Winner of "July 1st Medal" | Huang Baomei, the first generation model worker in New China: Spinning for the people all his life.

Huang Baomei still remembers three important moments in her life: the first was in November 1952. At the age of 21, she became a glorious Communist party member because of her hard work and outstanding performance.
The second was in February 1956, when she met Chairman Mao in Shanghai. "The chairman told me that the textile factory is good, and it is up to you for the people of the whole country to wear clothes." Since then, not being an actress or an improper cadre, "spinning for the people" has become her lifelong career.
The third is November 2019. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader visited Yangpu Riverside and encouraged her to tell young people more about it, so as to strengthen their confidence in Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road, theory, system and culture.
On June 10th, 2021, Huang Baomei was looking through old photos at home. Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Ying photo
Huang Baomei, who worked as a child laborer in a Japanese-owned cotton mill at the age of 13, has been rated as a model worker in Shanghai, the Ministry of Textile Industry and the whole country for seven times, and now works as an anchor in Bili Bili, giving party lessons to young people, and won the "July 1st Medal" in his octogenarian years. He is a "witness, participant and devotee" in the development of new China under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
"Spinning hard for the people"
[Spinning for the people is hard work]
Before being interviewed by reporters at home, 90-year-old Huang Baomei had just returned from the second injection of COVID-19 vaccine in the community. With silver hair, she is full of smiles, straight waist, full of gas in her speech, and has no old age.
"When I was 13 years old, I worked as a child laborer in a Japanese cotton mill in Shanghai. I got up at four o’clock every morning and walked dozens of kilometers in the factory one day." Huang Baomei said.
In 1931, Huang Baomei was born in Shanghai. Her parents looked forward to it and named her "Bao Mei". Unfortunately, when there are internal troubles and foreign invasion, who can be a "baby"?
In 1944, at the age of 13, she entered the Japanese-funded Yufeng Cotton Mill as a child laborer. "At that time, I worked 12 hours a day, and I didn’t see the sun all day. My back ached and my legs ached, and my fingers were often bleeding by gauze. If the yarn is broken, it will be beaten by’ Namwin’ (foreman). You can’t go home until you are copied at night. " Huang Baomei said.
On May 27th, 1949, Shanghai was liberated. "The magic soldiers descended from heaven, and the people’s liberation army was everywhere on the road." Huang Baomei recalled. She was born again in Shanghai Guomian No.17 Factory. "At that time, I thought, since communist party is serving the people and spinning is also serving the people, I will work hard and work hard."
[New China first generation model worker]
At that time, there was a shortage of materials, and Shanghai’s textile industry occupied half of the country. Textile mills calculated the accounts, "wasting one or two rolls of flowers is equal to three bowls of white rice." Huang Baomei, as a woman who stopped the car, tried her best to reduce the waste of leather roller flowers in the spinning process. She explored the operation method of "single-line tour, two-sided care and no turning back", which was popularized in the whole factory, not only saving one-third of the manpower, but also making the machine run 24 hours a day. After the promotion, the factory implemented the 8-hour working system.
At that time, among all the female workers in No.17 Factory, Huang Baomei spent the least and wasted the least. The 23 yarns she spun were only 0.3% spent on leather rollers. Because of his outstanding work performance, in 1953, Huang Baomei stood out from hundreds of thousands of spinning workers in Shanghai and became a model worker of China Textile Industry Department. In 1956 and 1959, she was awarded the national model worker twice.
This is Huang Baomei (third from left), a spinning car stopper in Shanghai Guomian No.17 Factory, performing the operation technique (data photo, 1959). Xinhua News Agency reporter Xia Daoling photo
"In 1956, I met Chairman Mao in Shanghai. Chairman Mao asked me what I do. I said, I’m in a textile factory. Chairman Mao said that the textile mills are good, and it is up to you for the people of the whole country to wear clothes. " Reminiscent of his trip to Beijing by train to attend a meeting, Huang Baomei made this sentence a lifelong commitment: spinning for the people.
"Actors don’t do it, and cadres don’t do it."
[Play yourself in the movie]
"This film was written according to the true deeds of Comrade Huang Baomei of Shanghai Guomian No.17 Factory, and it was also performed by the person who created these lives."
In 1958, Huang Baomei, a 48-minute black-and-white film directed by Xie Jin, was filmed, which caused a nationwide sensation. More than 10 people, including Huang Baomei, who is in his twenties, are full-time filming in Shanghai Guomian No.17 Factory, and all of them are "acting themselves" in the movies.
Huang Baomei looked through the old photos of herself as a textile worker at her home in Shanghai (photo taken on June 10th, 2021). Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Ying photo
The film tells the story of persistence without "ups and downs": the yarn quality of Huang Baomei spinning is still excellent by "switching" the machines with other female workers; In the competition, she led the team to eliminate the "white spots" on the knot in four and a half hours to reduce waste; A scene of "swapping machines" triggered a big discussion about whether people should master machines or machines should master people-Huang Baomei believed that people should master machines, not machines.
[My post is always in the workshop]
In 1959, Huang Baomei, Lin Zexu and Five Golden Flowers were sent to Beijing as gifts for the 10th anniversary of the National Day. Many leaders said that the film "Huang Baomei" was very successful and highly praised, and suggested that Huang Baomei be a professional actor.
Huang Baomei knows that she is not a professional actress, and the director doesn’t ask much of her. "If you are a professional actor, the requirements are different, and even a walk-on is not available."
At the age of 26, the organization appointed Huang Baomei as a cadre. After a few days, she was "sick all over" and solemnly proposed to go back to the workshop. Huang Baomei has always believed in "professionalism" and "my post is always in the workshop". At the end of 1986 and the beginning of 1987, she retired from the workshop at the age of 55 after working in the workshop for more than 40 years.
In the 1980s, Huang Baomei was also "seconded" to Qidong, Jiangsu Province to help start the Junan Cotton Mill. At that time, cotton spinning raw materials and machinery and equipment were extremely tight, and Huang Baomei went to Beijing and Qingdao to run for the enterprise day and night. When she left three years later, the small township-run factory was already very prosperous. After retirement, she continued to shine, participated in the construction of several cotton mills in many places, and helped "for free".
"party member will never retire"
["After 90" who was the anchor]
Today, Huang Baomei lives with his son and daughter-in-law for four generations. Huang Baomei, who has lived in Yangpu Riverside all his life, witnessed the earth-shaking changes in Shanghai and the transformation of Yangpu Riverside from "industrial rust belt" to "life show belt". From "Miss Huang" and "Mother Huang" to "Grandma Huang" with silver hair, she has found a new way to shine-telling the younger generation about the history of the party.
Huang Baomei (second from left) led the new and old youth commandos on the same stage in the theme group day to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the May 4th Movement (photo taken on May 4th, 2017). Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Ying photo
Her schedule is full: after returning to the community, she used "embroidery" to persuade community residents to actively participate in the construction of a "good neighborhood home"; Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, she has given full play to the vanguard and exemplary role, taking the lead in calling on her children and grandchildren to donate money together with the residents of the community to send love to the "guardians of the city".
As a member of the Shanghai Bailao Moral Education Lecturer Group and the Positive Energy Studio of the "Golden Sunset" veteran cadres in Yangpu District, she often goes to schools and companies to give lectures on party classes. In October, 2020, her party class was broadcast live, "Take the baton of our predecessors" and "Praise Grandma Huang’s feelings for the people"-young netizens said during the live broadcast.
[Life is endless and struggle is endless]
On November 2, 2019, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader visited Shanghai. At the "Everyone’s House" service station in Yangpu Riverside Public Space, Huang Baomei told the General Secretary about her life and realized the development and prosperity of the new China she witnessed.
"The general secretary told me to talk more with young people in the future." Huang Baomei said, the communist party member retired endlessly, and she just wanted to mobilize young people to build the country together. "The people who attended the class said that I spoke well, and that grandma should talk more. Now I am like this. As long as my energy allows, I will definitely talk more. "
On April 27th, 2016, Huang Baomei (second from left) told the medical staff about his work experience in that year. Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Fei photo
Many people who have listened to Huang Baomei’s lecture said, "Grandma Huang’s life story and moral grace are a vivid book. In her, patriotism is no longer abstract and empty, but can be touched and felt. "
After winning the "July 1st Medal", Huang Baomei felt more responsible. "The’ July 1 Medal’ is very heavy on the chest. It represents a spiritual strength and represents the mission shouldered by party member." Huang Baomei said, "I am an ordinary worker. I never thought that the party and the country would give me such a high honor. I am still in good health, and I must continue to take root in the grassroots communities in Shanghai, so that my life will never stop and my struggle will not stop. "
Reporter: Joline.
Editor: Jia Zhen, Leng Yanyan
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