Chapter 16 Chapter 15: A Monument in the Hearts of the People

The Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, established sixteen years after Zhou Enlai's death, is a monument of love. From the day when the museum was opened, the descendants of Chinese people overseas and the people in China traveled thousands of miles and thousands of miles to make a special trip to enter the holy place they yearn for, hold up a piece of loftiness, and pour down their thoughts. Chen Xuequan, vice president of the Tokyo Overseas Chinese Association in Japan and president of the Jiangsu Association of Overseas Chinese in Japan, came.To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the China-Japan Friendship Association plans to organize a special exhibition of "Zhou Enlai" in Tokyo.Chen Xuequan shouted loudly and ran in many ways, trying his best to include the model of Zhou Enlai's former residence in Huai'an on display.At this time, he stared at the white marble statue of Zhou Enlai for a long time, bowed, and deeply missed this proud fellow villager.

Zhu Yuanzhong, President of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Association of Northern California, Lu Enda, Chairman of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Association of Thailand, Liu Zonglian, President of the Jiangsu Association of Overseas Chinese in Japan, Xu Minchun, Director of Affairs of the Wakayama Overseas Chinese Association, and more than 30 people came together.They lived in different countries, but they all admired Zhou Enlai in the same way, so they met together to visit the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall. "With a drop of water in the hometown, the wanderers are three-thirds close." In the reception room of the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, they shared their thoughts about the motherland and Zhou Enlai, and especially their admiration for Zhou Enlai's great achievements.After several discussions, they recommended Zhu Yuanzhong, the president of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Association of Northern California, USA, to write the pen, and wrote "Deeply miss the beloved Premier Zhou Enlai" on the first guest book of the memorial hall.Then everyone signed their names one by one.When writing and signing, the overseas Chinese were so serious and focused.A little pen and ink, a piece of affectionate.

From the end of March 1992, the number of people visiting Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall reached a climax. On March 28, more than 40 faculty members and some students from a military service college of the Chinese People's Liberation Army took an overnight bus.At six o'clock in the morning, they washed their hands and faces, tidied their clothes, lined up neatly, walked into the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall with steady steps, and presented flower baskets to the white marble statue of Zhou Enlai, offering their love.After the visit, they said emotionally that we Air Force fighters will never forget Premier Zhou's care for my country's aerospace industry, let alone his old man's last wish for the work of the army. The modernization of China has brought my country's air defense to the forefront of the world.

Comrades from the Jiangsu Provincial Flood Relief Deeds Reporting Group stood in awe for a long time in front of the photo of Zhou Enlai inspecting the Xingtai earthquake-stricken area in the exhibition hall of the memorial hall, and specially asked the commentator to explain the story of this photo: In 1966, a major earthquake occurred in Xingtai, Hebei.The duty secretary reported to him immediately after receiving the call during the night.When the Prime Minister heard this, his heart was heavy, and he immediately ordered the secretary to ask the Air Force to prepare a helicopter and take him to Xingtai after dawn.After the Premier arrived in Xingtai, the ground continued to tremble, and aftershocks of magnitude 5 or above continued. Premier Zhou personally helped the local government direct traffic, visited and visited more than 100 wounded and sick in one breath.At the mass meeting, he called on everyone to unite under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, give full play to the superiority of our socialist system, fight against natural disasters, and rebuild our own homeland! Strength, comfort and encouragement, also greatly enhanced the people's determination to fight disasters.When he spoke for a long time and the conditions at the time did not permit, when the local cadres embarrassedly handed him a bowl of muddy boiling water, Premier Zhou immediately took it, drank it in a big gulp, and told the person who passed the water Throw a thankful smile.The Prime Minister shared weal and woe with the people in the disaster area, and the people responded with warm applause, which came from the love and trust from the hearts of the masses.After listening to the explanation, some shed tears.Before leaving the embassy, ​​they discussed collectively and wrote a message of "a model for all ages" to praise Premier Zhou's love for the people.

After the film crew of the giant epic feature film "Zhou Enlai" came to the memorial hall, thousands of Huai'an people who heard the news came and surrounded the actor Wang Tiecheng.Wherever he went, people followed and surrounded him.Some presented flowers to him, some asked him to sign his name, and some squeezed to his side to shake hands or take a picture with him.Why do people prefer Wang Tiecheng so much?Because Huai'an regards him as "Premier Zhou".Premier Zhou left Huai'an at the age of twelve, and never returned to his hometown. Everyone in his hometown felt very regretful.At the end of the 1950s, when I heard that the Prime Minister was coming back, hundreds of thousands of people in Huai’an, regardless of the cold weather, day or night, spent the shortest time to repair the Zhenhuai Tower where the old man let the pigeons go in his childhood. The Wentong Tower of Wild Vegetables has widened several main streets such as Nanmen Street... Hope and hope, the Prime Minister is too busy with state affairs, so he didn't come back.Later, people in Huai'an heard that when the prime minister flew over Huai'an by plane, he circled at low altitude. He saw the gurgling Wenqu, and also saw the bridges, streams, and alleys in Huai'an city... After that, as long as there is a plane flying Passing over Huai'an, the people of Huai'an should stop and look up, watching affectionately.Even farmers who are working in the fields have to stop their work, build a pergola, and look at the blue sky to see if Premier Zhou is looking down on Huai'an City again.This time, in Wang Tiecheng's words, he fulfilled his wish on behalf of Premier Zhou. Therefore, "people regarded me as Premier Zhou." Next to the Prime Minister, the old man said tearfully: "You are finally back, we miss you..." Wang Tiecheng held the old man's hand tightly, and couldn't help crying.For a whole day, Wang Tiecheng was unable to take a photo at the memorial hall, because the people of Huai'an did not let go of the "Prime Minister" whom they yearn for day and night!I had no choice but to get up early the next day and arrive at the memorial hall at six o'clock.As a result, the news seemed to have wings again, and more than a thousand people flooded in after more than 20 minutes.In the film and television hall of the memorial hall, Wang Tiecheng wrote with his trembling hands, "Loyalty shines with the sun and the moon, and the sky cannot die and the earth cannot be buried."When he was about to write his name on the inscription, a tear rolled down his cheek. He was afraid that the inscription would be marred, so he turned around hastily and wiped away the tears before writing.More than two months after Wang Tiecheng left, there are still people on the streets of Huai'an talking happily about the scene of shaking hands with him that day.Yes, in the hearts of Huai'an people, Wang Tiecheng is the Premier Zhou whom they yearn for day and night!

Around the Ching Ming Festival in 1992, the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall ushered in the first tourist peak after its opening.From six or seven o'clock every morning, people lined up in a long snake formation, waiting to enter the museum. There were 10,000 to 20,000 people every day, and more than 30,000 people a day in Jingduo.Teenagers, especially middle and primary school students, with their school flags, regiment flags, and team flags, and with golden innocence, lined up neatly and took firm steps, one after another, one after another. A row, from morning to night, in an endless stream.They raised their right hands high and swore in front of the white marble statue of Zhou Enlai in front of the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall: "Dear Grandpa Zhou Enlai, we must study hard for the rise of China like you, and work hard for the realization of your last words of realizing the four modernizations in China." Work hard!" At the same time, leading comrades from the central government and people from all walks of life from all over the world also came to the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall to pay their respects or sent inscriptions.State Vice President Wang Zhen was old and in poor health, but he still wanted to write an inscription for Zhou Enlai as "a great Marxist activist" and asked his secretary to send it to Huai'an; the inscription sent by Hong Xuezhi, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was: "A generation of teachers." In March, State Councilor Song Jian came to the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall to present a flower basket to the statue of Zhou Enlai and wrote "Learning from the noble demeanor of the Premier and striving for modernization"; Wang Enmao, the former deputy political commissar of the 359th Brigade who was spinning in northern Shaanxi together, drove straight from Yangzhou to the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall. After carefully visiting all the facilities and displays of the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, he was very happy and repeatedly praised the building. It is also organized, and I hope it can be maintained so that Zhou Enlai's spirit can be passed on forever.He also discussed with the entourage and wrote the inscription "The Prime Minister is for the people all his life, and the people will always cherish the memory of the Prime Minister".The old man boarded the car and cast a deep glance at the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall.

In late May, Zhou Bingde, Zhou Enlai's eldest niece and head of Huasheng Newspaper, stopped by his hometown to visit the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall during a business trip.When she heard the meaning of the various buildings in the memorial hall, she was very happy, and said repeatedly: "Professor Qi Kang is really amazing, he is so thoughtful!" In front of the white marble statue of the prime minister, she looked again and again.That concentrated expression seemed to say: "Uncle, Bingde saw you coming, you can put down your work and take a rest." After a while, she "woke up".In the exhibition hall, she stood in front of the photo of Zhou Enlai's remains for a long time, and she could no longer control her emotions, letting tears of longing overflow her eyes and flow down her cheeks.After a while, she picked up the pen and condensed the ink, and wrote a line of "May my dear uncle return to his hometown, and be respectful in the evening".Putting down his pen, Zhou Bingde said slowly, as if explaining his inscription: "Uncle left home at the age of twelve, and my father left home at the age of fourteen. Neither of them could return to their hometown, so they can rest in peace!"

On the evening of July 11, 1992, the sad news of Sister Deng's passing away came from the radio and television.The clear water of the lake slapped against the bank of Taohuayin, weeping softly, and the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall was immersed in sorrow and longing.That night, the leaders of the memorial immediately discussed ways to mourn Sister Deng.The next day was Sunday, but all the staff from the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall came, and they came earlier than usual.With tears in their eyes, everyone choked on grief, made flower baskets, made white flowers, enlarged the portrait of Sister Deng, and forgot to eat and rest.At 12:00 noon, a black cloth banner was hung above the main entrance of the main hall, "Deeply mourning the death of Comrade Deng Yingchao".At the back of the memorial hall, there is also a memorial room for people to mourn the dead and express their grief.At 2:00 p.m., nearly a hundred staff members of the memorial hall wore their own white flowers on their chests, carried their own flower baskets and lined up slowly into the memorial room.At the same time, two representatives were also sent to Beijing to pay homage to the people in Zhou Enlai's hometown together with leaders of the Huai'an Municipal Party Committee.

In the mourning hall of Xihua hall in Zhongnanhai, people are queuing up to watch for Sister Deng.Seeing the representative of Zhou Enlai's hometown, Zhao Wei, the secretary who had followed Sister Deng for 27 years, hurried forward and held everyone's hands and cried, "I heard that your comrades from Huai'an are coming. We have been waiting. Now only Sister Deng from Guangshan County Distant nephews from my hometown and Jilin, and you in Huai’an are her relatives.” On July 17, along the 18-kilometer road from Chang’an Avenue, Fuxingmen Inner and Outer Streets in Beijing to Babao Mountain on Shijingshan Road, dozens of Thousands of people braved the high temperature and scorching heat to see off Sister Deng just like sending off the Prime Minister 16 years ago.Among the hundreds of thousands of people, there are also representatives from Zhou Enlai's hometown and Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall.

Life is short, love is forever.In just over half a year from the opening of the museum on January 6, 1992 to the end of October, more than one million Chinese and foreign guests came here.Whenever the commentator finished his explanation and read "I saw the hearse leaving, but not the Prime Minister returning", his voice would inevitably be choked up, and thousands of spectators couldn't stop their tears from pouring down.The tear stains in the exhibition hall can prove that all those who love the people will always be remembered by the people. The image of Zhou Enlai, his spirit and personality, will always stand together with the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall with its unique charm between the sky and the earth, and stand in the hearts of thousands of people.