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On July 28, 1976, a major earthquake rarely seen in history occurred in Tangshan, Hebei Province. This earthquake was a rare tragedy in China and the most tragic one in the world's 400-year earthquake history to date.

The strong earthquake not only flattened Tangshan, an important industrial city in North China, but also felt the tremors in most of China, and the capital Beijing was also severely affected. At this time, Mao Zedong, who was inside the red walls of Zhongnanhai in Beijing, not only endured the impact of the earthquake, but also suffered from severe illness. Mao Zedong, who suffered from multiple diseases, still maintained a sharp mind and a clear head. He insisted on personally reading important documents. The central government's reports, requests, and notices on the Tangshan earthquake were all implemented after he personally read them.

Mao Zedong personally reviewed the report on the Tangshan earthquake relief work

On the morning of the Tangshan earthquake, Li Yulin, member of the Standing Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Kailuan Tangshan Mine and deputy director of the Trade Union, and his entourage drove a mine ambulance, and Liu Huchu, an air force officer stationed in Tangshan, and his entourage flew a plane to Zhongnanhai to report the earthquake disaster to the Party Central Committee. After listening to their reports and other information, the Central Political Bureau promptly studied the Tangshan earthquake relief plan and made specific arrangements. At the same time, it wrote a report to Mao Zedong in the name of Hua Guofeng, who was then the first vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee and the Premier of the State Council. The content is as follows:

President:

On July 28, a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.5 (later revised to 7.8 - author's note) occurred in the Tangshan and Fengnan areas, affecting Tianjin and Beijing. According to preliminary information, Tangshan suffered devastating damage, 80 to 90 percent of the houses collapsed, and most of the more than 400,000 residents were trapped under the collapsed houses. More than 12,000 people died in Tianjin, including more than 10,000 in Ninghe County, tens of thousands were injured, and more than 10,000 houses collapsed in the city. More than 100 people died in Beijing, more than 4,000 were injured, and more than 30,000 houses collapsed throughout the city.

In order to quickly organize forces and carry out earthquake relief work, the Political Bureau decided that five comrades, Chen Xilian, Ji Dengkui, Wu De, Chen Yonggui and Wu Guixian, would form a central earthquake relief headquarters, and set up a front-line headquarters in Tangshan, which would be headed by comrades including Liu Zihou.

After the headquarters was established, the following measures have been taken: 1. Immediately mobilize troops from about 17 divisions to participate in earthquake relief. At present, five divisions have entered the Tangshan area, and four divisions have entered Tianjin. 2. Immediately dispatch underground rescue teams from coal mines in several nearby provinces, totaling about 700 people, to rush to Kailuan Coal Mine to rescue workers trapped underground. 3. A medical team of 5,000 people composed of Beijing, Liaoning, Shandong and other places and the People's Liberation Army will go to the disaster area to rescue the injured and sick. At present, nearly 1,000 medical forces have entered the disaster area. 4. Organize forces to repair power lines, communication equipment, roads and bridges, and maintain dangerous reservoirs. 5. Transport supplies to support the people in the disaster area and solve their urgent needs.

The Central Committee plans to send a message of condolences to the people of all ethnic groups in the disaster-stricken areas and the PLA commanders and fighters, and a condolence delegation consisting of comrades including Hua Guofeng and Chen Yonggui will immediately go to the disaster-stricken areas to express condolences.

Hua Guofeng

July 28

Mao Zedong circled the document with great difficulty. According to the "Biography of Mao Zedong" (compiled by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Literature Research Office and published by the Central Literature Publishing House in 2003), Wang Xinde, a member of his medical team and an expert in neurology and geriatrics, gave the following introduction: "The Chairman personally reviewed the earthquake reports sent to him despite his serious illness. The earthquake killed more than 240,000 people, and other losses were difficult to estimate. When the secretary reported the extremely heavy losses caused by the earthquake, the Chairman cried - it was the first time I saw the Chairman cry loudly."

Mao Zedong personally reviewed Hua Guofeng's request to visit the earthquake-stricken areas in Tangshan to express condolences

On the day of the earthquake, the Party Central Committee and the State Council urgently mobilized the People's Liberation Army, medical teams and engineering and technical personnel to rush to the disaster area in Tangshan day and night for rescue and relief. On August 3, Hua Guofeng personally wrote a request to Mao Zedong. The content is as follows:

President:

According to the analysis of the Earthquake Bureau, there are no signs of an earthquake of magnitude 6 or above in the Beijing area in recent days. I plan to go to Tangshan, Kailuan Coal Mine, and Tianjin for two or three days tomorrow (the 4th) to learn about the earthquake relief work and participate in condolence activities. Please approve whether this is appropriate.

Hua Guofeng

August 3

Mao Zedong personally reviewed the document again, and his secretary also wrote on the document: "The Chairman read it and agreed at 9:30."

Mao Zedong appointed Hua Guofeng as the head of the Central Delegation of Condolences. On August 4, Hua Guofeng, entrusted by Mao Zedong, led the Central Delegation of Condolences to Tangshan. Together with the Tangshan branch of the Central Delegation of Condolences led by Chen Yonggui, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, who had arrived in Tangshan a few days ago, they visited the people of Tangshan on behalf of Mao Zedong and the Party Central Committee, conveying Mao Zedong's condolences and care.

As soon as Hua Guofeng got off the plane at Tangshan Airport on August 4, he cordially met with the responsible comrades of the CPC Tangshan District and Municipal Committee and the Kailuan Coal Mine Party Committee and representatives from all walks of life, and had cordial conversations with them. On August 5, the comrades of the CPC condolence delegation went to Kailuan Lvjiatuo Mine and Tangshan Mine to inspect the disaster situation, had cordial conversations with cadres and the masses, inquired in detail about the safety of the workers in the coal mines, and discussed with everyone the issue of rapid resumption of production. On August 6, the Central Condolences Delegation came to Tangshan Iron and Steel Company, one of the top ten steel bases in the country, to express condolences. At 6:20 p.m., the jeep that the Central Condolences Delegation was riding in stopped in front of the statue of Chairman Mao in Tangshan Iron and Steel Square. The door of the car opened, and the comrades of the Central Condolences Delegation walked towards the welcoming crowd, waved warmly to the people, and shook hands with the workers in the front row.

◆Two requests sent by Hua Guofeng to Mao Zedong for review.

On the east side of the Tangshan Iron and Steel Company Square, rows of earthquake-proof sheds were set up, where the lightly injured lived. A doctor in white was helping a wounded person walk into the shed. At this time, comrades from the Central Delegation of Condolences came to the shed to visit the wounded, carefully observing whether the shed was leaking, which greatly comforted the wounded. Hua Guofeng, the head of the Central Delegation of Condolences, also delivered a speech to the masses in front of the Mao Zedong statue in the Tangshan Iron and Steel Square: "Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee are very concerned about the people in the disaster area and sent a delegation to visit everyone. This earthquake has tested the heroic people of Tangshan. Our working class has behaved very bravely, and Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee know this. Chairman Mao was very happy to know this and sent his regards to the comrades!" During the speech, aftershocks occurred. But he said calmly and firmly to everyone: "Aftershocks will continue. We must find a way to build the shed better and stronger, farther away from tall buildings and high-voltage lines, to protect it from rain, earthquakes, and cold, so that everyone can sleep well, eat well, and maintain good health. Chairman Mao said that people are the most precious factor. As long as there are people, any miracle can be created."

The Central Condolences Group said goodbye to the workers. The car drove a long way away, and they still waved to the people. Many people present shed tears. The cordial care of Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee gave great encouragement to the people in the disaster area and inspired them to overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes.

……

Mao Zedong personally read the "Notice on Earthquake Relief in Fengnan, Tangshan"

After the drafting of the CPC Central Committee's "Notice on Earthquake Relief in Tangshan and Fengnan" (Document No. 13 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China [1976]), it was sent to Mao Zedong for review. On August 18, Mao Zedong reviewed it again. This was the last CPC Central Committee document that Mao Zedong reviewed before his death. The document read: "On July 28, 1976, a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred in the Tangshan and Fengnan areas, and affected Tianjin and Beijing, causing great losses of life and property to the people..."

After the Tangshan earthquake, the issues that people were generally concerned about were, first, where the epicenter was, and second, what magnitude the earthquake was. The epicenter was quickly identified, but as for the magnitude of the earthquake, it was impossible to determine immediately at the time. The reasons are: first, all the instruments of the Tangshan Seismic Observatory were destroyed, and the instruments of the seismic stations located around Tangshan were also destroyed; second, the records of the instruments that were not destroyed were out of order and could not provide accurate data at all, so the magnitude could not be determined based on this; third, the records of the 513-type medium-strength seismographs at seismic stations far from the epicenter and a few seismic stations can be used, but due to the limitations of communication feedback methods, it takes a certain amount of time. Because the release of news to the outside world cannot be delayed for a long time, the People's Daily published the Xinhua News Agency's July 28, 1976 report, announcing to the public for the first time that the magnitude of the Tangshan earthquake was 7.5. The content of the article is as follows:

"A strong earthquake occurred at 3:42 a.m. on July 28 in the Tangshan-Fengnan area of ​​Jidong, Hebei Province, my country. Strong tremors were also felt in Tianjin and Beijing. According to the my country Seismic Network, the earthquake was 7.5 magnitude, with the epicenter at 39.4 degrees north latitude and 118.1 degrees east longitude. The epicenter area suffered varying degrees of damage."

"The CPC Central Committee and the State Council are very concerned about the people in the epicenter. The CPC Hebei Provincial Committee, Tianjin and Beijing Municipal Committees and party organizations at all levels in the earthquake-stricken areas have taken emergency measures and immediately joined the fight against earthquakes and disasters. The Chinese People's Liberation Army and the health systems of relevant provinces and cities have organized a large number of medical personnel to rush to the scene. A large amount of medicine, food, clothing, building materials and other disaster relief supplies are being transported to the disaster area. The National Earthquake Administration and the Hebei Provincial Earthquake Administration have organized professionals to rush to the scene to monitor the earthquake situation."

After the news of the Tangshan earthquake was released, my country's earthquake professionals collected data, analyzed and calculated intensively, and finally determined that the magnitude of the Tangshan earthquake was 7.8 on the Richter scale. The main raw data for determining the magnitude are:

The Xi'an Seismic Observatory measured it as 7.8;

The Lanzhou seismic station measured it as 7.7;

The Chengdu Seismic Observatory measured it as 8.0;

The Dukou seismic station measured it as a magnitude 7.8.

The above four seismic stations all used 513-type medium-strength seismographs. The average magnitude of the above four stations was 7.8, so the Tangshan earthquake was finally determined to be 7.8. This magnitude was first announced in the "Notice on Earthquake Relief in Fengnan, Tangshan" which was personally reviewed by Mao Zedong. The magnitude of the Tangshan earthquake was finally determined. This document is displayed in the Tangshan Earthquake Archives.

These important documents that Mao Zedong personally reviewed after the Tangshan earthquake fully demonstrated his care and love for the people in the earthquake-stricken areas. In his last days, Mao Zedong was still doing what he had vowed to do in his early years - saving the people and serving the people wholeheartedly.

Editor: Hou Mengwei

Editor: Wang Yuanyuan

Editor: Xiang Dongmin