Liu Min

Liu Jian is the grandson of Zhu De, a founding father of the People’s Republic of China and the first of its Ten Marshals. He is the son of Zhu Min, Zhu De’s only daughter. Born in 1953, Liu Jian grew up under the care of his grandfather, who had a significant influence on his upbringing. His mother, Zhu Min, studied at the Moscow Lenin Teachers College in the Soviet Union before returning to China to teach in the Russian Department at Beijing Normal University.

In 1969, after graduating from middle school, Liu Jian responded to Mao Zedong’s call for ‘educated youth to go to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants.’ He was sent to the Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps and assigned to work at the Shuangyashan Farm, where he took care of pigs. At only sixteen years old, he found the work physically demanding and the conditions harsh.

Struggling with the difficulties of rural life, Liu Jian once wrote home requesting to return to Beijing. Zhu De, however, encouraged his grandson to persevere, replying that hardship was necessary to develop strength and empathy for the working people.

This period became a formative part of Liu Jian’s life, shaping his understanding of labor and discipline. He later maintained a low-profile life, reflecting the Zhu family’s tradition of humility, diligence, and moral integrity.