When the founding of New China , Zhou Enlai was the most popular candidate for the prime minister. At the same time, four vice premiers were also selected, namely Dong Biwu, Chen Yun, Guo Moruo , and Huang Yanpei .
The four vice premiers all have their own fields of administration. For example, Dong Biwu is also the director of the Political and Legal Committee, Chen Yun is also the director of the Finance and Economic Committee and the Minister of Heavy Industry, Guo Moruo is also the director of the Cultural and Education Committee, and Huang Yanpei is also the Minister of the Ministry of Light Industry.
We have introduced the story of Guo Moruo and Huang Yanpei before. Let’s take a look at why Chen Yun was elected as Vice Premier.
Although Chen Yun was born in poverty and lost his father at the age of two and his mother at the age of four, Chen Yun had a very talented business talent. After dropping out of school at the age of 14, he went to Shanghai Commercial Press to work in , which further trained his business talent and was born to be a big expert in the economic field.
Chen Yun's super ability has also been valued by Chairman Mao. In 1944, Chairman Mao asked Chen Yun to preside over the financial and economic work of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.
The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region has barren land and has been in chaos for years, making the economy very difficult, especially Chiang Kai-shek Since 1941, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army have stopped paying military salaries, and foreign trade in the border areas has also been banned, resulting in a very chaotic fiscal order in the border areas and soaring prices.
In this context, Chen Yun took office. The first thing he said to his colleagues was: "Every comrade of us must have the attitude of being a 'shopkeeper', and make the abacus carefully and carefully, first villain and then gentleman."
However, it is not easy to be a good "shopkeeper". At that time, the reputation of border currency was damaged, and legal currency took advantage of the situation and occupied the border market. If the relationship between border currency and legal currency is not cleared, the border region will not have normal financial operations. What should I do if
? Chen Yun came up with a solution. First, the salt company issued circulation coupons, the price of the fiat currency is 1:1, and the price of the border coupon is 1:9. First, the border coupon is reclaimed, and then use the border coupons to recover the circulation coupons. In this way, the price of border coins and fiat currency can be 1:1, and fiat currency can be squeezed out of the border areas.
At the same time, Chen Yun began to expand trade between the border area and the Kuomintang-controlled area , calling it a "trade struggle". What's more powerful is that Chen Yun regards trade with the Kuomintang-controlled area as an important battlefield for united front work in the border area, and knowledgeable people from the upper levels of the Kuomintang are also willing to trade with the border area.
Through various means, the fiscal and economic development of the border areas has been greatly improved. The central government and the Eighth Route Army can survive in Yan'an. It can be said that Chen Yun has made great contributions!
After the Liberation War broke out, Chen Yun was sent to the Northeast to serve as deputy secretary of the Northeast Bureau, and also served as director of the Northeast Finance and Economic Committee, presided over the financial work in the Northeast.
Northeast was the most developed region in my country at that time. With the black soil and large forests in the Northeast, the Northeast economy was well developed, which could play a huge role in promoting the War of Liberation.
The three-year war of liberation was huge, especially the need for industrial products. As the "big shopkeeper" of Northeast economic work, Chen Yun, under his governance, became an important base for our army to win the war of liberation. Even Chiang Kai-shek later lamented: "The failure of the three-year war lies in the loss of the Northeast."
On May 27, 1949, after the liberation of Shanghai, a bigger problem was placed in front of Communist , which was the economic issue.
Shanghai is a world-famous international metropolis. Chiang Kai-shek and reactionary capitalists from various countries are unwilling to throw away this treasure land, so they tried their best to mess up Shanghai's economy, and even made wild statements: "The CCP can score 100 points in the military, but can only score 0 points in the economy."
Therefore, whether Shanghai's economic war can be fought well depends on whether the Communist Party can firmly sit in the world and whether the New China can truly gain a foothold. Its significance is crucial!
Chairman Mao personally clicked Chen Yun to go to Shanghai to preside over the economic recovery work in Shanghai. Chen Yun did not disappoint his high expectations. Through a series of very effective means, he quickly stabilized Shanghai's economy and fought a very beautiful economic war. Chairman Mao praised: "Its contribution is no less than Huaihai Battle ! ”
Therefore, Chen Yun is the best player in the economic field. It is also a popular choice for him to preside over the financial and economic work of New China.
Some people may say that among the non-party members, there are also many experts in the economic field. Why not let them preside over the financial work?
This involves the particularity of financial work. The country's financial work involves a very wide range and must negotiate with all departments. If it is done by non-party members, they are not familiar with the history and economic context of our party, and have not dealt with various departments within the party. It is easy to have problems.
And Chen Yun has always been an important leader of our party, and he said Everyone is convinced, and the work will naturally be easy to carry out. This is something that non-party members cannot compare with.
It is precisely for these factors that Chen Yun was appointed as Vice Premier, Director of the Finance and Economic Committee, and Minister of Heavy Industry, and fully presided over the financial work of New China.
Chen Yun's important role in the financial field of New China, even foreign scholars have to admire him. For example, an American scholar commented: "In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen Yun's dominance in the economic field would not be overstated, especially during the recovery period from 1949 to 1952... As China's economic "tsar", one of Chen Yun's most outstanding achievements was to stop the inflation of like a horse that broke the reins, and completely disintegrated the last rule of the Kuomintang on the mainland. ”
(References: "Biography of Chen Yun", "Overview of Party History", "China Business News")
