Premier Zhou’s chief guard Zhang Shuying found a leader who served our department, Kang Haiqun, the guard department of the 305th Hospital, and I, to convey Premier Zhou’s instructions: According to the current situation of health, the staff around us should be appropriately reduced.Premier Zhou himself was uneasy when he did not reduce his posts. Previously, Premier Zhou had mentioned several times, saying that there should be not too many people, that there should be fewer doctors and nurses, so that you can maintain basic treatment. However, in order to quickly cure Premier Zhou's illness, everyone did not implement this proposal. Later, Premier Zhou clearly emphasized that the staff should be reduced. We learned during a chat with a doctor that the Prime Minister actually felt that his illness was difficult to heal and would delay it for a long time, so he firmly proposed to reduce his staff. After the reduction of staff, we report to Premier Zhou and Sister Deng. They thought it was good and they were all very satisfied. Once, Sister Deng talked to me and said, what will everyone react after our standards are reduced? I said everyone was satisfied and did not reflect, because Premier Zhou’s ideals were the country and the people, so everyone cooperated very well and had no objection. Sister Deng said, since everyone is satisfied with their opinions, you can tell everyone that Premier Zhou is very grateful to everyone and hopes that everyone can cooperate and work hard. Premier Zhou proposed to take a photo with the staff. Premier Zhou was very thoughtful. He called Li Xiannian, Qiao Guanhua, Tang Wensheng and Wang Hairong who happened to come to the hospital to receive foreign guests together, because Premier Zhou tried his best to let our staff take a photo with him not only, but also with other leaders. Most of the staff are from our service department. After the photo, Premier Zhou told us that we should keep the evening and not keep the evening, we should call XX on the photo.
Once. Premier Zhou was unable to lie down and rest after the operation, so he had to sit down. A comrade in the central government asked the Beijiao Timber Factory to make a semi-lying chair. Premier Zhou proposed several times to pay himself and specifically talked to the comrade about the matter, asking the comrade to persuade the factory to accept the payment paid by the Premier next week. The comrade did not do it and could not explain it to the factory. So later came up with a compromise solution, and the service department bought the chair, which was considered a public property. Premier Zhou usually pays for the advanced nutritional medicines he usually takes. By the time of his death, Premier Zhou had no remaining funds.
Miss Deng was hospitalized during Premier Zhou's hospitalization. He went to the hospital to see the Prime Minister every afternoon, accompanied the Prime Minister for walking and chatting in the hospital corridor, and sometimes chatting with the staff until after 8 pm, and then went home. If Premier Zhou could walk, he would always walk from the west bedroom to the east hall to pick up Sister Deng. When she left, Premier Zhou went to see her off again, which shows that the deep relationship between the two was very touching. If the Prime Minister is more ill and needs surgery, Sister Deng will not go back and will be with her in the hospital. Once, before the operation, Premier Zhou was lying on the surgical cart with fluid infusion on it. It was pushed out from the ward and pushed to the door of the operating room. The Prime Minister asked the cart to stop. He talked to Deng Xiaoping and others and explained some things. The conversation took a little longer. About a quarter of an hour later, Sister Deng was a little anxious and went over to tell Premier Zhou that the surgery was going to be done, so don’t talk. Premier Zhou said that we are the members of the Standing Committee talking now, please go away. After talking for a while, Deng Xiaoping said, "I know everything, please go in!" Then the Politburo members returned to the duty room and we waited in the corridor. It can be seen from this that the Prime Minister is very principled.
Care for doctors and staff
1 Premier Zhou’s carefulness and thoughtfulness towards everyone is reflected in all aspects. Sometimes Sister Deng accompanied Premier Zhou for a walk in the corridor. Premier Zhou asked Sister Deng how the doctors were eating and how the staff were eating. Sister Deng said: Doctors have a higher standard of food than staff. But they need to get another 50 cents every day, and they have to pay the food coupons themselves, all of which are small dishes, one meat and one vegetable. Premier Zhou often thought about the staff and said to Sister Deng: It’s hot, it’s enough for them to work hard. At that time, the hospitality fee was limited and there were so many people. When Sister Deng saw it, she called me and said: It was hot, go buy some watermelon, take the money from me, and take the invoice to me to reimburse me. My salary is enough to buy it. There are several times in summer when Sister Deng bought watermelons with money. Sister Deng thought of both the Prime Minister and the staff, and the national regulations, and acted according to the system.
When the Prime Minister was in good health, he hoped that doctors and staff would watch movies with him without affecting his work. All the movies watched by central leaders were allowed to be watched by staff, including several films that were unfairly screened in society. In order to distract Premier Zhou, when his physical condition permits, our service department screening team specially selected relatively relaxed videos, such as "The Shining Red Star". After seeing it, Premier Zhou said to the doctor: "Look at the hardships at that time, we have all come here. How many people have sacrificed and how many people are. I have reached this time. Now it seems that people must live until old age, learn until old age, revolution until old age, and transform until old age. Therefore, the healthy people here must learn more and more, and self-revolution ."
Premier Zhou not only cares about everyone in life, but also in thought. He doesn't care about some internal movies, and he also wants us to watch them. I remember that the movie that touched me the most was "Man and Nature". This is a German film about how animals evolve and how humans evolve. This film was top secret at that time, and we had never seen such a film. Premier Zhou said: Everyone here is adults. In addition, the idea of these issues should not be too old, too feudal, or too conservative. This is a natural phenomenon. You should understand it and treat it correctly. Human health is nothing more than two, one is physiological health and the other is mental health. Yao Wenyuan and others also watched this movie at that time, and after watching it, they said: Who asked me to watch this movie? Can you watch this movie? I can't watch it, and you can't watch it either.
111 On the evening of January 7, 1976, Premier Zhou was dying, he opened his eyes slightly, and identified the doctors in front of him, Wu Jieping, , Fang Qi, and other doctors. He said in a weak voice: "I have nothing to do here, you should take care of other sick comrades, and you need you even more..." This is Premier Zhou, who, even though he is seriously ill, still does not forget to care about others.
Old comrades-in-arms care about Premier Zhou
Deng Xiaoping comes in advance every time he comes to the hospital for duty, sometimes even one or two hours in advance. After coming, I reported to Premier Zhou and listened to Premier Zhou's instructions. Premier Zhou said more than once: "You have done a good job during this period (Deng Xiaoping presided over the central work) and are better than me." Deng Xiaoping told Premier Zhou about everything, including whether his work is going smoothly. Sometimes we hear a few words. Premier Zhou and Deng Xiaoping went smoothly every time. Deng Xiaoping never caused trouble to the hospital staff. He took the lead in not eating in the hospital and asked Premier Zhou to have a good rest. As long as Premier Zhou is in good spirits and there is no other arrangement, Deng Xiaoping will come to visit him. Every time he talks about Premier Zhou, he is in great spirits.
week Before the Prime Minister was hospitalized, when we were preparing, Marshal Ye came to the hospital for examination and went deep into the kitchen. The kitchen was darker and the conditions were average, and the ice warehouse was very short, so he went to the ice warehouse to check if there was any meat, chicken, and vegetables. After coming out, he saw that there were no fish in the pool. He was anxious and said, "Why are there no fish?" I said I wasn't ready to buy it yet, it's easy to get broken if I buy it early. He immediately asked the guards around him to drive all kinds of fish, big and small, in his home. Then Marshal Ye felt relieved and told me to let the doctors and staff eat, remember. He told everyone that this work is very important. The Prime Minister's health is connected to the hearts of the whole party and the people of the whole country. He hopes that everyone will do a good job, cooperate with each other, and complete the task successfully.
Mr. Ye called almost every day to inquire about Premier Zhou's condition, daily life, diet, etc. Premier Zhou usually performs surgery at night, and sometimes Marshal Ye will accompany him until one or two o'clock in the second half of the night. He always sat in the armchair, motionless and without saying anything, just waiting for the doctor to report to him after the operation. Sometimes he was sleepy and sat on a chair and took a nap. We wiped his face with a hot towel and put a backrest on him for a while. When we asked him to lie in the room and rest for a while, he didn't want it, so he sat there and waited.
Every time Li Xiannian comes, as long as Premier Zhou is more physically and in good spirits, he will chat with the Prime Minister a little more, and sometimes talk about home-cooked things to make Premier Zhou feel at ease, just like his family. As soon as he found out that the Prime Minister was not in good condition, he was very anxious and always asked the doctor about what to do next and how to arrange it. Their relationship is very friendly and our staff see it.
Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen and others have completely different attitudes from Marshal Ye. Yao Wenyuan rarely comes to the hospital. Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, and Wang Hongwen come more. When they are on duty in the operation, they either close their eyes to rest or eat candy and snacks. As soon as Jiang Qing came, she asked us to prepare a room for her, saying that she would have to rest and wash after meeting Premier Zhou, but she never paid attention to the doctors and staff. Zhang Chunqiao only said something to Premier Zhou when he was really necessary. He basically didn't speak, but sat there, waiting for Premier Zhou to speak. The three of them always come with a stern face and are very cold. As soon as Wang Hongwen came, he asked about other people coming to the hospital and asked if Xiaoping had arrived or when he came.
Premier Zhou’s last wish
1 January 8, 1976, on the day of Premier Zhou’s death, I was the first staff to receive a call. At that time, the ward duty staff called and said, “The Prime Minister is not good, you can prepare immediately, and other leaders will come soon.” I immediately mobilized the guards. After a while, the central leaders came. The earliest ones were Deng Xiaoping, Marshal Ye and others arrived one after another, and then Jiang Qing and others also came. The only one missing among the members of the Politburo at that time was Navy Commander Su Zhenhua. Premier Zhou had stopped breathing at that time but was still rescued. The members of the Politburo waited for Su Zhenhua in the outer room, for about ten minutes. After Su Zhenhua arrived, Deng Xiaoping asked him to go to the inner room to see the Prime Minister. When he saw Premier Zhou crying sadly, he couldn't speak, and he choked, unable to stand even after saying a word, and could not stand still, and he was close to the Prime Minister's bed. After a long time, the staff outside came in and said to me, Baochang, please help him out quickly, the members of the Politburo are waiting for him to have a meeting! Then I said to Su Zhenhua, Chief, you should go out, Comrade Xiaoping and the others are waiting for you outside. The meeting instructed to stop rescue, set up an funeral committee, and determine the schedule of the memorial service and other matters. After the meeting, Deng Xiaoping and others went into the house to see the Prime Minister again. Deng Xiaoping's voice trembled, Ye Jianying's eyes were red from crying, and he held Sister Deng's hand for a long time. Li Xiannian, Chen Yonggui, Su Zhenhua and others can no longer walk. Many people's eyes were swollen from crying, and Jiang Qing and others immediately turned around and left. At about 12 noon, Premier Zhou's body was carried into the car and was about to be taken to Beijing Hospital . Sister Deng lifted the white cloth covered by the Prime Minister and said, asking me to look at Enlai again, and then kissed him on the head, and said goodbye.
11 January 15, 1976, one hour before the memorial service, Sister Deng conveyed Premier Zhou’s will in Great Hall of the People . She said: Premier Zhou’s life is a life of revolution and a life of fighting. In his own words, it is called living until old, learning until old, revolution until old, and transformation until old. He fought against imperialism, against domestic class enemies, and against diseases. Be loyal and unyielding until your death. As early as ten years ago, the Prime Minister and I talked about the handling of funerals. The Prime Minister and I promised each other that we would not keep the ashes after death. From burial to cremation is a change, but from keeping ashes to not keeping ashes is even more a change. Changing customs is a revolution, and it is not easy to change people's habits. At that time, although we had agreed, the Prime Minister was a person who knew it. He said: If you (referring to Deng Yingchao) die before me, it would be easier to deal with. If I die before you, it will be hard to say. Now the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao agreed to the Prime Minister's request during his lifetime, not keeping the ashes, and fulfilling the Prime Minister's last wish, which is a great comfort to me... The Prime Minister told me that he would not make any requests after his death. Obey the central government's arrangements and obey the central government's command. When it comes to treatment issues, you or other relatives have no right to give opinions. The funeral after death should be kept simple and the specifications should not exceed those of anyone in the central government."Ms. Deng continued: "After liberation, the comrades in Huainan built the Prime Minister's house. The Prime Minister was unhappy when he found out. It is recommended that the house be allowed to be used by everyone or for public use, so no memorial hall can be set up. At the same time, the Prime Minister will pay the money for the house repair. Regarding the handling of the ancestral tomb, I have repeatedly talked about it, and asked local comrades to bury the ancestral tombs and hand over the land to the production team. For this reason, he specifically asked his nephew to go back to deal with the matter. Later, he was happy after he did it according to the Prime Minister's opinion. "In addition, Sister Deng made several requirements for his descendants in accordance with the Prime Minister's last words during his lifetime. The general spirit is not specialized, because he is a relative and descendant of the Prime Minister. Now, taking advantage of the Prime Minister's death, he makes demands to the organization and achieves his own interests. It is also against the Prime Minister's wishes. After the memorial service, Sister Deng returned to the 305 Hospital. She emphasized in particular: "The Central Committee and the Chairman attach importance to the Prime Minister's condition; the Medical Staff have made the best efforts; the Prime Minister's last wish and do not retain the ashes. This is my greatest comfort; the relatives have no right to suspect or blame the Central Committee and the Medical Staff; I hope that traditional Chinese and Western medicine will cooperate with each other to achieve results in defeating cancer, and believe that they will eventually defeat cancer. "My sister Deng said: "The memorial service has been held, and the Prime Minister's funeral has been handled almost completely, so I'm just waiting to spread my ashes. So today I will meet you again and take a photo with you. Thank you. At the same time, I gave you one of the Prime Minister’s favorite standard photos to each of you. I have prepared a photo frame. If you want to have a photo of the Prime Minister, you can hang it up and take a look. "
Premier Zhou is considerate, comprehensive and meticulous in dealing with people. His thoughts and work style have influenced him to this day and set an example for successor leaders. This is the most precious wealth left to us by the old generation of revolutionaries.
[ Source: "A Hundred Years of Tide" Issue 2017, 2017, Zhang Baochang dictated it, Wang Xue compiled ]
