Chapter 45 April 4 Fighting for Li Zongren to Return to China

During the 10 years from April 1956 to June 1965, I went to Beijing five times to prepare for Li Zongren's return to the motherland. Every time I go to Beijing, I get a cordial meeting with Premier Zhou Enlai. Premier Zhou did a lot of work for Li Zongren to return to China, which left an unforgettable impression on me. On December 5, 1949, Li Zongren went to the United States. Before his departure, he first went to Hong Kong. I arranged everything for him in Hong Kong. Li Zongren arrived in Hong Kong on the morning of November 20th. Chiang Kai-shek sent Juzheng, Zhu Jiahua, Hong Lanyou, Zheng Yanfen and others to Hong Kong twice to keep Li Zongren back. Li did not say anything.After I completed all the formalities for Li Zongren, he decided to keep me in Hong Kong.I guess he went to the United States for medical treatment this time as a temporary measure, and he must return to the motherland in the end, which may allow me to serve as a bridge in Hong Kong.

In the autumn of 1955, Li Zongren published "Suggestions on the Taiwan Question". Beforehand, his ideological transformation had its own development process, which was mainly due to the following factors: 1. In the early 1950s, China won a great victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.In the history of war, the United States has never been defeated by other countries, but it was defeated by the new China, which had not been established for a long time. This incident deeply moved Li Zongren, thinking that the Chinese people had really stood up. 2. At the beginning of 1955, the U.S. authorities announced the "Mutual Defense Treaty" signed with the Taiwan authorities. On January 29, the U.S. Senate also passed the "Application of Authorizing President Eisenhower to Assist Taiwan and Penghu Area".In this regard, Li Zongren believes that this is a conspiracy by the United States to interfere in China's internal affairs, hinder China's reunification, and create "two Chinas".

3. In April 1955, Premier Zhou publicly announced at the Bandung Asian-African Conference that the Chinese people were willing to use peaceful means to liberate Taiwan under possible conditions. This also gave Li Zongren a great inspiration. After Li Zongren's "Suggestions on the Taiwan Question" was published, it attracted the attention of Beijing.Because since then, progressive people have often visited my apartment in Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, facing the mountains and facing the sea. In mid-January 1956, a fellow villager who worked at Ta Kung Pao accompanied Jin Yaoru, the deputy editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, to visit me, holding a copy of Ta Kung Pao that published Premier Zhou’s “Report on Intellectual Issues” to me. I see, I wish I had some comments on this report.I don't know anything about the situation of domestic intellectuals, so what can I say?So I talked about him from left to right, and made visitors return with a sense of regret.

Three months later, that is, in late April 1956, the two friends above visited the thatched cottage again. Jin Yaoru said straight to the point: "We received a long-distance call from Beijing: Mr. Li Jishen wants you to go to Beijing to talk. Go free, and keep it secret." He also asked me to put forward conditions.I said: "I don't have any prerequisites for going to Beijing, but this is a big problem. Let me think about it for a day?" I immediately agreed to meet at a coffee shop on Prince Edward Road, Kowloon at 3 pm the next day to give a reply. That night, after discussing with my wife, I made up my mind to go to Beijing.I said that since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, there have been frequent campaigns in China through the Three Antis, the Five Antis, and the suppression of counter-revolutionaries. First, I think Taiwan's "recovery of the mainland" is nonsense, and it is not worth paying attention to; second, I have no prejudice against the Communist Party;I resolutely headed north.

When I arrived in Beijing at the end of April 1956, I knew that this matter was not instigated by Li Jishen, but by Premier Zhou.Huang Shaohong once said to me: On the afternoon when I arrived in Beijing, he was attending a meeting called by Premier Zhou. When the meeting was over, the Premier told him: Cheng Siyuan arrived in Beijing today.It is very obvious that my visit to Beijing was made by the Prime Minister's decision. On the evening of May 6, Mr. Zhang Zhizhong invited me to dinner. He told me that tomorrow afternoon, a reception will be held on the third floor of the CPPCC Auditorium to entertain returned overseas Chinese. Premier Zhou will also come to attend in order to meet you. You’d better write some materials beforehand. I hand it over to the prime minister.In the morning of the next day, I wrote a report entitled "Observing the Taiwan Issue from the Three Aspects of the United States, Japan, and Hong Kong" and handed it to Mr. Zhang Zhizhong.

At 3:00 pm on May 7, I went to the CPPCC Auditorium for a reception. Not long after, Premier Zhou came. He greeted the surrounding crowd and walked straight to the place where Zhang Zhizhong and I were standing.Mr. Wen Bai was about to introduce me, but the Prime Minister had already extended his hand to me. He held my hand and said enthusiastically, "Mr. Siyuan, it's been a long time. We met in Wuhan in 1938." We stood and talked for a while, and then the Prime Minister said to Liu Fei, Yu Xinqing, Liu Zhongrong, and Liu Zhonghua who were standing around, you can accompany Siyuan to see the places of interest in Beijing.He said to me again: We will meet again in a few days.

At noon on May 12, the Prime Minister invited me to a banquet in Zhongnanhai.Liu Zhongrong accompanied me into Zhongnanhai from the northwest gate, first talked for a while in the office of Vice Minister Li Kenong, and then accompanied by Li to Ziguang Pavilion, where he was warmly received by the Prime Minister.Also present were Li Jishen, Zhang Zhizhong, Cai Tingkai, Shao Lizi, Huang Shaohong, Liu Fei, Chen Mingshu, Qu Wu, Yu Xinqing, Liu Zhongrong, Liu Zhonghua, and Luo Qingchang, deputy director of the Prime Minister's Office.They all greeted each other with a handshake. The banquet hall is behind the living room of Ziguang Pavilion, and the Prime Minister raised his wine glass to toast me.At the banquet, Premier Zhou spoke highly of Li Zongren's proposal on the Taiwan issue.He said: Li Delin's opinion is very good. I disagree with only one point. He advocates the demilitarization of Taiwan. How is this possible?Even after Taiwan returns to the motherland, it still needs the army to defend it!When the Prime Minister mentioned Bai Chongxi, he said that Bai Jiansheng was quite conceited. In fact, he had no political foresight, so he listened to Chiang Kai-shek and tricked him to Taiwan!

The Prime Minister spent considerable time explaining the progress of the development of the PLA's strategic approach.He said that after the liberation of Jinan, we knew that the People's Liberation Army could attack the fortifications, and immediately launched the three major battles of Liaoshen, Pingjin, and Huaihai, and finally defeated Chiang Kai-shek and unified the whole of China.He went on to say that during the peace talks in 1949, I told Liu Zhongrong that he should tell Mr. Li Delin to transfer the Guangxi 46th Army in Anhui to Nanjing, so that Mr. Li could exercise his authority to sign the peace agreement, and he could also Stay in Nanjing to wait for the arrival of the People's Liberation Army.It's a pity that he didn't do this and made mistakes again and again.

When talking about the Taiwan issue, the Prime Minister said: We have always advocated the unity of the whole nation and united with the outside world.For the benefit of our great motherland and people, our Communist Party and the Kuomintang cooperated twice during the Northern Expedition and the War of Resistance Against Japan, fighting side by side against imperialism.Today, we are in different situations. As long as everyone puts the interests of the nation and the motherland first, the KMT and the Communist Party can still join hands and unite again to strive for the third cooperation and realize the complete reunification of the motherland.

The Prime Minister said that from now on, we will not send people to work in Taiwan, we will not create divisions in Taiwan, and we hope that all of Taiwan will come over.If the Taiwan authorities want to understand the domestic situation, they can send people to the mainland to investigate. We will provide all assistance, and they don't need to send spies to carry out sabotage activities.We will provide all kinds of convenience and assistance to Kuomintang military and political personnel who come to the mainland to visit relatives, friends, and sightseeing, and guarantee their freedom of coming and going.The Prime Minister also mentioned that Mr. Li Zongren should go back to China to have a look.

In his speech, the Prime Minister pointed out: "Peace is the most precious", "Patriotic family", let the past go, and be rewarded for meritorious deeds, and hoped that the Kuomintang people will contribute to the great cause of the reunification of the motherland. The Prime Minister has a lot of work to do every day, and the interviews, banquets and talks on this day took three hours.I couldn't be more honored.Of course, what the Prime Minister said was not just for me personally, but a sincere call to overseas patriots. When I returned to Hong Kong, I informed Li Zongren of the trip. He wrote to express his displeasure, saying that the trip was of great importance, so why not discuss it beforehand?He also stated that although he made suggestions to Taiwan, his middle position has not changed. In 1959, I came back to participate in the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.I was informed that I would go to the Northeast to visit first, and then return to Beijing to wait for Premier Zhou to meet me. On September 24, Premier Zhou summoned him in Ziguangge. Only Zhang Zhizhong, Shao Lizi, director of the Prime Minister's Office Tong Xiaopeng, and deputy director Luo Qingchang were present. The Prime Minister first asked about his impressions of the trip to the Northeast. I said that it was only the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the construction of the Northeast Heavy Industry has a complete range of categories, has begun to take shape, and is developing rapidly. The Prime Minister said that you forwarded a letter from Mr. Li Delin, who voluntarily dedicated his collection of famous historical paintings to the country. This is a manifestation of his patriotism, and the government will consider accepting it. The Prime Minister also said that Delin sent another letter to Mr. Li Jishen (note: this letter was sent by Fei Yimin), saying that he would return to China to settle down. I thought it was not yet ripe for him to return to China. He will talk.This is the first time that the Premier has expressed that he wants me to go to Europe to meet with Li Zongren. The Prime Minister went on to say: "You have a daughter named Lin Dai who won two leading actress awards at the Asian Film Festival." I interrupted and said, "1957 was "Golden Lotus" and 1958 was "A Thousand Charms." The Prime Minister said: "This The question was brought up by Mr. Zhang Shizhao. He goes to Hong Kong once a year, and he thinks that we should try to get your daughter Lin Dai back." Before the Prime Minister could finish speaking, Zhang Zhizhong interjected, "Prime Minister, you don't know that Siyuan has met with Lin Dai's. The mother is divorced, and the daughter always listens to her mother, how can Siyuan exert influence on Lin Dai?" The Prime Minister looked at Zhang Zhizhong and said, "Mr. Wen Bai, it turns out that you and Siyuan belong to the Three Youth League, so you helped him!" On the 25th, the Premier invited me to visit the Miyun Reservoir in his special train with Liao Chengzhi, Luo Qingchang and others. After returning to Hong Kong this time, I began to transport Li Zongren’s calligraphy and paintings in New York to Hong Kong, and then sent them to Beijing. Soon I received a message from the Prime Minister: Some of these calligraphy and paintings are real, and some are fakes, but the government deeply appreciates Mr. Li’s patriotic enthusiasm. Will help him with a sum of travel expenses to Europe, to show off. In the spring of 1960, Li Zongren sent his wife Guo Dejie to Hong Kong to accept the foreign exchange. In the 1960 US general election, John Kennedy, who was just over 40 years old, entered the White House.Americans generally put their expectations on him, believing that the young president who was born in Harvard University and became a senator will make a fundamental change to the rigid foreign policy formulated by Dulles.Li Zongren also felt that Kennedy's attitude towards New China was relatively moderate.So with the help of Professor Zhang Yuhai, I wrote a letter to Kennedy, congratulating him on being elected president, and hoped that after he took office, he would adjust his policy towards China and realize the normalization of Sino-US relations.Kennedy replied to Li Zongren's letter, saying that this matter is of great importance and will be carefully studied.In fact, this is far-fetched red tape.Li will send me all incoming and outgoing letters, and ask Premier Zhou to review them. In early June 1961, the Prime Minister asked me to return to China.During the interview, he told me that Li Delin should not have too high illusions about beauty.Kennedy is young and energetic, and wants to make a career out of it, but there are too many problems before him, and changing the China policy will not be on his agenda for a while.The Prime Minister reiterated that he sent me to Europe to talk to Mr. Li, hoping that Mr. Li would not have illusions about the United States. "Europe Weekly", published on July 14, 1963, published an article "Interview with Mr. Li Zongren" written by Italian female reporter Marcelli.Li Zongren said to the reporter: "I am happy because of my failure, because a new China is being born from my mistakes." The whole conversation was filled with Li's enthusiasm for the motherland. I made an appointment with Mr. Li Zongren to meet in Zurich, Switzerland in December. In mid-November, I will return to China to ask the Prime Minister for instructions.At that time, the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference were holding the fourth session of the third session, and the Prime Minister was very busy. One night, I was awakened by a knock on the door of a special guest house in Xizongbu Hutong.When I opened the door, it turned out that it was Luo Qingchang, Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council. He said, get dressed quickly, the Prime Minister is waiting for you in the Xihua Hall. It was around 7 o'clock in the evening, and the Prime Minister was still radiant and smiling after handling the government affairs for the day.The Prime Minister asked me to convey three things to Li Zongren: One is the "four possibilities", that is, Mr. Li can return to China to settle down. He is determined to come back, and we welcome him; he can go to the United States after returning to China; he can come back when it is convenient;In short, we appreciate Mr. Delin's yearning for the motherland, but he does not impose anything on others and decides by himself. The second is the "four musts". Mr. Li should not interfere in Sino-US relations; do not interfere in US-Taiwan relations; The third is to pass the "five hurdles", which are political hurdles, ideological hurdles, social hurdles, family hurdles, and relatives and friends hurdles. The Prime Minister asked me to memorize the above contents by heart.Then he personally escorted me to the car outside the gate, earnestly exhorting me, which moved me deeply. On December 19, 1963, I flew to Zurich and met with Mr. Li in a certain hotel. I conveyed the Premier's expectations for Mr. Li and fulfilled my special mission.As our school arrived a few days late to the original scheduled time, we avoided the tracking of the FBI agents, so that Mr. Li would not be noticed when he left the United States for the second time, and finally returned to the embrace of the motherland from overseas smoothly. On June 13, 1965, I received a call from New York and learned that Li Zongren had left the United States to fly to Switzerland on the 13th. On the 14th, I sent Shi Hong to Guangzhou to ask Beijing for instructions by phone. Shi Xie returned to Hong Kong on the 15th and said that the Prime Minister wanted me to go to Beijing. At 11 noon on June 18, I flew to Beijing. Comrades from the “Foreign Affairs Office” of the State Council took me to the auditorium of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee. , Tong Xiaopeng, Director of the Premier's Office of the State Council, and Comrade Feng Xi. Comrade Zhou Rongxin said that the Prime Minister left Beijing this morning to visit African countries. Before leaving, he entrusted us to convey the following things to you: 1. The government will send Mr. Li a sum of travel expenses for returning home, and you will take it to Switzerland to pay in person. 2. At the same time, I will send you a sum of travel expenses, please go to Switzerland to bring Mr. Li back. 3. When you arrive in Zurich, the comrade in charge will contact you. If you have any problems, discuss with him and he will give you the necessary help. After the conversation, Zhou Rongxin and other comrades entertained me with a banquet in the auditorium of the United Front Work Department.At that time, the chefs of the United Front Work Department were famous for burning square brick meat, and I enjoyed this delicacy at noon that day without exception. The next day I left Beijing and flew to Europe. Due to visa delays, I did not fly to Zurich until June 28, when Mrs. Li Guo Dejie also flew to Switzerland. Li Zongren wanted to invite Wu Shangying, the former Land Affairs Minister of the Kuomintang government, and his second son Li Zhisheng to accompany him. They have not arrived for a long time, and the relevant authorities are preparing to arrange for us to live in Lausanne for a short time. On July 12th, he was suddenly notified that he had to leave Zurich at 2 pm on the 13th.We set off just in time.Less than two hours after we took off, Taiwanese people came to Li Zongren with a letter from Bai Chongxi. Since Hong Kong's "Express" reported Li Zongren's whereabouts on July 14, it attracted attention from all sides. For safety reasons, we rested in Karachi for a few days. At 8:00 am on July 18, 1965, Li Zongren and his wife and I arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. We were warmly welcomed by Tao Zhu, the first secretary of the Central South Bureau, and Zhao Ziyang, the first secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee.After eating Cantonese style breakfast with them at the airport, we continued to take off and arrived in Shanghai at 11:00.Unexpectedly, Premier Zhou, Vice Premier Chen Yi, Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Chen Pixian and other leaders greeted us at the airport.Li Zongren was very moved by such a courteous reception. That night, Comrade Chen Pixian hosted a banquet in honor of Li Zongren, his wife and myself at the Shanghai Cultural Club (the former French General Assembly). Premier Zhou and Vice Premier Chen Yi both attended.Deputy Secretary-General Luo Qingchang told me that the Prime Minister stayed up all night last night and did not go to bed until he received the news that Mr. Li's plane had entered our country. On the morning of July 19, the Prime Minister met with Mr. Li at the Cultural Club, and I attended with Luo Qingchang, Liu Shuzhou, and Yao Zhongkang. The Prime Minister said, Mr. Li has returned from thousands of miles away, and we are very worried about your safety.The Taiwan side asked for information about Mr. Li everywhere, but the information they got was inaccurate, which proved that their intelligence was behind. When talking about the future of Taiwan, the Prime Minister said that when the Taiwan issue is resolved, someone will come forward to return Taiwan to the motherland through political channels and complete the great cause of the reunification of the motherland.When the Prime Minister spoke these words, he was full of confidence and left a deep impression on people. The Prime Minister reiterated the spirit of the "four cans" to Mr. Li. He said: Mr. Li said that once he came back, he would never go out again.But the "Four Freedoms" still need to be talked about. In November 1963, I asked Mr. Cheng Siyuan to convey the content of the "Four Possibilities".Now, we also want to reaffirm the freedom to come and go.Freedom to come and go is not only a problem for Mr. Li, but also for your wife.Your wife can still go to Hong Kong. On the morning of July 20, Premier Zhou's special plane took off 20 minutes earlier.When Li Zongren and his wife arrived at the Capital Airport, they were warmly welcomed by Premier Zhou, Vice Chairman Peng Zhen and other leaders.That night, Premier Zhou hosted a banquet in the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People to welcome Li Zongren and his wife, and treated them as honored guests. The Prime Minister attached great importance to the reception of Li Zongren when he returned home, and designated the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee to set up a reception office. The entire reception work was carried out in a planned and step-by-step manner under the direct leadership of the Premier. On September 26, 1965, Li Zongren entertained Chinese and foreign journalists in Beijing.This is the first time that such a large-scale press conference has been held since the founding of the People's Republic of China. It was Li Zongren's request when he was in Shanghai and the Premier agreed in person. On September 24, the Premier personally appointed four comrades, Wu Lengxi, Gong Peng, Yao Qin, and Zhang Yan, as consultants for the reception. The instructions were detailed and specific. The Prime Minister arranged the work very meticulously. On August 16, 1965, Fu Zuoyi, vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, and his wife held a family banquet for Li Zongren and his wife.Participants included Peng Zhen, Chen Yi, Luo Ruiqing, Cai Tingpin and his wife Luo Xiou, Xu Bing and his wife Zhang Xiaomei, Dong Qiwu, Wang Kejun, Huang Qixiang and his wife Guo Xiuyi, Liu Zhongrong and his wife Zhang Minhua, Wei Lihuang and his wife Han Quanhua, and Ping Jie Three, Liu Shuzhou, Luo Qingchang, Li Jinde.When Premier Zhou came in, he told everyone that the list of guests for today's treat was made by me. When the banquet was over, the guests left one after another. I saw the Prime Minister standing at the back door of his car, waving to me.I walked over, and the Prime Minister asked, "When will Comrade Shi Hong arrive in Beijing?" I said, "On the 18th." How thoughtful! After the "Cultural Revolution" broke out, we have never been disturbed in any way. In the final analysis, it is the Prime Minister's protection.During Chinese New Year and holidays, the Prime Minister always sends people to visit us and ask if we have any difficulties in life.At that time, the money we brought back from overseas could still support us, so we were always reluctant to bother the Prime Minister with personal matters. In fact, he was so busy that he didn't even have time to sleep. On February 22, 1972, Premier Zhou hosted a banquet to welcome President Nixon and his wife. He came to toast me without saying anything.However, at the banquet hosted by Prime Minister Tanaka on September 25th, the Prime Minister came to me specially and said meaningfully: "We haven't seen each other for a long time, let's raise our glasses to wish each other health!" Those were the last words I heard from the Prime Minister. In August 1972, the Prime Minister asked the United Front Work Department to write a report and gave me monthly living expenses.Surprisingly, apart from the Prime Minister's approval in the report, he also wrote a note to pay me a living allowance. How far-reaching and thoughtful the Prime Minister's vision is!This is one thing I will never forget. Since August 1972, the State Council Administration Bureau has followed the instructions of the Prime Minister to drive the car I used to drive back to my apartment (after the "Cultural Revolution", I had requested that the car be driven back to the State Council Administration Bureau centralized management).From then on, although I did not go to work, my life was ardently taken care of, all thanks to the gift of the Prime Minister. On the evening of September 30, 1974, I was invited to attend a reception celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic held in the Great Hall of the People.The Prime Minister came to preside over the event because of his illness.When he stepped into the banquet hall, a very exciting scene immediately appeared. The audience erupted into thunderous applause, which lasted for a long time. Within a few minutes of his toast speech, there were more than 10 applause from the audience. as much.The Prime Minister is deeply moving, which is fully demonstrated here. This is the voice from the bottom of everyone's heart, and that's what I thought at the time. I have always been strong-willed and rarely cry. In early January 1976, when I bid farewell to the body of the Prime Minister at the Beijing Hospital, I saw the kindly face of the Prime Minister as if it was alive, and the memories of the past suddenly came to my mind, and I couldn't help crying with grief.