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Preface

At the end of 1991, some guests came to Li Ne's home. Li Ne was dressed very simply that day, just like the aunties in the alley.

The guests looked around Li Ne's home and found that the furnishings were very simple. In the center of the living room wall hung a black-and-white enlarged photo of Chairman Mao working on an airplane. There were two bookshelves against the wall, filled with books. There was an old desk and a few old rattan chairs under the window.

Li Ne told the guests that she was transferred from the Central Guard Corps in 1986 and later assigned to the General Office of the CPC Central Committee to do library and information work, with the treatment of a director-level official. Due to poor health in recent years, she has been recuperating at home except for living the life of the Party organization at work.

During the chat, the guest talked about the movie "Mao Zedong and His Son". In this regard, the guest raised a plot and asked Li Na to verify it. The guest said, in this movie, Chairman Kim Il Sung asked someone to send apples, and Chairman Mao shared them with you. Is this true?

Li Ne thought for a while and then gave the answer. When talking about her life with her father, Li Ne seemed to open up her mouth, and the memories of her life with her father emerged like slides.

Parents’ love for Li Ne

On December 23, 1991, the Beijing Daily published a short article signed by Liu Songlin, whose original name was Liu Siqi and was Mao Anying's lover.

The article said that one morning, Liu Songlin went out for a walk and suddenly found a white object, slightly larger than a fist, lying next to the sewer under the wall outside the courtyard. Liu Songlin walked over with curiosity and found that it was a white Fuqiang flour bun.

For a while, Liu Songlin's heart was in a knot... One day in the early 1950s, Liu Songlin returned to Zhongnanhai and had dinner with Chairman Mao in the evening. Li Na was also there. During the meal, Li Na accidentally pulled out a few grains of rice from the bowl and scattered them on the table.

After seeing this, Chairman Mao stretched out his chopsticks and slowly put the fallen rice grains into his mouth. This scene made Li Na stunned. Looking at the stunned Li Na, Chairman Mao read two lines of poetry: "Who knows that the rice on the plate is the result of hard work."

Some people have openly questioned this matter. They said that Li Na is Chairman Mao’s youngest daughter, and that an old father loves his daughter, which is a Chinese tradition; among all the Chairman’s children, only Li Na has always been with the Chairman, and people are emotional, so it is impossible not to spoil her.

Chairman Mao and his wife doted on Li Na, but the word "spoiled" is not realistic. When Li Na was young, she ate at the same table with her parents. Due to Hu Zongnan's 200,000 troops burning, killing and looting, food in the Hexi region became extremely difficult. Chairman Mao's family, like everyone else, ate boiled black beans in salt water every day.

One day, Li Na asked her father: "Why do meals smell so good but shits smell so bad?" After hearing this, Li Na's mother immediately stopped her and said: "Why are you talking about this while eating? Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly." Chairman Mao didn't care. He carefully explained to Li Na the nutrition of food, human absorption, digestion and other knowledge.

As Li Na grew up, Chairman Mao said to the staff: "Li Na has grown up, so let's take her to the cafeteria." The staff thought that Li Na was only 7 years old, so she should eat with her mother. Chairman Mao waved his hand and said, "If the children of my fellow villagers in northern Shaanxi can eat, then my daughter Mao Zedong can eat."

After that, the aunt took Li Na to eat in the cafeteria, and only occasionally let Li Na and her parents eat a small meal on Sundays. Life was too hard, and He Long was very uneasy when he saw that the Chairman's diet was too poor. After returning to Hedong, He Long sent someone to send some bacon and fish to the Chairman. Chairman Mao always shared it with Zhou Enlai, Ren Bishi, and the wounded and sick.

On this day, my aunt brought Li Na and her mother to have dinner together. At the dinner table, Li Na's mother picked up a piece of fish for each of my aunt and Li Na. Seeing that my aunt was reluctant to eat, Li Na walked over and said to her, "If you don't eat, I won't eat either." Although Li Na was already drooling, she still insisted that my aunt eat first.

Li Na fed her aunt a bite. Later, she recalled that a fish at that time was more valuable than a sumptuous banquet now. She said that she had taken care of many children of central leaders, but she loved Li Na the most.

Chairman Mao's education of Li Na was not always strict. He also said that it was better for children to be a little naughty. In the Chairman's view, children who can be naughty are healthy and smart. When Chairman Mao was tired from work, he often took a walk in the yard. The Chairman liked to swing his arms and twist his waist while walking. At this time, Li Na and her friends lined up and followed Chairman Mao, imitating and laughing.

Sometimes, Chairman Mao would just walk with his hands behind his back. Li Na would follow him and imitate him. When the Chairman noticed, he would suddenly turn around and make a gesture of grabbing someone. Then, the father and daughter would burst into laughter.

In fact, Chairman Mao not only doted on Li Na, but also treated other children equally and cared for them. At one time, there were many children in Chairman Mao's family, including Li Min, Li Na, Wang Bowen, the child of Li Na's aunt, Chairman Mao's nephew Mao Yuanxin, Chairman Mao's son Mao Anying, and daughter-in-law Liu Siqi.

In contrast, Li Na's mother was different. She had no feelings for her other children except Li Na. She had set a rule that when the children came home, they had to greet her first before they could greet Chairman Mao. Once, Liu Siqi bypassed her and went directly to the Chairman. When she found out, she got angry.

The guest asked Li Na to confirm whether Chairman Mao had ever given her the apples sent by Kim Il Sung.

One day in 1962, Chairman Mao was taking a walk when he suddenly opened his voice and sang a few lines from the Peking Opera "The Empty City Strategy". The people around him were startled, then exchanged glances and smiled. These lines from the Peking Opera seemed to announce that the three years of hardship would soon be over.

After hearing the Chairman singing Peking Opera, Li Na and her mother came out. Chairman Mao enthusiastically invited them to play mahjong together. The family of three was very happy, and the guards immediately moved out the tables and chairs and placed them under the shade of the tree.

The sound of mahjong tiles being rubbed and the sound of happy laughter rang out. The guards who had followed the Chairman for many years could not help but shed tears when they saw this scene. After playing mahjong, Chairman Mao and his family of three had a meal together. At the dinner table, Li Na had a good appetite and praised the food for being delicious. This could not help but remind people of the difficult days.

At that time, when Li Ne occasionally went home for dinner, she would drink up the remaining soup with water. Every time she ate, Li Ne would wolf it down, and she would praise: "I couldn't get enough food at school, I was so hungry that I was starving, but I finally got a full meal when I got home."

Chairman Mao was very strict with Li Na. During the special period, Chairman Mao asked Li Na to work in the "May 7th Cadre School". During that time, Li Na met a comrade from the Service Office of the Security Bureau of the General Office of the Central Committee. Chairman Mao agreed to this matter, but Li Na's mother opposed it. Li Na had her own ideas and married that comrade according to her own wishes.

Soon after the marriage, the two broke up due to personality differences. Later, Li Na lived alone with her son. Li Yinqiao and his wife, the staff members around Chairman Mao, cared about Li Na very much and often visited her. Later, with the help of Li Yinqiao, Li Na and Wang Jingqing got married. The two had common hobbies and lived a happy life.

In 1991, a guest came to visit Li Ne's home. At that time, Li Ne's son was already 19 years old, handsome and delicate. In 1990, the child graduated from Beijing Foreign Affairs and Tourism Service Vocational High School with excellent grades, and was later assigned to work as a waiter in a Beijing hotel.

During the chat between the guest and Li Na, the scene in the film "Mao Zedong and His Son" in which Chairman Mao distributed apples to children was mentioned. Li Na said, "I can't remember clearly. I was only 10 years old at that time and didn't know much. I remember I took one from the guard and bit it. My father said it was unhygienic, but I had already eaten it in one bite. In that film, my father and my eldest brother were the main characters, and we were just the foils."

In her later years, Li Ne completely integrated into the ranks of ordinary retired old ladies. She always maintained a simple and frugal habit and never tarnished her father's great image.