On March 31, 1993, 86-year-old Yang Shangkun withdrew from the leadership position he had held for 5 years.
Yang Shangkun. Yang Shangkun, who stepped down from his leadership position, finally had time to read books without busy state activities. Every day at 12 noon, the staff would call Yang Shangkun to eat on time, but he always said, "It's time to eat again so soon." "Why are you eating again?".”
Yang Shangkun's son Yang Shaoming once recalled: "When my father was dying, he said that I didn't have any property, and my property was books. So it was my father who taught me that knowledge is power. ”
In 1997, at the age of 90, Yang Shangkun returned to his hometown of Tongnan County, Sichuan Province. The mountains and rivers of his hometown are unforgettable, and the villagers in his hometown are unforgettable, but the most memorable thing for him is the fourth brother Yang Yangong who led him on the road of revolution.
Yang Yangong was one of the early leaders of our party, and in 1926 he became the secretary of the Chongqing Local Executive Committee of the Communist Party of China. From 1921 to 1925, when Yang Shangkun was studying in Chengdu, it was under the leadership of Yang Yangong that he gradually embarked on the road of revolution. Regarding the influence of the fourth brother on his devotion to the revolution, Yang Shangkun once recalled fondly:
He not only guided me in reading, but also helped me to correctly understand the class I came from and the ...... of my old familyThis kind of view, which he often told me in his letters, inspired me to recognize the corrupt feudal family and the semi-colonial and semi-feudal social ......It was under the inspiration of the fourth brother's spring rain that I gradually accepted the revolutionary ideas, turned my back on the class from which I was born, and threw myself into the cause of the emancipation of the proletariat.
Yang Yangong. In 1926, Yang Shangkun joined the Chinese Communist Party and would enter Shanghai University to Xi. Yang Yangong personally sent Yang Shangkun to the Chaotianmen Wharf in Chongqing, and told him: "Fifth brother, you must listen to the party's teachings and study Xi revolutionary theory hard!"”
At this time, Yang Yangong and Yang Shangkun would not know that this parting would become a permanent secret!
On April 4, 1927, Yang Shangkun was unfortunately arrested by the Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang, and in the face of the enemy's coercion and temptation, he remained loyal and unyielding, and was finally brutally killed by the enemy. When Yang Yan became righteous, he was only 29 years old. In 1938, Zhao Zongkai, the widow of Yang Yangong, transported his remains back to his hometown for burial.
This time, Yang Shangkun returned to his hometown and came to the tomb of the fourth brother to sweep the tomb, thinking of those past events, he couldn't help but cry ......
In 1995, at the age of 88, Yang Shangkun began to write his memoirs, and after two years of preparation, he began to write. The reason why Yang Shangkun is so cautious is because he once served as the leader of the leading group of Chinese history, and he knows that his memoirs are not only personal history, but also the history of the party and the history of the Chinese revolution.
But unfortunately, because Yang Shangkun was seriously ill and hospitalized soon after, his memoirs only completed the part before the founding of the People's Republic of China, with a total of 14 chapters and 270,000 words, but this still has a very important reference value for future generations to study the history of the party.
Memoirs of Yang Shangkun
In his later years, Yang Shangkun also completed many articles reminiscing about his old comrades-in-arms, he wrote an article "50 Years of Acquaintance and Acquaintance - Comrade Enlai I Know", wrote an article "Outstanding Meritorious Service, Brilliant Spring and Autumn" for ***, and wrote an article "In Memory of General Peng" for ***, the last of which was approved by Yang Shangkun on the hospital bed when he was seriously ill. It can be said that Yang Shangkun was heart-to-heart with his comrades-in-arms until the last moment of his life.
In 1998, Yang Shangkun was suddenly knocked down by illness and admitted to the hospital. In the summer of this year, the Yangtze River, Nenjiang River, Songhua River and other river basins broke out of catastrophic floods, although Yang Shangkun was seriously ill, he always insisted on paying attention to the development of the disaster, when he saw many people on TV losing their homes, he was so sad that he shed tears;When he saw the commanders and fighters of the People's Liberation Army rushing to the front line of flood fighting, sticking to the embankment day and night, he said excitedly: "The commanders and fighters have worked hard!When he saw some grassroots cadres derelict their duties on the front line of flood fighting, he said angrily: "Such people should be investigated and punished!"”
Yang Shangkun also asked his children to donate all the 20,000 yuan he had deposited in the bank to the disaster area, which was part of his salary after he and his wife Li Bozhao resumed work, and has been saved for more than 20 years.
In August of this year, Yang Shangkun's illness became more and more serious, and the then general secretary of the Communist Party of China made a special instruction: "Comrade Shang Kun is a proletarian revolutionary of the older generation, and he must do his best."
On August 19, ***, who had just returned to Beijing from the front line of flood control in Hubei, came to visit Yang Shangkun in the hospital, and in order to divert the attention of Yang Shangkun from his illness, he only talked to him about flood relief issues. ** said: "Now there is a rare catastrophic flood in the Sanjiang Valley, which has brought us difficulties, but we have taken all kinds of effective measures, and we will definitely be able to overcome the temporary difficulties." When Yang Shangkun heard this, he smiled with relief.
Zhu Rongji. On August 20, Premier Zhu Rongji also rushed back to Beijing from the front line of flood control to visit Yang Shangkun, and after he introduced the flood control measures taken by Yang Shangkun, Yang Shangkun was very pleased and said: "If you have a way, I will be happy!"”
Although the doctors tried their best to save him, but the disease was ruthless, on September 2, Yang Shangkun had a premonition that his time was numbered, he called his family to the hospital bed, and made a final will:
People always have to die, don't be too sad. Regarding my future, I must express my simplicity to **, this year suffered a catastrophe, and I must be simple. In 1996, I went to Taihang Mountain to visit the people there, and they hoped that I would return there in the future, but that would be too expensive. I still hope to be cremated and sent back to my hometown Tongnan and buried with my fourth brother.On September 14, 1998, Yang Shangkun unfortunately passed away at the age of 91.
Yang Shangkun. After Yang Shangkun's body was cremated, his children found the piece of shrapnel embedded in his body for 63 years from his ashes. This piece of shrapnel was on the Long March road, the Red Army was attacked by the enemy, and a piece of shrapnel flew into Yang Shangkun's right foot. 63 years have passed, shrapnel has turned golden, no one can say clearly, why this piece of cast iron shrapnel turned golden, the big waves wash the sand, the fire is real gold, the Communist Party members represented by Yang Shangkun are worthy of being people made of special materials!
On May 18, 2001, Yang Shangkun's ashes finally returned to his hometown Tongnan, this time, he is no longer gone, he will always be with his beloved fourth brother, always stay under the knees of loving parents, among the people he loves, he will not be lonely, under the care of the motherland, he will get eternal life!
Statue of Yang Shangkun.