At 6 a.m. on November 12, 1969, Comrade ** died of illness at the age of 71. At that time, it was a special period of ten years, and he did not hold a funeral after his death, and was hurriedly sent to the Kaifeng crematorium for cremation, and his status was determined to be an "unemployed civilian".
However, 11 years later, in 1980, ** held a funeral for him, which was 11 years late, and ** and other national leaders attended, and spoke highly of Comrade ***'s life.
**, born on October 24, 1898 in Tanzichong, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province, according to the family genealogy, his name is "Liu Weihuang". However, when Yuan Shikai **announced his acceptance of **'s "21 Articles", ** was outraged, and immediately participated in the school's strike march, vowing to fight Yuan Shikai's **thief to the end.
In order to express the idea of defending the homeland of Yanhuang at the cost of his life, he changed his name to "Liu Weihuang". After learning the news of the victory of the revolution in October 1920, he felt the hope of salvation and decided to go to Moscow Eastern University for further study.
After the founding of the Communist Party of China, despite being far away in the Soviet Union, ** found a way to join the Communist Party of China for the first time and successfully joined. In 1922, shortly after returning to China, he was sent to Jiangxi to lead the strike movement of the miners on Anyuan Road.
As the plenipotentiary representative of the Anyuan Road miners, when negotiating with the road and mine authorities, the other party threatened him: "Believe it or not, if you workers continue to strike and riot, I will immediately report to the city and ask them to arrest and shoot you!" ”
** Unafraid of this, he replied righteously: "Even if you chop me into pulp, you can't get the workers to return to work, and the only way to get the workers to return to work is to agree to the reasonable demands of the workers!" ”
The heroic action of the road and mine authorities was forced to make concessions, so that the Anyuan miners' strike achieved a complete victory and achieved zero personnel, which left a strong mark in the history of the Chinese labor movement, and also enabled the company to be successfully elected as the chairman of the executive committee of the Hanyeping Federation of Trade Unions.
In 1929, he was appointed secretary of the Manchuria Provincial Party Committee, responsible for the management of the four eastern provinces. At that time, the White Terror was prevalent in the country, and the party organizations in the four eastern provinces were severely damaged.
** Immediately after arriving in Mukden, he sent his cronies to Harbin and other cities to reorganize his forces and fight against the enemy, and personally led the workers of the General Factory of the China Eastern Railway in the struggle to return to work.
A year later, he established a solid position in Manchuria for the labor movement, was appointed head of the Chinese trade union delegation, and traveled to Moscow to attend the 5th Congress of the Red Workers International, where he delivered an important speech.
During his stay in Moscow, he had friendly exchanges with representatives of various countries and gained a deeper understanding of the revolutionary cause. After returning to China, he began to serve as the first Minister of Workers.
However, because of a disagreement with the temporary ** at that time, he was removed from his post by the ** leader at that time. After that, he was transferred out of Shanghai in 1932 and went to the Soviet District to serve as the chairman of the Executive Board of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
In 1935, Japan plotted the so-called "autonomy of the five provinces of North China" in an attempt to achieve complete control over China. In desperation, the Kuomintang authorities sent He Yingqin and Umezu Yoshijiro to sign the "Ho-Mei Agreement," agreeing to dissolve all political organizations in North China and prohibit anti-Japanese activities.
This move paved the way for the Japanese invaders. However, in this context, on December 9, 1935, thousands of students in Peiping held a huge anti-Japanese demonstration to save the country, expressing their gratitude to the Kuomintang.
The outbreak of the "129" movement made *** see the powerful anti-Japanese patriotic forces in North China. In order to strengthen the party's influence in North China, it was decided to send the party to North China to serve as the representative of the North Bureau, to provide guidance to the comrades of the North Bureau, and to lead the local anti-Japanese forces together.
**The work in the Northern Bureau has made remarkable achievements and has been highly recognized. Therefore, in 1938, it was decided to set up the Central Plains Bureau with *** as the secretary, so that he could open up a new anti-Japanese base in Central China.
** Living up to expectations, it successfully changed the situation in Central China, established a new anti-Japanese base area, and fundamentally changed the situation behind enemy lines in Central China. After the Southern Anhui Incident in 1941, the New Fourth Army suffered heavy losses, and immediately sent a telegram to **, requesting the re-establishment of the New Fourth Army in northern Jiangsu to consolidate and develop the anti-Japanese base areas in Central China.
* agreed to his proposal, and the rebuilt New Fourth Army, under the leadership of cadres such as **, Zhang Yunyi, and **, presented a positive and upward new atmosphere. In 1942, after the rectification movement was launched, it was decided to transfer him back to Yan'an to assist him, and he officially entered the core of our party.
In 1943, after the reorganization of the leading body, he officially entered the work of the party and the state, and since then he has served as an important leader of the party and the state for a long time. These contributions not only changed the situation in Central China, but also had a far-reaching impact on the development of China's revolutionary cause.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, ** and *** were criticized in 1966 due to political disagreements. In 1968, he was removed from all positions inside and outside the party and expelled from the party.
On October 17, 1969, ** and others escorted him to Kaifeng, Henan Province, regardless of his life, and ordered the local garrison not to allow him to contact anyone.
After this torture, **'s condition deteriorated and he died on November 12, 1969 at the age of 71.
**'s appearance was very special in the context of the times at that time, so after the news of ***'s death came out, ** members of the task force rushed to Kaifeng from Beijing to ask the local garrison to keep the news of ***'s death secret.
So, on the cremation notice of ***, his name was filled in as "Liu Weihuang", and his occupation was "unemployed civilian". After that, **'s body was cremated under the personal supervision of the task force staff, and the ashes he left behind were packed in an urn made of plywood, and then stored in the Kaifeng crematorium, numbered "123".
In 1976, after ** and others were knocked down, the Henan Provincial Party Committee quickly sent someone to notify the Kaifeng crematorium and let them properly place the ashes of ***. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1978, ** began to rehabilitate a number of unjust, false and wrongly decided cases that arose during the ten years of turmoil.
In February 1979, the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Organization Department conducted a review of the case and ruled that the case was the largest unjust case of our party.
At the Fifth Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China a year later, our party officially decided to rehabilitate Comrade ***, and decided to restore his reputation and set up a funeral committee.
**Great importance is attached to the funeral rites of ***. After research, it was decided that the Organization Department would take the lead in setting up a law enforcement office, and three major activities were specially arranged for him.
** The ashes were accompanied by Liu Lantao and other leaders *** Mrs. Wang Guangmei and children in Henan Kaifeng Crematorium to welcome, the next morning, more than 1,500 representatives from all walks of life in Henan Province went to the Provincial People's Hall to participate in the ceremony to welcome the ashes, and Liu Jie, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, took the lead in delivering a speech.
He recalled the glorious deeds of the revolution in Henan, condemned his behavior that was criticized in the special era, and expressed condolences for his death.
After the speech, Liu Jie solemnly handed over the urn to his widow Wang Guangmei. After the ashes ceremony, tens of thousands of Zhengzhou people spontaneously gathered at the People's Hall on the road to Zhengzhou Airport to express their sincere condolences to the ashes that are about to leave Henan.
At 11 o'clock in the morning of May 14th, the ashes arrived at the airport in the western suburbs of Beijing, and Wang Guangmei, accompanied by the leading comrades, sent the ashes to the Great Hall of the People, and the first major event "welcoming the ashes" ended here.
On May 15, 1980, the funeral committee of Mrs. Wang Guangmei announced that in order to mourn the deceased, it was decided to hold a memorial meeting two days later, that is, on May 17, in the Great Hall of the People.
Departments, agencies, enterprises and institutions, and schools at all levels will fly their flags at half-mast to express their condolences to the public. The 10,000-person auditorium is the main building and central area of the Great Hall of the People, which is the first time in the 21 years since the establishment of the Great Hall of the People that it has been used for memorial services.
On May 17, the ** memorial meeting was officially held. In the ** of the 10,000-person auditorium, there is a huge *** posthumous photo, flanked by rows of pines and cypresses, symbolizing that *** comrades will be immortal like pines and cypresses.
Underneath the posthumous photo, the urn is covered with a party flag for people to pay their respects.
Today, it is with great sadness that we mourn the memory of the great comrade Marxist. During the ten years of turmoil, a gang took advantage of some shortcomings of our party for counter-revolutionary purposes to cruelty the outstanding party and state leaders.
The passing away of Comrade ** on November 12, 1969 was a great loss to our Party and our people. In the Fifth Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, after a thorough investigation and based on conclusive evidence, the various charges imposed on Comrade *** were completely overturned, and Comrade *** was rehabilitated.
History is impartial and does not forget anyone's exploits. Comrades, like comrades, will always live in the hearts of the people of all ethnic groups in our country. ”
This is also the high praise of *** comrades for ***.
After the speech at the memorial meeting of Comrade ***, all comrades bowed to Comrade ***'s urn, the band played the Internationale, and **Song Qingling and other party and state leaders expressed their condolences and condolences to ***'s widow Wang Guangmei and their children.
** Tightly held the tearful Wang Guangmei's hand and comforted: "Don't cry, this is a happy event and a victory." For the burial ceremony of Comrade ***, Wang Guangmei once told the Organization Department that ** had instructed her to cremate her body after her death in 1956, not to keep the ashes, and to scatter the ashes to the sea like Engels.
**Respect ***'s last wishes, and decide to scatter ***'s ashes to the sea. To this end, ** sent 4 staff members to Qingdao, Shandong Province to be responsible for the preparations for the ashes scattering ceremony.
Before they left Tianjin, the person in charge of the funeral office specially explained that although the ashes scattering ceremony has been made public, it is best not to cause too much sensation.
In the early morning of May 16, Deng Yingchao held the ashes of *** in his hand and came to Qingdao by car with 4 staff members. After a short break, they met with representatives of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and the Navy.
Representatives of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and the Navy put forward a specific plan for them to scatter the ashes, including: The special plane will arrive at Qingdao Airport at 10 o'clock, and after the welcoming ceremony, the urn of Comrade *** will be sent to the Navy Wharf by car, which takes about 30 minutes.
On the way to the wharf, the special car will organize 200,000 people to welcome the arrival of Comrade ***, and all organs, enterprises, institutions, and schools in Qingdao will be lowered at half-mast to mourn.
When Comrade *** arrives at the pier, he will be sent to the 101 destroyer moored at the pier, and then send 4 frigates and 4 fighters to escort it. When the fleet sets sail, a 21-gun salute will be fired, 500 officers from the navy will stand on the pier to see them off, and all ships anchored in Qingdao Port will also sound their flutes to pay tribute to Comrade ***.
However, the four staff members felt that this plan was too grandiose and worried that it would stop work and production, and the Navy had already dispatched destroyers to mourn it, plus frigates and warplanes, which seemed a bit "fanfare".
However, the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and the Navy objected to this, emphasizing that when Comrade ***'s ashes left Zhengzhou on May 19, Zhengzhou City organized tens of thousands of citizens to see him off on both sides of the road in order to express respect for Comrade *** as the head of state.
Therefore, it is necessary to mobilize 200,000 people to participate in the event, and at the same time to allow the masses to receive education. As for the issue of frigates and fighters, it is because the 101 destroyer is the flagship of the fleet, and the flagship must be escorted by frigates and fighters when traveling.
The crew of the 101 destroyer (Anshan) was deeply affected by the local comrades in Qingdao, and they reported the incident to the Beijing funeral office, which was recognized by the Beijing side.
At 8 o'clock in the morning of May 19, 1980, at the airport in the western suburbs of Beijing, the leaders of ** led everyone to hold a brief farewell ceremony, and the relatives of ** comrades took a plane to Qingdao at 8:30 after expressing their gratitude to the cadres and people from all walks of life who had come to the airport.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, the special plane arrived at Qingdao Airport on time. The relatives of the comrades stepped off the plane in grief, and the heads of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, and the Navy stepped forward and bowed three times to the portrait and urn of Comrade ***.
At 10:30, after a brief ceremony to welcome the ashes of Comrade ***, a convoy of 50 vehicles slowly drove from Qingdao Airport to the Navy Wharf.
On the way from the airport to the Navy Wharf, the crowd stood full of people who spontaneously saw off the ashes of Comrade ***, and when the ashes of Comrade *** passed by, the masses shouted affectionately: "Condolences to Comrade ***!"
Salute to Comrade Wang Guangmei! After the convoy arrived at the wharf, Comrade Wang Guangmei and his children boarded the 101 destroyer under the leadership of the head of the navy. 500 naval officers and sailors saluted them in unison and made a final farewell for Comrade ***.
At 11 o'clock in the morning, the 101 destroyer loaded with the urn of Comrade *** set sail on time, and four frigates followed closely behind, escorting the 101 destroyer in a plum blossom formation.
After hovering above the destroyer for several weeks in mourning, four fighters in the air carried out escort missions in accordance with the established formation.
After an hour of sailing in the sea, the fleet stopped on the high seas 12 nautical miles from the line of our territorial waters. After the Navy Chief Chang obtained Wang Guangmei's consent, he immediately mourned and began the scattering ceremony of ashes.
With tears in her eyes, Wang Guangmei picked up the ashes mixed with flower petals and slowly sprinkled them into the sea. After Wang Guangmei finished throwing it, the children of ** picked up their father's ashes in order and scattered them to the sea.
When all the ashes of Comrade *** were scattered into the Yellow Sea, Wang Guangmei nodded to the head of the navy, the fleet slowly sailed back, and Comrade ***'s funeral ended.
** Comrade, as an important leading figure of the Communist Party of China, has made outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of New China. 11 years after the death of Comrade ***, his close comrade-in-arms Comrade *** personally rehabilitated him, removed all the false charges imposed on him, and gave him the fair evaluation he deserved.
Comrade once said that Comrade will always live in the hearts of the people, and his exploits for the establishment of New China will always be remembered by the people.