There are more than 6,400 relics from Chairman Mao's later years. Each relic has a thought-provoking story behind it, such as pajamas with 73 patches, "strong and durable" old towels, unusual single-legged glasses...

If you have been to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall in Shaoshan, Hunan, you will definitely be moved by the numerous relics of Chairman Mao.

There are more than 6,400 relics from Chairman Mao's later years. Each relic has a thought-provoking story behind it, such as pajamas with 73 patches, "strong and durable" old towels, unusual one-legged glasses... …

Among the many relics of Chairman Mao, two are particularly special. One is a transparent tall glass wine glass, and the other is an exquisitely crafted business card. If no one reminds you, you may not notice them at all.

What are these two relics? What's the origin? What's the story behind it?

In fact, the original owner of these two things was former US President Nixon . The glass and business card were personal gifts given to Chairman Mao by Nixon during his visit to China in 1972, and have been treasured by Chairman Mao.

This is strange. Chairman Mao rarely accepted gifts. Even if he did, he would register and hand them in. He never kept them privately.

But for the glass and business card given by Nixon, both of which were not expensive gifts at all, Chairman Mao uncharacteristically kept them as personal belongings, which shows how much he valued them.

What is even more uncharacteristic is that Chairman Mao gave Nixon three idioms as gifts in return.

To be precise, it is a calligraphy handwritten by Chairman Mao himself. The content is 3 idioms and 12 characters:

The old man is sitting on a stool, Chang'e Flying to the moon, and walking around watching flowers.

After reading this, Nixon shook his head and was confused, not because he didn't know Chinese (he had a translator), but because he didn't understand the true meaning of these three idioms. He didn't even understand it until he died of illness in 1994. These 3 idioms.

In fact, no one can understand the connotation of these three idioms and 12 characters, not only Nixon. Until now.

Ping Pong diplomacy, Chairman Mao used a small ball to pry the big ball

On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded, and the most alarming person was the United States. Facing this awakening "Lion of the East", they isolated it politically, threatened it militarily, and blocked it economically, trying to strangle it in the bud.

China has become the second largest enemy of the United States after the Soviet Union.

Chairman Mao waved his hand, "Block it! After decades of blockade, China will have everything!"

Sure enough, under the US blockade, Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea won, the national economy recovered, and socialist transformation was completed , the industrial system was built, the infrastructure expanded, and ", two bombs and one star, " came out... The US blockade went bankrupt.

Time came to the late 1960s. With the enmity between China and the Soviet Union, and the United States experiencing internal and external difficulties, the relations between China, the United States, and the Soviet Union also underwent subtle changes.

The United States hopes to win over China, jointly deal with the Soviet Union, and safeguard their interests in the Far East and the Pacific region; China hopes to improve relations with the United States, contain the Soviet Union, India and other countries, and alleviate increasingly severe external pressure.

Such "common interests" have become the basis for the improvement of relations between China and the United States. Chairman Mao's "ping-pong diplomacy" of "small ball leveraging the big ball" has opened a crack in the door between China and the United States after 22 years of isolation. A glimmer of light bloomed.

On February 21, 1972, Nixon arrived in Beijing, shocking the whole world.

When people saw Nixon walking down the gangway on live television and reaching out to Zhou Enlai who was waiting for him, people realized that the world was about to change, and what was about to unfold was a brand new strategic pattern.

Carefully selected, Nixon brought 4 gifts

In international diplomatic occasions, exchanging gifts is an indispensable diplomatic etiquette.

Giving gifts is an art. It should not be too lavish or too shabby. The Chinese have always advocated reciprocity and are good at it, but Americans are troubled by this. They don't understand China and don't know what to give.

In 1971, Kissinger secretly visited China and gave a small piece of rock from the moon as a gift.

Let’s not talk about whether the rocks are real or fake, but China does not seem to be too interested in what Americans regard as treasures and the only gifts in the world, because this country with a vast land, rich resources, and a long history has no shortage of treasures.

This visit is unique, requiring both national gifts and personal gifts.

The national gift brought by Nixon is extraordinary.

This is a gift list, which reads: 40 tons of gold ingots, 12 tons of platinum, natural gemstones .15 million carats, 40 boxes of handicrafts, 3,000 tons of tin, 2,000 tons of aluminum, 8,000 tons of titanium, 2,000 tons of rubber, US dollars, Currencies such as British pounds and Hong Kong dollars...

Of course, the Americans did not directly transport these gold and silver treasures. What they provided was a piece of information - the exact location where the Japanese oil tanker " Awa Maru " sank was in Taiwan Near Pingtan Island at the northern end of the Strait .

In 1945, on the eve of the end of World War II, the Japanese oil tanker "Awa Maru" returned to China with a huge amount of plundered wealth. It was sunk by the US submarine near the Taiwan Strait. .

Later, the Americans relied on advanced satellite technology to detect the exact location of the sunken ship. During Nixon's visit to China, he simply handed this information to Premier Zhou as a national gift.

If the information is accurate, this is an extremely valuable gift, but we cannot verify it on the spot. It was not until January 1977 that our country salvaged based on this information, and indeed the sunken ship "Awa Maru" was salvaged.

What is surprising is that except for the gold ingots and platinum recorded in the gift list, the other items are completely consistent with the "gift list". It can be seen that Nixon's original visit to China was still full of sincerity.

In addition, Nixon brought a pair of American "national treasures" muskox and two North American redwoods . Although these two gifts are both living creatures, they were not accustomed to the local environment after coming to China and were really difficult to serve, but it shows that Nixon was ingenious.

This is a national gift, as well as a personal gift.

At the beginning, the United States wanted to give Chinese officials "Lucette" commemorative medals made of artificial fluorescent resin, plexiglass . However, after thinking about it, the Chinese may not be rare for this kind of object, so they gave up. .

Later, the United States decided to give high-ranking Chinese officials a ceramic model of an American bird ( white swan ); lower-ranking officials were given relatively common souvenirs, such as silver bowls, lighters, and cufflinks.

Of course, the most important thing was the gifts for Chairman Mao. Nixon carefully selected them, and there were four in total.

The first one is crystal glass vase .

Glass is an imported product to the Chinese; crystal is also more popular with foreigners.

The crystal glass vase that Nixon gave to Chairman Mao is a typical Western handicraft. Whether it is crystal or glass, they are all transparent and crystal-clear, symbolizing sincerity; the vase is used for flower arrangement, symbolizing beauty.

Perhaps, Nixon wanted to express his sincerity and yearning for the friendship between the two countries through this gift.

The second one is the porcelain swan.

Ceramics are traditional Chinese handicrafts and the most popular gifts given to foreign countries by China.

But this time, the ceramic crafts that Nixon gave to Chairman Mao were not exported from China to the United States for domestic sales, but were made by the Americans themselves. The manufacturer was LENOX (Chinese name Lenox ). was founded in 1889. is known as "the first bone china brand in the United States" and is also the first choice of high-end ceramics for the White House in the United States.

As for why it is shaped like a swan? Obviously it is to symbolize peace and friendship.

In fact, the national bird of the United States is the bald eagle, which is highly photographed around the world and symbolizes American hegemony. However, the bald eagle is a predator and full of aggression. It is obviously inappropriate to give it to Chairman Mao as a gift.

Nixon gave Chairman Mao ceramics, perhaps to show off his country's technology, but mainly to express peace and friendship. In addition, both China and the United States have ceramic crafts, symbolizing that the two countries have a common basis for improving relations.

There is a difference. Chairman Mao chose to leave two gifts.

Chairman Mao happily accepted the above two gifts, but later turned them over to the state treasury. Chairman Mao kept the other two gifts. This was very rare in Chairman Mao's diplomatic career.

What is so special about these two gifts? Chairman Mao couldn't put it down and kept it as a private collection?

The third gift is a business card.

Business cards are actually a Chinese invention. In ancient times they were called "Mingla", also known as "Mingtie".

In ancient times, when an official came to visit someone, he would first ask the doorman to inform him. When reporting, he would hand over his name card. The host would only let you in after seeing the name card and willing to receive him. Therefore, the name card is also called a greeting card, which is equivalent to today's business card. .

However, in modern times, Chinese people hardly use business cards, but foreigners have begun to use them, and they have gradually become a standard feature in the workplace.

On the afternoon of February 21, Chairman Mao met with Nixon in Fengze Garden.

The hands of the two giants are tightly held together, symbolizing that the relationship between China and the United States has officially begun to break the ice.

After the handshake was completed, Nixon carefully took out his business card and handed it to Chairman Mao himself.

Chairman Mao took the business card and looked at it seriously.

This is a special business card. The texture is hard paper, 10 cm long and 5.5 cm wide. The upper part of the front is the national emblem of the United States, and the lower part is the handwritten signature of the President of the United States of America Richard Nixon " in English.

Turn over the business card. The left side of the back is in English print and the right side is in Chinese engraved handwriting. The content is "Commemorating the visit of the President of the United States of America to the People's Republic of China February 1972."

The entire business card is embedded in a thick, seamless, colorless and transparent plexiglass cuboid, and the entire glass body is packaged in a yellow gold foil box. It is high-end, grand, high-grade, and unique.

Chairman Mao liked this business card very much. He held it in his hand and played with it for a long time, his facial expression lost in thought.

It seems that for him, this business card has extraordinary significance. From this carefully crafted business card, Chairman Mao could see the sincerity of Nixon and the sincerity of the US government.

The fourth gift is a tall glass wine glass.

At first glance, this goblet looks unremarkable. But how could a seemingly ordinary glass goblet become a personal gift to Chairman Mao? There is a story behind it.

On the night of February 21st, Premier Zhou held a grand banquet to welcome Nixon and his party, and drank the national liquor "Maotai". Although Chairman Mao did not attend, the atmosphere of the banquet was very lively with the help of Moutai .

It is rude to come and not return. On the evening of February 25, Nixon held a thank you banquet at the Great Hall of the People. Although it was in China, the tableware used was brought from the United States and was specially used for the White House.

This time, Nixon extended an invitation to Chairman Mao.

Unfortunately, Chairman Mao was unable to attend due to physical reasons.

Nixon felt deeply regretful and had no choice but to choose an exquisite tall glass wine glass. He signed his name on the outside of the bottom with two strokes and asked Wang Hairong, Deputy Director of the Protocol Department, and Tang Wensheng, the English translator, to take it to Chairman Mao.

Chairman Mao received this unexpected gift immediately. He took the colorless and transparent tall glass wine cup and looked at it carefully. He found that the cup was exquisitely curved and crystal clear, making people unable to put it down.

Looking carefully, the outer wall of the cup is engraved with the national emblem of the United States, and the bottom of the cup has the words "LENOX USA" . It is produced by the same manufacturer as the Swan Ceramics. Above it is Nixon's autograph, which is no different from the previous business card.

From this point of view, the four gifts seem to be similar, and none of them are particularly expensive. But why did Chairman Mao hand over the first two gifts and keep the last two gifts as personal belongings? People are a little confused.

I personally think this comes from Chairman Mao’s recognition of Nixon.

Chairman Mao and Nixon had never met each other before, but the two hit it off as if they were old friends they hadn't seen for many years. They shook hands for as long as one minute.

Nixon expressed his admiration for Chairman Mao from the beginning, praising "The Chairman's works have changed the world" . Chairman Mao said to Nixon very humbly: "Your book "Six Crisis" was well written... I voted for you when you ran for election."

The following meeting was not long, but Chairman Mao and Nixon always They respected each other, understood each other, sought common ground while reserving differences, expressed their appreciation and admiration for each other, and soon developed a sense of sympathy for each other.

Because of this, Chairman Mao chose to leave the business card and the higher education glass, because the two gifts had one thing in common - both had Nixon's autograph, but the other two did not.

These two seemingly inconspicuous gifts reflected from one side the great importance attached by the heads of state of China and the United States to the relationship between the two countries, and also witnessed the sympathetic friendship between Chairman Mao and Nixon in every detail.

Reciprocity was reciprocated, and Chairman Mao reciprocated with a 12-character calligraphy book.

Reciprocity was reciprocated, and Chairman Mao also reciprocated gifts. In addition to the national gifts Moutai and giant pandas, there were also personal gifts. The old man wrote three scrolls with a splash of ink, each of which is an idiom, namely:

"The old man sits on a stool", "Chang'e flies to the moon", and "Wanders around watching flowers".

Nixon took the three scrolls and was stunned for a moment.

Nixon knew that Chairman Mao was good at calligraphy, and no one else could ask for his calligraphy, so he was surprised and delighted, as if he had found a treasure. These three idioms

have 12 characters. They seem ordinary but contain profound meanings, but what exactly do they mean? Nixon couldn't figure it out for a moment, and Chairman Mao didn't give an explanation, so he had to leave China with doubts.

Nixon was not in a hurry. He planned to consult Chairman Mao in person during his next visit to China.

Unfortunately, in February 1976, when Nixon, who had stepped down, visited China again, Chairman Mao's health was even worse. Not only was he struggling to walk, he even had difficulty speaking. Nixon could no longer ask him to explain the question of the 12-character calligraphy.

Half a year later, in September 1976, Chairman Mao, a great man of a generation, passed away due to illness, and these 12-character calligraphy became an eternal mystery.

In fact, many domestic and foreign scholars and politicians have had a strong interest in this 12-character calligraphy, and many people have given their own explanations, but no matter how they guess, they can only be guesses after all.

Time flies by, and it has been exactly 50 years since Nixon first visited China.

Today, the delicate relationship between China and the United States has entered a new era. Looking back at Nixon's visit to China 50 years ago, combined with the current Sino-US relations, and analyzing the 12-character calligraphy written by Chairman Mao to him, we seem to be able to gain new insights.

Here, the author is not talented and tries to analyze the 12-character calligraphy that Chairman Mao gave to Nixon 50 years ago.

First, "the old man sitting on the stool" refers to Chairman Mao himself, expressing determination.

Some people think that "Old Man" is Chairman Mao's nickname to make fun of Nixon, or it is a satire that the United States is declining and its national power is declining. The author of

disagrees.

Chairman Mao was born in 1893, and Nixon was born in 1913, a full 20 years younger than Chairman Mao. In 1972, Chairman Mao was 79 years old and Nixon was "only" 59 ​​years old. He was at his most mature moment as a politician. It was obviously inappropriate to call him "old man". Chairman Mao would never make such a "mistake." The author of

believes that the old man is Chairman Mao's self-proclaimed name.

Chairman Mao was naturally optimistic and liked to laugh at himself. In his later years, he often told others that he was old. Calling himself "old man" was in line with his optimistic temperament. In fact, even when dealing with death, Chairman Mao was full of optimism. He often laughed at himself and said: "I have seen Marx waving to me, and I will soon go down to see Marx.""

What does "the old man sitting on a stool" mean? It was Chairman Mao who mocked himself for "sitting in a well and looking at the sky." He was old and could only sit on a stool as a spectator, watching young people turn their hands to form clouds and turn their hands to make rain.

Obviously not.

Chairman Mao's life was a life of revolution, and he could never surrender to old age easily.

The author believes that 's so-called "old man sitting on a stool" expresses a state of mind. A state of "being unfazed by ups and downs, being calm and composed when encountering big storms"

Based on the domestic and international situation at that time, China was in trouble internally and externally. Needless to say, the attitude of the United States was ambiguous externally. The Soviet Union had millions of soldiers, India was eyeing it, and Vietnam was ambitious. , Japan’s desire to destroy me will not die...

Faced with these difficulties, ordinary people have long been exhausted and overwhelmed, but Chairman Mao in his later years has always been stable. No matter how the international situation changes, I have always adhered to the path of socialism and independence.

"When Mount Tai collapses in front of you, your face remains unchanged; when a tsunami strikes behind you, your mind remains calm." This state is like a determined "old man" sitting on a stool, calm and composed, watching the storm with a smile.

Isn’t China today just like China 50 years ago, facing “great changes unseen in a century”? To respond, we can also learn from Chairman Mao’s strategic thinking. No matter how the international situation changes, we must maintain a strong strategic orientation. We strive to build a community with a shared future for mankind with an attitude of "still calmly flying through the chaotic clouds".

Therefore, "the old man sitting on the stool" actually conveys two words: determination.

Secondly, "Chang'e flies to the moon." , refers to China itself, conveying self-confidence.

Chang'e flying to the moon is a well-known Chinese myth , and Americans also know it. However, Chang'e flying to the moon is a fictional story, but the Americans' landing on the moon has become a scientific one. Facts.

On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Armstrong landed on the surface of the moon aboard Apollo 11 and said the classic words: "This is only a small step for me, but a giant step for mankind. step. "

This is an honor that belongs to all mankind and is also part of the space arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

After the success of the manned moon landing, it became a great honor for the Americans and also became a Uncle Sam "Heavyweight weapon", Dr. Kissinger secretly visited China and gave a "moon rock" to China, which was inevitably showing off.

Americans do not know the true meaning of Chairman Mao's idiom "Chang'e flies to the moon". Some American scholars even think that Chairman Mao is "self-conscious" and use the mythical story of "Chang'e landing on the moon" to cheer him up.

For this explanation, I think you can refer to the second half.

In my personal analysis, Mao Zedong The chairman wants to convey our national self-confidence through the ancient mythical story of "Chang'e landing on the moon": Our ancestors have "flyed to the moon" a long time ago. You Americans, don't be complacent. Our backwardness is only temporary. We Chinese will continue to do so. We will definitely land on the moon, and it is impossible for you, the United States, to dominate.

This explanation may not make sense to others, but Chairman Mao is indeed qualified and confident.

When the United States developed atomic bombs , hydrogen bombs , It carried out "nuclear deterrence" and " nuclear blackmail " against China, but the Soviet Union tore up the agreement and withdrew all its experts. We Chinese people were independent and self-reliant, and they just produced "two bombs and one satellite". "Star", we will definitely be able to complete the "Moon Landing Project"! Chairman Mao has this confidence.

Today, 50 years have passed, and we have not let Chairman Mao down.

In 2004, China officially launched a lunar exploration project, named "Chang'e Project" . From "Chang'e 1" to " Chang'e 5 ", China's moon landing project is getting closer and closer to manned moon landing step by step.I believe that sooner or later, the Chinese will be able to land on the moon, and Chairman Mao’s wish will surely come true!

Therefore, "Chang'e flies to the moon" actually conveys two words: confidence.

Third, "watching the flowers on horseback" is a pun, which proves to be sharp.

Walking around and watching the flowers comes from the Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao " After Enrollment " "The spring breeze is so proud that the horse's hoof is sick, and he can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day." After the poet won the Jinshi, he rode on a running horse to look at the flowers and described things as going well. Happy mood.

Later, "watching things" became a derogatory meaning, meaning that you look at things casually and study carelessly.

So, what does it mean when Chairman Mao gave Nixon a "flying tour"?

Some people think that Chairman Mao used this idiom to imply that Nixon's visit was very short, like a quick visit.

This statement has some truth, because there were a total of 8 days before and after Nixon's visit to China in 1972. Although the two sides jointly issued the "Shanghai Joint Communique", it was only a declaration-like document. The two sides did not formally establish diplomatic relations, or even achieve diplomatic relations. Normalization is just the first step towards normalizing diplomatic relations.

In this case, Chairman Mao was obviously not satisfied enough.

However, Chairman Mao may have another intention, which is to insinuate the hypocrisy of the two parties in power in the United States. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party take turns in power. You sing and I come on stage, just like a revolving lantern. On the surface, it is democratic and free. In fact, it is just a political game to fool the people.

Chairman Mao’s vision is so sharp. Now, 50 years later, when we look at the political ecology of the United States, it is as full of hypocrisy as Chairman Mao’s original satire.

The so-called separation of powers and two-party governance are just political games played by the oligarch group. The issue of "gun control" is full of interest group games. Who really cares about the life safety of the American people?

So, "just looking at the flowers" proves two words: sharp.

The above opinions are the personal opinions of the author and are just a personal opinion.

Reference materials: Chinese Communist Party News Network, People's Daily Online, Liberation Daily, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and other related articles.