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oral narration | zhou yuhua

editor | li guozheng

| editor's note

"it has been 26 years since my husband fell ill. many old colleagues and friends have encouraged and supported me and hope that i will write down what i want to say. this year coincides with my husband and i's 60th wedding anniversary, and it is also his 90th birthday. i want to these words are given as a gift to my husband, mr. geng zhaojie.”

on the morning of september 26, 2024, 84-year-old zhou yuhua said this at the launch ceremony of the documentary literature "my husband geng zhaojie and me" on the first floor of the new hongqi community party and mass service center in changchun automobile development zone.

this is a small collection of essays dictated by zhou yuhua, compiled into text by li yun, and bound into a volume. it records true stories that are unforgettable to her. the opening ceremony was very simple, with only a few old colleagues and friends attending.

zhou yuhua was born in changchun on june 16, 1940. his ancestral home is hebei. he was frail and sickly since he was a child, and his life experience was rough. after graduating from junior high school, she was admitted to the technical school of the research institute of machinery to study electrician. in 1958, she was assigned to work at faw. she married geng zhaojie in 1964 and retired in 1993.

geng zhaojie is the sixth director of faw and is recognized by the industry as a benchmark figure for entrepreneurs in china's automobile industry. he served as the director of faw in 1985. after faw was restructured in 1992, he served as chairman and general manager, and he was in charge of china faw for 14 years. due to long-term overwork and illness, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1998 while working overtime in the office. after recovering from the illness, he suffered hemiplegia. he retired at the age of 63 with great regret and unfulfilled ambition.

in zhou yuhua's eyes, geng zhaojie is not only a factory director, but also a good teacher, a strict self-disciplined cadre, and a steel warrior who charges into battle - he deeply loves faw, the employees of faw, and the people who have placed their trust in him. it is the big stage of china's automobile industry that expresses his ideals and sentiments.

zhou yuhua used documentary literature to record geng zhaojie, and his original intention was very simple. "he is a mentor and helpful friend in my life and work, a role model for my growth, and has helped me a lot. i am very grateful to him and have always wanted to do something for him," she said.

this motion was first supported by faw veteran comrade wang dianming. it was launched in june 2024 and was drafted within 3 months. during this period, jin yi, lin ganwei, zhou ying, dang weiguang, li guang, wo zhongsheng, ma huaiqi, pan cheng and many other old colleagues and friends for their support.

zhou yuhua started keeping a diary in 1998. so far, the diary is more than half a foot high on the table. part of the text in the diary became the manuscript of this documentary booklet. a thin collection of more than 30,000 words, occasionally interspersed with some old photos. through this collection of essays, she hopes that children can use a different perspective to understand the hard work, work and study of their parents, and truly feel that the older generation did not have a wealthy life, but they were willing to make sacrifices for a better life.

there are also regrets. "my husband has lost a lot of memory. although he can still express it, it is very difficult. in addition, many old leaders and colleagues who have worked with him have passed away. it is difficult for me to dig out many stories, feelings, understandings, and emotions." zhou yuhua said.

""my husband geng zhaojie and i" is intimate, informative, vivid and simple, and once again takes us back to the unforgettable years of faw's entrepreneurship, reform, development and hard work under the leadership of factory director geng zhaojie." former deputy secretary of the party committee and discipline inspection commission of china faw secretary ma zhendong wrote in the preface to the collection.

at the launch ceremony, faw's old leader zhao fangkuan fondly recalled the war years of flying red flags and riding light sedans.

he said that sister zhou's collection of essays is kind and detailed, recreating the leadership team with director geng zhaojie as the core in the 1980s, leading the entire factory cadres, engineering and technical personnel and other employees to move mountains, fight against the odds, be foolproof, and strive to win. with the spirit and belief of the company, it achieved the vertical conversion of "jiefang" brand trucks from old to new without stopping or reducing production, setting a precedent in the world's truck development history.

the anthology also reproduces the 1990s, when under the leadership of factory director geng and other team members, they broke through the waves and started their third business venture focusing on cars. since then, faw has moved from joint ventures and cooperation to independent innovation. the hongqi brand has been independently developed and produced domestically, competing with foreign high-end cars in the market. now the hongqi brand is undergoing a comprehensive revival. hongqi and jiefang embody the wisdom and efforts of generations of faw people, and are national automobile brands jointly created by generations of faw people.

he said that whenever the company encounters difficulties and setbacks, director geng is always good at guiding everyone to regard difficulties as opportunities, so that everyone can be confident, maintain high morale, and overcome difficulties in progress. director geng, together with everyone, worked hard and worked hard to lay a solid foundation of materials, talents, and operations for the development of faw, as well as a strong corporate culture.

li yun, who used his spare time to help organize this collection, said that this is a story about a wife telling her and her husband. "geng zhaojie is an outstanding factory director and a good teacher for children. he and his wife have been together for 60 years of perseverance, determination and excellence."

in the view of sun xiujuan, a veteran faw comrade, this is a condensed history, the essence of life... and a precious spiritual wealth left to faw people.

wang xiping, a veteran faw comrade, said that through this booklet of documentary literature, "i can learn more about the relationship between director geng and sister zhou, who knew each other, loved each other, and loved each other, especially during the 26 years or 9490 days when director geng fell ill." day and night, sister zhou is meticulous and responsible, and interprets the most beautiful true feelings in the world, which we admire."

"at this moment, i miss my dear faw more than ever." this sentence handwritten by geng zhaojie was printed on the title page of the anthology. the 90-year-old man did not attend the opening ceremony. the night before, he took a life photo with his wife at home.

what does geng zhaojie look like in the eyes of his wife? how did they know each other and accompany each other through the long years? bang ning studio has been authorized to publish the main content of this anthology starting today, divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower.

here, we present polish poet czesław miłosz (1911-2004)'s "gift" to zhou yuhua and geng zhaojie, wishing them happiness and health.

gift

such a happy day.

the fog cleared early in the morning,

i work in the garden.

hummingbirds perch on honeysuckle.

there is nothing in this world that i want to possess.

i know no one deserves my envy.

any misfortunes i have suffered, i have forgotten.

it does not embarrass me to think that we are one and the same.

there is no pain in me.

straightening up, i saw the blue sea and the shadow of the sail.

do you like my braids or me as a person?

i was born in changchun on june 16, 1940.

in 1948, fighting continued in changchun and its surrounding areas. hunger plagued the whole city. everything edible in the house was looted.

that year, there were six children in our family, including five girls and one boy. the eldest is a sister, the youngest is still in my mother’s arms, and i am the fourth child.

my mother chopped up wild vegetables and tree barks and mixed them into stick noodles for us to eat. later, we couldn't even eat these. from morning to night, we could only hear the hoarse cries of hungry children. the parents had to discuss selling one of their children in exchange for some food. the eldest brother is over 20 years old and can help with some work in the family; the third child is deaf and mute; the other children are too young; i fit in the middle, so it’s just me.

▲changchun in 1947

when i was seven or eight years old, i was frail and sickly. i suffered from typhoid fever, sores and boils. combined with malnutrition, i grew thin and small. my parents sold me to a family named ma in exchange for two pounds of soybeans and two large corn cakes.

i remember that lao ma's family seemed to be landlords. they had five sons and wanted a girl. we agreed that when i grow up, whichever son likes me can be his daughter-in-law. i stayed at their house for more than a year and finally didn't starve to death.

but i miss home. although i'm not as hungry, i miss home even more. i think about my father working outside alone and supporting the family's 8 mouths; i think about my mother dragging her little feet, trying her best to get some food for the whole family; i think about my brothers and sisters staying together, taking care of each other even though they are poor and sick... ...i really miss home.

later, i heard that people in the city could run out of the "kazi". as long as they ran out, they would be taken in and given cornstarch to drink. so, every household tried their best to run out of the "kazi" on time.

that day, some of my friends told me that my mother and the others were going to get stuck tomorrow. the next day, i went out to wait secretly, and i saw my parents and the whole family trying to get something wrong. i followed them and walked forward. my mother turned around and noticed. she was very surprised and hurriedly chased me away.

i plopped down on my knees and begged my parents to keep me, but they shook their heads and said they had accepted the soybean tortillas. the brothers and sisters also came and knelt on the ground to beg their parents, saying, "life and death are one family." they fell silent and i was left alone.

after all this trouble on my part, the time for "escape from the jam" has passed. our family found an abandoned dilapidated house to stay for one night. i slept soundly that night. it's great to be with family!

in the blink of an eye, it was 1958. i graduated from junior high school and was admitted to a technical school to study electrician. after graduation, i joined faw and worked in various departments of the government.

in the early 1960s, i was transferred to the faw mechanical and electrical branch factory. i first worked in the labor department as a file manager, and then worked as a mail and receipt clerk in the office and also as a typist.

▲zhou yuhua when he was young

▲zhou yuhua’s parents and two brothers

at that time, i noticed a short young man who was carrying a lunch box every day and wearing a torn coat with holes in the front and back. i thought he was so careless even though he was married.

what caught my attention the most was his pair of eyes, which were big and bright, sincere and alert. the pointed jaw and clear voice give people a refreshing feeling. he goes in and out of the political office every day, tidying up his room, reading books and newspapers. i come to work early every day and clean up the office. i always pass by his office when i come and go, and sometimes he helps me clean and do odd things.

later i found out that he was a staff member and secretary of the political department, named geng zhaojie.

maybe this is fate.

after a while, i went to night school, and there were more than seventy people in a class. at that time, attending classes was a new thing, and the classroom was both lively and serious. geng zhaojie is one of the teachers, teaching mathematics and geometry. we call him teacher geng. at that time, i typed a lot, often late at night, and would not go home until i finished. many of the manuscripts i typed were written by teacher geng.

due to lack of sleep, i sometimes dozed off during class and felt confused for a while. once, teacher geng saw me sleeping and asked me to stand up and answer a question. i didn't listen to the teacher's lecture and couldn't answer, so i just stood there. he didn't ask me to sit down until the end of get out of class. later, i followed everyone away, and the more i thought about it, the more frustrated i became, and i cried for the entire class.

▲geng zhaojie after graduating from university

▲zhou yuhua in the 1960s

the next day, teacher geng came to me and asked me if i had finished my homework. i said i didn’t write it, so i couldn’t. he said, come, i will give you extra lessons. he told me again and told me how to do it until the homework was completed. afraid that i still didn’t understand, he explained the key points again. i'm quite cautious, but a new feeling arises in my heart - he is strict and serious, and he has real talent and learning!

we kept in touch frequently from now on. whenever i have class, he pays attention to helping me. i think he is very smart and energetic, and i have more and more interactions with him. i was in a very good mood at that time, and i wanted to laugh when i saw the little flowers at the door of the building. he was also dressed neatly, and the hole in his coat was no longer there.

▲attended night school that year

one sunday, teacher geng took the tram to take me home. the tram had a stop at nanling, but when he returned, the last tram had left work, so he ran home from nanling without stopping.

when zhaojie was almost 90 years old, he almost lost his memory due to serious illness, but he often said to me, "i particularly liked your two big black and thick braids at that time." it turned out that one time, he came to my single dormitory while i was washing my hair. he said he saw that my long hair draped over my shoulders was a foot long and it was so beautiful! he never forgot this detail throughout his life. i was so touched!

i once asked him: "do you like my braids, or do you like me as a person?"

he said: "i like you."

"what do you like about me?"

"simple!"

i remember that in 1964, my father was seriously ill and was hospitalized. the doctor diagnosed him as an incurable disease, and his weight dropped from 160 pounds to more than 80 pounds. zhaojie and i went to the hospital to see him every day. that day, my father had difficulty breathing and the phlegm was stuck in his throat and he couldn't cough it out. medical conditions were poor at that time, and a tube inserted into his throat had no effect. in desperation, zhaojie hurriedly put his mouth to the thin tube and sucked out his father's phlegm.

the doctors and nurses present were shocked. i burst into tears on the sidelines. a doctor said: "your brother is such a filial son! i have never seen anything like this while working here."

i choked and said, he is my husband!

i feel very happy that i didn't find the wrong person. from that day on, i made up my mind: i will repay my husband’s family well in the future!

zhaojie told me that he had a bad background and his grandfather was beaten into a landlord during the land reform.

one day, zhaojie said he would take me to his house to meet his parents, and i agreed.

visit zhaojie’s hometown

zhaojie's hometown is chao county, anhui province. we walked on the dirt road and there were rice and other crops on both sides of the road. after walking a long way, we finally walked into a small village.

at first glance, i saw a small mud house with a pond in front and good feng shui. there is a jujube tree in front of the door that is several decades old. the trunk is straight and the leaves are green. i think the jujubes must be quite big. there was also a round cement circle with a crank handle on it. i didn't recognize it. zhaojie said it was a well for drawing water, so he threw a bucket into it with a bang. he pressed it first, then shook it. after a while, a clear bucket of water was brought up.

on the left side of the main house of zhaojie's hometown, a small shed was built for cooking. there was a large iron pot on the stove, and a large pot lid standing next to it, with vegetables and rice on it. there are firewood and corn sticks piled under the pot. the shed was filled with smoke while cooking.

▲in geng zhaojie’s hometown in rural anhui, a jujube tree died and two more were planted.

after entering the house, there is a hall in the middle, with east and west wing rooms on both sides. there are very beautiful words written by the elder brother who teaches in the village. there is a big long bench in the middle of the hall, with two small benches on both sides, which are so crooked that they almost fall over.

how does this look like a landlord's house? i thought to myself.

the most eye-catching thing is that there is a small square table against the wall in the middle, with photos of his grandparents hanging above the table.

zhaojie was born in august 1935. strictly speaking, his grandfather was a run-down landlord.

but zhaojie's father received a good education from an early age and developed the habit of studying hard throughout his life. he was admitted to huanglu normal college, a famous university in anhui province, at the age of 17. at the age of 19, he was admitted to the post office as a second-class postal clerk and later became the director.

while working at the post office, his father continued to study. he improved his professional knowledge and business level through self-study and correspondence courses, and became a part-time teacher at the post office. he summarized and compiled basic postal business textbooks for promotion, and carefully recruited unemployed young people at the post office. cultivated, well-received for his rich knowledge and professional proficiency.

according to local rural customs, the eldest member of the family must stay at home to guard the house. neither zhaojie nor his second brother had formal academic qualifications or diplomas. in addition to non-standard rural primary school experience, most of their education came from their father's home teaching. their father taught them mathematics, physics, chemistry, chinese, and even english and music. such one-to-two teaching made the two brothers far better than ordinary students in rural primary schools at that time. later, when they took the anqing middle school entrance exam, they got good grades. score.

▲geng zhaojie’s parents

in 1948, the zhaojie brothers followed their parents to anqing and applied for huaining county middle school and st. paul middle school. they were both admitted to the two schools with first-class results! with a good start, they started studying in urban middle schools. in 1951, when his father's job changed, he was transferred to hefei. the brothers applied to be transfer students for the first and second grade of high school in hefei no. 1 middle school, and both were admitted with the top scores.

zhaojie had excellent academic performance in high school and received honors as an outstanding student every year. especially in mathematics, he showed extraordinary talent and enjoyed the privilege of being exempted from the plane geometry exam. he was the only student in the school to have such special privileges at that time. .

▲brother geng zhaojie (left) graduated from tsinghua university, and geng zhaojie (right) graduated from harbin institute of technology

in 1954, zhaojie, who was only 19 years old, graduated with honors from harbin institute of technology (the school is known as the "cradle of engineers"). at the school, he actively responded to the country's special needs and applied for a newly established two-year professional college. he gave up his five-year undergraduate degree and prepared to start work early. he is the squad leader, high-spirited, active in thinking, and has strong organizational skills. the school teachers were so impressed by this bright and active student that they hoped to keep him as a backup teacher. but after he graduated, he went to faw.

that day, zhaojie's mother was sitting in the hall waiting for us. from the first glance, i felt that she was a very kind old man. very thin, with short hair, tall, fair skin, big eyes and double eyelids, wearing a blue coarse cloth jacket, and walking very fast with a pair of big feet. the backs of both hands are dark and exposed with veins, and they look very strong at first glance.

the old man asked me how old i was, and i said 24. as a result, the old man disagreed and said that i didn't look like a 24-year-old, but more like a child who hadn't grown up.

after returning to changchun, i brought zhaojie to my home again. in the end, my family disagreed, saying that his family background was not good and that he was thin.

yes, the two families together are equal to zero!

zhaojie said: "this is great. both families disagree, what should we do? it's up to us!"

i said: "the key is your family, because i will marry into your family from now on."

he said: "my family is fine, my mother listens to me, and my father has passed away long ago. the key is between us, do you agree or not?"

i said: "i agree, there's nothing to say!"

in this way, geng zhaojie and i made a lifelong commitment. i firmly believe that following such a man will give me a sense of security and i will be happy.

but i didn't expect that geng zhaojie would face stormy waves and various risks in his life. but no matter what difficulties he faced, i was always his little safe haven and i always stayed by his side.

my mother-in-law and i

in 1964, we finally got married.

enthusiastic comrades gave some cloth tickets and shopping coupons. i spent 70 yuan to buy some fabric and made two quilts. zhaojie spent money to customize a woolen coat for me. we didn’t miss a day of work and went to work as usual on the wedding day. after getting off work, after washing up and tidying up our clothes, we went to a cafeteria to hold the wedding ceremony.

the comrades put melon seeds, peanuts and popcorn on the table. more than a dozen leaders plus some comrades, relatives and friends attended the wedding. deputy secretary of the general factory wang yumin presided over and delivered a speech. we spoke to the guest representatives one after another and thanked everyone for their presence and blessings. finally, everyone sang a revolutionary song "wear a big red flower to wear a flower, and obey the party's words to be obedient." half an hour later, the ceremony ended.

from then on, marriage was like a small boat, carrying us to sail against the rising sun. it has been 60 years now.

after the marriage, we went to visit his mother together. the old man was very happy and didn't think i was too small. we took her to live together in changchun, and my mother-in-law and i lived together for 8 years. every month, i hand over all my salary of more than 30 yuan to her, and zhaojie also hands over the same amount. in turn, my mother-in-law also cares about us very much, helps with housework, and gives my mother money to buy things and give food to her. we get along very well, and we are like a family, and we are happy.

zhaojie said he liked me "innocently". to be honest, i didn't quite understand what he meant at the time. all i know is that i have a short temper, i say whatever i think, and i do what i say.

during the cultural revolution, the rebels ordered my mother-in-law to undergo labor reform. in winter, my mother-in-law carried my eldest son on her back to shave ice in the yard, and in summer, she carried my son on her back to sweep the yard. we didn't know it when we went to work every day. one day, a neighbor opened the door and saw me. he said to me in a mocking tone: "did you know that your mother-in-law is a landlord? she works in the yard every day." i was angry and guilty, thinking that my mother-in-law is such a good person. , how could she be a landowner? i went home to suppress the fire and immediately asked my mother-in-law what was going on.

i am really too straight and don't consider my mother-in-law's mood at all. the mother-in-law said aggrievedly that she was born into a poor peasant, and her husband's family was labeled as a landlord. her husband left home very early, but she stayed. because she became a landlord's mother-in-law after eating from the landlord's family, the red guards fought against her. . i immediately became furious and wanted to go find the rebels to settle the score. my mother-in-law suppressed me, and zhaojie also advised me not to cause trouble. the more i tried to reason with her, the more her mother-in-law would be offended. i had no choice but to give up.

another time, my mother-in-law was responsible for collecting electricity and water bills in the corridor, but one family just couldn't collect their water bills. as soon as i heard this, i rushed up, found the woman, and asked for the electricity bill. i asked, "do you eat, drink, or use electricity? you use them, so why don't you pay?" she crossed her legs and said, "whether i pay or not, what does it have to do with you?" but she didn't argue with me and handed over the money a few days later.

unexpectedly, after a few days, this woman actually made friends with me. she said that when she saw you coming to collect debt that day, it showed that you were a very upright and brave person.

anyway, as long as it's my mother-in-law's business, i will take the lead to protect her. if anyone dares to bully her, i won't let him. he will rush up and fight. i'm both stupid and stupid. is this "simple"? i have no idea.

▲in the later wedding photos, geng zhaojie bought the headband that cost a penny a foot.

▲the outspoken zhou yuhua

despite this, my mother-in-law fell ill due to long-term frustration, depression and depression, and was diagnosed with gastric cancer in 1970. in the later stages, people become very thin and often suffer from stomachache and vomiting. the hospital she lives in is in green garden, and we deliver meals to her mother-in-law before lunch every day. the doctor said that the old lady was strong and would not make a sound no matter how much he hurt her.

every time i went to the hospital, i would wash her hair and feet, turn her over and wipe her body, cut her nails, and rub her back... later, she vomited so much every day that she even vomited out bile. i would clean and change her clothes without neglecting her.

in the last few days, my mother-in-law became seriously ill and i didn't leave her even a step. it was june 1971, it was drizzling, the leaves outside the window were holding raindrops, but my mother-in-law's bottle stopped dripping. the kind-hearted mother-in-law closed her eyes forever.

▲photograph with her mother-in-law, in the back row is zhou yuhua on the left, geng zhaojie in the middle, and his sister on the right

because she had a reputation as a "landlord's wife", chaoyanggou found a broken urn for her mother-in-law, which cost 3 yuan, and put it in the "five black categories" pile. after the "cultural revolution" ended, we found my mother-in-law's urn from that pile. i said, i want to change it this time. i bought the latest urn for my mother-in-law, which cost 70 yuan. at the time it was the most expensive.

later, we moved my mother-in-law’s ashes back to my hometown in anhui and buried them with my father-in-law’s grave.

i was extremely sad to leave chaoyanggou. zhaojie said to her sister: "you, my sister-in-law, treat our mother better than her own mother." this sentence made me cry bitterly.

small details are also love

from the time i met zhaojie, the most important gift he gave me was one word - busy.

in 1968, zhaojie was transferred to the technology department and later to the political department of the party committee of the general factory. i was working in songjiawazi at that time, and i was single and frail. i rode a 26-type bicycle for more than ten miles every day, even if i was pregnant.

once, a tall man riding a 28-type bicycle knocked me down. when i went home, i saw that the frame of the bicycle had been bent. i had to tell zhaojie so that he knew what brand my bicycle was. i know that not only do i have a long way to go, but i also have to carry my bicycle up and down the stairs every day.

i tried hard to overcome it, but as time went by, my body really couldn't bear it. the leader saw my difficulties and transferred me to the second steam package construction office in the factory. i worked upstairs in the forging plant. i was in the same office as the section chief, sister chen huizhi, and she gave me a lot of help.

▲geng zhaojie tutors children in their studies

in 1965, when i was pregnant with my eldest son, my mother-in-law packed my lunch box every morning. one day, zhaojie suddenly broke into the kitchen to check what food i had brought. he found a lot of pickles in it, so he argued with his mother about why he brought me pickles and that i should eat better when i was pregnant. i ran to the kitchen and said to him, "don't blame mom. i wanted to eat pickles and not greasy ones, so mom brought me fried eggs. i wanted pickled vegetables." zhaojie stopped talking.

at that time, zhaojie was very busy commuting to get off work and leaving early and returning late. one time i had a high fever and insisted on preparing a meal for him in the morning. he finished the meal in three bites and left, forgetting about me in his hurry. i lay alone in the house with a fever. there was a sudden knock on the door at around 10 o'clock. when i opened the door and saw two lesbians, i cried "wow". the first reaction in my mind was whether zhaojie's work in the foundry branch was in danger. the three of us were all frightened. they hurriedly explained that secretary geng said that you were sick at home and he forgot to give you water and medicine, so he sent us to check on you.

when i gave birth to my first child, zhaojie was busy writing materials in the factory and couldn't take care of me. after giving birth to the baby, i was cold and hungry. a colleague who was about to give birth next to me gave me two pieces of cake. i felt much better after eating them. unexpectedly, decades later, we would meet unexpectedly while recuperating in hainan. i was moved to express my belated gratitude to her.

zhaojie is not good at showing his feelings outside. he neither likes to praise nor criticize me. he keeps all his love in his heart. therefore, as long as there is a little thing, i will be very moved. i know that zhaojie loves faw more, loves his companions who work hard with him, and loves the frontline workers there...

i can't write poetry, so i often copy the poems i like in my diary. i like poems that express the emotions in my heart. for example, i copied a short poem written by shen congwen to his wife——

among the green mountains and green waters

i want to hold your hand,

walk across this bridge

there are green leaves and red flowers on the bridge

under the bridge are flowing water houses

there is black hair inside the bridge

this end of the bridge is white hair...

his wife zhang zhaohe said: "the happiest people do not have the best of everything, but they can turn everything into the best."

zhao xueyi suddenly came to talk to me

one day in 1973, someone told me that zhao xueyi, secretary of the faw general plant, wanted to find me and asked me to come to his office. why does such a big leader want me? just as i was thinking about it, secretary zhao walked into my office.

"are you my lover, geng?"

"yes, you are secretary zhao?"

secretary zhao sat down and told me that he wanted to transfer geng zhaojie to the foundry branch. this meant that he had a poor background and had to go to the most difficult place to train, and also because some people reported that he was "zhao xueyi's black scholar." he said that he didn't see it that way and that he wanted to protect him and go to the foundry branch to train him.

he went on to say: "after i talked to you, if you have any problems in the future, please come to me directly and no one else." he also said: "casting is very tiring and difficult. you have to take good care of him at home." then. ask for my opinion and ask if i agree.

▲zhao xueyi, then secretary of the party committee of faw general plant

i said: "i have no objection. he can go wherever he goes according to the organizational arrangements. i believe in the organizational arrangements." secretary zhao repeatedly emphasized: "if you have difficulties in the future, don't go to anyone, just go to me directly. do you hear me?" "i nodded.

to be honest, i have never caused any trouble for my boss.

zhaojie worked in the foundry branch for seven or eight years.

some people say that "working in the foundry branch is like labor reform, the work is tiring and the environment is bad." i've never been there. others say it's hard there, but someone has to do the work. zhaojie never said anything about how it was there. however, when i come home from get off work every day, i can see that he is very different from other units: his face is dirty, his nostrils are black, his work clothes are full of dust, and his shoe shells are filled with sand.

sometimes i look at him in a daze, but he smiles and doesn't care. once, his foot was burned by molten iron and it was difficult to walk, but he did not rest for a day. at that time, we lived in building 55 and had no transportation. my old friend li xingyou used his bicycle to take him to and from get off work every day. i always worry about it and can't let it go, and over time i have become accustomed to it.

▲the foundry branch of that year

ma zhendong, deputy secretary of the original party committee, often came to visit zhaojie at home. he once worked as a worker in the foundry branch and later became the party committee secretary of the foundry branch. he recalled that the branch factory used to be a "bottleneck". the lack of parts supply had been holding back the entire factory. the quality was poor, the scrap rate was high, and management was chaotic. 60,000 of the 120,000 cylinder blocks are scrapped, and the sand core rejection rate reaches 50%; the workshop discipline is loose. in order to catch the last tram, some people just leave and leave the empty workshop; technically, they are arguing with each other. the basement is full of sand that no one has cleaned...

no wonder secretary zhao xueyi of the main factory set up a working group to station in the casting, and he personally served as the group leader. geng zhaojie, the 40-year-old deputy director of the political department at the time, walked into the foundry branch as the deputy team leader. geng zhaojie wears a recycle cloth overall and goes back and forth between the keqing and huiqing workshops, which are the dirtiest and most bitter. at noon, he and the workers roasted potatoes and cooked corn on the red-hot iron block, and grabbed vegetables from the lunch boxes with the workers.

▲workers of the foundry branch back then

one time, zhaojie may have noticed my doubts and said to me in a gentle tone: "don't look down on the casting job. it is dirty, heavy and tiring, but without it, the car behind will not be able to get out. this is the first process, the only way to get out of the car. so many people are doing it and they are all working hard. what are we afraid of? i am still young. there is nothing wrong with going there to turn sand, warm up the fire, and practice skills. okay! i just caused you some trouble, a little bit of dust, a little bit of dust, i’m sorry!”

i said, "that's okay. just take care of yourself and don't get exhausted!"

▲geng zhaojie in the foundry branch

ma zhendong recalled that after the working group found out the situation, it launched several major changes such as "quality changes, hygiene changes, technology changes, and discipline changes". during the "cultural revolution" slogans were popular, and the foundry branch also shouted the slogan "smash the mouth of the bottle and strive to be the locomotive". zhaojie goes to the site every morning to attend a "scrap inspection" meeting, where technicians analyze the causes of scraps one by one. they first dealt with several groups of individuals who seriously violated discipline, and then introduced discipline-abiding models like master chai wengui. they also launched an "anti-wrangling" campaign and established an "employee representative comment group"... in zhaojie's words, this is called "get in deep and jump out."

he rides forty miles to and from get off work every day. "on sunny days, people ride bicycles, and on rainy days, people ride bicycles." when it rains or snows, he is not late even if he carries the bicycle.

it was certainly an unusual time and i was worried about him. he leaves early and comes home late every day. i have settled the children and the elderly in advance, and prepared meals in advance. i will not eat if he does not come back. comrades in the unit told me that every day he works online with everyone, he is energetic and never slacks off, his face is often covered with dust, and he talks and laughs with everyone, he is very kind and gets along well, and sometimes he even gives some rational suggestions. woolen cloth. i said he was quite thin and i was afraid his body wouldn’t be able to bear it. they said it was okay, the labor would still be fruitful. i felt a little relieved.

by the end of the 1970s, the foundry branch had stable quality and strict discipline, and it had become a pure land and a model factory for the entire factory. this branch has a special honor room, which is full of "may 1st labor certificate", "quality award" and "spiritual civilization award"...

after about a year, the leader asked geng zhaojie, who was already familiar with the work section, the workshop, the technology and the entire production process, to serve as deputy secretary and then secretary of the foundry branch, and he started another busy job, which he has been doing ever since. many years.

looking back on this training and growth process, zhaojie deeply felt the foresight and wisdom of secretary zhao xueyi. he said with deep feeling: "it was only when i went to the foundry that i gained grassroots experience and received more education and learning than anywhere else. i owe all of this to secretary zhao. many people at faw are my teachers. secretary zhao allowed me to be a person first, then be an official.”

secretary zhao passed away in 1979. after that, zhaojie and i would go to his home every spring festival to visit his wife and children, help with household chores, and care about the children's work and growth. his wife and children were very moved and reciprocated their joy, which they have never forgotten.

prologue to the hall of columns

in 1981, the main factory decided to transfer zhaojie to the automobile research institute as director. this sudden transfer surprised zhaojie.

after returning home, zhaojie told me: "i really didn't expect this transfer. i'm a little embarrassed. i have never been to the automobile research institute, so i don't know what it is like."

i said, "it doesn't matter whether you have any confidence or not. it's what the organization has decided. it doesn't say anything. all you have to do is obey."

"that's true, i want to go quickly, but my mind hasn't changed yet."

"then just 'turn around'."

geng zhaojie is an impatient person, and he must do things immediately if he is determined. the old comrade jokingly called him "geng ji", and he acknowledged it with a smile. this time he was really anxious. after all, going to the automobile research institute is a completely new job for him. it is different from the foundry branch. it is a brand-new and complex job that requires understanding not only the product, but also the process, as well as technology, management and scientific research. development... without practical work experience, basic knowledge and professional abilities, it is difficult to be competent. after thinking about it, he became more and more "anxious".

▲geng zhaojie at the automotive research institute

▲researching new trucks at the automobile research institute

the next day, he went to the automobile research institute without notifying anyone. at that time, the team of the automobile research institute was having a meeting in the column hall. when he arrived, he introduced himself and said: "hello everyone, i am geng zhaojie. i was sent by the main factory to be the director. please support me!"

after some conversation, he reported in. go back to the grassroots to understand the situation. still unaccompanied, he walked from one room to another, almost everywhere. no one introduced him wherever he went, and he didn't explain why he was there. he just looked around casually, asked questions, and communicated casually as if he were chatting at home. many people don't understand that the new college student is said to read everywhere and talk wherever he goes. he is really deeply involved in reality and can reach the grassroots level.

▲1983 american sae annual meeting

a few days later, he held a staff meeting in the column hall. he introduced: "the main factory has decided to transfer me to be the director. i will start working now. please support me." then, he delivered a long speech without writing. the crowd in the institute was excited and applauded continuously. this was the first time in the automotive research institute. people were talking a lot.

in february 1983, the united states held the sae annual meeting (society of automotive engineers), which was a window to understand the development of the world's automotive industry. geng zhaojie led a 7-member delegation to the meeting, including lin ganwei, chief of the automotive research and management section.

in the group, zhaojie is in charge of money, and lin ganwei is in charge of accounts.

▲participating in the sae annual meeting, lin ganwei on the left and geng zhaojie on the right

lin ganwei, who later became the chief engineer of the main plant, recalled: "at the beginning, the conference arranged for the entire group to stay at the detroit grand hotel for $100 per person per day. director geng thought it was too expensive." later, they moved to a "big hotel" , 40 us dollars, he still finds it expensive.

in the end, everyone stayed in a hotel similar to a "big car shop", which cost 20 us dollars. the conditions were very average, but it had a kitchen. zhaojie cooks the food himself, and lin gan takes charge of it, enjoying himself. lin ganwei said that this incident was not a big one, but it left a deep impression on him and he will never forget it to this day.

soon, the main factory added another title to zhaojie - assistant to the director of the main factory, that is, assistant to the factory director of faw and director of the automotive research institute. the more he felt the burden became heavier, the busier he seemed when he returned home. he was either writing, making phone calls, talking about work, chatting about things, and a new thing was added - tutoring in english. on weekdays, no matter how delicious the food is, i am always busy with big mouthfuls and small mouths. i advised him several times to eat slowly so as not to ruin his stomach, but he didn't care.

i can't control his affairs, and i can't help him. i don't want to disturb him. taking care of the children, the elderly and housework is to support him. that's all. i have my hands full too.