The Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, built in 1950, is the resting place of many revolutionary martyrs who have made significant contributions to the cause of the Chinese revolution.
Particularly striking is a tomb covering an area of 300 square meters, which is known as the largest tomb in Babaoshan, and its owner is Comrade Ren Bishi, who devoted himself to the cause of the Chinese revolution.
In 1951, after mourning Ren Bishi, he looked at the tomb covering an area of 300 square meters and said with emotion: "Comrade Ren Bishi really deserves a tomb of this scale, he devoted his life to the cause of the Chinese revolution and dedicated everything.
But if everyone needs a tomb of this size, is it a bit of a luxury?”。The lament that the scale of the tomb was too extravagant triggered a series of reflections and follow-up actions.
Ren Bishi was born in Miluo City, Hunan Province in 1905, at a time when the Qing Dynasty was crumbling and social order was chaotic.
He joined the Youth League of the Communist Party of China at the age of 16 and was appreciated by the party leaders for his intelligence and stability.
When he was young, he resolutely gave up his domestic studies to study abroad, during which he studied hard and came into contact with more advanced communist ideas. After returning to China, he actively participated in the Chinese revolution and became a leader in the revolution.
During the period of land reform, he was unwavering and knew that a thorough revolution and land reform could save China, so he became the most loyal supporter of the world.
Ren Bishi, an unswerving, fearless fighter, he is silently dedicated, conscientious, and unwavering.
During the Long March, in the face of extreme scarcity of supplies and severe food shortages, he put forward the suggestion of "eating the belt", leading the soldiers to cook the belt to satisfy their hunger, and although it was difficult to swallow, he gritted his teeth and swallowed it.
Ren Bishi always shared the weal and woe with the fighters, sharing his experiences during breaks, and igniting hope in the hearts of the soldiers. He once said: "I have three fears in my life, one is afraid of less work, the second is afraid of using more money, and the third is afraid of troublesome people."
He is self-disciplined and strict at all times, always restraining himself, and thinking about the organization and the country. Ren Bishi pursued the truth, bravely shouldered heavy responsibilities, fought for the revolutionary cause, did not shirk, and did his best even in small matters.
With an iron will and a spirit of hard work, he fought for the revolutionary cause for thirty years, until the last moment of his life.
After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, although he knew that people had taken the initiative to improve the living conditions of the leaders, he was afraid of troublesome people and was unwilling to accept special preferential treatment. He felt guilty that the situation in the country was unstable and that the poor were still struggling.
He never paid attention to material life, and even lived in a small house originally allocated by the state, and even the doors and windows were never replaced, maintaining the original appearance. In addition, he died young. When he was in Yan'an, he was already suffering from cerebral arteriosclerosis, diabetes and other diseases.
Despite the decision to give him a short break, he insisted on working late into the night. The guards advised him that he could not rest, so he called a doctor. But he said, "The task of the two of you is to rest, and my task is to work, and not to disturb each other." ”。
In order to ensure that the work is correct and the people's lives can be improved slightly, Ren Bishi often works late into the night, repeatedly proofreading and verifying, for fear of any mistakes. Sometimes I stay up all night and still go out the next day to inspect and deal with affairs.
Even if he is ill, he will not let go of the work in hand, because in his opinion, work is everywhere. For him, work can never be done.
Sometimes, even the slightest trivial matter, he would repeatedly proofread and verify it, for fear of living up to the expectations of the people and the party. Eventually, the long hours and intense work caused him to become ill.
On the important day of the founding ceremony, no one found him. At this time, he was lying on a hospital bed, unable to witness this momentous moment with his own eyes, nor to celebrate with the rest of the country, because he was too sick to get up.
Due to the severity of his illness, he had to go to the Soviet Union to receive **, personally talk to Stalin, and ask the best doctor for him**. Subsequently, during his visit to the Soviet Union abroad, ** went to the hospital many times to visit Ren Bi, who was recuperating.
When he saw that there was an improvement, he excitedly said to the ** who took care of him: "Very good, very good, thank you, I thank you on behalf of the whole Chinese people!"”。
Later, when the Korean War broke out, Ren Bishi could no longer lie down, and he immediately returned to China and asked to join the work. However, considering his physical condition, his request was not granted.
Eventually, at his insistence, ** reluctantly agreed to let him work, but with a stipulation that he was only allowed to work four hours a day. Even so, Ren Bishi still went his own way and continued to work until late at night.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country was faced with many things to be done, and the work was complicated and arduous, requiring staff members to meet and discuss all night. Although the doctor warned him many times not to overwork and stay up late, Ren Bishi knew his physical condition well.
However, he threw himself into his work without hesitation, with the determination to do his last thing for the country and its people, despite the growing severity of his illness.
In the end, due to long-term overwork and rapid deterioration of health, Ren Bishi suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while correcting documents and unfortunately passed away at the age of 46.
However, he has made great sacrifices for the country and the revolutionary cause, and embodies the spirit of "do your best, and then die".
The flag was lowered at half-mast across the country, and tens of thousands of people gathered in Tiananmen Square to mourn, personally helping the soul, and personally inscribed the seven characters of "The Tomb of Comrade Ren Bishi" on his tombstone.
Subsequently, the highest funeral was held, a series of memorial activities were launched, and the construction of the mausoleum began. Despite the debate about the specifications of his tomb, ** finally made a decision himself, determining the size of his cemetery to be 300 square meters.
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in the face of the reality of less land and more people, the country was poor, and the scale of construction required a lot of manpower and financial resources
This suggestion also advocates that funerals should be simple and not extravagant and wasteful. **It was decided to determine the Babaoshan Cemetery as the cemetery for the burial of revolutionary martyrs in China, and the Babaoshan Cemetery came into being.
The ultimate goal of this initiative is to reduce the amount of land used for funerals, simplify burial procedures, reduce funeral expenses, and eliminate extravagance and waste. If the revolutionary martyrs learn this news, they will be able to sleep in peace. Epilogue.