Li Kecai, this name may never be unfamiliar to the older generation.
He is a legendary figure who has traveled through more than half a century of history. He spent most of his life in the military. He joined the revolution from Xingtang at the age of 20. At the age of 30, he was already the commissioner of the 15th Special Office in East Hebei Province. He later served as deputy commissioner and commissioner of the Tianjin Special Office, deputy secretary of the Hengshui Prefectural Committee, and first secretary of the Cangzhou region. It was not until 1990, when he was 73 years old, that he resigned from his position as a member of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial Advisory Committee and retired to recuperate.
He hated evil as much as his enemies throughout his life, had a "penchant for integrity", and could not tolerate any dirt that could bring discredit to the Communist Party. He was known as the number one anti-corruption person in Japan and the country. Because of his exposure, the huge corruption case of Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan, the "number one" in the world after the founding of the People's Republic of China, was exposed to the world. In the mid-1990s, due to his petition, Ping Yijie, the former president of the Hebei Provincial High Court, was severely investigated and punished by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for his pursuit of life enjoyment.
He is a true Communist Party member who is strict with himself. During his lifetime, he worked conscientiously for the revolution and never sought a "future" for his children. When he died, the eldest "official" among his children was the section chief. After his death, all he left to his family was a destitute home. Because of his upright nature, he has offended many people. But just as Engels said when he mourned his close comrade Marx, among the people he offended, no one was his personal enemy.
Death is as quiet and beautiful as autumn leaves
At 3 pm on June 30, 2001, at Tianjin Chest Hospital, an old man closed his torch-like eyes forever and passed away. The course of his 84 years of life. In a battle before liberation, an enemy bullet hit him and he was shot in the right lung. In 1956, it was at this chest hospital that he underwent surgery to remove the middle lobe of his right lung, and the evil bullet was removed. This time, the direct cause that took his life was still the hateful old lesion. The doctor's diagnosis of death was suffocation caused by atelectasis.
This old man is Li Kecai.
He was transferred from Cangzhou First Hospital to Tianjin Chest Hospital on April 27.
For more than two months, relevant experts in Tianjin held multiple consultations, and leaders from our province and Cangzhou City visited many times, requesting the hospital to carry out rescue operations at all costs. But none of this stopped the old man from leaving.
Quietly, he left, his death as quiet and beautiful as autumn leaves.
But his "brilliance" and legend during his lifetime are extremely admirable.
The old man’s attending doctor is a young expert surnamed Li. He once worked in Huanghua, Cangzhou City. He has heard the story of Li Kecai told by local cadres and the masses countless times. How to fight corrupt officials. At that time, he felt that it was an honor to see such an old man. When the old man was transferred to another hospital, he took the initiative to take charge of the treatment.
He told others that when he wrote the three words "Li Kecai", his hands were shaking, and he could not restrain his respect and emotion for this heroic figure. After the old man left, when the vehicle carrying him slowly set off from the hospital, the doctors and nurses in the hospital had tears in their eyes and stood by the roadside to see him off silently.
Li Kecai’s memorial tent was temporarily set up in the ordinary courtyard where the old man had lived in Cangzhou for more than 20 years. After hearing the news, hundreds of people came to see the old man off. There are his old friends and acquaintances, his subordinates and colleagues. There are also leaders of all sizes from cities and counties.
The tears shed in front of the soul cannot bring back the old man’s voice and smile; a piece of memorial paper is an affectionate memory that cannot be erased.
A boilermaker from the prefectural committee compound came. He was over 60 years old and had retired a long time ago. When he came in, he knelt down in front of the soul and cried without saying anything.
The old man’s family members went to the streets to buy vegetables, and even the vegetable sellers expressed their condolences to the old man. In fact, they had only heard of Li Kecai's name, and they did not know the old man at all.
The local organization wrote this in "The Life of Comrade Li Kecai": "With the death of Comrade Li Kecai, we have lost a good party member, a good leader, a good teacher and a critical friend.
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People are never stingy about giving excessive compliments to a person after his death. To some people, these may be a few overused eulogies, but when used on Comrade Li Kecai, everyone The words seemed so pertinent and sincere.
He uncovered a shocking case
To recall Li Kecai, we must start with the serious corruption cases of Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. p>
On February 10, 1952, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, two gunshots were fired at the Dongguan University Campus in the ancient city of Baoding. Liu Qingshan, the former secretary of the Tianjin District Committee, and Zhang Zishan, the commissioner, were arrested by Chairman Mao Zedong for massive corruption. He personally gave instructions and was executed by the People's Court in Baoding, the capital of Hebei Province.
This is a piece of history that has been buried in the dust for half a century. However, for the old man Li Kecai, the memory is unforgettable and clear.
People may still remember that in the early 1990s, "The Biggest Case in New China", written by Lan Fu, Lu Bin and others, and directed by Gao Tianhong, was released nationwide. An important character in the play was Lin Kejian, who was accompanied by his comrades. In order to save Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan, after many earnest attempts to persuade them failed, he resolutely reported their corruption to their superiors
Li Kecai is the prototype of Lin Kejian in the play.
In 1989, at Li Kecai's home in Cangzhou City, Lu Bin, a reporter from "Communist Party Member" magazine and current deputy director of Hebei Cable TV Station, interviewed this heroic figure about the cases of Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan.
Li Kecai was born in Lianglingkou Village, Xingtang County, Hebei Province in March 1917. He participated in the revolution in 1937 and joined the Party in the same year. He served successively as the organizational officer and organizational member of the District Committee of Xingtang County 1, the Secretary of the District Committee of the 6th District, and the District Head of the 4th District. ; In February 1945, he was appointed as the magistrate of the United County of Qianluanfeng, and later as the magistrate of Fengrun County; in December 1947, he was appointed as the commissioner of the 15th District of East Hebei Province, and in August 1949, he was appointed as the deputy commissioner of the Tianjin Special Administrative Office, together with Liu, who was the secretary and commissioner of the Tianjin Prefectural Committee at that time. The two of them worked together.
According to his own recollection, it was at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, when everything was in need of improvement, and the war against U.S. aggression and aid to Korea had just begun. The national economy of the young Republic of Korea was very difficult. Many people across the country are still hungry.
But within our party, a tendency to take credit, to enjoy themselves, and to pursue a bourgeois lifestyle is on the rise. , with jurisdiction over 11 counties and 3 towns, with a population of more than 4 million. In 1950, heavy rains caused disasters in Tianjin District, which was located in the lower part of Jiuhe River, putting the lives of the farmers who had just been liberated into an extremely difficult situation.
It was under such circumstances that Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan engaged in corruption regardless of the suffering of the victims.
From the autumn of 1950 to the spring of 1951, the Hebei Provincial Government decided to use work instead of relief to control the rivers in the Tianjin Prefecture. Work-for-relief means that when migrant workers go to work, the state provides appropriate food subsidies in lieu of relief. However, Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan took this as an opportunity to make money. By shuffling goods and other means, they wantonly deprived the government of disaster relief grain funds and diverted 200,000 kilograms of moldy corn, which even caused the death of dozens of migrant workers in Jinghai, Baodi and other places.
In addition, the two men also misappropriated "airport land compensation" and national treasury grains, illegally used special funds for water conservancy, defrauded bank loans, embezzled victims' shipbuilding funds, colluded with profiteers, and bribed public banks , speculate, seek huge profits, and allocate and embezzle public assets at will.
Liu and Zhang colluded with each other. Liu Qingshan said shamelessly, "I am the embodiment of Marxism and Leninism in Tianjin!" So in the Tianjin area, another so-called "Liu Qingshan Thought" appeared. There were other shameless people who shouted to Zhang Zishan at the "July 1st" commemoration meeting: "Move forward under the leadership of the wise leader Commissioner Zhang!" Liu Qingshan has a mantra that says, "The revolution has won, it's time for me to enjoy it!"
While exercising their privileges, the two also engaged in corruption. Liu Qingshan lived in a palace-like villa on Machang Road in Tianjin for a long time, taking drugs and visiting prostitutes. During the difficult period when the victims were suffering from hunger, he went to restaurants, dance halls and theaters every day, and was well-dressed and well-fed.
Even when the national economy was in such difficulty, he spent 360 million yuan (old RMB) to import two of the latest American luxury cars from Hong Kong.
As for Zhang Zishan, just judging from the fact that he "visited" brothels with public funds, smoked eight to ten high-end cigarettes every month, and used 900 million yuan (old RMB) of local food funds to buy 5 cars without authorization, he is worse than Liu Qingshan. No less impressive.
This wrong behavior of Liu and Zhang was not temporary and aroused strong dissatisfaction among many local cadres and the masses.
After many attempts to persuade him failed, Li Kecai bravely stood up at the risk of being framed as anti-Party.
In November 1951, the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China held the Third Party Congress. At the group discussion, Li Kecai exposed the erroneous fact that Liu and Zhang were determined to betray the people. Later, things developed, just like in the movie, Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan were pushed to the trial stand of history.
Two senior cadres of the Communist Party of China, two senior cadres who made great contributions to the establishment of New China, were executed for corruption. This is in the history of our new Communist Party of China. This is the first time, and it is also the largest anti-corruption case since the founding of our party. In the history of anti-corruption in New China, Li Kecai wrote a significant chapter.
After the Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan incidents, the party and the people spoke highly of Li Kecai, but some people said behind his back that he did such a shocking move because of work differences and personal grudges. In this regard, people who are familiar with Li Kecai feel sorry for him. Because Li Kecai's honest and upright life is enough to illustrate.
The public will last forever, the private will last forever
Li Kecai believed that the steelyard in the hearts of the people was the fairest. He also reported Ping Yijie. In May 1995, Ping Yijie, former member of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, President of the Provincial Higher People's Court, and Party Secretary, was dismissed.
Due to Ping Yijie’s high position, this incident affected the whole country.
What is admirable is that in this anti-corruption incident, the elderly Li Kecai once again stepped forward!
When Ping Yijie was appointed Secretary of the Cangzhou Prefectural Committee of Hebei Province in December 1991, the Prefectural Committee had equipped him with a newly purchased "Nissan" car, but he was not satisfied. Under extremely difficult circumstances, in September of the following year, he rented a "Mercedes-Benz" car from a certain unit in Beijing for his own use. The lease term was 3 years and the rent was 360,000 yuan.
In May 1993, Ping Yijie was transferred to the position of president of the Hebei Provincial Higher People's Court. He took this "Mercedes-Benz" car away again, and despite the tight funding situation of the provincial court, he asked the court to pay Sublease fee of 240,000 yuan in Cangzhou area. In addition, while Ping Yijie was working at the Cangzhou Prefectural Committee, he also asked the prefectural committee office to "rent" 28 pieces of furniture, 2 color TV sets, 2 electric heaters, as well as quilts, blankets, curtains and other daily necessities for him, and installed them Got 1 air conditioner. During the "lease" period, no rent was paid. When he was transferred from Cangzhou, he also took away 2 color TVs, 1 Simmons bed, 7 pieces of furniture, 2 electric heaters, quilts, curtains, blankets, etc., with a price of only 3,065 yuan (during the organization's investigation, another 1,800 yuan was paid). Yuan).
These behaviors of Ping Yijie made some informed cadres and the masses in Cangzhou very uncomfortable. In particular, some old comrades were very angry about this kind of special and enjoyment-seeking behavior of leading cadres. They said, If this kind of thing continues to develop, we will become the new Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan.
Out of an old Communist Party member’s infinite love and loyalty to the party, in his old age, he once again raised his angry pen.
He wrote a letter of report to the central government. At the end of the letter, he solemnly signed his name with excited hands: Li Kecai.
With the assistance of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China seriously investigated and punished Ping Yijie, former member of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, President and Party Secretary of the Provincial Higher People's Court, in May 1995 It is a mistake to use public funds to rent limousines for a long time and use public property for free in pursuit of personal enjoyment.
After study by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and approval by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, it was decided to punish Ping Yijie by revoking his position within the party. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress also approved the dismissal of his position as president of the Hebei Higher People's Court.
This man has grown up and has a son and a daughter.
Li Kecai left. Apart from his righteousness and incorruptible character, he did not leave much "blessing" to his five children. shade".
Li Kecai was upright and stubborn, and never thought about finding a future for his children. He had very strict requirements for his five children and often told them, "Study hard and work for the country on your own in the future. Don't expect me to help you."
That's what he said. Made.
Li Kecai had three sons and two daughters, but none of them relied on his blessings to achieve political "development". So far, the oldest "official" among the five siblings is Li Chungeng, the 52-year-old, director of the Communications Division of the Cangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, with a section level.
The second eldest brother, Li Xiaqing, is two years old and now in Qinhuangdao, doing business with friends.
The third eldest son, Li Qiufeng, works at Cangzhou Commercial Bank as a security guard looking after the vault. His wife, who has no work in the factory, has been at home for a long time, and her monthly expenses are more than 100 yuan. .
The fourth eldest daughter, Li Xia, is Li Kecai’s eldest daughter. She is studying for a doctorate in the United States through her own efforts.
The youngest daughter Li Hong works at the People's Bank of Cangzhou City as an ordinary employee.
Li Kecai had a special affection for the countryside throughout his life. According to his children's memories, the old man's biggest ideal in his early years was to obtain 450 kilograms of grain per person per year in Hebei Province. He was born as a landlord and was afraid of poverty, so he naturally understood the importance of food. Therefore, when naming your son, the changing seasons of spring planting and autumn harvest are indispensable.
If you ask anyone in Cangzhou, someone will tell you that Li Kecai’s children were not “arranged” very well, just because the old man didn’t ask about it at all.
At first, several children complained about this. Li Xiaqing, the second eldest child, said that he felt sad when he saw all the children who played in the same courtyard when they were young and were doing well because of their parents. However, the old man has always had this temper. As time went by, he gradually understood . To this day, he still remembers a small "episode" from more than 20 years ago. The old man was working as a deputy commissioner in Hengshui at the time, and he went to visit. Ordinarily, it would not be too much to place him in a guest house, but the old man insisted on setting up another bed in his office for him to stay in, so as not to cause any trouble to the organization.
The boss Li Chungeng told reporters that he works in the Public Security Bureau, and the bureau leaders sometimes come to visit the old man at home. The old man never takes the initiative to mention his son. Just take care of it and approve it if it’s due.”
Li Chungeng said that his father was the secretary of the Cangzhou Prefectural Committee and later a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Advisory Committee. He enjoyed deputy provincial-level treatment, but the family basically received no benefits. For example, using a car, it is impossible to pass the old man.
In interviews, several of Li Kecai's children repeatedly emphasized that although the old man did not give his children much care, Li Chungeng's brothers and sisters could still feel the old man's "blessing", especially in Cangzhou. Three brothers and sisters, Li Chungeng, who worked in the city, mobilized and arranged work. They were said to be Li Kecai's children, and leaders at all levels took care of them. The old man has set an example throughout his life and is upright. When his name is mentioned in the local area, many people are full of respect. But asking the old man to speak for his children is even more difficult than going to heaven.
The reporter went to the Veteran Cadres Section of the Cangzhou Municipal Party Committee for an interview. A section chief named Xing was busy and had no time to say more. He only gave the reporter two small examples. He said that one was a daughter-in-law of Li Kecai who once sold wontons near the municipal party committee. He said that with the old man's reputation and status, it wouldn't be a big problem to call the relevant city departments and arrange for someone to work. Even if he didn't mention it in person, he could tell the veteran cadre department and report it to the senior cadre department, and the problem would be revealed, but the old man would never speak out or make an exception for his own personal gain. The old man's words seemed very unreasonable but very reasonable: There are so many laid-off workers across the country, can they all be solved through care? If others can make it, we can make it.
Another thing is that when Li Kecai retired, the organization equipped him with a special car. Li Kecai said, "It can't be like this. I don't need it. All veteran cadres can use it." As a result, his own car became the official car of veteran cadres.
The driver went to the hospital to find a doctor who was familiar with the situation, which brought great convenience to other veteran cadres. "Everyone in the car thinks highly of Li Kecai. This is the consciousness and realm of a true Communist Party member!" Section Chief Xing was deeply touched by having been with Li Kecai for more than ten years. The poorest and richest is the 36th row of the Family Courtyard of Cangzhou City Prefectural Committee. An ordinary bungalow and a very simple courtyard, this was the home of Li Kecai during his lifetime.
When walking into this home, many people will be surprised at how the home of a deputy provincial-level veteran cadre who has participated in the revolution since 1937 and became the regional administrative commissioner in 1946 can be so simple, so simple that it is almost simple.
The small living room of seven or eight square meters can only accommodate a few sofas. The floor is still the same cement floor as when we moved in more than 20 years ago. The sofa is very old and has many stains on it that cannot be washed away. There are several thermos pots on the coffee table, the kind of plastic pots that cost less than 10 yuan each. In the corner by the window, there is a TV, an old-fashioned 17-inch TV.
The two bedrooms inside are the bedrooms of Li Kecai and his wife Li Bing, and the conditions are extremely simple.
Li Bing is 77 years old and is a retired cadre of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative. She said that the leaders of Cangzhou City are very concerned about them and have assigned them new houses to improve their living conditions, but the old couple have become accustomed to it. for such a frugal life.
The second eldest child, Li Xiaqing, told reporters that as children, they felt sorry to see the old couple who had spent their revolutionary lives so frugal. He said that a friend of his was on a business trip from Qinhuangdao to Cangzhou and stopped by to see the old man. When he returned, he complained that he was not interesting as a son. Li Xiaqing said that friends do not understand the elderly. The elderly always think that they are ordinary people. They are just like ordinary people. There is no need to be special. So the children tried to help them change furniture and decorate the house, but the old couple didn't appreciate it. They feel that such a life is very happy.
The old man’s daughter, Li Xia, went to the United States to study in 1986 and is now a professor of corporate management at an American university. Li Xia has deeper feelings and pleasure about her father's honest and simple life. Her husband is an American. In 1994, she took her husband back to China to visit relatives. At her parents' home in Cangzhou, the American was surprised to see the living standards of a high-ranking Chinese family. He often visited other people's homes and gave lectures in China. He had dealt with various situations and had a basic understanding of China's national conditions at that time. He couldn't believe that his father-in-law's family, a "high-ranking official" in China, was so shabby. Even the conditions for ordinary citizens are not met. Before coming to China, he heard too many stories about the corruption of some Chinese officials, but he knew that his father-in-law was 100% honest and upright. The foreign son-in-law was full of respect for his father-in-law.
Not long ago, Li Xia gave a lecture on China issues at an American university. When talking about the image of Chinese officials among the people, she mentioned her father with personal experience and mentioned that her father was upright. She never looked back on her life of resolute struggle against corruption, and talked about her father's life of selfless devotion to fame and wealth. She said that there is a problem of corruption in China, but there are still many cadres who insist on justice and integrity. After she finished speaking, everyone present applauded her and applauded her for having such a proud father. At that moment, Li Xia felt proud and relieved like never before.
It is already difficult for a person to do one earth-shattering thing in his life. However, what is even more difficult is for a person to adhere to a kind of ethics throughout his life, and he will not give in to wealth or honor.
According to several of his children, the old man never wanted to mention his past achievements, but he often told his children about the selfless, hard and simple work style of past party members and cadres. He said that at the beginning of liberation, the Tianjin Prefectural Committee was established in the small town of Yangliuqing. At that time, most of the cadres did not bring their families and lived in the canteen. Although it was very difficult, no one complained. All government officials wear gray cloth clothes dyed by themselves. They usually go to the countryside without a car, and sometimes they go to a distant county, covering hundreds of miles and several days. At that time, the wage system had just been implemented. Although everyone's wages were not high, many comrades still tried to save as much money as possible from their daily lives to support the war against U.S. aggression and aid Korea and national economic construction. Usually, not even an envelope or a piece of letter paper is used to gain advantage from the public, and public and private matters are clearly distinguished.
Li Kecai is so strict with himself and equally strict with his children.
Li Kecai did not leave much wealth in his life, but his noble character of being pure and honest and doing things seriously is the true character of a true Communist Party member. His life was a life of conscientiousness, selfless dedication, and the courage to fight against corruption in an upright life, showing the ironclad character and righteousness of a Communist Party member. His lifelong pursuit of truth and his noble character and integrity, his lifelong indifference to fame and fortune, his hard-working and simple life style, are all the endless spiritual wealth he left to future generations.
How much money does a person have to be considered rich, and how much does he lack to be considered poor? American Harry Crosby said it well, "How much wealth a person has should be estimated based on the things he does not need." The less he pursues materially, even if he has a meager meal every day, no car, and a shabby room, he may also be happy in his heart. Very rich. Because compared to those scum who are worth billions but are still corrupt and corrupt, he doesn't need too many things.
It is precisely because he was poor all his life that Li Kecai's name was passed down orally among the people in Cangzhou;
It is also because he was "rich" throughout his life that Li Kecai, a real communist Party members will live in the hearts of the people.