On an unusual morning in 1959, the Sichuan countryside was covered in a faint layer of fog that seemed to hint at an extraordinary event to come.
That year, the Liu Wencai landlord's estate in Sichuan was preparing to show the weight of its history to the outside world, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new era.
At this momentous moment, an urgent telegram was sent from Beijing to Sichuan in search of Liu Wencai's brother, Liu Wenhui.
The telegram was simple but full of decisiveness:"Immediately move to Beijing to take up a new position", issued by *** personally.
In these times of change, this calling undoubtedly symbolizes a great life shift.
The name Liu Wenhui, in the shadow of the landlord's manor, seems to have been carrying an invisible pressure.
Now, this urgent telegram seems to have become the key to breaking the silence and opening the door to an unknown destiny.
The land reform movement and the confiscation of Liu Wencai's property.
In June 1950, with the nationwide land reform movement, the Sichuan countryside underwent an unprecedented transformation.
Liu Wencai, a once high-ranking landlord, and his vast fortune became the main targets of reform.
Under the implementation of the policy, the tens of thousands of acres of land that Liu Wencai once held were inventoried and then distributed to farmers who lacked arable land or had no land at all.
This redistribution of land directly shook the foundation of the feudal land ownership system and was intended to eliminate the oppression and exploitation of the peasants by the feudal landlords.
Liu Wencai's fortune was not limited to land, and his vast wealth in Chengdu and other regions such as western Sichuan, southern Sichuan, and Jiangnan was also thoroughly investigated.
The list of 22 banks, 5 pawnshops, 27 warehouses, 7 factories, 2 power plants, 4 steamships, 28 manor mansions, a school and more than 1,500 shops were recorded one by one and confiscated under the ** organization to support the emerging socialist construction and improve the living standards of the masses.
During the confiscation process, the local ** set up special teams to enter these estates and factories, recorded the state of the property in detail and classified all the resources useful for social development.
Funds from banks and pawnshops were redistributed to support agricultural production and small-scale industries, food and supplies in warehouses were distributed to farmers in need, and factories and power plants were integrated into the state-owned enterprise system, boosting the local economy.
As the main mode of transportation at that time, steamships were used to strengthen the exchange of goods between Sichuan and neighboring provinces, and promoted the interconnection of the regional economy.
Some of those manor mansions have been converted into schools or hospitals, providing education and medical services directly to the local population; Others have been turned into public facilities, such as libraries and cultural centers, as places to disseminate cultural knowledge and improve the quality of the population.
Some of the more than 1,500 shops owned by Liu Wencai were used to house homeless families, especially poor peasants who had suffered the most from feudal exploitation.
These initiatives have directly improved their housing conditions, but also demonstrated the far-reaching impact of land reform on improving people's lives and promoting social equity, in addition to land redistribution.
The Ministry of Culture has decided to promote the county-run museum.
In 1958, inspired and guided by the speech, the Ministry of Culture launched an unprecedented cultural development project - "the establishment of museums in counties and counties".
The decision initially received a positive response in Zhengzhou and Hefei and was quickly rolled out across the country.
This policy aims to educate and lead the public to understand the arduous process and brilliant achievements of the Chinese Revolution and enhance the cultural self-confidence and patriotic feelings of the people through the establishment of museums to collect, protect and display cultural relics and historical materials related to the Chinese Revolution.
In this context, the transformation of the former landlords' estates into exhibition halls has become a part of the policy, especially those built on the estates of former feudal landlords, to show the evils of the landlord class and the necessity of revolution.
These galleries not only preserve the historical evidence before the revolution, but also serve as a key place to show the achievements of the revolution to the public and educate the new generation.
In Zhengzhou, a former landlord's manor was converted into the first landlord's manor exhibition hall. A new gate was erected at the entrance of the museum, decorated with revolutionary slogans and symbolic sculptures, to welcome visitors from all over the world.
Walking into the museum, the first thing that catches your eye is the exhibition panel of the historical development of the revolution, which details in detail that from the late Qing Dynasty to the founding of New China, the Chinese people dared to struggle under the guidance of the party and finally won the revolutionary victory.
Mass Criticism and Class Awakening.
In the spring and summer of 1959, with the completion and imminent opening of the landlord's manor exhibition hall, people in Sichuan and surrounding areas went to visit.
Originally the manor of Liu Wencai and his family, these pavilions have now become places to display his past crimes, and have become an important base for revealing the evils of the feudal landlord class and educating the public.
As the open day approached, the dust was blowing outside the exhibition hall, and people were coming from all directions.
Among them were old men with crutches, young people with books in their arms, and children looking around curiously.
Their goal is the same: to see firsthand the estate of the landlord Liu Wencai, who once left a shadow in their hearts, and his crimes during his lifetime.
Stepping into the exhibition hall, the first thing presented is an introduction to Liu Wencai's life and a detailed account of how he exploited the peasants to accumulate huge wealth.
The exhibition hall displays a variety of documentary and physical evidence, including land deeds, high-interest loan contracts, and receipts for heavy rents and various unreasonable fees paid by farmers.
These exhibits vividly reproduce how Liu Wencai and his family used the feudal system to oppress the peasants both economically and spiritually.
The exhibition hall also has a number of interactive areas, including documentaries about the land reform movement, including scenes of peasants dividing land and historical clips of criticism of Liu Wencai.
These video materials allow visitors to more intuitively feel the profound changes brought about by the land reform movement to ordinary people, as well as their yearning for a new life and memories of the past suffering.
During the visit, many people stopped by the lifestyle exhibition area of Liu Wencai, which showcased his once lavish lifestyle, including expensive furniture, precious art and other luxury items.
In stark contrast, the adjacent peasant living quarters show the poor living conditions of ordinary people in the past, and the huge difference between the two shocked many visitors.
As the visit deepened, the emotions of the masses gradually became agitated, and many people gathered after the exhibition to discuss, they condemned Liu Wencai and his family's crimes, and at the same time gained a deeper understanding of the far-reaching significance of land reform.
Some people recorded their feelings in the guest book, expressing their expectations for the future socialist construction and their pursuit of justice.
In addition, Liu Wencai's Landlord's Manor Museum and other related exhibitions have become vivid teaching materials for class struggle education.
Visitors can go straight to the evidence of the luxurious life and exploitation of the peasants in the past of the Liu Wencai family, and at the same time, let people experience the changes brought about by the revolution by showing the new life of the peasants after the reform.
These exhibitions not only attract local residents, but also become important places for students and people from all walks of life to learn and communicate.
Liu Wenhui's inner struggle and special care.
In that turbulent and transformative era, Liu Wenhui was in an extremely sensitive position.
As Liu Wencai's brother, he is inevitably associated with his brother's immense wealth and crimes.
Although he was not directly involved in his brother's exploitation and oppression, Liu Wencai's wealth did go in part to Liu Wenhui's military expansion, which affected his image in the eyes of the people.
At the height of the land reform movement and criticism of the landlord class, Liu Wenhui's situation became more complicated and difficult.
With the opening of the Liu Wencai Landlord's Manor Exhibition Hall, the criticism and anger of the Liu family in society reached a new height.
The anger of the people is not only directed at the late Liu Wencai, but also may affect Liu Wenhui, who is related to him.
In this context, Liu Wenhui's future is fraught with uncertainty and potential crisis.
He knows that once he is considered by the public and ** to be in the same stream as Liu Wencai, his life and future will not be able to extricate himself.
However, at this critical moment, the decision-making of ** was like the sun penetrating the dark clouds, opening a new chapter in Liu Wenhui's life.
** Knowing Liu Wenhui's past behavior and position, despite being born in a landlord family, Liu Wenhui's actions after the founding of New China showed change and progress.
He actively responded to the party's call, participated in many progressive activities, and never got involved in any reactionary activities.
Based on these backgrounds and considerations, it was decided to transfer Liu Wenhui to Beijing as Minister of Forestry.
This decision was a major turning point in Liu Wenhui's life.
It not only symbolizes his transformation from a member of the family of a landlord to a state servant, but also provides an opportunity to contribute in a new field.
This appointment, in essence, is an affirmation of Liu Wenhui's personal past behavior and gives him a chance to get rid of the shadow associated with Liu Wencai's crimes.
Liu Wenhui's transfer is not only a change of position, it symbolizes the possibility of winning a new life and reshaping through personal efforts and changes.
On the way to Beijing, Liu Wenhui knew that he was not only shouldering his personal future, but also an account of history and a commitment to a new life.
At the Forestry Department, he faced new challenges and opportunities, which were not only a test of his abilities, but also a further confirmation of his past changes and progress.