Zhu De: Learning to Reread the Communist Manifesto at the Age of 90

In January 1975, the first meeting of the Fourth National People's Congress was held in Beijing. Zhu De, who was 89 years old, continued to be elected chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. On January 20, he presided over the first meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourth National People's Congress. He said to the members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress: "We have been elected as members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The party and the people have entrusted us with the implementation of the powers stipulated in the Constitution. The responsibility is very heavy and the task is very arduous. We must study Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought assiduously, work diligently and diligently, and accomplish the glorious and arduous tasks entrusted to us by the party and the people."

During the Spring Festival of this year, Zhu De met with Song Renqiong who came to visit at his residence. When talking about learning issues, he once again said: "We must study hard, learn from the works of Ma, En, and Lie, and learn from Chairman Mao. Old. "That's what he said and did. Less than two months before his death, Zhu De received a new translation of the "Communist Manifesto" presented by Cheng Fangwu, a consultant of the Central Party School, as a treasure.

On May 20, 1976, he spent a day carefully comparing the old translation and re-reading it. The next day, regardless of his age and frailty, Zhu De decided to visit Cheng Fangwu and the comrades involved in the translation at the Central Party School to express his gratitude and encouragement for their work. The staff around him said, "Your old man is so old, let's bring him here to talk about it! "But Zhu De insisted on going, saying," Why do you have to have someone come to me? He is about the same age as me, so I 'd better go and see him!"

After arriving at the Central Party School, Zhu De took out the new translation of the Communist Manifesto that he had read, and praised Cheng Fangwu for doing a very meaningful work, saying: "It is very important to understand Marxism. In order to understand it, we must have a good translation. Your new translation is very good, without inverted sentences, easy to understand. "Zhu De also talked about his own learning experience, saying that" class struggle issues, ethnic issues, family issues, and women's issues have all been talked about very clearly. "At present, when discussing some issues, we always have to consult Marx and Engels. We always have to look at what the Manifesto says. Your work has been done well, which has an impact on the world and is of global significance. "Zhu De learned in detail about Cheng Fangwu's translation work and learned that he wrote a letter to Mao Zedong in July 1974, pointing out that there were many errors in the original translations of Marx and Engels, and expressed his willingness to engage in proofreading. Mao Zedong quickly gave instructions and asked the relevant units to support him in carrying out this work. In December 1974, Cheng Fangwu came to the Central Party School and established the "Cheng Fangwu Group" to re-proofread and translate the "Communist Manifesto" and other Marxist classics. After hearing this, Zhu De told him that "it is very important to train more successors".

A great beginning leads to a great end by keeping the original idea in mind. From reading the "Communist Manifesto" for the first time in Germany in May 1923 to learning the new translation of the "Communist Manifesto" in May 1976, in the revolutionary journey of more than half a century, no matter what kind of difficulties and obstacles Zhu De faced With major setbacks, he has never shaken his belief in Marxism, socialism and communism. In the last years of his life, he wrote down the banner of "revolution to the end" many times to make his mind clear. Learning to the old, the revolution to the end, is a vivid portrayal of his life!