Listen to Grandma tell about the past: Mao Zedong and He Zizhen

Author: Kong Dongmei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This book is a biography of He Zizhen written by the descendants of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen. It selects six important years in He Zizhen's life: 1929, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969, and 1979, depicting the legendary life and love story of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen, as well as the century-long journey of the three generations of women in the He family. "Grandma is a waning crescent in the west, Grandpa is the rising sun in the east. When the moon reaches the middle of the night and the sun is at its zenith, they were both lonely. The legend of Grandma and Grandpa became a permanent love tragedy." "As a woman, I think my grandma had a very difficult and tough life. She and my grandpa met in 1927 and parted in Yan'an in 1937 after ten years. Those ten years were the most challenging for my grandpa and the Communist Party of China. Their marriage was very happy, and they had six children, which shows how happy they were. Unfortunately, except for my mother, all the other children either disappeared or died. I remember an old story my grandma told: During the Long March, she gave birth to a girl on the road. The enemy was right on their tail, and they had to cover a distance of over 30 miles. They found a thatched hut in the Bai ethnic minority area of Guizhou, where they saw the hut was still smoldering with steam from boiling water, as if the person had just left. In such an environment, my grandma gave birth to a girl. She only got to see her for a moment before leaving with the troops. They left a note saying, 'Leave this child with your family. When she grows up, she can help you with some chores.' They left 30 silver dollars and two pipes of opium. That child was never found again." Although my grandpa and Grandma separated for various reasons, they always maintained their mutual care and concern, and passed on many messages of care through my mother. For example, he once asked my mother to bring a piece of old silk handkerchief for Grandma, showing that he was a very emotional person. Grandma was also very caring toward him, giving him an ear scoop made of bone and often bringing southern vegetables and greens for him."
Author Kong Dongmei grew up living with He Zizhen. She is the granddaughter of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen and the only female in the Mao family's younger generation. Over the years, Kong Dongmei traveled extensively to trace the historical footsteps of her grandparents and their relatives and friends, writing about Grandma's legendary and moving story. This book commemorates the 95th anniversary of Grandma's birth and the 20th anniversary of her passing. It includes a large number of previously unpublished historical photographs. "Click to download a excerpt of this book. Please open it with Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later."
This book is a biography of He Zizhen written by the descendants of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen. It selects six important years in He Zizhen's life: 1929, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969, and 1979, depicting the legendary life and love story of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen, as well as the century-long journey of the three generations of women in the He family. He Zizhen was Mao Zedong's suffering wife and one of the "Thirty Heroines" of the Central Red Army during the Long March. She endured the most challenging ten years of the Chinese revolution alongside Mao Zedong, shielding him from gunfire on the Jinggang Mountains, caring for him during the Long March, and supporting him in the face of the "Mao Ming Line." After the Long March, He Zizhen went to the Soviet Union for medical treatment and lived a lonely life abroad. However, Mao Zedong and He Zizhen never forgot each other. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, He Zizhen returned to her homeland and lived in seclusion, changing her name to hide her identity. In 1959, Mao Zedong and He Zizhen met on Mount Lu, adding a bright spot to their love story. In 1979, He Zizhen came to Beijing and wept uncontrollably in front of Mao Zedong's body. Their decades of joys and sorrows were a heart-stirring love tragedy.