Author: Yu ji*zeng Source: "Party History"
In the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party, there is such a legendary figure. He was born in a famous family of Kuomintang veterans, but defected to the Communist Party at the low ebb of the revolution; He was a loyal fighter of the party, but he walked the Long March in handcuffs; He has been arrested and imprisoned many times, but each time he miraculously survived; He was criticized for his "overseas connections," but he stood out on the diplomatic front for his connections.
He is Liao Chengzhi, an outstanding revolutionary and social activist who was called "Fat Boy" in his childhood and respected as "Liao Gong" in his later years.
Mother-son love and husband and wife love in the midst of war
Liao Chengzhi, a native of Huiyang, Guangdong. His father, Liao Zhongkai, and mother, He Xiangning, studied in Japan in 1902 and joined the League in 1905, becoming Sun Yat-sen's close comrades-in-arms. Liao Chengzhi was born in Tokyo, Japan on September 25, 1908, Cantonese people like to call chubby little boys "fat boy", little Chengzhi is thick and strong, tiger head and tiger brain, his father called "fat boy", this nickname has accompanied him all his life. Liao Chengzhi's home in Tokyo was actually the main meeting place for Sun Yat-sen to preside over the anti-Qing and anti-Yuan and discussion of the Three People's Principles, so he was influenced by revolutionary ideas from an early age. Wandering with his parents at home and abroad, he went to school while experiencing the baptism of the waves. When he returned to Guangzhou in 1924, he met Zhou Enlai, director of the Political Department of the Whampoa Military Academy, for the first time, who came to his home to find his father. Since then, Zhou Enlai has called him "Xiao Liao" and saved his life several times.
Under the influence of his father and Zhou Enlai, Liao Chengzhi actively participated in the student movement and joined the Kuomintang. In June 1925, when the Shaji Massacre in Guangzhou occurred, Liao Chengzhi, who was walking in front of the procession, was shot by the British army, knocked off his hat, and almost died. Two months later, Liao Zhongkai, a modern democratic revolutionary and leader of the left wing of the Kuomintang, was killed by the rightists at the age of 48. When entering the coffin, 17-year-old Liao Chengzhi and his sister Liao Mengxing helped their crying mother to say goodbye to their father's body, and the farewell poem left to their siblings by their father who realized his dangerous situation in prison three years ago sounded: "Don't be sad for women, don't cry for children, and don't go home when Daddy goes." …… The most important thing in life is the spirit, and the spirit is new day by day. There is a word to remember, and you are left to mourn your mother. Liao Chengzhi kept his father's last words in mind, established revolutionary ideals, came into contact with Marxism, and also served his mother as a filial son.
Liao Zhongkai was killed, and then Chiang Kai-shek launched the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup, and the Communists and revolutionaries were massacred on a large scale, and the bloody storm made the Liao family completely disappointed with the Kuomintang. He Xiangning resigned from all positions in the Kuomintang and began a career of painting in seclusion. Liao Chengzhi also resolutely quit the Kuomintang, determined to seek the Communist Party. In order to prevent further murder, He Xiangning sent their siblings to Japan. Liao Chengzhi studied at Waseda University and participated in a student organization led by the Tokyo Special Branch of the Communist Party of China, where he was arrested and imprisoned several times by the police for his revolutionary activities, and finally expelled and deported from the country. At this time, with the defeat of the Great Revolution in China, the suppression of the Guangzhou Uprising, the intensification of the White Terror, and the further grim situation of the struggle, Liao Chengzhi still did not hesitate to join the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai in the spring of 1928. He was 20 years old.
In November of that year, Liao Chengzhi was sent by the party organization to study at the Hender II University in Berlin, Germany, and the following year became secretary of the Hamburg International Seafarers' Club, launching and leading solidarity activities and political movements for Chinese seafarers. Soon He Xiangning was also dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek's perverse behavior and went into exile in Paris, selling paintings to make a living. When Liao Chengzhi found out, he immediately took his mother to Berlin. Here He Xiangning unexpectedly met Song Qingling, a heroine in Chinese politics, encouraging each other and striking a bunch of blazing revolutionary sparks. After the September 18 Incident in 1931, they immediately rushed back to Shanghai and immediately threw themselves into the anti-Japanese salvation movement. They went to the front line to comfort the 19th Route Army, organized a volunteer medical team, established a hospital for wounded soldiers, and raised aid from overseas. But in the midst of his busy schedule, He Xiangning was even more worried about his son who had not heard from him for a long time.
One night, He Xiangning was awakened by a knock on the door, and a young man in a long robe walked into her room. "Fat boy!" He Xiangning shouted in surprise, and Liao Chengzhi also rushed to his mother's bed at once, and the mother and son who missed each other met day and night. The mother stared at her son's emaciated and resolute face with mixed feelings. Although she did not know that her son had joined the Communist Party, she knew that he had been in exile abroad, imprisoned, and had suffered a lot. In the short days of reuniting with his mother, Liao Chengzhi always did everything possible to fulfill the filial piety of a son. He had to visit his mother every morning and evening, before leaving and after he returned, so that it became a habit for many years to never slack off. If his mother was painting, he would sharpen the ink, mix colors, lay out the paper, ask her for advice on how to draw, and sometimes draw a few strokes with great interest. This laid the foundation for Liao Chengzhi's paintings, making him one of the few high-ranking cadres of the Communist Party of China who used cartoons and propaganda posters to boost morale and criticize the enemy. In his spare time, Liao Chengzhi told his mother some anecdotes and family trivia, and his mother always listened to them with relish, and her eyes looking at her son looked particularly satisfied and kind. Later, despite He Xiangning's advanced age, she had to stew a bowl of thick jujube soup for her son to drink every morning, saying that it was nourishing for the body, and every time Liao Chengzhi drank it all in front of his mother like a child. Once Liao Chengzhi was arrested by the Kuomintang and imprisoned in the French Concession, He Xiangning sent a telegram to the military governor of the country, expressing his willingness to "stay in prison with his son, but he did not want to stay in prison in a foreign country, and asked to be sent to the Chinese Territory, even if he died, he would like to be in the Chinese Territory, not in the Concession." On the same day, she met with reporters again and pointed out: "Liao Chengzhi, who was studying in Germany, was angry at the violent Japanese invasion and the national crisis was becoming more and more urgent, and he believed that he should sacrifice himself to serve the country at this time, and it was by no means a period of sitting and studying, so he returned to China in anger. Unexpectedly, only two weeks after returning to Shanghai, he was illegally arrested. "She asked the authorities to hand over the Chinese community as soon as possible and release her in accordance with the law. Rescued by Song Qingling and He Xiangning, Liao Chengzhi was finally released.
Liao Chengzhi in his youth.
He Xiangning's neighbor and old friend Jing Hengyi in Guangyufang, Shanghai, also studied in Japan, joined the revolution, served as a standing committee member of the Wuhan National Government, acting president of Sun Yat-sen University, etc., and was a famous educator and painter of Jinshiguo. His daughter Jing Puchun came to Shanghai from her hometown in Zhejiang to visit her father, and often helped He Xiangning with some housework. After Liao Chengzhi was released this time, he and Jing Puchun met at home for the first time. As the contact grew, "the two of us gradually got to know each other, and I found that he was versatile, could sing, paint, and knew foreign languages. He painted a portrait of me at that time, and the oil painting has been treasured to this day for ......" (Jing Puchun: "My Love with Liao Chengzhi for Half a Century"), and returned to Zhejiang by Puchun more than a month later. In August 1933, the party organization notified Liao Chengzhi to go to the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet District, and before leaving, he left a letter to his favorite lover, saying: "If you really love me, please wait for me for another two years...... However, three years have passed, and Liao Chengzhi has not come back as promised. What happened to "Apu" now? Still waiting for him? It worries him. Later, he learned from his mother's letter that Apu was still waiting for him infatuatedly, which touched him very much, and he said in a letter to his mother: "In the letter to my sister, please tell her to study hard in politics and study progressive ideas, and we will meet one day." I couldn't have imagined that she would be able to wait for me for so long, so I didn't ask in the previous letter, please tell her that I am as good as ever, and she can rest assured that I have not failed her ......"
After the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, Liao Chengzhi wrote to his mother: "The Anti-Japanese War was launched, and the time for us to meet is not far away. Pu Mei has been waiting for me for four years, I hope you like her, her young lady's temper has been removed, right?" In December of this year, Liao Chengzhi, in accordance with the decision of the central government, went to Hong Kong to organize the Hong Kong office of the Eighth Route Army. He Xiangning received a telegram from her son and knew the date of her visit to Hong Kong, and under the arrangement of the party organization, she took her daughter, son-in-law, and "prospective daughter-in-law" from Shanghai to Hong Kong by boat via Puchun. Liao Chengzhi recognized at a glance Apu, who had been waiting at the pier for him day and night, and Apu also recognized him, and the two shook hands tightly, tears of joy burst out of their eyes. On January 11, 1938, they held a wedding, and in addition to many relatives of the Liao family in Hong Kong, Soong Ching Ling also came. Liao Chengzhi wore a robe and shuttled among the guests to smoke and pour water, which was very funny, causing everyone to snicker, and he also smiled and said: "Mother's life, what can be done!" He Xiangning was even more full of spring breeze and smiled from ear to ear. After getting married, Liao Chengzhi immediately devoted himself to intense work. Jing Puchun saw that he was tired all day, and always advised him to pay attention to rest and take care of his body, he spread his hands and smiled and said: "This is nothing, compared to the anti-Japanese soldiers in front, we are still far behind!" Jing Puchun often boiled soup for him to replenish his body, and at the same time actively participated in Hong Kong's anti-Japanese rescue activities. In 1939, their daughter Liao Pu was born, which added warmth to their lives. However, due to the outbreak of the Pacific War, the situation in Hong Kong became increasingly tense, and Liao Chengzhi did not even have time to say goodbye to his mother, wife and newborn daughter, so he rushed to a new battlefield.
An iron-blooded man in adversity
Liao Chengzhi spent much of his life in prison. According to some statistics, he spent an average of 1 out of 7 days in prison. The first four were in prison abroad, three in Japan and one in Netherlands. The latter two were arrested by the Kuomintang in China. Another time was persecuted by Zhang Guotao and was "executed" by internal designation, but due to special circ*mstances, he was handcuffed and walked the Long March with his fellow soldiers, which was called "mobile imprisonment". Liao Chengzhi's fate was bumpy, but in the face of adversity, he laughed at suffering, always chic, open-minded, humorous, funny, amorous and multi-righteous accompanied his life, and the iron-blooded man cast his bones.
On March 28, 1933, Liao Chengzhi, then the Propaganda Minister of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the secretary of the Party Caucus of the All-China Seamen's Federation of Trade Unions, was arrested by the Kuomintang Shanghai Public Security Bureau in collusion with the Public Concession Patrol House and imprisoned in the Concession Detention Center. They raided the interrogation, forced Liao Chengzhi to reveal the list of the underground party in Shanghai, and hinted that his mother might be dangerous, but he did not back down and angrily denounced the Kuomintang for colluding with foreigners to persecute revolutionaries. On the morning of March 30, the Criminal Department of the Shanghai Branch of the Jiangsu Provincial High Court held a trial, and the director of the trial was Yu Hua, who was familiar with Liu Yazi. Liu Yazi went to observe, and Yu Hua told him that the Nanjing Military Judge Office had requested that Liao be extradited to Nanjing. Liu Yazi hurried to He Mansion to discuss with He Xiangning, they thought that if Liao Chengzhi went to Nanjing, it would be difficult to rescue. The two decided to go to Wu Tiecheng, the mayor of Shanghai and the commander of the Songhu garrison. He Xiangning, who was ill, asked someone to carry a rattan chair into the car, came to Jiangwan and knocked on the door of the mayor's residence. Wu Tiecheng asked her to sit in the living room, and He Xiangning shouted loudly: "I'm not here to be a guest, I'm here to go to prison!" If I scolded Chiang Kai-shek the most, why didn't you arrest the innocent youth!" Liu Yazi also shouted: "Mrs. Liao is in prison, I will accompany me!" Wu Tiecheng was in trouble, and he was afraid that Mrs. Liao would not be able to explain something, so he asked Chiang Kai-shek for instructions through Song Ziwen, and Chiang ordered "Look and see, don't get out of control." Wu Tiecheng replied to He and Liu that they agreed to release Liao Chengzhi on bail. At the same time, under the chairmanship of Soong Ching-ling, the China Civil Rights Protection League convened a meeting of the provisional executive committee and immediately issued a manifesto demanding the immediate release of Liao Chengzhi. In this way, Liao Chengzhi was released under the guarantee of Hengyi, Liu Yazi and Song Qingling.
After Liao Chengzhi was released, he was always under the surveillance of the Kuomintang eagle dogs. He stayed at home, accompanied his mother to paint, and waited for instructions from the party organization. One day in August 1933, Liao Chengzhi quietly left Shanghai without saying goodbye and went to the Sichuan-Shaanxi Revolutionary Base Area to join the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Before leaving, he left three letters, one to his mother, one to Jing Puchun, and one to Liu Yazi, in which he wrote:
Mr. Ako:
I now have to leave my old and sick mother behind again. In the spring of March, I was rescued and run by my husband, which is something I can never forget. My departure this time will not affect my husband, because I am ready in this regard, Mr. Wanwang rest assured! I feel that instead of stealing my life to comfort the few who love me, it is better to lose the comfort of those who love me, because the happiness of the majority awaits in the future. This is the burden that the fate of history has placed on humanity, and it may be heavy, but I can only do it. If there is a God in the world, I only pray that He will alleviate my mother's suffering. Maybe one day in the future, I can ask for my forgiveness in front of my husband. If I don't blame him for daring to ask him in such a situation, I only wish him some time in the middle of the month, so that my mother would not be on an uninhabited island. Maybe in the future, Chinese children won't have to leave their mothers like this. In this way, the death of many people will not be in vain.
With all sincerity, I wish you good health!
Goodbye
August 1933
In the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet District, Liao Chengzhi, who was a member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and secretary general of the General Political Department of the Red Fourth Front Army, saw that some of Zhang Guotao's practices were very problematic. Someone was sent to investigate afterwards, and no problems were found. Therefore, one night in November, Zhang Guotao and others personally made a surprise interrogation, forced Liao Chengzhi to ask about the purpose of coming to the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet District, instigated some people to criticize Liao Chengzhi, and asked a cadre who had been tortured to testify that Liao was a "spy" and a "spy," and Liao Chengzhi was handcuffed that night. In December 1934, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee held an enlarged meeting, and the person in charge of the provincial party committee was instructed by Zhang Guotao to say at the meeting that Liao Chengzhi was born in a family of Kuomintang dignitaries, his family was a capitalist, and his overseas relations were complicated. What should I do if I don't qualify? As a result, Liao Chengzhi was expelled from the party, branded as a "counter-revolutionary", and prepared to execute him.
In September 1936, when the Red Second and Fourth Front Armies arrived at the Yellow River, Zhou Enlai, then vice chairman of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, went down to the troops, but saw Liao Chengzhi on the way to be escorted, and quickly realized his situation, just shook Liao Chengzhi's hand tightly, and then got on the horse and left. In the evening, he sent someone to call Liao Chengzhi to the headquarters, and in front of Zhang Guotao, Zhu De, Liu Bocheng and other leaders, he pretended to be angry and said: "Liao Chengzhi, have you recognized the mistake?" Liao replied: "Yes." "To change or not to change?" "Change-" "Change is a good comrade!" Chairman Zhang still welcomes you. Zhou Enlai wittily blocked Zhang Guotao's mouth and closed the case for Liao Chengzhi's "mistake". Zhang Guotao was about to execute Liao Chengzhi, but when he saw Zhou Enlai standing on his side and reprimanding him, he suddenly felt that Zhou Enlai had given face, and the anger in his heart disappeared, and he ordered: "Don't kill Liao Chengzhi to see the aftermath!" In December 1936, at the congress of activists held in Zhuwangbao, Zhang Guotao openly admitted that the arrest of Liao Chengzhi and others was wrong, and that they were "wronged and wronged". Liao Chengzhi was saved by Zhou Enlai and regained his party membership and freedom.
During his days in detention, Liao Chengzhi still gave full play to his expertise in music and art, painted portraits of Marx and posted them to the company, taught cadres and soldiers to sing the "Internationale," and distributed his rations to the wounded. A female Red Army woman gave birth by the Kaqu River, and everyone was busy looking for diapers, food, and stretchers, preparing to carry them across the meadow, but she secretly threw her little baby into the river in order not to increase the burden on the people! Liao Chengzhi saw this strong mother join the march again, he was deeply shocked, and painted for it several times, but every time he "threw the child", Liao Chengzhi's hands trembled, and tears blurred his vision...... He immediately felt that his grievances were nothing, he raised his head with his chest, climbed the snowy mountains and crossed the grassland with handcuffs and soldiers, and the comrades around him looked at this special "prisoner" with admiration, and sang songs with him to complete the long march of 10,000 miles. After Liao Chengzhi arrived in Yan'an, he worked at the Red China News Agency, responsible for translating telecommunications in Japanese, English, German, and French, and later served as secretary of the Central Party Newspaper Committee. Liao Chengzhi, who had died for nine years, sent a message to his mother to report his safety, and his mother called back to encourage: "You must work hard." On June 25, 1937, Mao Zedong said in a letter to He Xiangning: "...... Mr. Sun's first-class people inherited the tradition of Mr. Sun, fought hard and unyieldingly, set an example for the Chinese nation, and admired and excited people from all over the country, not only a few people such as Zedong. Cheng Zhi, it's very good here, everyone thinks he is good, don't worry about it. ”
Soon after, Liao Chengzhi became the director of the Hong Kong office of the Eighth Route Army and a member of the Southern Working Committee of the Communist Party of China. On June 14, 1938, Soong Ching-ling established the "Alliance for the Defense of China" in Hong Kong and served as its chairman, with Soong Ziwen as the chairman, and Liao Chengzhi actively assisted them in contacting China-aid groups in the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Australia and many other countries to raise medicines, food, medical equipment and funds, and then transfer them to the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army through the office. In view of the tense situation in Hong Kong, on January 12, 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a telegram to Zhou Enlai, Liao Chengzhi, and Pan Hannian, instructing them to do a good job in the evacuation of cultural circles and party workers in Hong Kong. Liao Chengzhi braved the artillery fire to find scattered patriots in the city and arranged for concealment. On the night of New Year's Day in 1942, Liao Chengzhi and Lian Lian were smuggled to Kowloon by small boat under the guns of the Japanese army, found the Dongjiang guerrillas and the responsible persons of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, explained the rescue mission, arranged the transfer plan, and successfully evacuated them to Haifeng Magong Port, and then transferred to the mainland. By the beginning of May, more than 800 well-known patriots, cultural elites, and party cadres such as Song Qingling, He Xiangning, Liu Yazi, Mao Dun, Xia Yan, Hu Cheng, Liang Shuming, Hu Feng, Song Zhidi, Zou Taofen, and Cai Chusheng were safely transferred; In addition, it also received more than 2,000 patriotic young people who went to the mainland to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and escorted a large number of international friends to the mainland and overseas.
On May 30, 1942, due to Guo Qian's defection, Liao Chengzhi was arrested by the Kuomintang military commanders in Pingshi Town, Lechang County, Shaoguan, Guangdong, and secretly escorted to the Majiaba concentration camp in southern Jiangxi. He asked someone to send a letter to Jing Puchun, who was still in Shaoguan: "I am locked up in Jiangxi Prison, and it is not a pity to die, but I will never do anything that is sorry for my parents and the people, please rest assured." During his detention, Liao Chengzhi was subjected to inhuman torture, suffered from lung disease, and his face was yellow and thin, but he still did not bow to the evil forces. The prison director was a traitor who knew Liao Chengzhi, and he talked to Liao more than ten times, and arranged for a young woman to use a "beauty trick", but to no avail. Liao Chengzhi told his lobbyists: "You don't have to talk to me frequently, I have nothing to talk to you about." "Three People's Principles, when I was in Tokyo, I heard Mr. Sun Yat-sen talk a lot with my father, and you were still in your infancy at that time, so why do you want to give me such a political lesson today!" Chiang Ching-kuo was "in charge" of Jiangxi at that time, and he also went to visit and persuade him to surrender as a "brother", but Liao Chengzhi sternly refused. He faced his life behind bars with an optimistic attitude, and used a little rare paper and ink to paint works such as "Lady Picture", "Homesick Picture", "Life in Prison", "Zheng Chenggong's Anti-Japanese Picture", and inscribed "Men have not died since ancient times, and they have left their names and sweats". He also created the words of "Nan Kezi", saying: "Gannan Purgatory Day, generous words." Determined to be a martyr, life and death are left to ......"
Liao Chengzhi's heart is as strong as iron, and he is ready to sacrifice and die at any time. While in prison, he wrote "Farewell to My Mother": "Half-life upbringing is not in vain, and he has not humiliated his own heroes." Bi Zhen stayed in the crowd every night, and lived up to the blood spattered knife this morning. He also wrote "Jue Pu Chun": "The past is paid for the water, and the night is forever." When you go out of the revolutionary gate, you should be cautious and not take yourself lightly. The white-haired man is still there, don't martyr his children's affection. It should be the female middle master, the name of Motu empty section. There are many martyrs in the Liao family, and there are many heroes in the scriptures. Two generations of ghosts are heroic, and they have protected Shuangqing for a long time. (Note: He Xiangning's pen name is "Shuangqing Mansion Master") He said in the letter brought to Zhou Enlai by the trustee: "...... Xiao Liao did not insult the glorious tradition until his death! Shake hands with you here, long live the Communist Party of China!" Liao Chengzhi's letter and his tenacious fighting spirit in prison were highly praised by comrades such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and at the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of China held in Yan'an in April 1945, Liao Chengzhi, who was still in prison, was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
In January 1946, the Kuomintang Military Command Bureau sent a telegram to Jiangxi Gannan Station: "I am instructed by the committee to summon Liao Chengzhi to Chongqing within this month. Liao is now being detained by the Jiangxi Investigation and Statistics Office, and he hopes to go to Ganzhou to fly to Chongqing by plane. In this way, Liao Chengzhi, who had a haggard face, carried a broken futon and flew from Ganzhou Golden Airport to Chongqing under the escort of four armed spies. They made clothes for Liao Chengzhi and gave him a haircut. Chiang Kai-shek summoned him in a house in Geyue Mountain as a "Shibo" and said: "It's hard work, as long as you don't do anything for the Communist Party anymore, I will definitely use you again." What if I let you go and want to keep you by my side?" He also said, "You are the descendants of Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning, and you must be worthy of them." Liao Chengzhi replied clearly: "I am only worthy of them now!" Jiang said: "In that case, you should not regret it. Liao Chengzhi did not speak again, and was taken back to the concentration camp of the Geyue Mountain Sino-US Cooperation Institute. It's just that the food has improved, and Liao Chengzhi thought to himself that I was afraid that Lao Jiang would not repent when he saw me, so let me eat better and send it to the end. At this time, the CCP repeatedly proposed the release of political prisoners in accordance with the "Double Tenth Agreement" negotiated and signed in Chongqing; Soong Ching-ling and He Xiangning also repeatedly negotiated with Chiang Kai-shek before they forced Chiang Kai-shek to include Liao Chengzhi in the list of political prisoners exchanged. Liao Chengzhi was finally released on January 22, 1946. After Liao Chengzhi returned to Yan'an, he served as the president of the Xinhua News Agency, and when the Kuomintang was on the offensive, he bid farewell to his wife, who was about to leave Yan'an soon after giving birth, and rushed to the Taihang Mountains with the Xinhua News Agency.
"Brother and brother" between the two sides of the strait
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liao Chengzhi served as deputy director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, deputy director of the International Liaison Department, chairman of the All-China Youth Federation, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Association, deputy head of the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. During this period, the brilliant and earnest open letter he wrote to Chiang Ching-kuo left a deep impression on the people and was also a shining stroke in his diplomatic career in his later years.
Liao Chengzhi sent a letter to Chiang Ching-kuo.
In July 1982, Deng Yingchao, then head of the CPC Central Committee's Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, saw Chiang Ching-kuo's article in Taiwan in mourning his father Chiang Kai-shek, and she felt that the article revealed a "warm" message, and she should seize this opportunity to promote the opening up of cross-strait relations. Liao Chengzhi, deputy head of the group and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, wrote a letter to Chiang Ching-kuo in his personal capacity, and everyone also believed that Lao Liao was the best person to write the letter. Needless to say, the Liao family and the Jiang family are world friends, Liao Chengzhi and Jiang Jingguo are childhood friends and classmates at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow; In the past, it was just "different ways and not conspiring with each other", but now it is different. If Liao Chengzhi stood up and wrote a letter at this time, he could not only show the powerful political power of the mainland, but also encourage and comfort Chiang Ching-kuo in the tone of his classmates. This move was approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In this way, a warm and touching open letter was sent to Taipei on July 25, 1982, and published in the People's Daily, and the letter was simultaneously disseminated by the Central People's Radio and China Radio International throughout the world. This famous letter, which is very different from the mainland writing habits, reads:
Brother Jingguo:
A few steps away, it is the distance between the sea and the sky. Nanjing met in a hurry, more than 36 years in an instant. When he was a child, Su Jing met him, and the past is vivid. However, it is a pity that there has been no news for many years. Recently, I heard that the government was in discord, and it was deeply suspenseful. People who are over seventy years old have many diseases, and they hope to be good and cherish themselves.
Over the past three years, our party has repeatedly proposed that our two parties hold talks to put aside past suspicions and jointly pursue the great cause of the motherland's reunification. Wei Di repeatedly declared that "no contact, no negotiation, no compromise", and the rest of the period was impossible. The friendship between the world is deep, in the public and private, it is reasonable to speak, and I hope to interpret it.
The peaceful reunification of the motherland is a meritorious undertaking for a thousand years, and Taiwan will eventually return to the motherland, and an early settlement will be beneficial to all sides. Taiwan compatriots can live and work in peace and contentment, the people of all nationalities on both sides of the strait can relieve the pain of separation, and the predecessors in Taiwan and those who have gone to Taiwan on the mainland can also find their own place, and this is conducive to stability in the Asia-Pacific region and world peace. If I can achieve this great cause in the hands of my brother, he will be respected by the whole country, respected by the world, and the merit will be in the country, and his name will remain in history. The so-called "sinner" is a paradox. The cramped EAST is not a long-term solution. If you are my brother, you should know it. If the delay is not resolved, or if it is entrusted to a different day, not only will it be troublesome, but my brother will also be unable to escape the blame. Moreover, peaceful reunification is purely an internal affair. Outsiders' clever words are intended to make Taiwan, a well-known person in the world. When there is no continuation, it will be disturbed. May my brother think carefully.
The Chinese Kuomintang (KMT), founded by Mr. Sun, went through hardships and countless martyrs to finally overthrow the imperial system and establish the Republic of China. Brilliant achievements have become a foregone conclusion. The KMT and the CPC cooperated twice, both of which made great contributions to the country and the nation. The first cooperation, led by Mr. Sun, although my generation is young, I also know a thing or two. Cooperate again, the old gentleman is in charge, my generation is in it, and I should know the outline. Although there are many things going on and down, looking at the overall situation, cooperation is beneficial to the country, and division will hurt the vitality of the nation. Today, my brother is in charge of Taiwan, and he has cooperated three times, and he is greatly rebuked. The leaders of the two sides, classmates and close friends know each other, and it is easier to talk. The so-called "surrender", "condescension", "suffering" and "being deceived" are really difficult to agree with. Evaluate history, look forward to the future, should be the world for the public, with the interests of the country and the nation as the highest criterion, why not make the party's private opinion! As for the "reunification of China with the Three People's Principles", those who know it think that it is too unrealistic and cannot help but deceive themselves. The true meaning of the Three People's Principles is well known to my generation, and there is no need to argue. The so-called "economic prosperity, social democracy, and people's livelihood and happiness" in Taiwan are well known in Taiwan's public affairs, and there is no need to repeat them. If we can take advantage of the trend of the times, shoulder our historical responsibilities, resolutely hold peace talks, and achieve national reunification, then the two parties will coexist for a long time, supervise each other, and work together to rejuvenate the great cause of China. Otherwise, the situation of partial security will not be able to protect itself. People of insight have already thought about this. It is related to the rise and fall of the Kuomintang, and I hope that my brother will think again.
Reading the masterpiece closely, there is a saying "I sincerely hope that my father's spirit can return to my homeland and be with my ancestors", and I am very emotional. Now the old gentleman is still in Cihu, after the reunification, that is, when the relocation of the homeland, or Fenghua, or Nanjing, or Lushan, to my brother's filial piety. My brother once said recently: "We must expand the heart of filial piety into national feelings, respect the nation, and dedicate ourselves to the country". As far as the country and the nation are concerned, the two generations of the Jiang family have explained history; As far as my brother is concerned, he can be described as both loyal and filial. Otherwise, what will happen to my brother after his death? Think twice.
My brother has had a rough life, and it is by no means arranged by fate, everything is up to him. Thousands of years of merit and sin are tied to a single thought. Today's international situation is unpredictable, and there are different opinions in Taiwan. The years are not lived, the coming days are short, the nights are long and there are many dreams, and the time is not with me. I hope that my brother is good at making choices and taking precautions. "Liao Kuo Haitian, what should you do if you don't return?"
When people reach old age, they become more and more nostalgic, such as the convenience of younger brothers, Yu Dang dressed up, went to Taiwan to visit, and listened to the elders' teachings. "The brothers are here, and they meet with a smile and a grudge." Looking at the southern sky from afar, I can't help but be fascinated, the book is not exhaustive, Zhu Xi cherishes, waiting for the polyphony.
Old lady, please say hello on your behalf. Fang Liang, Wei Guo and his nephews are different.
Best wishes
Near!
Liao Chengzhi
July 24, 1982
It is said that after Chiang Ching-kuo wore reading glasses and read Liao Xin's telegram, he was "silent and noncommittal" at that time; But soon summoned his confidant Qian Fu to the official residence, "telling him that Liao Chengzhi had a telegram to him, the content of which was full of threats and temptations." He said that he should "come and not be rude", not be silent, and publicly express his hard stance and reject the CCP's "united front conspiracy". Considering his political status, Chiang Ching-kuo was unable to reply in person, so he moved out of his stepmother, Song Meiling, a member of the Standing Committee of the Kuomintang Central Committee and who was recuperating in New York, United States, and asked her to reply to Liao Chengzhi in the name of her elders. On August 17, 1982, a telegram with a "big tone" unexpectedly reached Liao Chengzhi's hands, and Soong Meiling said, "Chengzhi's nephew: A letter to Jing Guo on July 24 has been read in the newspaper." As the ruling state of the People's Republic of China is responsible for the continuation of the Republic of China, it has repeatedly declared that there will be no contact, no negotiation, and no compromise, which is an expression of the heroic and righteous spirit of the Republic of China, the Chinese nation, and the Chinese Kuomintang. In addition to expressing her diehard stance, this open letter also began by praising Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning's contributions to the "party" and said that in Chongqing, "if it were not for the former president cherishing the old days, how could his nephew be able to escape from prison"? She persuaded Liao Chengzhi to "cherish himself with a broom, return with a banner, inherit his father's aspirations, change his outlook, and raise his old age." "Everyone knows that the letters of Liao and Song are not all their personal views, they all represent the positions of their respective political groups, and if they tear off their faces at this time and then openly argue, it is obviously inappropriate, after all, Chiang Ching-kuo is the real ruler in Taiwan, so he will no longer respond to Soong Meiling's comments." However, Song Meiling thought that she was a good chess player, and in February 1984, she wrote an "Open Letter to Deng Yingchao" with great interest, and Deng replied to the letter, which eased Song's attitude; On Deng Yingchao's 80th birthday this year, Song Meiling also asked someone to send a glass rabbit with fine workmanship.
Although Chiang Ching-kuo ostensibly resisted Liao Chengzhi's letter, he was actually considering the issue of reconciliation between Taiwan and the mainland. He once sent a secret envoy Shen Cheng to Beijing three times to liaise, and got the opportunity to meet with Ye Jianying, Deng Yingchao, Yang Shangkun, Deng Xiaoping and other high-level leaders; In particular, the reform and opening up policy pursued by the mainland attracted a boom in world investment, and Chiang Ching-kuo had to consider Taiwan's interests, so the Third Plenary Session of the 12 th Central Committee of the Kuomintang in 1986 made a number of major decisions, including lifting "martial law," reforming the National Assembly, and speeding up the pace of Taiwan's opening up. Chiang Ching-kuo also ordered the establishment of a "Steering Group for Mainland Work" at the Central Committee, and he felt that "the Chinese Communists are still sincere, and high-level reciprocal negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party are feasible." Liao Chengzhi's open letter seems to have become a watershed, from the original confrontation between the two sides of the strait, to the breaking of the ice, the quiet loosening, and even the Kuomintang and the Communist Party are moving closer again. The formation of such a situation should be the result of the general trend and comprehensive factors, but the letter of Liao Chengzhi, the "robe brother," has played a unique and irreplaceable role and has written a strong mark in the history of cross-strait relations.
"People's Ambassadors" between China and Japan
Liao Chengzhi was born in Japan, grew up in Japan, and lived and studied in Japan for 16 years; After returning to Japan, he returned to Japan to study at Waseda University, and was imprisoned three times by Japan for participating in revolutionary activities. Therefore, he was not only familiar with the customs and social conditions of Japan, but also practiced an authentic Japan dialect, so that when he later spoke in Japanese on the radio in Beijing, Japan people said that his voice was "exactly the same as that of his own people", which made him very friendly with the people of Japan. In addition, when New China was just born, there was still antagonism with United States, Japan, and Taiwan, and the Liao family had more than 400 relatives in Hong Kong alone, and United States and Japan also had many friends. He became a true "ambassador for the people" by "making friends".
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai proposed: "First carry out national diplomacy among the Chinese and Japanese peoples, and then develop from national diplomacy to semi-official diplomacy, so as to break through the United States's control over Japan." "In 1952, the Regional Peace Conference for Asia and the Pacific decided to be held in Beijing. In May of that year, Liao Chengzhi, one of the Chinese leaders of the conference, received the first batch of Japan friends from China after World War II in Beijing. At that time, the Japan government strictly forbade its citizens to come to China, otherwise they would be "investigated for legal responsibility." These Japan friends took a big risk. Liao Chengzhi said to Sun Pinghua, the leader of the reception group: "Old Sun, as a witness to history, you must remember that in the history of Sino-Japanese relations, you should always leave their names: Fan Zuji, a member of the House of Representatives of the Socialist Party of Japan; Gao Liangfu, female, senator...... They are not afraid of breaking the law and are the first warriors to open the door of China. In accordance with Zhou Enlai's request, Liao Chengzhi had frequent contact with them during the meeting, talked with them cordially in fluent Japanese, praised their courage in coming to China, introduced the situation of New China, recalled interesting stories from his time in Japan, and described the places he had visited in those years. These Japan guests have become friends of Liao Chengzhi. Due to Sun Pinghua's limited Japanese level, he made a lot of jokes in the reception, and Liao Chengzhi joked: "Old Sun, you really have a level, and you speak Japanese that even Japan people can't understand." It was Liao Chengzhi who helped him out of the siege at a critical moment.
In the early 50s of the last century, Liao Chengzhi and Jing Puchun couple.
In December of that year, Liao Chengzhi led a delegation to attend the World Peace Conference held in Vienna. On Japan the last day of the meeting, Nishionji attended a dinner hosted by the Chinese delegation and made an impromptu speech on the hope of developing friendly relations between Japan and China. After the banquet, he went to Liao Chengzhi's room, and the two talked enthusiastically, and Liao learned that he was from a famous family and was keen on the cause of Japan-China friendship; Xiyuan expressed his desire to visit China, and Liao Chengzhi readily agreed to his request, and soon arranged for him to come to China that month. The first thing Saionji Koichi did was to negotiate the return of Japanese nationals left in China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Chinese stranded in Japan. Liao Chengzhi's frank meeting made Xiyuan Temple Gongyi understand China better. In 1958, his family settled in Beijing, where he campaigned for the normalization of relations between the two countries for more than 20 years, and was called a "non-governmental ambassador" by Zhou Enlai. He wrote the article "Always Among the People", saying: "Mr. Liao's open-minded and enthusiastic character and straightforward humor opened people's minds and made them have a real understanding of New China, the country of the 'bamboo curtain' that they were often mistaken for threatening them at that time." In this matter, Mr. Liao has made immortal contributions. ”
Liao Chengzhi and Miyaki Shimin, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association, are also old friends, and the two are like brothers. They are world friends, and Liao Zhongkai and Gong Qi's father Gong Qi Minzang were close friends. Every time Liao Chengzhi went to Japan, he would visit Miyaki Shimin and brief him on China's development. Since 1953, Gong has visited China 21 times, and each time he visited Beijing, he also visited Liao Chengzhi's siblings. Once Liao Chengzhi visited Japan, he was a guest at Gongqi's home and inscribed a poem: "When I meet Penglai again, I am full of seats, and it is strange that I am seventy stones old." The two generations of heart-to-heart friendship have a long relationship, and they hold the red flag side by side at the age of 100. Gong Qi Shimin said to everyone: "If we talk about the development of Sino-Japanese friendly relations, we cannot talk about it without Liao Gong. Because he can understand Japan people's views with Japan people's way of thinking, he knows the inside and outside of Japan. ”
In April 1973, Liao Chengzhi led a delegation of the Sino-Japanese Friendship Association to visit Japan. This was the first large-scale delegation sent by the mainland after the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Before leaving, Zhou Enlai met with all the members of the delegation, he expounded on the relationship between non-governmental diplomacy and official diplomacy, and explained to the delegation that he must visit his old friends who have done his best for Sino-Japanese relations, and that he should drink water and not forget to dig wells. The day after his arrival, Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka received the Chinese delegation. Liao Chengzhi presented him with a few green leaves in his notebook and said, "This is plucked from the cherry blossom tree presented to the Chinese by the prime minister to celebrate Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, and was specially ordered by Premier Zhou Enlai to bring it." The cherry blossoms have now taken root in Beijing and are growing well, so please keep them as a souvenir to thank the Prime Minister for his kindness!" Tanaka solemnly took the leaf and thanked him repeatedly. The next day, major Japan newspapers adopted a large photo of the cherry blossom leaves presented by Liao Chengzhi to the prime minister.
Liao Chengzhi led everyone to the Gokoku Temple in Tokyo to pay tribute to the tomb of Mr. Kenzo Matsumura. In his early years, Matsumura served as Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Agriculture and Forestry of the Japan Cabinet, and later as an advisor to the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. He believed that "there can be no peace in Asia without the handshake between Japan and China," and he visited China many times since the 50s and was the founder of Sino-Japanese friendly relations. However, when he died at the age of 88, he regrettably did not see the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. Liao Chengzhi remembered the past of his many contacts with this Waseda University alumnus in Beijing, and he couldn't help but burst into tears, and he muttered: "Mr. Kenzo Matsumura, you fought for the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China until the last breath, and now that it has been realized, your old man can rest in peace......
One evening during his visit to Japan, Liao Chengzhi said to Sun Pinghua that everyone was tired, so don't arrange activities tonight and take a good rest. As soon as he finished dinner, he heard that the courtyard next door was very lively, and Liao Chengzhi knew whose family was doing the happy event, so he asked Sun Pinghua to accompany him to have a look. Sun said: "Liao Gong, you said that you were tired, and you added the program by yourself!" He has worked with Liao Chengzhi for more than 20 years, and knows that he likes to be lively, and he is also the best at taking advantage of various opportunities to engage in people-to-people exchanges. As expected, the family next door is holding a wedding. When Liao Chengzhi came in, he raised his glass with great interest and blessed the bride and groom with white heads and old age in the proficient Edo dialect (Edo is located in the eastern part of Tokyo, the capital of Japan during the shogunate era, and Edo dialect is Japanese Mandarin - author's note). Their sudden visit and toast made the host scratch his head, thinking that the unfamiliar Japan came to join in the fun, and when he heard Liao Chengzhi enthusiastically explain his intentions, a surprise suddenly sounded in the courtyard and pushed the wedding to a climax. The host said excitedly: "The arrival of the Chinese dignitaries has made my family flourish, we will always remember this day, and the Japanese and Chinese people will always be friendly!"
In October 1978, Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, who had returned again, visited Japan. He specially explained to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: On this visit to Japan, he must bring Liao Chengzhi, a "Japan expert." Before the visit, Liao Chengzhi held several rounds of negotiations with the Japanese authorities in China on relevant issues. After arriving, the Japanese side gave a very grand welcome and reception. Liao Chengzhi accompanied Deng Xiaoping to attend the signing ceremony of the two governments exchanging ratifications of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship on 23 October; after years of hard work and seeing official results, Liao Chengzhi could not help but think of the late Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other revolutionaries of the older generation, and also remembered the scenes of his exchanges with Japan's officials and non-governmental organizations. Liao Chengzhi wrote the famous poem "Arashi Mountain in the Rain" written by Zhou Enlai when he traveled east to Japan, which was engraved on a large oval stone by the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade. This poem symbolizing the friendship between China and Japan still stands in Arashiyama Park in Kyoto, Japan.
Liao Chengzhi's heart has always been bad, when Japan Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka visited, Zhou Enlai advised him not to participate in every negotiation, but as soon as he knew the news, even if he had taken sleeping pills, he immediately got up and insisted on the whole process of negotiations.
In May 1980, Liao Chengzhi's condition worsened, and Puchun accompanied him to the United States for heart bypass surgery. Liao Chengzhi's weight has dropped significantly, but he is very optimistic, sometimes meeting with guests from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao seven or eight times a day, and reading newspapers and signing documents late at night. His wife and many friends advised him to take a break, and he laughed it off. He fought against the disease for 3 years with a spirit of selflessness. But one day, people saw the unfortunate news released by the Xinhua News Agency in the newspaper: "Comrade Liao Chengzhi, an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a proletarian revolutionary, an outstanding social activist, an outstanding leader of the party and the state, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, died of a heart attack in Beijing at 5:22 on June 10, 1983, at the age of 75. Liao Chengzhi has made indelible contributions in the protracted revolutionary struggle, in the cause of socialist construction, in strengthening friendly relations with the people of all countries in the world, and in the struggle for world peace. He enjoys a good reputation inside and outside the party and at home and abroad...... "Jing Puchun was grief-stricken, she said in her eulogy: "Fifty years of love, half a century of ups and downs, together in front of my eyes full of tears......" The bad news reached Japan, and the president of the Japan-Chinese Exchange Association, Yasushi Inoue, cried bitterly: "He is still one year younger than me!" Former Prime Minister Yoshiyuki Suzuki said with deep sorrow: "Mr. Liao Chengzhi and the late Mr. Zhou Enlai will always be remembered in the hearts of the people of the mainland. These two gentlemen are rare and outstanding people who have devoted themselves to the cause of friendship between Japan and China......"
[Author: Yu ji*zeng Source: "Party History"
Editor: Hou Mengwei
Editor-in-charge: Wang Yuanyuan
Editor: Xiang Dongmin]
