Reflections on Zhou Enlai’s deeds

A brief talk about Zhou Enlai's "people-friendly" approach

○ Gao Changwu

There is this sentence in "Historical Records: The Family of Duke Zhou of Lu": "The husband's administration is not simple. If the government is not easy, the people will not be close to it. If the government is easy to implement, the people will follow it. Furthermore, this sentence actually reveals this principle of governing the country: formulating policies that are close to the people and safeguarding their interests will gain their support. This principle is reflected in the style of those in power, which is “people-friendly”. As the first prime minister of New China, Zhou Enlai was a model of "people-friendly".

To be "friendly to the people", we must share the joys and sorrows with the people and not be special. Although Zhou Enlai held a high position, he always regarded himself as an ordinary member of the working people and always shared the same destiny with the people. In the summer of 1958, serious floods occurred in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. On the morning of July 18, Zhou Enlai, who was inspecting Shanghai, received the report and immediately rushed to Zhengzhou, the worst-hit city, to inspect the disaster situation. That night, he came to the bank of the Yellow River at the foot of Mang Mountain to check the water situation and disaster relief situation, and encouraged everyone to fight against the flood despite the rain. Seeing that Zhou Enlai's clothes were soaked, the secretary quickly held up an umbrella. Zhou Enlai immediately stopped him and said: "You see, don't we all get wet in the rain?" For a government prime minister, facing the victims in the rain, although it is only a trivial matter whether to hold an umbrella or not, it is reflected in the two. Their political styles are completely different.

To be "people-friendly", one must treat others equally and not put on official airs. Whenever Zhou Enlai had time, he would go among the masses, cordially inquire about their welfare, and listen to their voices. On May 6, 1956, Zhou En came to Taiyuan Iron and Steel Plant for inspection. When he arrived at the blast furnace site, Shi Youguo, a worker on duty, was busy. Zhou Enlai extended his hand to him enthusiastically. Shi Youguo looked at his greasy hands and felt a little embarrassed. When he was in a dilemma, Zhou Enlai smiled amiably and said, "Young man, it's okay, come on!" After saying that, he held Shi Youguo's hand tightly and asked cordially about it. Condition. It was this kind of handshake that closely linked Zhou Enlai, the party and the country to the people.

To be "people-friendly" means to serve the people diligently and not to be an official. Zhou Enlai always kept in mind the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, worked conscientiously and selflessly in the spirit of spring silkworms spinning silk. As Deng Xiaoping later said: "Premier Zhou is a person who is diligent and hard-working throughout his life. He always works more than 12 hours a day, sometimes more than 16 hours, and this is true throughout his life." March 8, 1966, 5:29 a.m. A strong earthquake occurred in Xingtai, Hebei Province. After learning the news of the earthquake, Zhou Enlai quickly rushed to the earthquake area by helicopter, risking aftershocks to inspect the disaster situation, visit the affected people, and guide the relief work. He was busy until night, and then ate some pancakes and boiled cabbage with the soldiers in the barracks of the troops stationed in Xingtai. Zhou Enlai always regarded himself as a "servant of the people" and worked diligently and day and night, even after he fell seriously ill in his later years. In March 1975, while Zhou Enlai was preparing for surgical treatment in the hospital for 20 days, he met with dignitaries or government delegations from Zambia, Guyana, Singapore, Morocco, and Sri Lanka. **The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, in addition to handling many daily government affairs. Zhou Enlai ensured the normal operation of government work even though he was seriously ill before surgery.

The above are just a few examples. In fact, the "people-friendly" political style has long been integrated into the many trivial things Zhou Enlai did throughout his life. It is a natural expression of his love for the people and has become part of his personality charm. Because of this, ordinary people affectionately call him "the people's good prime minister." Because of this, everyone who came into contact with Zhou Enlai, including many foreigners, was infected by his spirit. One morning in late October 1964, Zhou Enlai invited the famous Japanese table tennis player Matsuzaki Kimiyo to visit his residence in Zhongnanhai. During the meal, Zhou Enlai asked Matsuzaki to sit on the right side of him, and used his inconvenient right hand to constantly put vegetables on Matsuzaki's plate, urging her to eat more. After learning that Matsuzaki's father had worked in the liquor industry, Zhou Enlai took out two bottles of Moutai from his collection and asked Matsuzaki to take them back and ask her father to try them. Matsuzaki was very moved by Zhou Enlai's approachable behavior.

When she visited China again in 1978, Matsuzaki wrote the eleven words "Premier Zhou Enlai, you live in my heart" in Japanese to express her admiration and memory for Zhou Enlai.

In terms of governance style, the opposite of "people-friendly" is bureaucracy. As for bureaucracy, Zhou Enlai was firmly opposed to it. On May 17, 1956, he delivered a speech at a symposium on Kun Opera's "Fifteen Guan" and seriously criticized the bureaucratic style of some leading cadres in their work after the founding of New China: "There is a trend now. People will blame leaders if they don't call them chiefs." "How difficult it is for ordinary people to see someone as an 'official'!" Those of us who are "officials" should think about whether we are "really serving the people." On May 29, 1963, at a meeting of responsible cadres of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the agencies directly under the State Council, he listed 12 manifestations of bureaucracy and detailed its various harms. He believed that "the attitude and style of bureaucracy have given rise to Our work has caused a lot of losses, and if it is allowed to develop and is not resolutely overcome, it will definitely cause greater harm." At the same time, he warned the party's leading cadres at all levels that "bureaucracy must not be allowed to continue to develop." He is even more strict with relatives and staff around him. No matter who makes bureaucratic mistakes, he will severely criticize them and order them to make corrections.

The ancients said: "Those who work for Sichuan must make decisions and guide them; those who work for the people must preach and guide them." He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. It is precisely because of the strict self-discipline and unremitting efforts of batches of "people-friendly" Communists like Zhou Enlai that New China was able to develop rapidly and maintain the unity of the people and the stability of the country.

[Author Gao Changwu, assistant researcher at the Documentation Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Beijing 100017]

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