What is "learning Dazhai"?

Agricultural Dazhai is a political slogan from 1964, which has both positive and negative lessons in modern China. Later Dazhai was no longer a simple production brigade. To understand Dazhai, you have to understand Chen Yonggui.

In the half-century history of New China, Chen Yonggui is an indelible figure in any case. Feng, the author of "Illiterate Premier Chen Yonggui" (published by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing Company1March 1998) and a senior reporter of Xinhua News Agency, believes that Chen Yonggui is "the only semi-illiterate deputy prime minister in the contemporary world" and the only official in the world who holds leadership positions from top to bottom. "No one in the country dares to criticize publicly" ... Chen Yonggui is the leader. However, it is "the only place in the world that has experienced everything" and "the most flamboyant mountain village in the world", but it is also "the most closed village in the country" and "a place where there is no freedom (speaking and not speaking)".

Of course, it must be admitted that the early Chen Yonggui and the Dazhai he led were indeed an advanced model. Unfortunately for Chen Yonggui and Dazhai, they seem to be accidental, but in fact they must be known and appreciated by Mao Zedong, and they will soon be regarded by him as tools to realize their utopian socialist dreams. Mao Zedong has never been to Dazhai, so it can be said that he didn't really understand Dazhai comprehensively. In my opinion, Mao Zedong's admiration for Dazhai is not based on the scientific conclusion drawn after investigation and study, but when he is eager to find a mode to implement his "Left" inclination, he learned from the report of the following cadres that Dazhai's "political inclination, labor records and distribution methods are not much different" and felt quite different from his own ideas? He-these things with obvious "Left" color are the media to communicate and strengthen the relationship with Dazhai, and also the cornerstone of Chen Yonggui's prosperity. This happened in 1964. On the eve of the Cultural Revolution, the "Left" line was rampant. Therefore, Dazhai no longer follows the proper law of social development, but is constantly being processed and transformed according to the needs of politicians (and wrong needs). Many of its original good things are gradually transformed, while some "left" things are brought to the extreme, forcing the whole country to follow suit. Dazhai is a prominent tragic fate in the ultra-left era.

Specifically speaking, Chen Yonggui, in another book, Memories of Mourning the Past (published by Beijing October Literature and Art Publishing House1May 1998), was once commented by the famous writer Wei Junyi: "Chen Yonggui is probably a kind and simple farmer, a rural cadre who really wants to do a good job, but he is not an agricultural scientist, propagandist or politician. He was forced to play this role, and as a result, he performed a lot of farce that made people laugh and cry. As for himself, it was a tragedy. I think it is good to understand this passage from the overall spirit. But what I want to emphasize is that Chen Yonggui is by no means an honest farmer who is simple, honest and hardworking, only knows how to work hard and rarely takes chances. In Chen Yonggui, smart and active personality is very prominent. He is the kind of able person and strongman who can be on the stage in the countryside, so he has the quality and talent to be a propagandist and politician; It's just that this quality and talent were later used to publicize extremely "left" things and made a big mistake. According to the book "Illiterate Prime Minister Chen Yonggui", during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, Chen Yonggui participated in the New Asia Society organized by the Japanese and served as a pseudo-representative in the village. This is the dual role of supporting the Eighth Route Army and dealing with the Japanese. Chen Yonggui can shoulder this heavy responsibility, and his "public relations" ability is extraordinary. Coincidentally, in another book I read, when I wrote about a famous agricultural model worker in China who later became a politician, I revealed that at the beginning of the birth of New China (or on the eve, I can't remember), he had carved his official seal privately, pretending to be the captain of the provincial public security special agent, scaring the masses and oppressing good people. If you put these two things together, you may admit that an honest man who works hard may be a model worker, but it is difficult to make further achievements in politics (for example, Li Shunda of Shanxi, whose ups and downs are also described in the book Chen Yonggui, the illiterate prime minister). The influence of traditional culture accumulation, some drawbacks of the current system, and some special requirements of the special industry of officialdom on the quality and talents of practitioners make those who are criticized by model workers? In addition to being capable and hardworking, politicians must also be very smart and flexible, and even have some "rascal" and "Jianghu" spirit. Moreover, it's not just the countryside!

Next, Chen Yonggui. I think the book "Illiterate Prime Minister Chen Yonggui" describes and judges his life's merits and demerits, which is generally fair. Chen Yonggui turned out to be an old farmer. In that ravine in Shanxi, he is a shrewd man, but on the whole, he is still a simple farmer. But since it has become a tool for political use, especially when the shemale reversed right and wrong during the Cultural Revolution, it is inevitable that Chen Yonggui's knowledge is "bad". You know, the "Cultural Revolution" from 1966 to 1976 was called a big school to train politicians and two-faced. After the "Cultural Revolution" and training, once quite pure young people learned to lie, to play politics, to sophistry, to hurt others mercilessly, and to fight for power and profit. Some people concluded that China had old morality before liberation and China had new morality after liberation. When the Cultural Revolution came, all the old morals and new morals were overthrown and became the "four old ones" that were sealed, funded and repaired. The Cultural Revolution had no morals at all. In the book Chen Yonggui, the illiterate Prime Minister, there is a section entitled "The Cultural Revolution was a bad school". In this section, the author laments: "The Cultural Revolution suffered many conspiracies and intrigues, which can cultivate Chen Yonggui into a" good man ". At this point, I felt the author's affection and my heart was full of heaviness.

In the "Yusheng" section of Chen Yonggui, the Illiterate Prime Minister, there is a section with the subtitle "Chen Yonggui and Li Zicheng". This passage is not long, but two thousand words, but it profoundly reveals a truth: it is difficult to lead the peasant movement with traditional peasant consciousness. In a sense, the traditional peasant consciousness is a social foundation for the existence of feudal absolutism (if you don't believe me, check the history of China and see which peasant uprising leader doesn't want to be an emperor). The historical task of China's anti-feudalism has not been completely completed. The main reason, I think, is not that a few people have "imperial thoughts", but that the traditional peasant consciousness yearns for and recognizes the "emperor" (of course, a good emperor). "The serious problem is to educate farmers." For China, which is in urgent need of modernization, Mao Zedong's words hit the nail on the head.