Chapter 44 "Exam" - Deng Xiaoping and Farage (1)

Question: How to evaluate Mao Zedong scientifically and maintain the historical status of Mao Zedong Thought? Method: open book, question and answer, impromptu interview. Proctor: People and History. Questioner: Farage (Italian female reporter). Respondent: Deng Xiaoping. When: August 21 and 23, 1980. Location: Zhongnanhai, Beijing, China. Score: (You will know after reading this article.) Two portraits of Mao Zedong hanging in the Great Hall of the People were taken down.Western observers say that China is "de-Maoized". For the first time, "People's Daily" clearly defined the basic trend of evaluating Mao Zedong: not de-Maoization, but demythologization.

On October 16, 1985, when Deng Xiaoping hosted a banquet for Alessandro Natta, General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party, Natta told Deng Xiaoping: "Many Italians have seen you. You met Chinese journalist Farage in 1980. The talk was very exciting, and I have received your anthology, and we have all read it." Deng Xiaoping replied with a smile: "I talked with her for seven or eight hours, and she gave me many difficult questions to answer, and I finally passed the exam." take an exam? ! It is rare for a reporter's interview to be likened to an "examination" by the leader of another country.Especially for Deng Xiaoping, who scared Khrushchev and was praised by Westerners as the "little oriental man who cannot be defeated", the words were even more surprising.

However, this is indeed a test.A special exam. For Deng Xiaoping, who was 76 years old at the time, this exam was indeed a challenge and test to his political wisdom. History chose Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping had no choice.He wants to give history a scientific answer. What kind of "test" is this?What kind of "examiner" is this Italian female reporter named Farage?How did Deng Xiaoping pass the exam? To answer so many question marks, we have to go back to China in the 1970s and 1980s. Down with the "Gang of Four".Rehabilitate the Tiananmen Incident.Deng Xiaoping came back. "Practice is the only criterion for testing truth" big discussion.Liu Shaoqi's unjust case was rehabilitated... In 1980, China was full of waste.

On July 30 of this year, something that shocked the world happened quietly in Beijing.At that time, the impact of this incident was greater abroad than in China.This is why the two portraits of Mao Zedong that had been hanging in the Great Hall of the People for a long time were taken down.Two other permanent placards were removed at the same time.Because the placard is too huge, cranes and trucks were also used during the demolition process. Why did the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government make such decisions and actions? Although the same action has been taken in other places in China before, almost all government agencies, schools, factories, and various departments in the street have taken the same action. Mao Zedong's portraits were taken down, statues were removed, and quotations were smeared and covered.Explosives are said to have been used in the demolition process because some of the statues were so large and strong.But all this does not seem to have attracted the attention of people, especially observers of Western society.However, Beijing's actions on July 30 spread throughout the Western world without any public announcement.

Beijing!It is different.The heart of China, every heartbeat of her affects the nerves of the world.Besides, this is the Great Hall of the People—the place where most important meetings of the Communist Party of China are held here. How could the removal of the portrait of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China, not shock the world? ! Sensitive Western observers seem to have drawn an affirmative answer from the CCP's actions from the local government to the central government: China is "de-Maoized." What makes people more concerned is that on July 30th, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued an "Instruction on Insisting on "Less Propaganda of Individuals".In this "Instructions", we can see such a text:

From now on, unless the central government makes a special decision, no new memorial halls, memorial halls, memorial pavilions, monuments and other buildings about the older generation of revolutionaries will be built.There used to be too many portraits of Chairman Mao, quotations and poems hung in public places, which is a manifestation of political immodestness, and should be gradually reduced to the necessary limit in the future. This can be seen as the first official explanation made by the CCP within the party.And the action quietly carried out in the Great Hall of the People on the same day may be a symbolic action to implement this "Directive".However, this symbolic action, for people who have experienced the "Cultural Revolution", its symbolic meaning is the most clear--China, where Mao Zedong's portraits and quotations are everywhere, ended a "beginning with passion and fanaticism". To the era of sorrow, anger and sorrow."

China is clear, and the world is clear.China, which has experienced too much suffering, needs to move forward and needs to be revived!However, how can all this not make people guess or think? ——"The east is red and the sun is rising, and China has Mao Zedong." Mao Zedong and the fate of China in the 20th century are already closely linked to saying goodbye to suffering and humiliation, to liberation and to standing up as the masters of the country.How to scientifically evaluate Mao Zedong and maintain the historical status of Mao Zedong Thought is a very important and sensitive subject.

In fact, after Mao Zedong's death in 1976, some of Mao Zedong's erroneous views or formulations were discarded, those who were defeated by Mao Zedong were rehabilitated, and a series of changes in China later made sensitive Western observers understand. come to their so-called "de-massification" conclusion. Such is the world outside.In China, since the spring of 1979, there has also been a trend of thought to slander and slander Mao Zedong.As a result, Western newspapers also contributed to the flames, believing that "it is imperative for mainland China to criticize Mao."

These trends of thought at home and abroad naturally aroused Deng Xiaoping's high attention.In fact, Deng Xiaoping has been thinking about this sensitive issue for a long time. As early as November 10 to December 15, 1978, a total of 212 people participated in the Central Work Conference, which was attended by the main responsible persons of the provinces, autonomous regions and major military regions, as well as the main responsible persons of the central party, government, military departments and mass organizations. , Deng Xiaoping expressed insightful insights on this. On December 13, at the closing meeting of this meeting, Deng Xiaoping delivered a famous speech entitled "Emancipate the Mind, Seek Truth from Facts, and Look Ahead in Unity."At the end of this speech, Deng Xiaoping pointed out that "international and domestic people are very concerned about our evaluation of Comrade Mao Zedong and the 'Cultural Revolution'":

The great feats made by Comrade Mao Zedong in the long-term revolutionary struggle are indelible forever. …So it is not an exaggeration to say that there would be no new China without Chairman Mao.Mao Zedong Thought has trained our whole generation.All of our comrades present here can be said to have been taught by Mao Zedong Thought.Without Mao Zedong Thought, there would be no Chinese Communist Party today, and this is not an exaggeration at all.Mao Zedong Thought will always be the most precious spiritual wealth of our entire Party, army, and people of all nationalities in the country.We must fully and accurately understand and master the scientific principles of Mao Zedong Thought, and develop it under new historical conditions.Of course, Comrade Mao Zedong was not without flaws and mistakes. To demand that a revolutionary leader be free from flaws and mistakes is not Marxism-Leninism. "

Regarding the "Cultural Revolution", Deng Xiaoping also expressed his views: It should also be looked at scientifically and historically.Comrade Mao Zedong launched such a great revolution, mainly from the requirements of anti-revisionism and prevention of revisionism, ... it is necessary to summarize, but there is no need to rush to do it.To make a scientific evaluation of such a historical stage requires serious research work, and some things will take a little longer to fully understand and make evaluations. At that time, explaining this period of history may be more explanatory than what we say today. it is good. The 36-day Central Working Conference was successfully concluded on December 15.This meeting made important ideological and theoretical preparations for another milestone meeting in Chinese history, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, to be held three days later from the 18th to the 22nd.The meeting once again correctly evaluated Mao Zedong's historical status and Mao Zedong Thought. On March 9, 1979, in response to the Western "de-Maoization" argument, China's "People's Daily" published an article for the first time publicly and clearly defined the basic trend of evaluating Mao Zedong -- what China is doing now is not "de-Maoization" ", but "non-deified". On March 30 of this year, Deng Xiaoping gave a speech on "Adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles" at a theoretical work retreat.In this important speech, Deng Xiaoping once again made a brilliant exposition on Mao Zedong's evaluation: Comrade Mao Zedong, like anyone else, had his shortcomings and mistakes.But how can these mistakes in his great life be compared with his immortal contributions to the people? …Mao Zedong Thought was the banner of the Chinese revolution in the past, and it will always be the banner of China’s cause of socialism and the cause of opposing hegemonism in the future. We will always hold high the banner of Mao Zedong Thought. Deng Xiaoping clearly realized that it was imperative to make an authoritative evaluation of Mao Zedong and the "Cultural Revolution". After deliberation, the evaluation will take the form of a resolution by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In Yan'an in 1945, the Communist Party of China made the "Resolution on Certain Issues Concerning the Party's History," which summarized the history of the Communist Party of China.Today, the Chinese Communist Party also needs to make a scientific summary of several historical issues of the party since the founding of the People's Republic of China. History chose Deng Xiaoping. Deng Xiaoping said: "The question of the evaluation of Comrade Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought is of great concern both inside and outside the Party, both at home and abroad, and friends from all walks of life are paying attention to what we say. Domestically, both inside and outside the Party are waiting. If you don’t come up with something, there will be no unified view on major issues. The international community is also waiting. People look at China and doubt our stable and united situation, including whether this document can be produced or not. Take it out, so it can’t be too late, it’s not good to be late.” The drafting of the "Resolution" was conducted under the leadership of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Secretariat of the Central Committee, and chaired by Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang.The core issue of the resolution is the evaluation of Comrade Mao Zedong and the elaboration of Mao Zedong Thought.Deng Xiaoping said: "It's not just about Comrade Mao Zedong's personal issue. It is inseparable from the entire history of our party and our country.... The part of the draft resolution that expounds Mao Zedong Thought cannot be omitted. This is not just a theoretical issue. In particular, it is a political issue, which is a big international and domestic political issue. If this part is not written or written well, the entire resolution would be worse than not doing it.” Deng Xiaoping was like a designer, mastering the progress of every link and directly guiding every detail.By the autumn of 1980, the basic idea of ​​the "Resolution" had been formed. At this time, Deng Xiaoping believed that the time was ripe to express his opinions publicly. So how should this authoritative evaluation be published publicly? Deng Xiaoping had his own considerations.