Looking back on the history of ＂model workers＂ in New China, this spirit should be passed down forever.
Since the founding of New China 69 years ago, groups of model workers have made great contributions in different periods. The excellent quality and spirit of the times embodied in these most beautiful workers, such as "love their jobs, strive for first-class, work hard, be brave in innovation, be indifferent to fame and fortune, and be willing to contribute", have influenced the pursuit of life for generations.
01. Model workers have a history of more than 80 years.
Looking back at history, the origin of the model worker selection and commendation system in New China can be traced back to more than 80 years ago, that is, during the Soviet regime in the 1930s. In January 1934, Comrade Mao Zedong said at the Second National Soviet Congress: "Rewarding those who have made outstanding achievements on the production front is an important way to improve production." If "those who have made outstanding achievements on the production front" are understood as "model workers" in the later sense, this is the earliest exposition of our party on model workers.
On February 6, 1953, Beijing Daily, 1st edition.During the Anti-Japanese War, in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, the recognition of model workers has become a system, and hundreds of model workers have emerged, and labor competitions are in full swing. At the 1943 Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Model Workers Conference, Sun Wanfu, a model worker in the border area, held Mao Zedong’s hand tightly with calloused hands and said excitedly, "The system is still good, and all the people who farm have become models!"
In 1959, delegations participating in the "National Heroes’ Meeting" came to Beijing one after another and were welcomed by the masses. Gao Hong/photo
From September 25th to October 2nd, 1950, the National Conference of Model Workers of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers was held in Beijing. This is the first model worker conference since the founding of New China. At the meeting, the Central People’s Government awarded 464 people the title of "National Model Worker".
Since then, the model worker selection system has been comprehensively promoted and improved. China regularly selects model workers, advanced workers, March 8th Red Flag Bearers and youth commandos in various places, fields and levels, forming a huge and standardized national commendation system. Commenting on the advanced, publicizing the advanced and inspiring the masses with the example of advanced figures have become a powerful means for the new China to promote national construction and social atmosphere change; And the whole people learn advanced, catch up with advanced, and strive to be advanced, which makes China under the socialist system become a rich soil for the emergence of a large number of heroes. (Beijing Daily, 9th edition, April 30, 2005, Revelation of Model Workers)
April 30, 2005, Beijing Daily, 9th edition.According to the records of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, from 1949 to 2015, China held 15 commendation meetings for model workers, commending more than 30,000 national model workers and advanced workers. And there are countless advanced categories and levels evaluated by various localities and industries.
Since the newspaper was founded in 1952, there have been reports on model workers every year, and the deeds of groups of outstanding workers such as Wang Jinxi, Shi Chuanxiang, Meng Tai, Li Shunda, Shen Jilan, Wang Chonglun, Wu Yunduo and Hua Luogeng are vividly on the paper. Model worker is not only an honorary title and a paper award, but also an affirmation of the value of labor and workers by a country and a society.
02. The spirit of model workers has been passed down from generation to generation.
In the team of model workers, there are some fathers and sons, some fathers and daughters, and another three generations are model workers.
Shi Chuanxiang, a former cleaning team worker in Chongwen District, Beijing, proposed that "there is no dignity in work and no dignity in industry; I would rather have one person dirty than ten thousand people clean. He is active in his work. No matter how bad the pit is outside or how deep the pit is, he tries his best to dig it out and clean it up. In 1959, Shi Chuanxiang was rated as a national model worker.
Inherit one’s father’s business. Among Shi Chuanxiang’s four daughters, except for her eldest son, Shi Chunting, who works in Shandong Shengli Oilfield, the other three all work in Beijing sanitation system. The three of them have been rated as advanced workers in sanitation systems and units for many years in a row. Among them, Shi Chunli is also a national new long March commando and won the National May 1 ST Labor Medal. (Beijing Daily, 2nd edition, August 16, 1986, Family Style of Cleaners’ Home)
In 1975, Zhang Binggui was serving. Sima Xiaomeng/photoIn the era of planned economy, Beijing Department Store is a "fully supplied" shopping mall guaranteed by the state, and the candy counter where Zhang Binggui, a salesman, is located is the place with the richest variety of candy in Beijing. Zhang Binggui practiced hard and became a stunt of "weighing accurately and settling accounts at once". Customers want to buy multiple sweets, and he grabs them, and the weight is not bad at all. Even if the customer wants to buy several or even more than a dozen candies with different weights, he can weigh the sweets and do mental arithmetic at the same time. Often, as soon as the customer’s voice falls, he can calculate the price synchronously. With this "one fire" spirit of serving the people wholeheartedly, Zhang Binggui was successively rated as a Beijing model worker and a national model worker.
In 2009, Zhang Binggui’s son, Zhang Chaohe, took the porcelain plate engraved with his father’s portrait and stood in front of the candy counter where Zhang Binggui worked, continuing to carry forward the service spirit of "a fire". Li Jihui/photo
In 1999, Zhang Chaohe, the son of Zhang Binggui, who was also a salesgirl in a department store, stood at the candy counter where his father used to work. Although the times are different, Zhang Chaohe still retains the service spirit of "a fire". What candy should the elderly eat? What’s the best candy for children? What candy should diabetics eat? How many vitamins are contained in chocolate … Zhang Chaohe knows all the new knowledge about these sweets, and he can "make it clear" to customers with different needs. In 2000, Zhang Chaohe was awarded the title of Beijing Model Worker. (Beijing Daily, 1st edition, October 7, 2014, "The Sweetest Counter for Two Generations")
According to the first edition of May 1, 2015, "May the spirit of model workers be passed down from generation to generation", Zhang Ping, then 31, was a guarantee salesman in Shunyi District State-owned Capital Management Center, and she was awarded the title of "Beijing Model Worker" because she never had overdue repayment and compensation problems in her work. In fact, her family is a veritable "model worker’s home". Her grandfather Zhang Degong once turned the fertilizer enterprises that were about to close down into profits and won the title of "Beijing Model Worker" in 1985. Her uncle Zhang Haifeng worked in Beijing Yanjing Beer Co., Ltd., which once created economic benefits of 7.84 million yuan for the enterprise. In 2000, she was awarded as a model worker in Beijing.
On May 1, 2015, Beijing Daily, 1st edition.03. Deviation and embarrassment in selection
There have been some deviations and embarrassment in the selection of model workers.
In the 1950s, some selection experiences of Beijing People’s Printing Factory were published in newspapers, which revealed the problems of mutual promotion and mutual mention of advantages and disadvantages in the formal selection of model workers. As a result, a group of seven people selected four models. When this idea of raising each other is criticized, it produces a bias of crowding out and pressing down. (Beijing Daily, 1st edition, January 11, 1953, Preliminary Experience of Selecting Model Workers by Beijing People’s Printing House)
On July 24, 1978, Beijing Daily, 3rd edition.On July 24, 1978, the third edition of this newspaper published a letter from readers, "Let model workers have enough time to take part in labor", which reflected that some model workers took up a lot of time because of many social activities and meetings, and as a result, their original jobs had to be replaced by others, and the model workers themselves could not make new achievements because of their long time off. This reader hopes that this issue can be taken seriously by party organizations at all levels. Otherwise, without labor and the masses, there is no way to play a leading role, a backbone role and a bridge role, and it will not be able to become a model worker.
On January 11th, 1982, Beijing Daily, 1st edition.There are also some units that reflect that after the appearance of advanced figures, advanced figures and their units are overwhelmed with hardships due to the swarming of news units. For example, there is a young model worker in the system of the Municipal Economic Commission, a national new long March attacker. After his deeds were reported by some media, other media asked for a door-to-door interview. Interviews with newspaper reporters only involve a few people. As soon as TV stations and film studios come, they have to mobilize the masses, the factory has to deploy electricians to cooperate, and many employees have to cooperate with the interviews. After more times, the employees have begun to have opinions on this advanced figure. After the young model worker became famous, social activities increased day by day, and scientific and technological exchanges, off-campus counseling, reports and symposiums followed, which caused great pressure on him. During the day, he used the evening time to work overtime to make up for the work. He was so tired that he couldn’t sleep at night, and his health was affected to some extent … (Beijing Daily, January 11, 1982, 1 ST edition, Interview with Advanced People)
04. Foreigners elected as model workers in Beijing.
With the development of the times and the progress of society, the criteria for selecting model workers are constantly changing.
In the 1950s, the selected model workers were all people who exceeded the production plan, used their brains to find tricks, extended the life of machines, saved tools and made "outstanding achievements in production". By the 1980s, the selection of model workers had changed from choosing workers and physical strength to choosing intellectuals and workers with equal emphasis and combining physical strength and intelligence. (Beijing Daily, 1st edition, January 18, 1985, "New Changes in Model Workers Selection in this Municipality")
January 18, 1985, Beijing Daily, 1st edition.In 1985, with the approval of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, the city also awarded the title of model worker to some outstanding women volleyball players, such as Lang Ping and Yang Xiaojun, and Song Xiaobo, who have created far-reaching influence and made great contributions on their respective fronts.
In 2010, 63-year-old Luc Pilca and 55-year-old An Ming became the first foreign model workers selected in Beijing in the 60 years since the founding of New China. Since then, the selection of model workers and advanced workers in Beijing has no longer restricted their household registration.
April 19, 2010, Beijing Daily, 5th edition.According to reports, the French Luc Pilca was selected as an advanced worker in Beijing. He is one of the founders of interventional neuroradiology in the world and an authority on the research and development of modern X-ray medical equipment. In 2009, Luc Pilca became an honorary professor of Capital Medical University, and since then, he has helped General Electric Company of the United States to move its global medical equipment research and development center to Beijing. An Ming is a Japanese expert in Beijing Taide Pharmaceutical Company. With his help, the "drug missile" technology that can relieve the pain of patients with thrombosis and arteriosclerosis has taken root in Beijing. (Beijing Daily, 5th edition, April 19, 2010, "Foreigners were awarded Beijing Model Workers for the first time")
05. The special issue of "Labor Changing China" has been pushed for 14 years.
"Model worker? Out of date, right? " In the new century, with the diversification of social value judgment standards, people will hear such comments from time to time.
Indeed, at one time, all our heroes, including model workers, were stripped of the attributes of ordinary people and were all portrayed as "tall, big and all-round", respectable but not amiable, or even untrustworthy. Time has passed. When we put our minds right and drive into the highway of reform and innovation, we find that the model workers are not far away, and they are creating touches and miracles around you and me.
Part of the Special Issue of "Labor Changing China"Since 2005, this newspaper has published a special issue "Labor Changed China", and since then, it has met with readers as scheduled on the eve of May Day every year. Up to this year, the special issue has been produced continuously for 14 years, and nearly 200 workers from all walks of life in the capital have been collected. From the initial visit to the famous old model workers in the past to the record of contemporary great country craftsmen, Labor Changed China has become a top-quality column of this newspaper.
As mentioned in the special issue, labor has changed life, changed China and changed the destiny of our nation.
Historical materials: Beijing News Group Graphic Database, Xinhua News Agency, Beijing Federation of Trade Unions.
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Editor: TF009
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