(China Focus Face to Face) "He is the prime minister of the country, not from the Zhou family"
China News Service, Beijing, May 25th, title: "He is the prime minister of the country, not from the Zhou family"-Zhou Bingde recalls Premier Zhou's family style story
Author Yang Chengchen Lin Shixiong
2021 coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. At this point in time, it is extremely meaningful to relive the family traditions of Chinese Communist leaders, including Premier Zhou Enlai.
As the niece of Premier Zhou and the younger of the Zhou family who has been with Premier Zhou and his wife for the longest time, Zhou Bingde, the former vice president of China News Service, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service “Focus on China” and recalled stories about the Premier’s family tradition.
Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
China News Agency reporter: We can read stories about the prime minister in all kinds of books since we were young. During the years and months of living with him, what kind of image did Premier Zhou look like in his daily life?
Zhou Bingde: In
daily life, it is "busy".
Because he has to deal with too many things.
He was thinking about the country and the people in his mind, but he didn't (consider) himself.
What is he (general) thinking about the lives of the people across the country?
Has it improved?
Has it improved?
He was overwhelmed by various aspects such as national construction, national defense, and foreign affairs.
You can even put some corn paste in the tea cup during a meeting, or eat two biscuits in the car to keep you hungry.
Time is too precious for him.
At that time, considering safety factors, it was recommended that leading comrades take less planes.
But he insisted on flying, just hoping to seize the time to do more.
In our impression, he is a person who has been busy for the country and the people.
As the niece of Premier Zhou and the younger of the Zhou family who has been with Premier Zhou and his wife for the longest time, Zhou Bingde, the former vice president of China News Service, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service “Focus on China” and recalled stories about the Premier’s family tradition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tian Yuhao
China News Agency reporter: If you want to use one word or a sentence to describe the family style of the prime minister, how would you describe it?
Zhou Bingde:
Communists must serve the people of the whole country, not for their own personal gain, nor for their family members. This is his consistent principle.
He is very simple.
For example, you can never have the delicacies of mountains and seas at home.
When eating, one meat and one vegetarian soup.
If the fish is not finished, continue to finish the next meal.
When you go to work outside, you have to make it clear to each unit in advance that you will eat the ordinary canteen and there should be no special hospitality.
He is opposed to waste, luxury, etc.
Everyone looks at his image and thinks that he is dressed neatly and neatly, but in fact his shirts are all mended and mended, torn and torn.
I also wear this kind of clothes when I go abroad.
He lives in places like the Presidential Palace and the Royal Palace. If it’s difficult to wash clothes there, he sent it to our embassy and asked the ambassador’s wife to help.
When the ambassadors’ wives were washing, they cried and washed. They didn’t dare to use force, they would break because the clothes were very thin and there were many patches.
He doesn't like material comforts, and he doesn't think about himself in life.
Xihua Hall is a house in the late Qing Dynasty, very damp, full of large brick and floor tiles.
The legs of the two old people are not good and often hurt.
Once two elderly people left Beijing for a while, his life secretary asked the decoration team in Zhongnanhai to change the floor to wooden boards, and then replaced them with a soft bed, curtains, and bathtub.
After he came back, he was furious and went to live in another simple place.
After staying for a few days, some leading comrades said that it is not convenient for us to discuss things with you and you should come back.
The secretary also reviewed, and the curtains and wooden bed were replaced.
The ground did not turn over again, because after turning it over, it was even more costly and costly.
The bathtub was not replaced because it was laid on the ground.
Although he came back to live, but at the Supreme Council of State, he checked twice and said, "I am not a good prime minister. If I lead a good head, you will all learn to do good things. If I lead a bad head, you will Follow me to learn bad. Don’t learn from me. I want to review this matter.”
China News Agency reporter: Premier Zhou, Chairman Deng and his wife are at home. Is there any difference between what the family cares about most? Especially in terms of family style. Is there any difference between the two of them in educating the next generation?
Zhou Bingde:
Both of them often (to us) talk about their revolutionary experience: The Long March was very bitter, eating grass roots, bark, and even nothing.
Therefore, Premier Zhou said, we are ready to sacrifice at any time during our decades of revolution; we are only the survivors of the revolutionary ranks.
Too many comrades on the revolutionary road have sacrificed.
Therefore, we must not forget these revolutionary martyrs now, let alone work seriously.
We have to work for these martyrs.
This is my uncle's sense of responsibility.
He feels that he has a great responsibility, so he has to forget himself and work harder.
On September 3, 2018, Zhou Bingde, Zhou Enlai's niece and former vice president of China News Agency, introduced old photos of her family.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Ma Mingyan
China News Agency reporter: Premier Zhou always said that he himself is the prime minister of the country, not the Premier of the Zhou family. During your contact with him, are there any examples that can highlight Premier Zhou’s selfless dedication and life for the people?
Zhou Bingde:
My uncle is very busy, so my aunt is worried about things in our family.
The Zhou family is a big family, many people ask (aunt) if they have anything.
My aunt will take care of the sickness of this family and the difficulties of that family.
Uncle can't take care of it, but he has the principle, just can't take special care of it.
There is a story that besides crabapples, there are some pear trees and peach trees in the yard (West Flower Hall).
Every fall, after these fruit trees bear fruit, my uncle feels that he can't waste it, so he lets everyone share it, and he has to pay for it.
He believes that the yard is the public yard, the tree is the public tree, and the water is the public water.
The workers who maintain these flowers and trees are all sent by the government.
We can't sit back and enjoy it without doing it.
We have to spend money, but we can't waste it.
Every time he is so clear between public and private.
Sometimes when I go to the airport to pick up foreign guests, my uncle pays great attention to appearance, but when he is busy at work, he can't shave his beard.
He went from Xihua Hall to Beijing Hotel (for a haircut).
After getting a haircut, you need to record the mileage from home to the Beijing Hotel.
Because this paragraph is a private matter, you must record the mileage for private matters.
By the end of the month, all private car use must be paid.
From time to time, he has to supervise the driver's master.
When Lao Yang recalled, he said that the Prime Minister often asked him if he had written it down.
As the niece of Premier Zhou and the younger of the Zhou family who has been with Premier Zhou and his wife for the longest time, Zhou Bingde, the former vice president of China News Service, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service “Focus on China” and recalled stories about the Premier’s family tradition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tian Yuhao
China News Agency reporter: We have heard a story about you. After you worked, you left Beijing and returned to Beijing for a few years. The first words my uncle saw you were not greetings but "questions" with a little reproach.
Zhou Bingde:
I was 18 years old in 1955 and was a teacher in a primary school.
After working for three months, the district committee agency transferred me to the district committee to do a temporary job.
After working at the district committee, I told my uncle.
"You don't work at a grassroots level like elementary school anymore? How can you go to the district party committee? Is it because of someone from Zhou?" I said, I was asked to come by the organization, and I have to obey the organization's distribution.
He wants us to work in the most basic, hardest, and most marginal place, "this is where you should exercise."
19 years later, in 1974, my husband and I accompanied the army to other places. We worked in Xi'an for 5 years and worked in the mountains of Zunyi for 4 years.
Organizationally transferred my husband back to Beijing.
I dare not follow it back because there is no transfer order.
I accompany him to bid farewell to the leader.
The leader said why don't you go together.
I said that I did not transfer orders.
The leader said that you Zhou Bingde went back to Beijing to find a job. Isn’t that just a sentence?
I said that I never take the "one sentence" path.
Later, the army contacted relevant parties in Beijing and asked me to return to Beijing together.
After returning to visit his uncle, he said again: "Bingde, you have left Beijing to work for nine years, how come back to Beijing to work? Is it because of someone from Zhou?" The same sentence, 19 years later Asked again.
My aunt said: "Enlai, don't forget that Bingde is not only your niece, she is also a family member of the army. She is transferred with the army." Uncle no longer asked.
He actually wants to tell us that we cannot improve the working environment because of his relationship and have to go our own way.
China News Agency reporter: Family style is linked to party style and government style. What do you think of Premier Zhou's handling of the relationship between family style and party style?
Zhou Bingde:
He feels from the bottom that we are the Communist Party, and the Communist Party cannot have as many selfish thoughts as the power holders of the exploiting class parties.
Our Communist Party must serve the people, serve the people of the whole country, build the country well, and improve the people's living standards.
The style of the Communist Party is for the interests of the people of the whole country, not for the individual.
So he has been teaching us this way.
As the niece of Premier Zhou and the younger of the Zhou family who has been with Premier Zhou and his wife for the longest time, Zhou Bingde, the former vice president of China News Service, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service “Focus on China” and recalled stories about the Premier’s family tradition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tian Yuhao
China News Service: When you lived in the prime minister's house, there were actually many other CCP leaders nearby. In your opinion, what do the leaders of that generation of CCP have in common in their family traditions?
Zhou Bingde:
I heard that they are also very simple.
Like Liu Shaoqi's and Zhu De's, there are quite a few children.
The clothes are big and small, and the small ones are worn out. Cut off the trouser legs and wear them again, or patch them.
At that time, everyone would do as much work as we have, and would never try to get more income and more financial resources.
If there are too many children (money) and not enough, then use it streamlinedly and use frugally.
It was like this back then.
Our Communist Party is to serve the people of the whole country.
Therefore, I think that some cadres at all levels should inherit and carry forward this style of work.
China News Agency reporter: Good family style can often affect several generations. What do you think is the most influential character that Premier Zhou and his wife will bring to the next generation of the Zhou family?
Zhou Bingde:
We are not ordinary people, we are ordinary people.
Everything must be based on the interests of the country and the people.
When we were in school, he repeatedly emphasized to us: "You are now ordinary students, and you will be ordinary people when you grow up. It must not be because I am the prime minister of the country that you have any privileges, and you cannot have privileged ideas." This is a very profound education for us.
Under his education, I chose to be a primary school teacher.
When I graduated from junior high school, I thought that the country would vigorously develop and construct, but I heard that there were a lot of illiterates in the country and there was a shortage of teachers in elementary schools.
I decided to become a primary school teacher.
At the school I was attending, many people went to stay in the Soviet Union.
I haven't thought about it, just thinking that I should go to the front line and be a primary school teacher.
This is being affected by them.
Without their influence, I would not have thought of this step.
Their influence is real to us.
As the niece of Premier Zhou and the younger of the Zhou family who has been with Premier Zhou and his wife for the longest time, Zhou Bingde, the former vice president of China News Service, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service “Focus on China” and recalled stories about the Premier’s family tradition.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tian Yuhao
Reporter from China News Service: Our country is now in the historical confluence of achieving the "two centenary" goals. You just mentioned that our current party members, our cadres at all levels, should go back and relearn these old party members. Some character on the body. What do you think is the enlightenment for the current CCP members when we revisit the story of family traditions?
Zhou Bingde:
General Secretary Xi Jinping also attaches great importance to family traditions and family education, and requires family relations to be handled well.
Nowadays, there are some negative phenomena in society, and sometimes some children or pillow winds do not play a good role.
So as a cadre, you have to hold yourself.
First, we must be self-disciplined, and then we must establish a good family tradition.
Cadres at all levels must earnestly study the history of the Communist Party and think from the bottom of their hearts about the reasons for the establishment of our Communist Party.
Even at the expense of oneself, we must also work for the benefit of the whole people (clan).
We Communists must always think of the people, the improvement of the people's living standards throughout the country, and the construction and development of the country.
Reporter from China News Service: What do you think it means for young people, especially for new families, to tell stories about family traditions and pay attention to family traditions now?
Zhou Bingde: There
are too many temptations for young people in society.
At this time, I think the education of young people is extremely important.
(Recently aired TV series) "The Age of Awakening" tells about the difficult past, some ideological struggles and different views of the New Culture Movement before the establishment of the Communist Party, and some young people are not afraid to sacrifice for their own ideals and the happiness of the people across the country. .
The entire TV series is not boring, there are family relationships, some encouragement between young people, and some entanglements and conflicts and different disputes of middle-aged people.
In this way, young people can be led to be healthier and more correct, and they can take on the responsibilities in the future.
Young people nowadays need to receive this kind of education and know how to take over.
They must be self-disciplined in all aspects and manage themselves well. If they manage well, they will manage the future well, and at the same time they will take good care of the future of our country.
(Finish)