沈人骅

Shen Renhua (1931—1999) was the eldest grandson of the renowned democrat Shen Junru. His father, Shen Qian, served as Director of Internal Medicine at the Zhongnanhai Clinic. Shen Renhua held the position of Deputy Director of the Political Department at the Air Force Academy.

In 1964, through the introduction of Zhou Enlai’s security secretary He Qian, Shen Renhua married Zhou Bingde, Zhou Enlai’s niece. Their marriage received the support and care of both Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao. Deng not only guided Zhou Bingde thoughtfully in matters of choosing a partner but also personally attended the wedding. Zhou Enlai presented the couple with a landscape photo of Lushan’s Hanpo Pass taken by Deng Yingchao as a wedding gift.

In 1965, Shen Renhua and Zhou Bingde were transferred to work in Xi’an. Soon after, the Cultural Revolution swept across China. Zhou Bingde’s father, Zhou Tongyu, was accused of participating in a “counterrevolutionary organization” and was imprisoned for seven years. As a result, Shen Renhua was reassigned to a military factory in the remote mountains of Zunyi, Guizhou. Life was extremely harsh; the couple worked long hours, often leaving before dawn and returning near midnight, while their young son had to be entrusted to neighbors. Zhou Tongyu’s case was not fully rehabilitated until 1979.

In 1974, Shen Renhua was transferred back to Beijing. Zhou Enlai personally emphasized the need to verify the reasons for the transfer to avoid any perception of nepotism. Afterwards, Shen Renhua devoted himself to research on his grandfather Shen Junru’s life and participated in compiling the *Chronicle of Shen Junru*. However, due to illness, he was unable to complete the planned biography.

Shen Renhua passed away in 1999. In accordance with his father’s wishes, his ashes were scattered at the estuary where the Haihe River flows into the sea in Tianjin.