Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the gifts received by Chairman Mao Zedong in international exchanges have been colorful and profound. They are historical physical evidence of diplomatic events in New China.

text/Meng Hong

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China , the gifts received by Chairman Mao Zedong in international exchanges can be described as colorful and profound. They are historical physical evidence of diplomatic events in New China. Some are priceless, some are very kind and affectionate, which is a vivid reflection of the folk customs and artistic styles of various countries, and each piece is engraved with the past history and extraordinary achievements of the diplomacy of New China.

50s: close contacts with the Soviet Union and North Korea

11On October 1, 1949 As soon as the New China announced its intention to establish diplomatic relations to the world, on October 3, the Soviet Union took the lead in making positive responses, the first to recognize the New China and expressed that it would establish diplomatic relations immediately, and within a few days, the ambassador was sent to the New China to take office. Soon, Mao Zedong was sincerely invited to visit.

This is the first time the head of state of the New China has visited abroad. This visit was nominally congratulated on the birthday of Stalin , and in fact, it was to create a "both good-looking and delicious" with the Soviet Union. On December 21, Mao Zedong attended the grand celebration of Stalin's 70th birthday at the Bolshoi Theater. Mao Zedong's congratulations at the conference aroused strong response from the high-level delegations of the Communist Party of various countries present.

On January 20, 1950, Premier Zhou Enlai arrived in Moscow. After several rounds of talks, the two sides reached a consensus on signing the " Sino-Soviet Friendship Alliance and Mutual Assistance Treaty ". On February 14, during Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union, the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance in the Kremlin. This is what Mao Zedong said, "it's both good-looking and delicious." The actual results of this visit, namely the signing of the Sino-Soviet Friendship and Alliance and Mutual Assistance Treaty, gave the new republic great support from the Soviet Union.

◆At a banquet to celebrate Stalin's 70th birthday in Moscow, Mao Zedong and Stalin were together.

The first visit of the leader of the New China, pleased to receive a plastic architectural model gift for Stalin's former residence. This gift also has special commemorative and symbolic significance because of Stalin's identity as an international communist leader. Who knows that plastic had just been invented and was an extremely rare and precious material at that time. The gifts made from this are of course expensive and extremely precious.

That night, China held a grand reception at the Mitre Paul Hotel near the Kremlin under the name of Wang Jiaxiang, Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Stalin made an exception and led members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to attend the banquet. There were more than 500 Chinese and Soviet officials attending the banquet, which filled the banquet hall. The main course of the banquet is traditional Chinese hot pot. The hot pot placed in front of Stalin and Mao Zedong is specially made.

This hot pot is a birthday gift specially given to Stalin by the Chinese side from China. Before the banquet began, Soviet security personnel took it away, and later found that the original copper hotpot turned silver-white. The Soviet Union said that it was afraid that copper would be toxic, so it specially coated with a layer of tin. Stalin was obviously not good at eating hot pot. When he was having a meal, he put the raw winter bamboo shoots directly into his mouth and said, "It's delicious, delicious!" Mao Zedong picked up a piece of bamboo shoots, put them in the hot pot, and then put them in his mouth, and smiled and said, "It's better to eat this way." Stalin tried it according to Mao Zedong's appearance and said, "It's indeed good, Chinese food is indeed well-known!"

The gifts about this visit were very distinctive. Because it is a birthday celebration, a "birthday gift" is naturally indispensable. These gifts, as state gifts, may be very rare in modern diplomatic history. Before going to the Soviet Union, in accordance with Mao Zedong's requirements, the relevant parties made careful and meticulous preparations. In order to select a birthday gift for Stalin, on December 1, Mao Zedong personally drafted a telegram to the Shandong Branch of the Communist Party of China, clearly requiring: "Comrade Stalin's 70th birthday on December 21 this year, the central government decided to send the big yellow sprouted cabbage, large radish , green onions, and large pears (i.e. Laiyang pear ) produced in Shandong as birthday gifts." Each 5,000 kilograms totaled 20,000 kilograms, and the central government sent a plane to Jinan to pick up and transport it, and asked to "pay attention to choosing the best one."In addition to the above-mentioned vegetables and fruits in the Soviet Union (including Hebei duck pears and snow pears, green-skinned red-hearted round radishes from Beijing, Jiangxi small kumquats, etc.), the agricultural products in the birthday gifts also purchased and transported Zhejiang's Longjing tea , Anhui's Qimen black tea , Jiangxi's winter bamboo shoots , etc. In addition, we also brought porcelain from Jingdezhen, Hunan Hunan embroidery Stalin statue, Fujian lacquerware, Hangzhou silk textiles and embroidery screens, Kweichow Moutai , Shanghai famous cigarettes, ivory carving , and copper hot pot, 12 pairs of ivory chopsticks, etc.

This time I went to Moscow to celebrate Stalin's birthday. The gifts Mao Zedong brought were given in the name of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, and the People's Liberation Army of China.

New China has just been founded and everything is in trouble. The Chinese government will not be able to take it out as a national gift, but this has already embodied the sincerity of the Chinese leaders.

Mao Zedong's visit was too few and there were no special concierge staff members. If you have to talk about the concierge work of this visit, you must mention Premier Zhou, who is paying attention to this work. Premier Zhou sent the chairman abroad and back home, personally prepared some gifts, and personally cared for the birthday gifts given to Stalin and other Soviet leaders.

Diplomatic waves have just settled and started again. Less than a year after returning from a successful visit to the Soviet Union, Mao Zedong racked his brains to plan things for the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. Faced with the aggressive ambition of "American imperialism and its lackeys" at that time, which was very aggressive and had great strength to kill the new People's Republic of China in the cradle, Chairman Mao Zedong looked forward to the forefront and personally planned the "Porcelain Diplomacy" that has been sung forever.

When the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea reached a arduous and stalemate, Chairman Mao Zedong, who was far away in Beijing, was always paying attention to and commanding the Korean War. While carrying out a vigorous support for the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in China, a good show of "Porcelain Plate Diplomacy" was launched under the director of Chairman Mao Zedong... In early summer of 1951, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China instructed the Jiangxi Provincial Committee to fire the "Water Margin Story Plate" as a national gift porcelain to Stalin, requiring it to be "high-end, special, and beautiful" and can fully reflect China's "national characteristics".

Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee immediately sent personnel to Jingdezhen and decided to focus on the royal imperial kilns of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and renamed the porcelain factory after liberation, and invited domestic porcelain elites to jointly plan, design and fire this set of "Water Margin Story Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Por According to the stories of the 108 generals of Water Margin, 108 stories were designed. In order to more fully express the profound intention of Chairman Mao Zedong to present the "Water Margin Story Porcelain" to Stalin, the General Office of the Central Committee decided to add the seven-character poem plate written by the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee and the Yongsheng Book "Portrait the Way for Heaven" regular script postscript last plate , a total of 110 pieces are for one set, and each plate is written with "gifts from the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China". All the production staff of Jianguo Porcelain Factory were inspired by the enthusiasm of Sino-Soviet friendship, and did their best to refine porcelain clay and glaze. The masters of painting carefully designed the pictures and meticulously, and finally successfully fired three sets of "Water Margin Story Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcela After leaving the kiln, he selected a set of people to send them to Beijing. Chairman Mao Zedong was very satisfied and gave it as a national gift porcelain and presented it to Stalin in the name of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

◆The "Water Margin Story Porcelain" presented to Stalin by Mao Zedong, including the seven-character poem plate and the Yongsheng script "Performing the Way for Heaven" at the end of the regular script postscript.

Stalin loves this exquisite set of "Water Margin Story Porcelain Plate" and is more aware of the implicit meaning that Chairman Mao hopes that he, the big brother, "does his way for heaven."

So, Stalin and the Soviet Union led by him gave strong support to the arduous battle of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.In addition to the early days of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's entry into North Korea, Stalin ordered the Soviet Air Force and the Air Defense Force's anti-aircraft artillery units to directly participate in the war, and strongly supported the early days of the Volunteer Army's entry into North Korea, he also specially trained the Air Force for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and sent an advisory group to assist the young Chinese Air Force in the battle. According to the backward and outdated actual situation of the Volunteer Army's weapons and equipment, the Socialist Soviet Union led by Stalin provided all the equipment of 40 army divisions, a large number of transport vehicles, military supplies and other assistance to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. It also equipped the huge "Katyusha" rocket launcher, which made the terrifying " United Nations Army ", with the Volunteer Army artillery, making indelible contributions to the victory of 's resistance to U.S. aggression and aid Korea.

Time flies, and it passes like flowing water. More than 70 years have passed, but the 110 "Water Margin Story Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain Porcelain" that were tempered and specially made, representing the highest level of Chinese porcelain making at that time, played an indelible role in the "Porcelain Porcelain Diplomacy" directed by the founding leader. After Stalin's death, this set of 110 "Water Margin Story Porcelain Plates" was used as a symbol of Sino-Soviet friendship and was permanently collected by the Soviet National Museum (that is, today's Russian National Museum). In the 1980s, a delegation from Hunan Province visited Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital, and saw the remaining two sets of "Water Margin Story Porcelain Plates" at the Ceramic Research Institute of the Ministry of Light Industry of Jingdezhen. Out of respect for Chairman Mao’s “porcelain plate diplomacy” strategy and love for this rare and superb porcelain plate, an industrialist in Hunan spent a huge amount of money to buy a collection, which has become the only complete set in China. This set of exquisite and rare porcelain vividly records Chairman Mao Zedong's superb diplomatic art.

On July 27, 1953, the signing of the "Korean Armistice Agreement" marked the end of the Korean War , which lasted more than three years. The people of China and North Korea formed a deep friendship formed in blood in the struggle to jointly resist the invading army. In November of the same year, Kim Il-sung visited. Among the gifts he brought, there was a rectangular lacquer box embedded in mother-of-pearl wooden tire, which was particularly eye-catching. The center of the cover of the box is inlaid with four large characters "Longevity and Border" inlaid with snails. This is a birthday gift specially given to Chairman Mao Zedong on his 60th birthday by all citizens of Pyongyang, North Korea. This lacquer box was carefully crafted by Pyongyang artists. mother-of-pearl lacquerware craftsmanship is a traditional handicraft in China and North Korea, and is well-known. This lacquer is rectangular, with a slightly larger base, short feet, slightly bulging surface of the box, and the primer is black, which is bright and moist. The pattern is a geometric symmetrical figure, and the delicate and delicate vine patterns are decorated with mother-of-pearl around it, showing the superb skills of the North Korean artists and expressing the good wishes of the North Korean people. The utensil language of this lacquer box naturally implies that "the two countries are in harmony, and they are as close as paint."

◆In 1953, all citizens of Pyongyang, North Korea gave Mao Zedong a 60th birthday.

New China's diplomacy can be said to be layered. The beautiful state gift of "Gold-inlaid gem jewelry and malachite jewelry box" was presented to Chairman Mao Zedong, Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, who just took office in September 1954, when he was the first secretary of the Communist Party of China. Khrushchev was invited to attend the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This visit was the first visit of the supreme leader of the Soviet Union and the first time Khrushchev visited China. In order to show friendship with China, Khrushchev specially selected this set of gifts to give to Mao Zedong. Among them, the malachite jewelry box is 35.2 cm long, 20.5 cm wide and 17 cm high. It is carved from a whole piece of malachite. It is very rare that such a large whole piece of malachite is so bright in color and so delicate in texture. Malachite is not only a precious gem, but also has the meaning of bringing good luck in Western culture. It is a gift to family and closest friends. Although Sino-Soviet relations began to deteriorate in the late 1950s, judging from this gift, the two countries were still very close at that time. This gift was a historical witness to the friendship between Sino-Soviet relations at that time.

60s: Extensive exchanges with many countries such as Asia, Africa and Latin America

After the mid-1960s, the Sino-Soviet conflict intensified, Sino-Soviet relations eventually completely broke down, and the socialist camp no longer existed. At this time, China had just survived three years of natural disasters. Faced with the pressure of the Soviet Union withdrew its experts, severing aid, and blockade from Western countries led by the United States, China began to actively expand its diplomatic field and was committed to developing friendly relations with Asian, African and Latin America countries that achieved political independence. In February 1961, Prime Minister of the Myanmar Federal Government, Wu Nu, presented Mao Zedong with a phoenix-headed guzheng that was 87 cm long and 91.5 cm high. The phoenix-headed guzheng is a type of ancient Burmese musical instrument. It was introduced to my country more than a thousand years ago. In the Dunhuang Thousand Buddha Cave mural, there is a phoenix-headed guitar. One day, a woman sat and played it in her arms, which looked like this kind of musical instrument. The Myanmar literary and artistic groups who have visited and performed in China in recent years have the instruments of the phoenix-headed guzheng, which is inherited from ancient music and continues to this day. This guanhou is coated with gold paint on a high-quality wooden tire. On the boat-shaped piano plate shining with golden light, there is a curved piano head like a peacock's neck. It is elegant and natural. It is like a sail full of drums. It spreads 14 strings, and the performer plays the elegant piano music like a dream with his fingertips. The instrument is beautifully shaped, gorgeous in color and exquisite in craftsmanship. As a noble gift, it not only shows the superb skills of Burmese artists, but also means that China-Myanmar friendship has a long history.

In October 1965, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia gave Mao Zedong a wooden snake-patterned mirror with a diameter of 58.37 cm. The frame is made of high-quality mahogany, the inner frame is coated with vermilion lacquer , and the outer frame is carved with patterns. The patterns are divided into three groups: the innermost group is a rope pattern, the middle group is a cloud pattern, and the outermost group is a snake pattern. On the left side of the mirror are two snakes entangled, and on the right side are cloud patterns intersecting. The entire outer frame is painted in a bright golden color, making it solemn and luxurious. The shape and production process of this mirror have a typical style of Cambodian Royal Family. At the same time, Mao Zedong was given a bronze human-shaped bell with a height of 15.5 cm and a diameter of 4.1 cm. This craft consists of two parts: upper and lower parts. The upper part is an actor dancing: he wears a tall crown and a traditional palace dance dress. He hits the ground with one foot and raises the other high, making an action. The lower part is a barrel-shaped copper bell . The mouth of the bell is slightly retracted, deep abdomen, and the bottom is retracted, in a trumpet-shaped and flat bottom. The whole craft looks beautiful and exquisite.

◆In October 1965, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia presented Mao Zedong with a wooden snake-patterned edge mirror.

◆The bronze humanoid bell is given at the same time.

1965, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Thailand presented Chairman Mao Zedong with a set of silver cigarettes. This set of cigarette utensils consists of two pieces: cigarette box and a ashtray. The cigarette box is 9.8 cm high and 7.3 cm in diameter; the ashtray is 4.8 cm high and 5.8 cm in diameter. It is made of silver and the outer layer is dark blue paint. cigarette box is a straight tube type commonly found in Thai society, with the dragon boat pattern painted on the wall. The ashtray has a round mouth and a flat belly. There are three smoke tanks on the mouth. The outer wall is painted with a dragon boat pattern, a flat bottom, and three wedge-shaped legs are supported by the bottom. The whole set of ashtray has excellent texture, generous and practical.

1966, when Prince Bi Landra visited China, he presented Mao Zedong with a gold filigree inlay stone Buddha niche that was 61 cm tall and 38 cm wide. In Nepal, there are more temples than residences and more Buddha statues than residents. The Prince of Nepal gave this Buddhist shrine to Chairman Mao, which can be said to be the most Nepalese gift. The Buddha niche is a dome, covering the eaves outside; the niche body is square, the inside of the niche is wood, painted in vermilion red; the niche seat is inverted trapezoid, with edges on the bottom and flat bottom. The whole body of the Buddha niche adopts the filigree process, and uses gold to make patterns in phoenix tail, double-petal, heart-shaped and other styles, and uses red and blue two-dimensional stone to make patterns in reverse "food" shape, round shape and other styles, which are symmetrical up and down and left and right. The entire craft is exquisitely crafted and extremely luxurious. It is not only a typical Buddhist instrument, but also reflects the connotation of Nepal's traditional culture.

70s: With the breakthrough progress in relations with the United States and Japan, the diplomatic field has become increasingly broad

The most worthy of the book is the diplomatic activities of China and the United States, and the national gifts in it are also of unique significance and interest, which is endless aftertaste.

On February 21, 1972, the whole world's attention was focused on Beijing. Zhou Enlai warmly welcomed the first president in the United States to visit without establishing national relations at the airport. At 2:40 pm that day, Chairman Mao Zedong met with President Nixon in his study at Zhongnanhai . The two powerful hands were held together, and the time for shaking hands was much greater than the time for polite handshake. The ice that had been isolated from China and the United States for a long time began to melt at this extraordinary moment.

As the practice of international exchanges, the leaders of the two countries first gave each other gifts. That year, Nixon's visit to China and the publication of the Shanghai Communiqué marked the beginning of the normalization of relations between China and the United States, and these gifts became a true witness to this major historical event.

Nixon's visit to China is a major event in the history of New China's diplomatic affairs and an important turning point in international relations. Its impact is very far-reaching.

Nixon attached great importance to this visit. In addition to sending special security assistant Dr. Kissinger and sending a advance team to China to discuss the visit, he also made careful arrangements for the details of the visit. Before leaving, Nixon and his wife read a lot of books introducing China, learned to use chopsticks, and also studied Chinese specifically. He specifically instructed the secretary to choose a precious gift to Chairman Mao Zedong. Nixon took great pains to select the gifts given to Mao Zedong. Some people advocated sending planes, some people advocated sending cars... But after many selections, Nixon finally selected large-scale porcelain swan artworks as precious national gifts. Swan is a very auspicious and simple animal loved by the American people. Legend has it that it can bring happiness and good luck to mankind. This gift was fired by the Bom Ceramic Art Center in New Jersey, USA. The founder of the Art Center is Mr. Edward Marshall Pohmer, a famous American biologist and master of bird and hard porcelain firing art. This time the porcelain swan is his last masterpiece in his later years. Unfortunately, he failed to see the final completion of porcelain sculpture swan and passed away. Later, it took two years for other artists to finish it. This expresses the American people's good wishes to live in peace with the Chinese people. At that time, two pieces were made, one was stored in the National Museum in New York, and the other was chosen as a gift to Chairman Mao.

◆In February 1972, US President Nixon presented Mao Zedong with porcelain swan sculptures.

At 6:30 on the night when Nixon arrived in Beijing, a ceremony for the two countries to give gifts to each other was held in the Great Hall of the People in . Gifts from both sides are placed on two long tables with green tables on both sides of the hall, with Chinese and English gift lists with refined national emblem patterns on the table. The gifts we gave include: a white jade wool-lift fan beam oil bottle, a double-sided Suzhou embroidery large screen, and a set of glass yarn hand-embroidered table cloth. The gift of the US side was a porcelain-sculpted swan that flew to Beijing on the " Air Force One " special plane.

In order to welcome this gift, Premier Zhou Enlai specially held a ceremony in the Beijing Hall of the Great Hall of the People, and accepted the gift on behalf of Chairman Mao Zedong. There is no precedent in diplomatic etiquette. At that time, Premier Zhou Enlai first presented gifts to President Nixon and his wife on behalf of Chairman Mao and the Chinese government. Han Xu, Director of the Concierge Division of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, introduced the origin and characteristics of the gift. Then, President Nixon excitedly introduced to Premier Zhou in detail the US national gift - the production process of the porcelain swan, the life of the producer, and the deep friendship contained. The gift is composed of a pair of white swans leading three little swans, which symbolizes a harmonious and pleasant family. The swan father spread his wings and was about to fly, the swan mother was lowering her head and caressing the little swan, while the three little swans were playing happily beside their parents. The swan feathers are distinctly rooted, the lake water is rippling, the water and grass are green, and even the ladybug lying on the grass is lifelike.

Nixon told Premier Zhou that this porcelain sculpture is called "Bird of Peace". The swan is a precious animal that is deeply loved by the American people and the people of the world. It symbolizes the hope of peace and friendship, and hopes that it will bring good signs of development to the relationship between the United States and China.

At that time, the Chinese and American people present hugged warm applause.

Premier Zhou expressed deep gratitude on behalf of Chairman Mao and the Chinese government, and expressed his intention to preserve it well and to exhibit it to the outside world in the future. According to Premier Zhou's instructions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Concierge Division arranged for two weeks to display the porcelain-sculpted swans in the reception hall of the Great Hall of the People, and then extended the exhibition time according to the eager request of the general public. Later, considering that long-term use of the reception hall would have some impact on foreign affairs activities, the swan was stored in the Palace Museum for a period of time. The porcelain swan is now at the China International Friendship Museum and is regarded as the treasure of the museum.

As we all know, Mao Zedong especially likes smoking. So President Nixon chose a sterling silver cigarette box with a strange shape, exquisite craftsmanship and engraved with the American Eagle as a gift. Giving a state gift is related to the subtleties of personal hobbies, which reflects the giftee's extraordinary wisdom and deep friendship.

During this meeting, President Nixon also gave the "Coral Bonsai" he brought randomly as a national gift to Chairman Mao Zedong.

This exquisite "Coral Bonsai" is very eye-catching and amazing. In a cluster of white corals, several green seaweed swayed gently with the current. Above the seaweed, a big fish was swimming leisurely. Five cute little fish chased each other and played happily, showing the richness and colorfulness of the seabed creatures. The whole work better grasps the living environment and habits of undersea creatures. The creatures shaped are lifelike and the colors are bright and dark, giving people the feeling of being in person. This gift is a historical witness to the opening of a new page of Sino-US relations 50 years ago.

◆ "Coral Bonsai" given to Mao Zedong by Nixon.

Later President Nixon wrote in his memoirs: "When we hold hands, one era ends and another begins", and all this can be reflected in the vivid "big-mouthed fish" that "swim" from the other side of the ocean.

This "Coral Bonsai" that resembles real coral is actually fired from hard porcelain. It is priceless by the late American famous modern porcelain fire art master Edward Marshall Pohm.

U.S. President Nixon visited China for the first time, and the gifts he brought to China were indeed very heavy. What is particularly meaningful is that there is a list of "gifts" among the gifts given. The list details the name and quantity of the huge amount of money on the Japanese "Awa Maru" warship sunk near Pingtan Island at the northern end of Taiwan Strait, as well as important information such as the accurate longitude and longitude of the ship's sinking. This warship was sunk by the US military during World War II . The ship carried a large number of gems, currencies, handicrafts, non-ferrous metals, , etc. plundered by Japan. In addition to the above gifts, Mao Zedong also received several other gifts from Nixon: crystal glass vase , Nixon's own business card and goblet glass. The porcelain swans and crystal glass vases were soon handed over to the state treasury. Mao Zedong loved the goblet glasses given by Nixon and kept them by his side. It is not polite to come and not go to

. This is a concentrated expression of the fine culture and virtues of the Chinese nation for five thousand years and the etiquette principle that has always been adhered to. As a return, Mao Zedong immediately wrote three beautiful and exquisite banners and gave them to Nixon, which were: "The old man sat on the bench", " Chang'e Running to the moon" and "Watching the horse and watching the flowers". Each banner has only four characters, and the content of each banner has nothing to do with it. It is both humorous and interesting, concise and bright, and has a rich Chinese traditional culture flavor, with great artistic conception and intriguing taste.

Although Nixon had made careful preparations before visiting China, he selected and read some representative poems of Mao Zedong and had a certain understanding and research on Mao Zedong's poems, when he received this special gift from Mao Zedong, he looked left and right and was still confused and still did not understand the meaning. Later, Mao Zedong told a group of military cadres in Wuhan: Nixon didn't understand what I wrote.

The world has had many speculations on these three banners, trying to solve the mystery of Mao Zedong's gift of the banner. On the one hand, American R. Trier, who once wrote "The Biography of Mao Zedong", once gave his own explanation for these three profound and difficult banners: the old man sitting on the stool in "The old man sitting on the stool" is imperialism, the Chang'e in "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" is a symbol of the satellite , and "Seeing the Flowers" refers to Nixon's short itinerary in China, like a flash of flowers. Literally speaking, R. Trier's explanation seems to make sense, but does it make Mao Zedong look too simple and do it give people a simple and thin feeling? On the other hand, some people in China believe that the banner given to Nixon in Mao Zedong's book is metaphor for the past, present and future of Sino-US relations.

The meeting between the Chinese and US leaders was originally scheduled for 15 minutes, but the ceremony of giving and appreciating the national gifts created a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for the exchanges between the two sides. After more than 20 years, the first meeting between the leaders of China and the US continued to more than an hour without realizing it. People who love peaceful development around the world are delighted to see the bright prospects for a great improvement in Sino-US relations.

This article is original "Party History Bo Cai"

Reprinting without permission

Infringement will be prosecuted

right protection support: Hebei Ji Neng Law Firm