Chapter 28 Hunan beauty triggers scandal, I am forced to retire 1960

Journalist: “A large number of starvation deaths occurred, how to solve it in the meeting?”

Mao: “In March-April 1960, amidst the dire circumstances of over 10 million people starving to death nationwide, a meeting of 2,000 representatives of the National People’s Congress was held in Beijing. I deliberately concealed the extent of the disaster and emphasized that we must not discuss starvation at the congress. The delegates were ordered to adhere to the ‘Three No Talks’ policy (no discussion of grain procurement, no discussion of food shortages, and no discussion of starvation deaths). In July, the Central Committee held a meeting in Beidaihe to discuss economic issues. During the meeting, news of a ‘vicious counter-revolutionary matter’ in Beijing reached us. Liu Shaoqi immediately instructed to circulate it among all meeting participants, but Tian Jiaying, fearing that I would be unhappy upon reading it, did not show it to me. Nevertheless, the information still reached my ears.”

Journalist: “Oh, the NPC meeting, you are not allowed to talk about starvation, but what counter-revolutionary events occurred?”

Mao: “What vicious counter-revolution? It turns out that just three months after the NPC meeting, on July 26 near the north gate of Zhongnanhai, stood a young woman, from the hanging bag to take out two slogans, posted on the wall of Zhongnanhai: ‘Destroy the People’s Commune! Commune starved my uncle’s family of 6 people!’ ‘Down with Mao Zedong! Long live Peng Dehuai!’

The young woman was soon discovered by plainclothes police and taken to the North Gate Communication Room, where she was interrogated in handcuffs and then sent to the Beijing Public Security Bureau.”

Journalist: “Wow, unprecedented ah, posting slogans to beat you?”

Mao: “Yes, the young woman named Liu Guiyang, from Hengyang County, Hunan, Liyujiang Power Plant coal transport workers, three generations of ancestors poor peasants. Growing up without parents, raised by aunt and uncle. In addition to the uncle’s family of six people starved to death, there are cousin uncle family of three, has been too hungry to move, also because she returned to the countryside to bring 6 pounds of cookies, a family of three gobbled up on the spot to eat all the fierce drinking water, the next day are bloated to death. Also said that the village has been starved to death more than 30 people, more elderly and children waiting to die.

She took out 100 yuan from the bank, buy pen and paper to write slogans to buy train tickets, leaving 40 yuan a letter to her husband, instructing that if there is an accident to raise the son of a few months, according to the conscience of heaven and earth to go to Beijing to lodge complaints.”

Journalist: “The incident was reported to Beidaihe, how do you deal with it?”

Mao: “The civilian woman made a scene in Zhongnanhai, the transcript of the oral statement sent to Beidaihe urgently, the central government is meeting, Deng Xiaoping asked Liu Shaoqi to read, Liu approved: ‘tragic, Hunan disaster is still light, other provinces and regions?’ Immediately issued to the leaders of the meeting. Tian Jiaying did not dare to report the ‘transcript confession’ to me for fear of hitting me in the face, but someone still reported me secretly, this Hunan girl made me lose prestige, even regardless of life and limb, dare to openly post slogans naming me to defeat me, facing a family of 6 all starved to death of the girl, how can I sophistry? I calmed down and decided that I had to temporarily avoid the limelight and retire to the Second Front, taking sick leave from the immediate economy. The female warrior detonated and I was forced to temporarily retire.”

Journalist: “You are temporarily to retreat?”

Mao: “Yes, on August 10, 1960, I had no choice but to admit at the closing meeting that I did not understand the economy, broke into trouble, starved to death, is the initiator, the responsibility of everyone, I retired to the Second Front, no longer directing the industrial and agricultural, but the power is not released, with Lin Biao to manage the military and international, let Liu Shaoqi acting party chairman work.”

Journalist: “You just temporarily called Liu Shaoqi acting chairman?”

Mao: “Yes. Liu Shaoqi said: ‘It does not matter whether the agent is not an agent, the important thing is to save the country from disasters and people, to recognize the bloody reality, to give the peasants their own land, to engage in small freedom, production self-help. Those rules and regulations of the commune, let go first, who can not care about the face. Since a female worker dared to Zhongnanhai to cry out injustice, you do not let people live, people will let you live? Wait for the emergence of Huang Chao, Li Zicheng, it will be too late.’ Zhu De took the opportunity to propose the vindication of Peng Dehuai. I flatly refused to say: ‘to invite Peng Dehuai back? Lushan thing a wind blow? The three red flags do not want?’

Journalist: “Oh, Zhu De took the opportunity to propose the liberation of Peng Dehuai?”

Mao: “Yes. Liu Shaoqi had to play a roundabout: ‘put back a step, first over the immediate big difficulty before speaking.’ I insist in my heart on the three red flags, to retreat as an advance, bide my time and rise again in the east.”

Journalist: “What will you do after the meeting?”

Mao: “After the meeting I went to Hangzhou to recuperate, Lin Biao went to Suzhou to recuperate. Let Liu Deng Zhou they go to grasp the work, disaster relief and clean up the mess. I don’t care.”

In 1961, Liu Shaoqi was found in the public security briefing and ordered to be rehabilitated in Hunan and returned to work in the factory. In 1974, her 14-year-old son died of illness. After Mao’s death, she was acquitted by a Hunan court in 1979 and reassigned to work in a factory.

In 1982, Li Qiang, the head of Hunan’s Public Security Department, accompanied her to visit Wang Guangmei, and in 1988, when the Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall was opened, Wang Guangmei shook her hand and said, ‘Sister Liu, it is admirable that you dare to speak the truth and not shoot for jail.”

In 2009 a journalist interviewed her, ‘Speaking the truth will lead to jail time, do you still dare to speak?’ She said, ‘I don’t regret it. If I can play a role in relieving the hardships of the masses, it is worth giving up my life.’”