Hongyan Nursery

　　Situated on a hillside approximately sixty to seventy meters west of the office building, this single-story earthen-walled house was built in the traditional style of rural Sichuan. It faces south, overlooking a deep valley and high mountains. In front of the house lies a small stone-paved courtyard. Including the central hall and side rooms, the house has a total of five rooms, covering a construction area of 127 square meters. Originally, this was the workers' quarters of the "Dayou Farm" owned by Rao Guomu. Starting in 1942, the nursery of the Southern Bureau and the office was established here.

　　This nursery was established under the direct care of Comrade Deng Yingchao. In order to allow comrades with children at the Southern Bureau's office to focus on their work, and to ensure that the next generation could grow up healthy and receive a good education from an early age, in early 1942, Deng Yingchao instructed comrades such as Guan Ping and Zhang Debì from the Southern Bureau to set up a "mutual aid childcare group" here. It gradually developed into a full-fledged nursery. Dozens of children from Hongyan once attended this nursery, including “Little Train,” “Little Plane” (son of Xu Dixin), “Little Letian,” “Little Lemei” (son of Rong Gaotang), “Egg” (son of Chen Jiakang), “Guangguang” (son of Shen Guang), “Lightbulb” (son of Cai Shubin), “Beibei” (daughter of Liu Chengqing), “Little Roosevelt” (son of Tong Xiaopeng), “Little Churchill” (daughter of Shi Ximin), “Hillside” (daughter of Hua Gang), “Big Fish” and “Second Fish” (sons of Yu Jiangzhen), “Goldfish” (daughter of Luo Qing), “Little Tiger” (son of Long Feihǔ), “Square” (son of Lai Zulie), “Stubborn” (son of Kang Yimin), among others. Comrades such as Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao often visited the children here during their spare time, playing with them. Deng Yingchao took a liking to “Little Letian” and referred to herself as “Big Letian,” while Zhou Enlai jokingly called himself “Rival Letian.” He even composed a humorous poem titled “Inscription on the Picture of the Two Letians”: Big Letian holds Little Letian, laughing and playing all day long. One day without Little Letian, Big Letian misses him dreadfully. This poem, along with a photo of Deng Yingchao holding “Little Letian,” was later published in the “Hongyuan” wall newspaper run by the Southern Bureau and the office, becoming widely circulated and beloved in Hongyan.

　　Source: Chongqing Hongyan Cultural Development Management Center Author: Liu Liqun