Begonia flowers will bloom, and the old man will no longer come
On January 8, 1976, the winter in the city of Beijing was particularly long on this day, with endless snow and the north wind "chattering." "It's a little depressing, a little uneasy. In a few months, it will be spring, and Premier Zhou will be able to see his favorite begonia flowers. But at 9:57 a.m. on this day, bad news came from the 301 Hospital of the Beijing Liberation Army, and our dear Premier Zhou Enlai, unfortunately, died of illness and closed his eyes and resigned at the age of 78. The begonia flowers in front of the door will still bloom, but I can't wait for the person who admires the flowers anymore.
People will never forget that your story will continue to be sung
As soon as the news spread, the whole country fell into infinite grief. On this day, a great heart stopped beating, and on this day we lost a prime minister who worked hard for our Chinese nation and regarded each of our Chinese as relatives.
After the news of Premier Zhou Enlai's death spread overseas, what did the world do while being shocked and regretted?
Japan
This country, which has a bloody feud with us, does not need me to repeat the tragic history, I believe everyone knows it. It is such a country that has a deep hatred for us, but after the death of Premier Zhou, it gave Premier Zhou a very high evaluation. Japan's Jiji News Agency does not hesitate to use words such as "the superstar has fallen" to evaluate the death of Premier Zhou. This is very unexpected, of course, Premier Zhou Enlai certainly deserves such an evaluation.
Before Premier Zhou Enlai's death, at the beginning of the founding of New China, Sino-Japanese relations were extremely tense and severe; on the one hand, because of the numerous crimes committed by Japan in China, the anti-Japanese and anti-Japanese sentiment in The country was extremely high; on the other hand, in Japan, because of a series of losses caused by the defeat in the war, coupled with the japanese people's long-term erosion of militarism, the domestic people were hostile to China. It can be said that at that time, Sino-Japanese relations had reached an unprecedented freezing point. Premier Zhou Enlai was 10 distracted by Sino-Japanese relations for the development and future of the two countries
Premier Zhou Enlai often used:
(1): "The crime of foreign aggression committed by Japanese militarism not only caused great losses to the Chinese people and the peoples of the Far East, but also caused the Japanese people to suffer unprecedented disasters.
(2): I believe that the peace-loving people of Japan will remember this lesson of history and will not allow Japan to re-militarize and re-invade the country, lest Japan suffer another disaster that is deeper than in the past and in the present.
(3): China is willing to restore normal relations with Japan, but if the Japanese Government continues to implement its policy of hostility toward the People's Republic of China and the Chinese people, and continues to maintain its so-called diplomatic relations with the Chiang Kai-shek clique, Japan will become a factor of instability in the Pacific, thus hindering Japan from concluding a peace treaty and establishing normal diplomatic relations with New China. ”
Such words inspire us, let us not forget the history while looking to the future, accept the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, so that the country can develop in the long run, the economy can be strong, and the people will be happy.
On September 25, 1972, after the unremitting efforts of Premier Zhou Enlai, Sino-Japanese relations finally reached an unprecedented turning point after World War II. On this day, Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka led a huge delegation to China, and Premier Zhou Enlai personally received them. Afterwards, Tanaka Kakuei wrote a poem praising Premier Zhou for "his body like a willow shaking in the breeze, and his heart like a rock shattering a big wave."
Premier Zhou ran parallel to Kakuei Tanaka
The second-order hall of the mission, which came with Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, said in his later recollections: "When I first saw him, I was overwhelmed by his gaze."
Japanese officials entered the second order of the hall
And what Makiko Tanaka, the daughter of Nijido, said to her father and her family after returning to China is still fresh in my memory: "I really should take Makiko with me!" "Mao Zedong was a philosopher and thinker, and Zhou Enlai was a beautiful man and doer. Zhou Enlai and I were very close. After meeting with Premier Zhou and saying the first sentence, I felt that I would be able to cooperate with this person to get things done. If Premier Zhou didn't live up to my imagination, I would probably simply go back to Japan. Premier Zhou was wounded during the war and had a disability in his right arm. I saw the look of Premier Zhou's right hand and thought it was an injury I had suffered during a war with Japan. In short, the acquaintance with Zhou Enlai was very good. [We] quickly established a relationship of trust. Mao Zedong was also a great philosopher, but Zhou Enlai was very pragmatic and thoughtful. Premier Zhou is outstanding both as a politician and as a human being. I want Makiko to meet someone like that. Definitely take you next time! Although the Second Order Tang Jin said these words to his family, his words already revealed his extremely high evaluation of Premier Zhou Enlai.
On September 29, 1972, after the unremitting efforts of Premier Zhou Enlai, China and Japan finally established diplomatic relations.
Premier Zhou and Kakuei Tanaka exchanged documents
United States
After the end of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, our relations with the United States have always been tense, but since the complete break of Sino-Soviet customs in 1958, Sino-US relations have begun to become delicate. In the year of Premier Zhou Enlai's death, the Associated Press published an evaluation of Premier Zhou Enlai by then-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger:
"I am deeply lost when I learn of the death of Premier Zhou Enlai... The world has lost one of the outstanding statesmen of our time. What impressed me about Zhou Enlai was that he was committed to the interests of his own country, that he had a deep understanding of the world situation, and that he was invaluablely both sharp and resourceful and charismatic. ”
It can be seen that the US media have great recognition and respect for Premier Zhou Enlai.
Premier Zhou Enlai had dinner with Kissinger
And Kissinger can have such an evaluation, that is also impressed by the charisma and ability of Premier Zhou Enlai. His exchanges with Premier Zhou began with a détente between China and the United States, but it was not only a relaxation of Sino-US relations. In Kissinger's recollection:
"The first time I met Premier Zhou Enlai: Zhou Enlai arrived at 4:30. His face was thin and haggard, but he was radiant, his eyes were shining, and his gaze was both determined and serene, both cautious and confident. He wears a set of exquisitely cut gray wool clothing, which looks simple and simple, but very beautiful. He behaved gracefully and solemnly, and he drew attention not to the great body (like Mao Zedong or de Gaulle), but to his relaxed and inward look, his steely self-control, like a twisted spring. He seems to feel at ease, but if you look closely, you will not know it. When he listened to the English, he did not have to wait for the translation, and the expression on his face appeared to have understood the meaning, or immediately smiled, which clearly indicated that he could understand the English; he was extremely alert, and it was obvious that the fiery and fierce struggle of half a century had imprinted on him the extremely important character of composure. ”
Premier Zhou Enlai and Kissinger met and shook hands
Kissinger was also a rare outstanding diplomat, and in this small recollection of him, he can already fully feel his respect and admiration for Premier Zhou.
Later Kissinger also said:
"Zhou Enlai was the most charismatic person I had ever met in my sixty years of public service. He was not tall, personable, with piercing eyes and a rich expression. He can overwhelm his negotiating opponents with his superhuman intelligence and ability, and can intuitively guess the psychological activities of the other party. When I met him, he had been prime minister for almost twenty-two years and had been working with Mao Zedong for forty years. ”
"He has become an important link between Mao Zedong and the masses of the people for whom Mao Zedong planned the grand plan. He translated Mao's lofty ideals into concrete plans. ”
North Korea
The relations between China and the DPRK have always been very friendly, and a large part of this is due to the friendship established between the two countries during the period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. It was also in this process that Premier Zhou and the LEADER of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, established an extremely deep friendship with each other!
During the days when Premier Zhou Enlai was seriously ill, Kim Il Sung's old friend's feelings for Premier Zhou were real and unreserved feelings.
In mid-1974, when Premier Zhou fell ill and was hospitalized, Kim Il Sung, who had been reappointed president according to the revised Constitution of north Korea, was very concerned and sent a special ambassador to China to visit and convey his greetings.
On Kim Il Sung's official visit to China in April 1975, Premier Zhou met him at the hospital, accompanied by Deng Xiaoping. The two had a sincere conversation, and Premier Zhou told Kim Il Sung that in the future, he would find Comrade Xiaoping. This was Premier Zhou's last meeting with Kim Il Sung.
In the second half of 1975, Kim Il Sung offered to send a special envoy to Beijing to visit Premier Zhou, but due to Premier Zhou's aggravated illness, the Chinese side politely refused the other side's request.
On January 8, 1976, Premier Zhou closed his eyes and went to sleep, while Kim Il Sung was preparing for eye disease surgery, but after hearing the news, he cried bitterly and cried his eyes red, so the operation had to be postponed.
In 1979, Kim Il Sung decided to build a bronze statue of Premier Zhou Enlai in North Korea at the Heungnam Fertilizer Factory Square, which Premier Zhou braved in 1958 to visit in a snowstorm. In North Korea, this is the only bronze statue of a foreigner. In May of that year, the bronze statue of Premier Zhou was inaugurated, and Kim Il-sung specially invited Vice Chairman Deng Yingchao to visit north Korea and personally held a grand banquet to welcome him. Kim Il-sung said to Deng Yingchao: "Seeing you is like meeting Premier Zhou, who has made outstanding contributions to the DPRK-China friendship, and I feel particularly cordial." After that, Kim Il Sung accompanied Deng Yingchao to Hamhung and attended the unveiling ceremony of the bronze statue of Zhou Enlai.
In 2008, the 110th anniversary of Premier Zhou Enlai's birth, the North Korean media gave Premier Zhou Enlai a very high evaluation
The Article of The Labor News said:
"Zhou Enlai was a prominent Chinese politician, military and diplomat. He is a model of loyalty to the Party, a model of dedication to the motherland, the people and the revolutionary cause, and a model of tireless work. The article also said that Zhou Enlai was one of the founders of the DPRK-China friendship. During his lifetime, he harbored sincere comradely friendly feelings toward the Korean people and made outstanding contributions to strengthening and developing the DPRK-China friendship. For the Korean people, Zhou Enlai was a comrade-in-arms and close friend who can never be forgotten. ”
The Article in Democratic Korea says:
"Zhou Enlai's lofty ideals are bearing fruitful fruits in china today. Chinese people have achieved gratifying results in building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and are continuing to work hard to achieve higher achievements. ”
UN
After the news of Premier Zhou Enlai's death spread, the United Nations headquarters made a decision that people could not think of, that is, to lower the flag to half-mast for Premier Zhou! When this decision spread around the world, everyone could not believe this decision that had never been made before or since.
This decision was also protested by many people, and the anti-epidemic fighters gathered under the square of the United Nations Headquarters building, and they passionately expressed strong dissatisfaction with the United Nations. Faced with this situation, then-UN President Waldheim responded to all their protesters with two sentences, saying:
"In order to mourn Zhou Enlai, the United Nations flag was flown at half-mast, which I decided for two reasons:
(1) China is an ancient civilization, and her gold, silver, and treasures are innumerable, and she uses more renminbi than we can count. But her Premier Zhou didn't have a penny in savings!
(2) China has a population of 1 billion, accounting for 1/4 of the world's population, but her Premier Zhou does not have a single child. If any of your heads of state can do one of these things, on the day of his death, the headquarters will lower the flag to half-mast. ”
Upon hearing these words, the protesters were all silent, knowing that the leaders of their own countries could not do so. They felt ashamed, and their faces were full of complicated expressions at the moment.
To use a sentence in Zhuge Liang's "Table of Later Teachers" to describe Premier Zhou, there is a bow to exhaustion, after death.
epilogue
Begonia flowers have been waiting for flower admirers for decades, and Premier Zhou has also left us for decades. The Scythians are gone, and the living are long-lived. "In the decades since he left, we have not forgotten him and have always missed him.
In the decades since you left, you have undergone earth-shaking changes, and everything is developing for the better. No one in this world dares to underestimate us, everyone can eat, and no longer have to worry about food and clothing. Our aerospace, high-speed rail, military, industrial, etc., are in the forefront of the world, and now this prosperous world, as you originally wished.