Fifteen Years with Mao Zedong (Revised Edition)

Author: Li Yinqiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: While Chairman Mao always maintained his old habits, he wasn’t picky about food as long as it was spicy, and he would eat a bowl of braised pork when tired. Jiang Qing often complained that Chairman Mao didn’t understand science or nutrition, always eating fatty meat, and also criticized him for keeping his hair too long. But everyone knew that Chairman Mao’s long hair was because he didn’t have time to groom it. While directing the three major battles in the small village of Xibaipo, any slight mistake could have cost the front line dearly. Chairman Mao worked day and night without proper rest, so it was only natural for him to enjoy a bowl of braised pork after winning a victory. Back then, we didn’t understand nutrition, and we all found Jiang Qing’s attitude unbearable.
We weren’t just annoyed by her being particular; we were annoyed by her being fussy. We didn’t just appreciate Chairman Mao’s lack of pretense; we appreciated his kindness. That’s why everyone felt close to Chairman Mao, while Jiang Qing was quite difficult to handle. But we couldn’t avoid serving her—it was part of the job. Every morning, after Jiang Qing woke up, she wouldn’t get out of bed but would sit wrapped in her blankets and press the button to summon a guard to fetch warm water for washing and rinsing. After finishing her morning routine, the guard would serve breakfast on a tray and she would eat it in bed. She claimed that foreigners did this. It was bad enough that she did this in Yangjia, but everyone had gotten used to it. In Xibaipo, she pressed the button far more often than Chairman Mao did. She grew increasingly accustomed to ordering people around. One day, guard Zhang Tianyi heard the bell ring and quickly ran into the room to ask Jiang Qing what was wrong. Jiang Qing said, "Bring me a warm water bag." Zhang Tianyi looked and saw that the bag was right beside her—just a reach away—but she refused to take it herself and insisted that someone else put it in her hand. After she finished speaking, the guard sighed deeply, and we all fell silent.
The five secretaries often worked late at night, and their work was indeed exhausting. To provide better nutrition for the central leaders, the logistics department kept a cow and milked it to supply fresh milk. Although I wasn’t in charge of Chairman Mao’s daily life, I sometimes helped the guards when they were busy. Once, I went to help warm the milk, but since I had no experience, I didn’t know how to do it properly. I put the milk pot on the stove, assuming it was the same as boiling water, and then went to do other things. When I returned, I found that the pot was red hot, but all the milk had evaporated, leaving only a terrible smell of burnt milk in the room. Thinking that Chairman Mao wouldn’t get his milk, I cried.
When Jiang Qing saw this, she flew into a rage. After Chairman Mao learned the details, he comforted me, saying, "It’s nothing—just be more careful next time."
Afterward, Jiang Qing scolded the staff, saying, "You are here to serve me and Chairman Mao. If we’re not happy, it means you haven’t done your job well!" Li Yinqiao quietly pouted. When Jiang Qing left, he whispered, "If you argue with Chairman Mao, that’s also our fault." Guard Zhang Tianyi said, "Go report her to Chairman Mao—she’ll get what she deserves." Li Yinqiao restrained him, saying, "The decisive battle has already begun. Don’t cause trouble for Chairman Mao."