[One page of Party history]
The Notice on Carrying out Party Discipline Learning and Education throughout the Party issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasizes that we should strengthen warning education, deeply analyze typical cases of discipline violations, and focus on educating people around us with things around us, so that party members and cadres can be alerted, know the bottom line, and be in awe. To carry out warning education, timely report and expose typical cases, release the deterrent force of strict discipline enforcement, and convey the integrity and integrity of good conduct and discipline elimination are the valuable experience summed up by the Party in the practice of strengthening party discipline education for more than 100 years. On October 10, 1937, in the case of how to deal with the death caused by Huang Kegong's forced marriage, Comrade Mao Zedong sent a letter to Lei Jingtian, acting president of the High Court of the Shaanxi Gansu Ningxia Border Region, stressing that Huang Kegong should not only be sentenced to capital punishment, but also be warned and educated among all Party members to strengthen their sense of discipline and purpose, We should strengthen the Party's historical initiative in leading the whole nation in the war of resistance.
The original letter is as follows:
Comrade Lei Jingtian:
Your letter and Huang Kegong's letter have been received. Huang Kegong had a glorious history of struggle in the past. Today, I and my comrades in the Party Central Committee are sorry for the execution. But he has committed a great crime that cannot be forgiven. He has committed such despicable, cruel, revolutionary, and personal acts as a Communist Red Army cadre. If he is forgiven, he cannot educate the Party, the Red Army, the revolutionaries, and ordinary people. Therefore, the Central Committee and the Military Commission had to punish him to death according to his criminal behavior and the discipline of the Party and the Red Army. Just because Huang Kegong is different from an ordinary person, just because he is a Communist Party member for many years and a Red Army for many years, he can't help doing so. The Communist Party and the Red Army cannot fail to enforce stricter discipline on their own members and members of the Red Army than ordinary civilians. When the country was in danger and the revolution was tense, Huang Kegong was so mean, shameless, cruel and selfish that his execution was determined by his own behavior. All Communists, all Red Army officers and men, and all revolutionaries should take Huang Kegong as their front guard. Please announce my letter in addition to the court judgment in the presence of Huang Kegong and the people attending the public hearing. The family members of Comrade Liu Qian should be comforted and compensated.
Mao Zedong
October 10, 1937
Huang Kegong mentioned in the letter was born in 1911, joined the revolution at the age of 16, and joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 19. He has made great contributions to the Jinggangshan struggle, the previous anti "encirclement and suppression" wars in the Central Soviet Area, and the Red Army's Long March, especially in the battle of Loushanguan, where the Red Army crossed Chishui twice. After the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi, Huang Kegong served as a political member of the 11th Regiment of the Fourth Red Division, and entered the Anti Japanese Military and Political University to study. Later, he stayed as an outstanding member and served as the leader of the sixth team of the cadets. During the Anti Japanese War, he met and fell in love with a woman named Liu Qian. Liu Qian made progress in thought, secretly joined the Communist Party of China when she was in middle school, and traveled thousands of miles to Yan'an to study in the Anti Japanese University. With the deepening exchanges between the two people, conflicts and disputes are increasing. Liu Qian is unwilling to continue exchanges, but Huang Kegong is deeply involved in them and cannot extricate himself. He believes that "lovelorn is a great shame in life", so he shot Liu Qian after his forced marriage failed on the evening of October 5, 1937.
This vicious case instantly stirred up the whole Yan'an City and caused a public outcry. The Kuomintang took the opportunity to spread rumors, attack and slander the "feudal separatist regime", "lawlessness" and "human rights abuses" of the Border Region Government. How to deal with Huang Kegong, who has made many achievements in the war, has brought a huge test to the CPC Central Committee just stationed in Yan'an and the border area government just established. In view of the impact of the Huang Kegong case, the Central Committee decided to hold a big discussion in Yan'an and widely listen to the opinions of the people. On the discussion of Huang Kegong's case, there are mainly two views: one is that Huang Kegong killed Liu Qian because of his failure to force marriage, which is insane and should be sentenced to capital punishment; Second, he believed that he had repeatedly made war contributions to the revolution and should be forgiven, and his punishment should be reduced, so that he could make up for his mistakes on the front line. Lei Jingtian, acting president of the Border Region High Court and chief judge of the case, believed that the Communist Party of China had an iron discipline and should execute Huang Kegong according to law, instead of playing favoritism, so he wrote to Comrade Mao Zedong to report the case and his own handling opinions. At the same time, Comrade Mao Zedong also received a letter of intercession from Huang Kegong, requesting "to do the last bit of loyalty for the Party in the future". Against this background, Comrade Mao Zedong wrote this letter on behalf of the Party Central Committee, which has an important impact on the history of the Party.
Reviewing Comrade Mao Zedong's letter, understanding the experience of our party's practice of strict law and discipline in history, and paying special attention to the role of warning education in the study and education of party discipline, have enlightenment significance for the current party discipline study and education.
We firmly oppose the idea of privilege. Opposing the idea of privilege and equality before the law is a glorious tradition in the process of revolution, construction and reform led by the Communist Party of China. In the case of Huang Kegong, in the face of a serious crime committed by an outstanding young general of the Red Army and his request for lenient treatment, our party did not condone at all, but insisted on capital punishment, and declared to both inside and outside the party that the principle of equality for all is not empty words, and abandoned the narrow concept of legal privileges caused by the idea of balancing merits and demerits in the past. The handling of the case shocked both inside and outside the Party, which not only effectively educated the majority of Party members and cadres to abide by the law, but also established the social image of the Communist Party with strict laws and disciplines. It is an important experience for the Party to be able to always connect with the people, share a common destiny and breathe with them.
Put discipline and rules in front. The case of Huang Kegong took only one week from its occurrence to its detection, verdict and execution, reflecting the firm determination of the Communist Party of China to strictly enforce the law and discipline and severely punish corruption and corruption within the party. Putting discipline and rules in front, and seriously handling the Huang Kegong case, the Party gained the support and support of the general public and quickly gained a foothold in Yan'an. Comrade Mao Zedong later talked about the case, emphasizing that Huang Kegong shot and killed young women, which had a very bad impact on the Communist Party and the Red Army; But when we shot the prisoners, we regained their influence among the masses and made them more supportive of us. Putting discipline and rules ahead is an important guiding principle for the trial of Huang Kegong case, which fully reflects that the Party has made discipline and rules an untouchable bottom line by strictly restricting and regulating the behavior of party members and cadres.
Adhere to the ruling concept of taking the people as the center. The Huang Kegong case happened just when the national war of resistance had just broken out. The Communist Party of China must unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in a new image to rise up against the aggression of Japanese imperialism. How to deal with the Huang Kegong case has become an important test for the Party to show its image to the outside world and to win and unite the masses of the people. In sharp contrast to the handling of the case, not long ago, Chiang Kai shek's Whampoa Love shot and killed his wife Zhang Zhonglin for emotional disputes and was sent to Nanjing Prison. After the "July 7th Incident" broke out, Chiang Kai shek pardoned Zhang Zhonglin on the grounds of the need for personnel in the Anti Japanese War. Also in the context of the urgent need for talents in the Anti Japanese War, Comrade Mao Zedong did not agree to Huang Kegong's request for pardon, but firmly supported Lei Jingtian's opinion. The case is a vivid teaching material for the Party to implement the people centered concept during the Yan'an period, which declares that the country is the people, and the people are the country. People's hearts and minds are related to the life and death of the Party. If we win the trust and support of the people, the Party will be able to overcome any difficulties and be invincible.
Pay attention to the warning and education function of typical cases. In the letter, Comrade Mao Zedong asked Lei Jingtian, in the presence of Huang Kegong and the masses attending the meeting, to announce the court verdict and this letter, which is intended to use typical cases as negative teaching materials to warn and educate the broad masses of Party members and revolutionary masses. After Huang Kegong was tried and sentenced to capital punishment according to law, he caused a warm response throughout the country. The army and the people of Yan'an praised that "killing Huang Kegong is a wake-up call for the Party". Li Gongpu, a democrat, believed that "it has established a good legal example for the future of New China." Since then, Comrade Mao Zedong also made a speech on "revolution and love" in the Anti Japanese War, asking everyone to learn from it, seriously treat love, marriage and family problems, cultivate proletarian revolutionary ideals and sentiments, and resolutely put an end to similar events. Since then, Comrade Mao Zedong has also mentioned this matter many times, warning and educating Party cadres that it is absolutely impossible to be arrogant and bully the masses. It can be said that the proper handling of Huang Kegong's case is a satisfactory answer that the Party handed over to the people that can stand the test of history, and also a vivid lesson for the majority of party members and cadres, which has played a huge role in warning and education throughout the Party.
(Author: Wang Feng, Vice President of the Research Institute of CPC History and Party Construction of Beijing Normal University, and Special Researcher of Beijing Xi Jinping Research Center for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)
