Chapter 22 3. Liu Shaoqi went to Tianjin to speak policy to capitalists

On the night of April 10, 1949. Liu Shaoqi and his party left Xiangshan for Tianjin. In addition to his wife Wang Guangmei, the entourage included secretary Wu Zhenying, guard Li Shuhuai, Zhang Wensong, Gong Yinbing, and Lu Xuzhang. Liu Shaoqi deeply felt the arduousness of the task of this trip to Tianjin.He said to Gong Yinbing and Lu Xuzhang who were sitting behind him: "The two of you just came back from Hong Kong, and I called you out again, because you are experts in economic issues and have a lot of research on business and finance. Make more plans." Gong Yinbing said: "It's an honor, we still have to learn from you!"

Liu Shaoqi made a gesture and said, "Don't be too modest! To be honest, I can do the labor movement, but you can't. You can do business, but I can't. We must learn from each other." Lu Xuzhang said: "I heard that Tianjin's economy is in chaos, and the capitalists have doubts!" Liu Shaoqi said: "It's like this. It's normal for capitalists to have ideas. This depends on our Communist Party cadres to do the work of publicizing policies. I believe this problem is not difficult to solve." As the special train moved forward in the dark, Liu Shaoqi's brain didn't stop working for a moment. He was indeed too busy. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since he arrived in Peiping.He was too tired. Wang Guangmei was very worried when he went out to inspect this time. Although she was pregnant, she still came out.

Three hours later, the train arrived in Tianjin. The night in Tianjin is much thicker than that in Beiping.The leaders of Tianjin City came to the platform. Liu Shaoqi waved to them after getting off the bus and said, "I didn't expect you three Huangs to come!" The three Huangs mentioned by Liu Shaoqi are Huang Kecheng, director of the Tianjin Military Control Commission, Huang Jing, the mayor of Tianjin, and Huang Huoqing, deputy secretary of the CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee. They sent Liu Shaoqi and his party to live temporarily in a small building near Xiaoliu Village by the Haihe River.When Huang Kecheng left, he said to Liu Shaoqi: "You stay here first, and we will report to work tomorrow. Comrade Huang Jing is responsible for all activities. If you have anything to do, you can go to him directly."

Liu Shaoqi said: "This arrangement is fine. Arrange for me to visit various factories tomorrow morning. How about listening to your reports in the afternoon?" Huang Kecheng said: "That's fine, let Comrade Huang Jing accompany you to inspect the China Textile No. 1 Factory and the Bicycle Factory. These two factories are a bit representative." Liu Shaoqi said: "I also want to visit other factories. This time I am here to study and solve problems under the order of the chairman. How should you do your work, and how should you do it? Try not to affect your normal work, and don't send So many people came to accompany us."

Huang Huoqing said: "You are the leader of the central government, and we will try our best to follow your instructions. But we are still worried about your safety, please don't walk around casually. If you want to meet with people from the industry, we can arrange for you." Liu Shaoqi smiled and said, "Don't worry about me, I know Tianjin well, nothing will happen." Huang Kecheng said: "Your identity is unusual. To tell you the truth, the law and order in Tianjin is not very good, and there are still some latent Kuomintang agents operating." Liu Shaoqi seemed a little embarrassed, nodded, and said, "Okay, now that I'm in your territory, I have no choice but to listen to you."

That night Liu Shaoqi hardly fell asleep, and his thoughts have returned to more than ten years ago, when he secretly engaged in underground party work here. The next day, he walked into the factory accompanied by Comrade Huang Jing. Workers like the fact that Communist Party cadres come to the factory.Because there are many conflicts between them and the boss, they hope that they can be resolved satisfactorily under the mediation of the Communist Party cadres.Although Liu Shaoqi did not greet the workers beforehand, when they saw Liu Shaoqi surrounded by many accompanying people, they guessed that they must be senior cadres of the Communist Party, so they all crowded towards him.

Liu Shaoqi shook hands with everyone one by one, and then asked Huang Jing to invite the management personnel, military representatives, and workers of the factory to hold a symposium. When the participants felt that Liu Shaoqi was so easy-going, they were very excited and spoke out their hearts. Liu Shaoqi said: "We Communists welcome everyone's opinions. You are all the masters of New China, and you are all obliged to improve the production of the factory. Tianjin has just been liberated, and many tasks have not yet been on the right track, so some of your requests are still unresolved. It cannot be completely resolved, and I hope that all of you comrades here will unite with each other, do a good job in production, and support our liberation army going south."

This symposium went well.Afterwards, when the workers and capitalists learned that this senior cadre of the Communist Party was Liu Shaoqi, they all expressed their admiration from the bottom of their hearts, feeling that the senior cadre of the Communist Party is really approachable. That afternoon, Liu Shaoqi listened to the report from the leaders of Tianjin at the guest house where he stayed.When reporting on the takeover situation, Huang Kecheng said: "Generally speaking, our takeover work in Tianjin is still relatively good. The people support us. Of course, there are some problems. For example, many of our cadres are from the military. They come from the countryside, they are not very adaptable to the urban environment, and there are still problems such as inappropriate methods in dealing with the relationship between cadres and the masses.”

Liu Shaoqi instructed: "This issue was expected by us. The chairman had discussed it with me before I came. Now we should educate our cadres to adapt to the new environment as soon as possible and learn to manage the city, otherwise it will be a waste of time." Huang Kecheng went on to say: "We are working on education, and it is estimated that this problem will be resolved soon." Liu Shaoqi said: "It's good if we can solve it! We take over the city is only the beginning of the work, and the task in the future is how to manage the city well. Only by recovering and developing the production of the city and turning the consumption city into a production city can the people's power be consolidated." , which is our purpose."

The atmosphere in the conference room is friendly and friendly.Liu Shaoqi hardly broke his cigarette when he was listening to the report, and everyone else was flying in the clouds, but Huang Jing did not smoke. , he was sitting on a sofa on the left side of Liu Shaoqi, his eyes were slightly closed, and he seemed to be asleep. Huang Huoqing stretched out a leg and touched Huang Jing consciously, trying to make him feel better, but he shook his body, still in the same posture.Liu Shaoqi didn't care about these, he signaled Huang Huoqing to leave Huang Jing alone and let him rest for a while.

Liu Shaoqi looked at Huang Huoqing and said, "Let's talk about the situation of private enterprises in Tianjin first." Huang Huoqing is a careful person. He opened his notebook and reported to Liu Shaoqi on business, food, customs, finance, transportation, telecommunications, culture and education.Because Liu Shaoqi asked more detailed questions, he answered every question.When talking about the main contradiction between supply and demand in production, Huang Huoqing suggested that the government should set up corresponding institutions, such as gauze exchanges and stock exchanges. Liu Shaoqi supported this idea very much, he said: "Now it is right for the government to organize some corresponding economic institutions. This will have an impact on Tianjin and even the entire North China. You must organize well. Can you ask some experts to help?" Liu Shaoqi asked: "How is the current import and export trade situation in Tianjin?" Huang Huoqing said: "We are adjusting the unreasonable policy in the past, and we have done several business deals." Liu Shaoqi said: "That's good. Our Communist Party is to implement an independent foreign trade policy to avoid imperialist economic aggression. We must export more and import less. We must restrict exports that should not be exported, and import what must be imported. China can manufacture Imports are not allowed, so as not to affect Tianjin's production and crush ourselves." Huang Huoqing said: "We practice this principle. However, many capitalists are often involved in import and export work. If they do not cooperate, the government's work will not be easy to do." Liu Shaoqi frowned, pondered for a while, and said, "The current situation in Tianjin has its own special aspect. I think foreign trade work can also take care of both public and private interests! A foreign trade committee should be organized to allow capitalists to participate, and part of the trade should be left to capitalists." It is feasible to do it. We must first engage in exports. If the country can’t do it, then private individuals can benefit the country. Of course, the taxation work must also keep up, and taxes can be raised appropriately.” Huang Huoqing said: "We must study it and try to make corresponding policies come out as soon as possible." Liu Shaoqi asked again: "Foreign exchange income should not be underestimated. Are there many foreigners coming to Tianjin to do business?" Huang Huoqing replied: "The prospect is not very optimistic. As soon as we entered the city, many foreigners packed up their bags and left. Now most of the people entering and leaving Tianjin are sailors from some countries." Liu Shaoqi: "They left because they didn't understand the policies of our Communist Party. It doesn't matter, they will come back after a while. China is a big market, and they will not let it go easily. You must create a good foreign trade environment as soon as possible. Receiving the sailors well, this work is done well, one can directly earn foreign exchange, and two can let more people know about our Communist Party.” Huang Jing seemed to be sleeping but not sleeping. Liu Shaoqi occasionally asked him some questions, but his thinking was very clear and he could answer them immediately.Liu Shaoqi laughed and said, "You are really a strange person!" Huang Jing also laughed.When Liu Shaoqi asked about the trade situation, he held up his big, muscular chin with his hands, turned sideways to Liu Shaoqi, and said: "Currently the channels for urban-rural trade are not very smooth, industrial products cannot be transferred out, and agricultural and sideline products are not available. Can't buy it." Liu Shaoqi said: "This problem must be resolved as soon as possible. We should not only pay attention to restoring the old relationship between urban and rural areas, but also establish a new one. The right to purchase raw materials and sell products can be given to capitalists. It should not be too strict, but should be reasonable." Huang Jing also said: "There is no difficulty in resuming production now, but there are still many practical problems. In many factories, the relationship between labor and management is relatively tense. The property of the management has been frozen or divided, and some of our cadres are often on the side of the workers. , require capitalists to pay more wages, distribute dividends, etc., so that the factory has problems in terms of capital turnover and personnel management that are not conducive to production." Liu Shaoqi said: "This is not acceptable. This is a manifestation of the 'Left'. This is a suicide policy, which is not conducive to our work. According to the current situation in our country, the struggle between labor and management cannot be too fierce. It has not yet reached the point of life and death. .Today’s military personnel solve the problem indiscriminately. This is no different from the random killings in the countryside. It is against the policy and should be corrected as soon as possible.” Huang Kecheng said that there is some resistance to solving this problem. First of all, some cadres and workers do not understand.Liu Shaoqi instructed that you can formulate a regulation on emergency issues, all grassroots leaders of the party must go to the trade union, and a labor bureau can be established, and the military control committee will formulate several measures to deal with labor disputes. Solve the problem satisfactorily so that both parties are happy to accept it. After listening to the report and inspecting several factories, Liu Shaoqi invited representatives from all parties to hold a symposium. He once said to workers' representatives: "Whether capitalists exploit or not, I say yes, and the issue of exploitation and being exploited is not a question of whether workers and capitalists are willing or not, but is determined by the laws of social development. Under certain historical conditions, the exploitation also has its progressive side. If the Chinese working class wants to make a revolution and liberate itself, it must organize a team with combat effectiveness, and it must find friends and allies. The working class has three friends, one is a peasant One is the petty bourgeoisie, and the other is the national bourgeoisie. The combination of these four classes will make the team stronger. We must distinguish between friends and foes, and we must adopt a method of unity and struggle against the national bourgeoisie. Today's focus is on Unity is not struggle. Proper and necessary struggles must be carried out, but the union cannot be destroyed. Otherwise, factories will be reduced, production will drop, and workers will lose their jobs. It is too underdeveloped. In Britain, the United States, France and other countries, capitalism has been developed for hundreds of years, but our Chinese capitalism has only been developed for decades. Therefore, under the economic conditions of new democracy, when labor and capital benefit Under certain conditions, allowing capitalists to exist and develop for decades is good for the working class, but of course it is also bad. Our Communist Party encourages the masses to rise up and become masters, but it does not simply encourage struggle. If we solve it by means of struggle, what do we need the regime for? To eliminate the bourgeoisie prematurely is to lose a friend and gain an enemy..." Liu Shaoqi has another very important task in his trip to Tianjin this time, which is to work as a capitalist.Before leaving, Mao Zedong once told him that there are many urban work to be studied and solved. Although we have taken over many cities, strictly speaking, it is still the same way when we worked in the countryside in the past, which does not meet the needs of the situation.The capitalists don't understand our policies and have emotions, which affects production and won't work in the long run.Tianjin is a big city with industrial and commercial development in North China. You have to work as a capitalist so that they don’t have to worry about it. We Communists mean what we say. They are still our friends and the object of our solidarity!We have taken over the cities, and even in the land reform in the countryside, there have been many bad phenomena. This phenomenon is harmful to the revolution, so we must take precautions... Liu Shaoqi is well aware of some of the issues Mao Zedong mentioned. When the People's Liberation Army took over some towns in the north, some signs of the left appeared. They fought and liquidated, and almost made a mess of the business community. Struggle will determine everything, and people can be beaten and arrested at will, or even killed.At that time, people could only see the struggle meeting but not the government. In some places, prostitutes were launched to fight against the bosses, but the brothels were not closed down. Some cadres mistakenly believed that this was a revolutionary action.Comrade Liu Shaoqi once told cadres in public that it is forbidden to shout slogans of knocking down or shooting at mass meetings or on the rostrum. To varying degrees, riots also occurred in Tianjin. After Liu Shaoqi had done the ideological work of the workers, he went on to do the work of the capitalists. The main problem of these people was that they were wary of the policies of the Communist Party. On the morning of May 2, the conference room of the Communication Office of the Tianjin Municipal Government was full. Liu Shaoqi specially invited more than 100 well-known capitalists in the Tianjin industry, including Li Zhuchen, Song Peiqing, Zhu Jisheng, Zi Yaohua, and Bi Mingqi, to hold a symposium. When capitalists meet with senior cadres of the Communist Party, they are of course willing to speak their minds. A capitalist said to Liu Shaoqi as soon as he came up: "We support the Communist Party's entry into the city to revolutionize, but my heart beats when I hear your mention, and I am very disturbed..." Liu Shaoqi looked at the chubby boss and said, "I invite everyone here today just to hear your opinions. If you have any questions, please ask them. Let's discuss together. I don't know what you mean by that phrase. You might as well speak up." .” The boss said: "Your Communist Party calls us capitalists. In fact, we don't like to hear this term. This word is associated with exploitation, which makes people worry that there will be a lot of exploitation, and the crime will be great. We will be tried, shot, etc..." Liu Shaoqi smiled and said: "This worry is superfluous. To be honest, there is still some exploitation. If there is no exploitation, where does the profit come from? This is an objective existence, but we Communists will not engage in mass struggles. , is advocating cooperation with you." Another capitalist also expressed his thoughts, and still hopes that the Communist Party will stop calling them capitalists.Liu Shaoqi smiled and said: "The word capitalist is not easy to change. If any of you can find another accurate word to replace it, of course you can change it! Until you find a suitable word, you can only call it capitalist." It seemed that many people had concerns about this title. Liu Shaoqi talked for a while, but no one said anything. The atmosphere in the conference room seemed a bit dull. Those who could smoke were bowing their heads to smoke, and those who could not smoke did not speak. Liu Shaoqi frowned, glanced at the people, and then said: "Let me tell you one thing. A famous capitalist in Shanghai said when he visited Chairman Mao Zedong a few days ago, when you talk about capitalists and exploitation, we tremble all over. Let's use the Greek dictionary' "Exploiter" is better translated as "benefit distributor". The chairman laughed at that time, and he said to the man that exploitation refers to the relationship between people, and profit refers to the relationship between people and things. The two concepts are not the same. There are two types of exploitation: civilized and barbaric. We communists treat them differently. The former cooperates and the latter punishes them. Now you and I are sitting together, who is the big brother? In my opinion, the revolution is of course the proletariat first, but in the city When it comes to production, you are still number one.” After Liu Shaoqi finished talking about this matter, many capitalists laughed, and the atmosphere of the symposium became active. Liu Shaoqi seized the opportunity to preach: "Our government not only wants to develop state-run production, but also supports the development of private enterprises. From raw materials to the market, the state-run and private enterprises will discuss and distribute together. balanced policy." A young boss went on to say: "This policy is good, but now our private enterprises can only eat leftovers in the state-run space." Liu Shaoqi said: "I don't think it's completely like this. Our industry in China is not very developed. State-owned enterprises are just a few bits and pieces. Private enterprises have a lot of room for activity. They can develop in parallel with state-owned enterprises!" Many people were talking about the future development of capitalism. Liu Shaoqi explained: "What we are building now is new democracy. You capitalists can play an active role. What will you do when socialism comes? I think the prospects are still very bright. We can change the way and you can continue to play a role. " Boss Zhou of Tianjin Qiyang Company, who was sitting opposite Liu Shaoqi, said sincerely: "Mr. Liu, you are a senior cadre of the Communist Party. They also don’t want me to be the boss anymore.” Liu Shaoqi stared at him strangely and asked, "Does Boss Zhou have any ideas?" He said, "Of course there is!" "Then let everyone hear it." "My company has developed for decades and made some money. I originally wanted to develop a few factories, but the more factories opened, the more workers will be exploited. I will become a big bourgeoisie in the future, and the crimes are endless." Is it bigger?" Liu Shaoqi waved his hand and said, "Under certain historical conditions, capitalism is progressive and meritorious. If you want to open more factories, it's a good thing. You won't be guilty. Just let it go!" Song Peiqing couldn't sit still, he hesitated to speak, Liu Shaoqi looked at him and said, "Old Song hasn't expressed his opinion yet, if you have any ideas, talk about it." Song Peiqing asked: "After socialism, what will happen to our factories?" Liu Shaoqi said: "This question is well raised. I think this is also a question that everyone is concerned about. Now you have set up one factory, two factories, three or more, and when it comes to socialism, you will hand over the factory to the government at the order of the state. Give it to the state, or let the state buy your factory. If the state has no money for a while, you can issue public bonds. Then these factories will be handed over to you for management. You will still be the factory director and manager, but you are the factory director and manager of the state because you are capable. , the factory will be handed over to you, and the salary will not be reduced by one point. If it is done well, the state will pay more. Lao Song, will you do it?" Song Peiqing replied: "Of course." Everyone's emotions were mobilized.Many people expressed on the spot that they would resume production as soon as possible and play a role in building a new China. At the end of the meeting, Liu Shaoqi said to them earnestly: "You have to take a longer view. Now the country is very difficult, and it is not the time to make a lot of money. If you run the factory without losing money, you will win. We will not forget it. I I want to emphasize that you have the right to hire and dismiss workers now, but it must be for production needs. If you deliberately lay off workers, leaving only your relatives and friends, and the production effect is not great, then it is not allowed, workers I will fight you too. Capitalists and workers are equal in personality, you should put down your airs and wear work clothes. There can be distinctions in terms of job, but you must respect each other in terms of personality.” After these capitalists left the venue, they all said: The policy of the Communist Party is still wise. In the past, we paid taxes to the Kuomintang. We were very active on the surface, but in our hearts we were very complaining. Now we pay taxes to the Communist Party, but we are willing... After Liu Shaoqi inspected Tianjin, he heard that The workers at Luan Coal Mine were on strike, so they diverted to Tangshan. According to Comrade Zhang Wensong's recollection, he accompanied Liu Shaoqi to Tangshan on the evening of May 7, and temporarily lived in the residence of the former British chief engineer of Kailuan Coal Mine.The place is magnificent and overcast. There is a fountain in the hall surrounded by flowers and trees, which looks unique.Wang Guangmei returned to Peiping early because she was about to give birth. The reason why the workers went on strike was because the coal mines could not pay wages.Tangshan has just been liberated, and the economic situation is very bad.Liu Shaoqi stayed up all night, and when he got up the next morning, his face was pale. He said to Zhang Wensong: "We Communists have no right to prevent workers from striking, but the current situation in Kailuan is very bad, how can I rest easy?" Tangshan Kailuan Coal Mine was a well-known enterprise in the past. It was jointly run by Chinese capitalists and British capitalists, with more than 50,000 employees.Before the liberation of Tangshan, the British capitalists were like a frightened bird, and transferred some technical personnel and equipment back to China. When the Kuomintang fled, they blew up the Luanhe Bridge, causing the transportation line of Kailuan Coal Mine to be interrupted, and it was difficult to resume work. For four months, workers were not paid wages. up. The status of this coal mine is very important. It is the only coal mining enterprise in North China. It is related to the national economy and people's livelihood in North China and the employment of tens of thousands of workers. If it is not handled properly, bankruptcy will bring huge losses to the country. After Liu Shaoqi arrived in Tangshan, he first met with the Chinese and British general managers of the coal mine and exchanged opinions on how to resume work as soon as possible. Then he called the leaders of Tangshan City and the military representatives of the coal mine for a discussion to jointly study and solve the problems of the Kailuan coal mine.He told the military representatives: "You must clarify the guidelines for your work, and don't do it blindly. First, we must rely on the working class to run the coal mine well, and supervise the management to pay the workers wages on time. At the same time, we must clearly explain our difficulties to the workers, and mobilize the workers to overcome and overcome with us. The second is to talk about strategies with Chinese and foreign capitalists. At present, our focus is on alliances, not struggles; the third is to be clear-headed. Kailuan is different from ordinary private enterprises, but a large enterprise that is related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. Military representatives must supervise the coal mines, and production plans, product distribution, price policies, and material supply must follow the national guidelines. Production, only by maintaining production, can the livelihood of the 50,000 workers in Kailuan be guaranteed. You must lead the workers in production, and you must make it clear to the workers that this is not production for the capitalists, but production for your own country. Strikes are very bad now, and only Persisting in production will benefit the people." When the boss of the capital raised the difficulty of funds, Liu Shaoqi said: "Our country is still in difficulties now, and we have tried every means to support your enterprise. You have asked the North China government to borrow too much money, and it is difficult to get it out. I hope you will tide over it with us. Difficulties. As for the living problems of the workers, they can also be solved step by step. The People’s Bank of China can grant you a small loan, and the North China Trading Company can exchange 150,000 bags of flour with you in kind for coal every month. With this deployment, there will be no problem in resuming production. of." Under Liu Shaoqi's hard work, Kailuan Coal Mine quickly took a turn for the better. At this time, he received a notice from Mao Zedong to return to Peiping as soon as possible because of important matters. Liu Shaoqi was still very disturbed. The trip to Tianjin and Tangshan made him feel the economic problems in the newly liberated cities. He left Tianjin on the evening of May 10. When he said goodbye to the local cadres who came to see him off on the platform, he still instructed them to Grasp the economic work of the city according to the policy.