<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="107" > preface</h1>
On October 1, 1949, on this day of national celebration, Zhang Lan attended the founding ceremony. Mao Zedong praised in public on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square: "Cousin, you are very good, your morality is very good, you are advancing with each passing day!" ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="108" > first sight: Mr. Runzhi, you have worked hard in state affairs</h1>
For Zhang Lan, Mao Zedong has always called him "Zhang Biaolao" and praised him for "old man who has become a country".
Born in 1872, Zhang Lan inherited his father's business to teach in his hometown after his father's death, and later studied at the Zunjing Academy in Chengdu and the Normal Department of the Hongwen Academy in Tokyo, Japan. In 1904, Zhang Lan returned to China and ran a school in his hometown, and later led the vigorous Sichuan Road Protection Movement.
In April 1926, Zhang Lan became the president of Chengdu University, and because of Zhang Lan's unique educational ideas and rigorous academic style, this school once became one of the largest and most dynamic institutions in China at that time, and even enjoyed the reputation of "democracy and science fortress".
Picture | Zhang Lan
After the July 7 Incident, when the country was in trouble, Zhang Lan's patriotic heart suddenly arose, and he indignantly condemned Chiang Kai-shek's crime of losing power and humiliating the country in words, expressing his determination to resolutely resist to the end, and taking advantage of his social position to resettle and cover up a number of Communist Party members and patriots.
It was not until 1841 that the Chinese Democratic League was founded under the initiative and organization of Zhang Lan, after which Zhang Lan served as chairman for a long time until his death.
On August 15, 1945, the Japanese imperialists announced their unconditional surrender, and the Chinese people's arduous eight-year War of Resistance finally came to an end.
Zhang Lan made a speech on the situation after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression:
"Since the beginning of the First Sino-Japanese War, China has been oppressed by japan for fifty-two years. Today, China has won, and this victory has been bought with the blood and tears of tens of millions of chinese people. I think that no matter whether it is a person in the opposition who sees the news of this victory, he will be painfully determined to think about it, and in addition to being extremely happy, he will have a deep aftertaste, and this victory is really not easy to come by! ”
Against the background of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhang Lan put forward the following proposal: "Immediately convene a party meeting and engage in unity and negotiation so that internal political disputes can be resolved quickly and thoroughly." Zhang Lan believes that a civil war is enough to destroy all achievements, and only by stopping the civil war and uniting can we maintain the fruits of victory and eventually go on the road to democracy, reunification, and peaceful nation-building.
Zhang Lan's idea was the voice of the vast majority of the Chinese people at that time, and it was also the voice of Mao Zedong, but it was not the voice of Chiang Kai-shek. Because it took time to prepare for the civil war and the pressure of public opinion at home and abroad, Chiang Kai-shek had to make a "peaceful" gesture to the outside world, and he expected that Mao Zedong would not dare to come to Chongqing, so he invited Mao Zedong to Chongqing three times in a row to invite Mao Zedong to Chongqing for peace talks.
However, Chiang Kai-shek ultimately underestimated Mao Zedong's courage and boldness, and in order to strive for all possibilities for peace and expose the true face of Chiang Kai-shek's reaction in the struggle, Mao Zedong decided to go to Chongqing himself. On August 28, Zhang Lan heard the news that Mao Zedong had flown from Yan'an to Chongqing, and said in a loud voice: "Rare, rare. "Mao Zedong personally went to the Tiger's Den, and there was finally hope for peace in China.
Zhang Lan mao zedong and zhang lan met in 1919 and met in 1945. As early as the May Fourth Movement, Zhang Lan had heard about Mao Zedong's talent and the series of revolutionary activities he had carried out in Beijing, and since then, he has left a deep impression on Mao Zedong in his heart.
Although Zhang Lan had heard of Mao Zedong very early, he had never had the opportunity to meet him, and this time when he heard that Mao Zedong had come to Chongqing, he could not wait to meet him and rushed to meet him by car.
At 3:37 p.m., Mao's plane landed, wearing a gray-blue Zhongshan suit and a Panama hat, and frequently waved to the greeters. As soon as Mao Zedong got off the plane, he saw Zhang Lan in the crowd of people who had come to greet him, and without waiting for others to introduce him, he went forward to shake his hand.
Pictured| Mao Zedong was welcomed at the Chongqing airport by Zhang Lan, chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, and others
Mao Zedong first saw Zhang Lan, but it seemed that he was talking to an old friend who had not been seen for a long time: "You are Zhang Biao, hello." ”
Zhang Lan clasped Mao Zedong's hand tightly and replied in a loud voice: "Hello Mr. Runzhi, you have worked hard in state affairs, welcome to Chongqing!" ”
Looking at Zhang Lan, whose silver hair was fluttering, Mao Zedong said: "In such a hot weather, you still come to the airport yourself, I really don't dare to be, I don't dare to be!" ”
Zhang Lan responded politely: "You are working hard for the country, you are in the expectations of the people, you should, you should!" ”
Just as Mao Zedong and Zhang Lan were greeting each other, Zhou Enlai stepped forward from the side and shook hands with Zhang Lan to say hello. Then he arranged for Zhang Lan, Zhang Zhizhong, Shao Lizi, and Guo Moruo to take a group photo with Mao Zedong.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="117" > trust: to save some clean soil for China</h1>
The day after Mao Zedong arrived in Chongqing, Zhou Enlai told Zhang Lan and Xian Ying: "Chairman Mao wants to visit you. ”
When they heard that Mao Zedong wanted to come to see him in person, Zhang Lan and Xian Ying were very surprised and hurriedly said: "Chairman Mao has just arrived in Chongqing, and state affairs are busy, so let's go and visit the chairman." ”
Seeing the two men's resignation, Zhou Enlai said: "The chairman's intention is to come by himself, so you don't have to be polite." ”
In this way, Zhang Lan and Xian Ying were not good enough to resign, so they said: "If the time can be arranged, please ask the chairman to come tomorrow, and we will wait." ”
Figure | from left are Shen Junru, Zhang Lan, Xian Ying, and Li Gongpu
On the afternoon of August 30, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai came to the special garden as promised, and everyone had a conversation in Zhang Lan's bedroom, and Mao Zedong first conveyed greetings on behalf of Zhu De and Wu Yuzhang. After entering the main topic, Zhang Lan solemnly said to Mao Zedong: "Chiang Kai-shek is playing the 'Hongmen Banquet', where will he take care of a little xinyi." Now that the situation at home and abroad has changed, he has also called out democracy. ”
Everyone present knew Chiang Kai-shek's personality, and Mao Zedong said very humorously: "Democracy has also become a fashionable commodity of Chiang Kai-shek!" If he wants to play a fake play of democracy, we will put on a fake play and let the people of the whole country be the audience, see the true and false, and distinguish between right and wrong, and this play will be of great value! ”
Zhang Lan was very sympathetic to Mao Zedong's words, and said with great emotion: "If Chiang Kai-shek really changes his mind, turns the fake into reality, and turns the dry things into jade, it will be the blessing of the people of the whole country!" ”
On September 2, in the name of the China Democratic League, Zhang Lan invited Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Wang Ruofei and others to the special garden, accompanied by Shen Junru, Huang Yanpei, Zuo Shunsheng, Zhang Shenfu, Xian Ying and others. Mao Zedong said very happily: "This is the House of Democracy, and I have returned home." Today we gather in the House of Democracy and together to create a democratic country and live in a democratic country. ”
During the negotiations in Chongqing, Mao Zedong talked with Zhang Lan many times. Zhang Lan's influence in the southwest was enormous, and Mao hoped that he would play his part in assisting the underground party in developing the underground armed forces.
On the afternoon of September 15, Mao Zedong visited Zhang Lan in the Special Garden, and the two sides had a long conversation. During the talks, Mao Zedong told Zhang Lan about the negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communists, and the Communists had already made compromises and concessions for the great cause of peaceful nation-building, and the crux of the current negotiations between the two sides was the issue of the political power in the Liberated Areas and the people's army.
Zhang Lan said to Mao Zedong with a heart in his heart: "If you insist, you must persist, so as to preserve some clean soil for China." If you have any inconvenience, I can write an open letter to both the Kuomintang and the Communists and spread out the problems so that the people of the whole country can supervise them. ”
Zhang Lan attached great importance to Mao Zedong's coming to Chongqing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek this time, and very much hoped that there would be results in this negotiation, but at the same time he was very worried about what would go wrong in the middle. Mao Zedong understood Zhang Lan's good intentions and gladly adopted his opinion, and the evaluation of "old man and conspiracy for the country" also came from this.
Mao Zedong came to Chongqing with a desire for peaceful state-building, but this was just a smoke bomb for Chiang Kai-shek, who had already set the tone for the negotiations, that is, "Politics and military should be resolved as a whole, and political demands can be tolerated, while military requirements are not allowed to be slightly accommodated." ”
Outside the negotiating table, Chiang Kai-shek launched a massive military offensive to force the Communists to surrender power and troops in the Liberated Areas. In order to cooperate with the struggle for negotiations in Chongqing, the Party Central Committee and Mao Zedong issued the following order to the people's army: "Pull out the knife and defend the Shangdang." ”
At that time, Chiang Kai-shek not only printed the "Handbook of Suppressing Bandits" in various Theaters of the Kuomintang and mobilized the Kuomintang officers against communism, but also allowed the Yanxishan Department in Shanxi to invade the Shangdang area on a large scale along the Tongpu Road.
After Zhang Lan learned of this news, he said with great indignation: "Openly sending a telegram inviting you to negotiate, and then starting a war behind your back, absolutely will not allow the Kuomintang to do so!" ”
On October 10, the Kuomintang and the Communists signed the "Double Tenth Agreement", Mao Zedong's visit to Chongqing finally had results, and when he learned the news that Mao Zedong was leaving Chongqing, Zhang Lan's mood could not be calm for a long time. At the crucial moment that determined China's destiny, Mao Zedong disregarded his personal safety and personally went to the Tiger's Den, and Zhang Lan will never forget.
On the morning of October 11, Mao Zedong arrived at the Kowloonpo Airport by car, and the people who came to see him off immediately surrounded him, and the photographers present pressed the shutter in their hands to record this great moment. In response to questions from several foreign journalists present, Mao Zedong replied: "China's problems can be optimistic, there are difficulties, but difficulties can be overcome." ”
Zhang Lan also came to bid farewell, he held Mao Zedong's hand tightly, and said with great affection: "In the future, China has achieved democracy, and I will go to Yan'an to visit you." Mao Zedong replied enthusiastically: "Welcome, welcome!" I serve you with Sichuan cuisine from Yan'an. ”
Later, whenever Zhang Lan talked about Mao Zedong's visit to Chongqing for negotiations, he would always say affectionately: "I have gone through several dynasties in my life, and in the long-term revolutionary struggle, I have finally discovered that only the Communist Party is the only party that truly seeks benefits for the motherland and the people." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="122" > Zhang Lan: Haha, I've become a flag! </h1>
In June 1949, Zhang Lan came to Beijing from Shanghai, and Mao Zedong took the news of Zhang Lan's arrival in Beijing very seriously, and personally went to the Beijing Hotel to meet Zhang Lan.
A few days later, Mao Zedong specially set up a banquet at his home in Zhongnanhai to entertain Zhang Lan, in order to meet Zhang Lan, Mao Zedong instructed Li Yinqiao to help him find a better dress to come out, but Mao Zedong has always been frugal, and it is easy not to let others make new clothes for him.
Pictured| Li Yinqiao and Chairman Mao pose for a group photo
Li Yinqiao found that Mao Zedong's clothes were either torn or patched, so he said: "Now it is too late to make clothes, do you want to borrow one?" ”
Time was pressing, and Mao Zedong immediately said: "Don't borrow it, the patch doesn't matter, just be neat and clean, Zhang Is always a virtuous person, and he won't blame us." When Li Yinqiao sent someone to pick up Zhang Lan with a car, Mao Zedong also specially smiled and instructed: "Driving must be slower and more stable, he is a 'national treasure', but we must not damage this precious 'cultural relic'." ”
Mao Zedong warmly entertained Zhang Lan, although it was a banquet, but there was no special food during the banquet, only a very ordinary four-dish and a soup, such as tofu bean sprouts and other ordinary foods.
Zhang Lan was not a person who sold fame and reputation, and when he saw Mao Zedong treat himself with such food, he could not help but feel a little more emotional in his heart. In Zhang Lan's view, Mao Zedong's status is noble, but the food he eats is so simple, Zhang Lan is deeply touched by this, and he often educates the people around him in the future.
During the meal, Zhang Lan expressed his congratulations on the victory in the Liberation War: "The People's Liberation Army overthrew the kuomintang's reactionary rule in just over three years, and the communist party's skills are very great. Zhang Lan's words came from the bottom of his heart, and the Chongqing negotiations in those years were just a fake trick made by Chiang Kai-shek to prepare for the civil war, but now he still paid the price for his wrong behavior.
In response to Zhang Lan's praise, Mao Zedong replied with a modest smile: "In fact, we Communists do not have much superhuman ability, but we are more modest, cautious, industrious, and frugal than Chiang Kai-shek. ”
In Mao Zedong's words, this is indeed the case: The main reason for the development of the Communist Party from a very small scale at the beginning to a large party later is because of its unchangeable purpose of serving the people and always doing things for the people sincerely and sincerely, and it has won the support and love of the people, and the strength of the people is incomparably enormous, and those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world, which is an unchangeable truth since ancient times.
On September 21, the first plenary session of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference was held in Beijing, and Zhang Lan attended the meeting as the chairman of the China Democratic League, where he was elected vice chairman of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. In addition to Zhang Lan, Mao Zedong also invited Song Qingling and others to Beiping to attend the new CPPCC congress, where everyone expressed their views and discussed the grand plan for the founding of the country.
At this time, Zhang Lan was already 76 years old, because he often lived a hard life, often struggled for national events, his body was getting weaker and weaker, and many diseases came uninvited.
On October 1, 1949, on this incomparably sacred day, the figure of Zhang Lan appeared on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square, and Mao Zedong did not hide his praise for Zhang Lan in front of everyone: "Cousin, you are very good, your morality is very good, you are advancing with the times." ”
Pictured| Mao Zedong and Zhang Lan on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square
The founding ceremony was of epoch-making significance to all Chinese, and Mao Zedong specially invited Zhang Lan to participate, which shows the importance of Zhang Lan's status.
As a democrat, Zhang Lan sorted out all the opinions he received and put them forward as reference opinions, while Mao Zedong and the Party Central Committee attached great importance to the various opinions put forward by Zhang Lan and discussed them very seriously, and the suggestions that helped the country and the people were adopted.
In 1951, Mao Zedong wrote a letter to Zhang Lan, the content of which was as follows:
"Mr. Table Fang (Zhang Lanzi Table Fang): Comrade Deng Xiaoping, secretary of the Southwest Bureau, gave me a report, please read it (you can ask your secretary to read it to you), you can see the general situation of the southwest work, please throw it back after reading it." Is sir in good health? Very thoughtful. Greetings by the way. ”
Shortly after the letter was sent, Mao Zedong sent another letter to Zhang Lan, which read as follows:
"Mr. Table Fang: Last year, the southwest region made considerable achievements in suppressing bandits, and the number of bandits eliminated was less than 40,000, and it could be completely eliminated in two or three months. A summary report was sent from the southwest military region on the ground. If you have the spirit, you can read it. You can watch it slowly and pay me back within a week. Greetings by the way! ”
The Constitution of the People's Republic of China was formulated in 1954, and Zhang Lan also participated in it, and Mao Zedong took the initiative to solicit Zhang Lan's opinion and asked with great concern: "For many years, I have always hoped for a people's constitution. ”
After the founding of New China, Zhang Lan enthusiastically participated in the affairs of the country and the people, and whenever the Central Committee held meetings, especially in the summer, considering that Zhang Lan was old and could not blow the wind, Mao Zedong would be extra careful to advise him not to turn on the electric fan every time, and to endure the summer heat with others.
Zhang Lan understood the kindness of Mao Zedong and other central leading comrades, but when he saw that others were sweating, his heart was very unhappy, and he could only express his apologies one by one. Mao Zedong said: "Respecting the elderly is a fine tradition of the Chinese people, and the elders should not be polite." ”
Zhang Lan was the vice chairman at that time, but because of his age, his body gradually deteriorated day by day, because of his busy work, Zhang Lan often had to go to work at eight o'clock in the morning, and often had to wait until after nine o'clock to go home to rest at night.
One day in May of this year, when everyone was eating lunch, Zhang Lan suddenly said the following words to his relatives and staff:
"On the day of May Day, I told Chairman Mao Zedong on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square that I am now 82 years old, my body is weakening day by day, and I have done nothing to contribute to the country. The ancients had a historical example of 'begging bones', and I also want Chairman Mao to 'beg for bones'. ”
After listening to Zhang Lan's words, Mao Zedong said very seriously: "Cousin, you are a banner, wherever you plant it, it will play a role, and this role cannot be played by others. ”
When Zhang Lan told everyone about this, he laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I have become a flag!" ”
On February 9, 1955, Zhang Lan died, and when a public ceremony was held in Beijing, Mao Zedong personally saw Han Fu. After the end of the public sacrifice, Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai personally escorted Zhang Lan's coffin to the Babaoshan Cemetery for a solemn burial.