"Dawn is gone, my mother is critically ill, and I am quickly transferred to the hospital." Why did this "letter from family" save so many people that year?
Author: Zheng Yingying Li Qiuying
Photography: Zhang Hengwei and Li Qiuying
The phone booths all over the streets have witnessed the development of the city of Shanghai.
On the centenary of the party’s birthday, a group of “red phone booths with stories” appeared on the streets of Shanghai, becoming a unique landscape.
Xiaoxin's visit on the 18th found that the "red phone booth" can still hear "red stories" from the depths of history.
Cross "family letter" reminds the Party Central Committee to transfer
"Dawn is gone, mother is critically ill, transfer to hospital soon"
In April 1931, Qian Zhuangfei intercepted a secret telegram and learned of Gu Shunzhang’s resignation, and immediately sent a telegram to Li Kenong: "Dawn is gone, his mother is critically ill, and he is quickly transferred to the hospital."
"Tianliang" refers to Gu Shunzhang's pseudonym "Dawn", "has gone" means that he has defected, "mother is critically ill" means that the central agency is in great danger, and "quick transfer" means that he must be transferred immediately.
It is this "Cross Family Letter" that helped the Party Central Committee to transfer smoothly and safely.
In 1929, the first radio station of the CPC Central Committee was born at No. 9 Fukangli, Daxi Road (now No. 9, Lane 420, West Yan'an Road).
From then on, in Shikumen, Shanghai, the "eternal radio wave" sounded, and groups of outstanding Communist Party members fought bloody battles on the hidden front of radio communications.
The telephone booth on Yan'an West Road was recently converted into a Shikumen-style "radio-wave pavilion". The scene of revolutionary work at that time was reproduced in the pavilion.
Many of the telegrams displayed in pictures and texts heavily record the heroic stories of the Chinese Communists, and the "home letter" above is also among them.
"Senior Li Bai, the dawn you are looking forward to is here!"
On May 7, 1949, Li Bai, an underground member of the Communist Party of China, was killed at the age of 39. On this day, it was only 20 days before the liberation of Shanghai.
In October 2019, after 70 years, the operator Su Caiqing, who received the last telegram from Li Bai that year, sent a clear telegram to the martyrs: "Senior Li Bai, the dawn you are looking forward to is here!"
Inside the phone booth, there is a transceiver. When citizens pick up their headsets, they can hear the "eternal radio wave" from the radio station: "Until the liberation of Shanghai, countless outstanding Communist Party members were on the hidden front of radio communications. Fighting in blood, composing many epic heroic deeds, and making important contributions to the party's revolutionary cause."
In addition to this phone booth on Yan'an West Road, Shanghai Telecom has also posted hundreds of well-known or little-known red communication story posters on hundreds of phone booths. The addresses of these phone booths are located near historical events and locations of prominent figures.
Special number tells the red story
"Shanghai is the birthplace of the party and the origin of red communications. Welcome to call Shanghai Telecom to celebrate the centenary of the party's red story line..." In the phone booth on Yan'an West Road in downtown Shanghai, Xiaoxin tried to dial "20210701". Immediately there came the explanation of the red historical story.
"20210701" is a special number set up by Shanghai Telecom for the centenary anniversary of the founding of the party. Citizens can use fixed telephones or mobile phones to dial this number anytime and anywhere (foreign users dial 021 at the beginning) to hear the red story.
Among them, language performance artist and national first-class actor Qiao Zhen told the story of revolutionary martyr Li Bai; well-known voice actor and national first-class actor Cao Lei told the story of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China; national first-class actor, Shanghai Liu Feng, director of the film dubbing factory, told the story of the establishment of the first secret radio station of the Communist Party of China.
Red Flag Pavilion, Radio Pavilion,
A century of China's development history in the phone booth
In August 1920, a group of aspiring young people established China’s first Communist Youth League in Yuyang. They lit the torch of the May Fourth spirit and also let a brand new red flag begin to fly in the hearts of Chinese youth; July 1921 , The First National Congress of the Communist Party of China opened in Shu Delhi, announcing that the Communist Party of China was formally established, and it was the place where the flames of revolution ignited.
Today, a hundred years later, on Huaihai Middle Road, close to Chengdu South Road, next to Yuyangli and the former site of Shudeli, a brand new telephone booth has been erected to pay tribute to the heroes of a century ago with a striking red flag and flame image.
This red telephone booth on Huaihai Road has attracted the attention of countless pedestrians. Many young people walked into the pavilion and called the party in front of the screen with the confident smiles of contemporary youths, making them into personal postcards. Zhang Zhang's smile has also become a tribute to the martyrs a hundred years ago by the young people living in New Shanghai, and they are also reporting to their predecessors with the good life of the moment.