On July 11, 1992, a respected old comrade and a dedicated elder sister, Deng Yingchao, who had been in the same boat for 51 years, died of illness at the age of 88, and this obituary jointly issued by the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, the People's Republic of China and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference shocked the whole country.
She was a great revolutionary pioneer and Marxist, both a heroic fighter and a staunch supporter. This like-minded revolutionary couple has experienced the baptism of wind and rain together, and has also enjoyed the sea of begonia flowers in the West Flower Hall together.
However, as the years go by, life is impermanent. At the end of her life, Deng Yingchao enjoyed the flowers alone, and on the day she left, she put on the clothes she had given to *** and used the urn he had used.
Deng Yingchao's later life was full of positivity and loyalty, and she always persevered and struggled. If there are two words to describe Deng Yingchao, it is positive and loyal.
Her life was full of positive attitudes, and her faithful belief in the revolutionary cause never changed.
Deng Yingchao, from joining the "May Fourth Movement" to stepping down as chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has always interpreted "positive" and "loyal" with practical actions in his nearly 70-year career.
However, after entering old age, her physical condition gradually declined, and her mental health was also hit hard by the death of ***. Despite this, Deng Yingchao insisted on continuing her work and even took over her husband's unfinished business.
In 1979, she served as the leader of the leading group for the work on Taiwan, and delivered a speech on New Year's Day of the following year, hoping to complete the regret of Taiwan's return that could not be realized.
In 1982, Chiang Ching-kuo published an article revealing his longing for his hometown. Deng Yingchao will take this as a driving force and continue to work hard for the cause of cross-strait peace.
When Deng Yingchao saw this article, he immediately organized a meeting of the Taiwan group. She suggested that Liao Chengzhi, the deputy head of the group, write a letter to Chiang Ching-kuo in his private capacity, because Liao and Chiang had been classmates with whom they had a good relationship.
However, due to the form at the time, this sincere letter did not get a response from Chiang Ching-kuo, but received a reply from Soong Meiling. After Deng Yingchao opened the letter, what he saw was a tactful but firm refusal.
Although everyone was disappointed by this, Deng Yingchao just smiled and did not speak. If this road to reunification had been so easy, it would have become a broad road long ago. She adheres to a positive attitude and is full of confidence in her work with Taiwan.
Whenever a delegation of Taiwan compatriots visits, she will try to find time to meet them and have in-depth exchanges with them.
The Taiwan issue has always touched the hearts of all Chinese people. As Deng Yingchao said: "Although I have relieved myself of heavy government affairs, I only have the reunification of the country in my heart." ”
When dealing with national affairs, she poured a lot of effort into it, but she didn't care about her own personal affairs and body. Since *** passed away, Deng Yingchao has never mentioned his birthday.
Every year on February 4th, she spends it busy, as if she didn't know it. In her opinion, the lack of the company of a loved one makes birthdays insignificant. When the begonia flowers bloom, there is no longer that hearty laughter echoing in the West Flower Hall.
However, on February 4, 1984, Secretary Zhao Wei and other staff members quietly prepared a celebration party for her, because it was her 80th birthday.
When he saw his long-lost old comrades-in-arms, Deng Yingchao finally had a smile on his face.
Deng Yingchao was riddled with diseases, but she always stuck to her post, underwent many major surgeries, and people around her advised her to rest properly, but because of heart disease, tuberculosis, gallstones and other diseases, she recalled the war and the difficult environment, and insisted on working.
In 1986, Deng Yingchao suffered sudden pain in her face and skull bones, which seriously affected her eating and drinking, and it even took an hour and a half to finish a meal, and if you add esophageal spasm, it would take three hours.
This situation had a serious impact on Deng Yingchao's daily work, and it also made her feel powerless for the first time. She is well aware that her inability to govern while in office is a major dereliction of duty to the party, the state, and even to the people.
Therefore, in order to continue to exert her residual heat, she began to go in and out of the hospital frequently, hoping to defeat the disease through medicine** and tenacious will. Deng Yingchao's perseverance and determination are admirable, and her illness made her cherish her life and work more, and also made her more determined to be loyal to the party and the country and her love for the people.
** and Deng Yingchao have already thought about the aftermath, because they know that their physical condition makes it impossible for them to have biological children. After they moved into the West Flower Hall, they were only accompanied by the nephews and nieces of the Zhou family.
Out of consideration for the people around them and the need to be frugal, they decided to draw up a will. In their many wills, they wanted their posthumous affairs to be simple.
** and Deng Yingchao are typical of dedication before death and extreme simplicity after death, so the content of their wills is not much different. In 1956, he advocated that leading comrades choose cremation after their deaths, which was a major revolution in the field of ideology.
** was the first to sign up in favor of cremation, and Deng Yingchao followed closely behind. Their idea is simple, that is, to save manpower and material resources for the country, and at the same time advocate the concept of environmental protection.
On January 11, 1976, **'s body was cremated in accordance with his last wishes. After the memorial service, Deng Yingchao personally divided the ashes in the urn into four parts.
The ashes were scattered in Beijing, Miyun Reservoir, the estuary of the Yellow River and the Haihe River in Tianjin. Although *** has left us, he still guards the great rivers and mountains of the motherland in this way.
On the third day after the memorial service, Deng Yingchao began to think about his future arrangements. Although she has no children and no daughters, she only has the country and her husband in her heart. Therefore, she decided not to add trouble to ** and expressed her wishes to the people around her early.
So, the daughter of **'s younger brother's family, Zhou Bingde, received Deng Yingchao's ** and immediately rushed to the West Flower Hall. She has the closest relationship with Deng Yingchao.
In front of Zhou Bingde, Deng Yingchao said solemnly: "After I die, the ashes may be useless." I hope you can handle it like your uncle. ”
On the founding day of the party in 1978, she wrote the first will in her life, and the content was strikingly similar to ***'s will, which was an agreement between their husband and wife.
The first clause of the will is to hand over the body to the medical department for autopsy, cremation and scattering into the Haihe River in Tianjin; The second is not to hold a farewell ceremony for the remains; The third rule is not to hold a memorial service.
This will supersede any obituary. However, when he saw this will, the secretary Zhao Wei was full of bitterness. Since 1965, she has been the life secretary of Deng Yingchao, and the two are inseparable.
**Before he died, he repeatedly asked her to take care of Deng Yingchao. In the years of getting along, she has long regarded Deng Yingchao as a mother. At this time, she kept in mind the contents of the will, and at the same time comforted Deng Yingchao: "Eldest sister, don't think so much, you still have a long way to go." ”
Having said that, Deng Yingchao needs to plan everything in advance. On June 17, 1982, she added new elements to her original will. In addition to the previous three points, she also highlighted the opposition to the remembrance of the former home.
She hopes that after her death, the house she lived with *** can be returned to the public family. In addition, she also made it clear that organizational discipline and organizational principles should be strictly followed, and that there should be no special care for the relatives of the husband and wife.
In addition to some nephews and nieces of ***, Deng Yingchao himself has only one distant nephew. His name is Deng Guangbi, and before his retirement he was just an ordinary section chief at the People's Bank of Jilin Province.
For decades, no outsider has ever known about the relationship between their family and Deng Yingchao. In November of the same year, Deng Yingchao confessed some personal matters in written form, and entrusted Yang Dezhong, Zhao Wei, Li Qi, Zhang Zuoliang, Gao Zhenpu and Zhou Bingde to carry out the implementation, of which Yang Dezhong was responsible for presiding over the full power and Zhao Wei was responsible for assisting. "
Among the wills left by Deng Yingchao before her death, there is one item that she thinks is the most important but also the most difficult to do, that is, when she is dying, she hopes that everyone will not rescue her.
She repeatedly stressed that because there was not much point in rescuing at that time, it would waste medical resources and bring a burden to everyone. Although she begged the doctor from her hospital bed not to resuscitate herself, no one dared to accept this request, not even Zhou Bingde could do anything.
In the end, the "leaky stomach" operation in 1991 still went against her wishes.
Doctors have always adhered to the professional ethics of saving lives and helping the wounded, and they will not give up easily, even in the face of revolutionary ancestors like Deng Yingchao. However, on July 11, 1992, none of the doctors could save Deng Yingchao's life.
Despite their best efforts to rescue her, they were unable to recover her. At that time, the black suit and the urn 16 years ago filled the heart of Han Zongqi, who was then the vice president of Beijing Hospital, with respect.
He clearly remembers that in 1976, when he was preparing a shroud for ***, the guards sent him a patched dress. He was at first confused and angry, thinking that the prime minister should have a more decent set of shrouds.
However, the guard explained that this was what Deng Yingchao meant, and the prime minister did not want any extravagance during his lifetime. Han Zongqi reluctantly changed into this dress for ***, but he didn't expect that 16 years later, he would experience the same thing again.
Deng Yingchao's favorite shroud before his death was just a black suit that was sewn and mended. This gabardine fabric was custom-made in the 60s and has a history of nearly 30 years.
Although old, worn and torn everywhere, it means a lot to Deng Yingchao. Deng Yingchao, like ***, resolutely opposes extravagance and waste. After cremation, who can tell the old from the new?
The outfit also fits well and has accompanied her to many important occasions. However, when Zhao Wei proposed to use this set of clothes as Deng Yingchao's shroud, it was opposed by the staff of the West Flower Hall.
They asked for a new set. However, for Deng Yingchao, this outfit has long occupied a special place in her heart, and she chose it herself. She once said to Zhao Wei: "I have to wear this set when I leave, you help me change it." ”
**When leaving, Deng Yingchao saw him off in this suit, which may be the most extreme romance. And the urn she chose is an old object that has been used.
The staff had wanted to choose a high-end urn, but Deng Yingchao's words dispelled this idea, she thought that the urn was just a formality, and it was enough to buy the cheapest one.
In the end, they only selected two urns, both of which were defective, but Deng Yingchao was still very satisfied.
After much deliberation, the staff chose the second urn. Although it has some minor imperfections, it can be ignored as the urn does not need to be opened frequently.
On January 16, 1976, after completing his mission, Deng Yingchao handed over the urn to Zhao Wei, instructed her to keep it carefully, and said that anyone who needed it could continue to use it in the future.
Zhao Wei was surprised by this, because she had already expected that Deng Yingchao would not buy a new urn. However, the urns used by the two couples, neither of whom are eligible to continue to use them.
However, both Deng Yingchao and *** believe that everything should be used to the fullest extent, that is, the so-called best use of things. In June 1992, Deng Yingchao, who was on the hospital bed, asked Zhao Wei again if she had reported her dying wish, that is, she did not have to be resuscitated when she was dying.
At the last moment of her life, Deng Yingchao said goodbye to her best friend Zhao Wei: "Zhao Wei, I will see you for the last time." On July 11, Deng Yingchao left this world.
Zhao Wei's heart was full of grief and longing, and according to Deng Yingchao's last wishes, he personally changed into a black suit for her, opened the urn from 16 years ago, and gently wiped it.
Although Deng Yingchao is gone, her spirit and influence will always be with us. In her memory, we decided to hold a farewell and memorial service for her body on July 17.
Although we can't personally send her on her last ride, our hearts will always be with her.
On July 18, a small condolence event was held in Beijing, which was attended by the leaders and relatives and friends of Deng Yingchao and his wife. Deng Yingchao's death has made many people feel sad.
16 years ago, the beloved *** passed away here, and 16 years later, they lost their beloved Sister Deng again. And until this time, the kinship between Deng Guangbi and Deng Yingchao was not known.
The juniors of the Deng family originally planned to go to Beijing to wake the wake for their aunt, but they were unable to buy a ticket due to time problems. In order to send the elders on their last journey, they violated the regulations for the first and only time and asked the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee for help.
In addition to relatives, many people from all over the country spontaneously came to participate in the condolence activities. Vice Chairman Ma Wenrui rushed to Babaoshan at 7 o'clock and waited for two hours to see the hearse.
Although he is 80 years old, he resolutely does not go home to rest, standing motionless on the side of the road, just to bid farewell to his beloved Deng Yingchao.
When the news of Deng Yingchao's death reached Taiwan, Zhang Yizhen was so sad that he came to bid farewell to his "Mother Deng". People from all over the country gathered at the scene, watching the slowly approaching hearse and weeping bitterly.
When eight PLA soldiers carried the coffin and walked off the hearse, the people at the scene wept silently, constantly calling "Sister Deng", "Mother Deng", and "Grandma Deng". When Deng Yingchao's body was placed in the mourning hall surrounded by flowers, countless people burst into tears and mourned in front of Deng Yingchao's spirit.
From octogenarian couples to teenage children, everyone is deeply mourning the loss of this revolutionary ancestor. In just one morning, tens of thousands of names were on the sign-in book of the mourning hall, and more mourners were still on their way.
The situation was completely beyond everyone's expectations, and if everyone was to come in and mourn, it would probably take a few more days.
On this special night, the contradiction between the emotions of the masses and the cremation of the remains made the relevant departments have to persuade everyone to return early. However, at 4:30 p.m. on July 17, Deng Yingchao's body was sent to the funeral home for cremation, while Zhao Wei held the used urn and waited quietly.
The entire West Flower Hall was quiet, and all the staff were keeping a vigil for Sister Deng. After saying goodbye to Deng Yingchao, Zhao Wei and Gao Zhenpu immediately rushed to Tianjin Haihe with the urn.
In order to comply with Deng Yingchao's message before his death, they chose to take a steamer, and the people of Tianjin were already waiting on the roadside, and other steamers on the sea also honked their horns to express their condolences.
In the end, Deng Yingchao's ashes drifted into the sea with flower petals in the wind, which was deeply moving.
16 years ago, she said goodbye to her husband in this way, and 16 years later, she was reunited with him in the Haihe River in the same way. A reunion after 16 years of absence, a golden wedding with 51 years of companionship, and an affectionate and indelible red love.
The begonias in the West Flower Hall are still the same, and *** and Deng Yingchao will always live in the hearts of the people. PostscriptIn 1919, Nankai University held a lecture. A 15-year-old girl named Deng Wenshu was the first to take the stage to give an inspiring speech.
And in the corner she didn't notice, a 21-year-old young man was jotting down her name with strong strokes. Later, Deng Wenshu changed her name to Deng Yingchao, and the young man's name was ***
In 1923, Deng Yingchao received a postcard from France. It reads ***'s confessional declaration, not "I love you", but "I hope we can be together forever and face difficulties together".
In the war-torn old China, this was a promise made by two revolutionary youths for love, for the motherland, and for the people.
In 1925, they married in a Western restaurant in Guangzhou, and since then the two have supported each other and spent 51 years together. In the blink of an eye, it is another year when the begonia flowers bloom, but the years are in a hurry, and the former lover has gone away......