Chairman Mao and President Zhu were on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square
On the afternoon of October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held. Mao Zedong read out the "Announcement on the Establishment of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China", which ended with the following paragraph:
Declare to all Governments that this Government is the sole legitimate Government representing the people of the People's Republic of China. Any foreign Government that wishes to abide by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect for territorial sovereignty is willing to establish diplomatic relations with it. This is hereby announced.
Only two hours after the founding ceremony, the Soviet government issued a note to the central government of new China, recognizing the People's Republic of China and becoming the first country to establish diplomatic relations with New China. With the Soviet Union taking the lead, more than a dozen countries in Europe and Asia have successively recognized New China.
For the newborn New China, the soviet union's recognition was of great significance, and Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Party Central Committee were full of gratitude. Soon, Mao Zedong began a visit to the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union had two important purposes: first, to abolish the old Sino-Soviet Treaty, which was not equal, and to hold various negotiations on the re-signing of a new treaty; second, to participate in the celebration of Stalin's 70th birthday and wish Stalin a happy birthday.
In fact, Mao Zedong proposed to visit the Soviet Union very early, but Stalin refused. As early as 1947, Mao Zedong proposed to go to Moscow, stalin was very troubled, he did not know the final outcome of the Chinese civil war, so he did not dare to easily agree. By 1948, seeing that the overall situation had been decided and the Kuomintang soldiers were defeated, Mao Zedong proposed to go to Moscow.
Stalin
Stalin initially agreed, and Mao immediately prepared various gifts. Just as Mao Zedong was about to leave, Stalin politely refused, saying in a telegram: "It is not the right time for you to come now, there is no one in Moscow, and we committee members have all gone down to collect wheat." Therefore, when the Soviet Union agreed to Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong attached great importance to this Trip to Moscow.
As we all know, in exchanges between countries, they all give each other state gifts. As the first national leader of New China, Mao Zedong's visit was of great significance, and there were also people who asked for others, so what kind of gifts to prepare was also particularly important. Ren Bishi, one of the five secretaries of the Central Committee at that time, was fully responsible for the preparations before Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union, and the most important part of the preparatory work was to send gifts.
What gift should I give? Ren Bishi and others really took a lot of thought. Ren Bishi, who had been in the Soviet Union for a long time and knew Stalin better, proposed a principle for what kind of gifts he gave: gifts should be both precious and full of warmth; they should have both traditional Chinese characteristics and a sense of "deliberate".
After everyone's deliberation, a list of "gift combinations" was finally formed, including works of art such as the silk statue of the Grand Marshal, the blue porcelain vase of the Qing Dynasty, the Cloisonné roasted blue tea set, the ivory carved vase and the dragon boat, as well as fine green tea, Keemun black tea, Longjing tea, etc., and even the cabbage, green onions and pears eaten in the homes of ordinary people.
Chairman Mao is instructing the documents
When Mao Zedong reviewed the long list of gifts, he gave special instructions on vegetables and fruits. On December 1 of that year, Mao Zedong personally drafted a telegram to the Shandong Branch of the Communist Party of China:
On the 70th birthday of Comrade Stalin on the 21st day of December this year, the Central Committee decided to send the rhubarb sprouts, turnips, green onions, and large pears produced in Shandong as a birthday gift, and it was necessary to purchase 5,000 catties of each one before December 4, for a total of 20,000 catties. Pay attention to choosing the best. The central government will send a chartered plane to Jinan to pick up the transportation.
The reason for adding cabbage, radish, green onions, and pears to the gifts was also after some careful consideration, mainly to make Stalin feel a sense of intimacy through the common items of these common people's homes. According to the recollections of relevant personnel, sending these vegetables and fruits was to make Stalin realize that the Chinese people also respected him very much.
Because these vegetables and fruits are also souvenirs for the Chinese people to visit their relatives, in addition to gifts, various forms of celebrations were held in China at that time. All this done by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is sending a strong signal to the Soviet Union, asking the Soviet side to give assistance to the nascent China.
Of course, Mao Zedong's personal visit to the Soviet Union was itself a signal to the outside world to "close to the Soviet Union", which was also the beginning of the "one-sided" policy of our diplomacy later. When the gifts were fully prepared, they were filled with two train skins, but Mao Zedong himself could not even buy a new coat.
Chairman Mao arrives in Moscow
On the morning of December 6, 1949, Mao Zedong set off by train. In order to show respect for Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union, Stalin sent his own special train to Manchuria to greet Mao Zedong and his party. At noon on December 16, Mao Arrived in Moscow. Senior Soviet officials who came to greet him were: Molotov, member of the Political Bureau of the CPSU Central Committee and vice chairman of the Council of Ministers, Marshal Bulganin, Minister of Defense, Menshkov, Minister of Foreign Trade, and Gromyko, vice minister of foreign affairs.
In view of mao Zedong's long-distance ride on the car and the cold, the Soviet side only arranged a brief welcome ceremony, which was held by the Soviet honor guard. After the welcoming ceremony, Mao Zedong and his party were arranged by the Soviet Union to stay in a villa on the outskirts of Moscow. At about 6 p.m., Mao and his party arrived at the Kremlin, and Stalin stood at the door of his office to greet them.
Stalin's first words were: "What, the road is still safe, right?" Mao Zedong smiled and replied, "It's all fine." My old friend Chiang Kai-shek is very concerned about my visit, and he is sure to give me some small moves, but we have taken strict precautions. ”
Stalin added, "Congratulations! You have won great victories, your contribution to the people of Chinese is great, and we sincerely wish you good health! ”
Mao Zedong said: "On behalf of the people of the Chinese, I came to the Soviet Union this time to sincerely thank the Soviet people for their support and help, and Chinese people will not forget their friends!" ”
The two sides exchanged pleasantries, and formal talks soon began, focusing on the Sino-Soviet treaty. As early as August 14, 1945, the Kuomintang government signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance with the Soviet Union, which was an unequal treaty. Mao Zedong believed that after the founding of New China, the unequal treaties signed by the previous government should be abolished.
However, when Mao Zedong mentioned the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, Stalin's attitude was not very good, he said: "Before you came, we in the CPSU Central Committee also held a meeting, believing that the 1945 treaty could not be changed for the time being and must be retained. ”
Stalin also said: "This treaty was concluded on the basis of the Yalta Agreement, which means that the treaty was signed with the consent of the United States and Britain. Even if a certain clause is amended, it will legally give the United States and Britain a pretext, and they will raise the issue of amending the provisions of the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin Island. ”
Mao Zedong said that the original treaty was signed by the Kuomintang, and since the Kuomintang had been defeated and retreated to Taiwan, this treaty had no significance in existing. Mao Zedong also raised the issue of wanting the Soviet Union to grant loans and the air and naval assistance needed to liberate Taiwan. For the loan, Stalin said that there was no problem, but naval and air force assistance could not be provided for the time being.
The first meeting was dispersed due to the huge differences between the two sides and their unhappiness. Stalin was very grateful to Mao zedong for the large number of birthday gifts. At that time, the revolutionary parties of the countries of the socialist camp and in the world, and even some individuals, gave Gifts to Stalin.
Give Stalin a birthday celebration at the scene
To show their gratitude, the Soviet side exhibited these gifts, and they placed the gifts from the Chinese side in a prominent position. Here comes the highlight, On December 21, Stalin's seventieth birthday. At the birthday celebration, Stalin specially invited Mao Zedong to sit on his right hand side and let him be the first to speak, which was a very high treatment that only the most honored guests could enjoy.
Mao Zedong's birthday speech was wonderful, interrupted three times by applause. Mao Zedong's birthday message reads as follows:
Dear comrades and friends,
It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this grand meeting to celebrate the seventieth birthday of Comrade Stalin.
Comrade Stalin was a mentor and friend to the people of the world and to the people of the Chinese. He developed the Marxist-Leninist theory of revolution and made an extremely outstanding and broad contribution to the cause of the world communist movement. Chinese people deeply felt the importance of Comrade Stalin's friendship in their arduous struggle against the oppressors.
At this grand meeting, I would like to celebrate Comrade Stalin's seventieth birthday in the name of the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China, to wish him health and longevity, to wish our great friend, the Soviet Union, happiness and strength under the leadership of Comrade Stalin, and to hail the unprecedented unity of the working class of the world under the leadership of Comrade Stalin.
Long live the world working class and the leader of the international communist movement, the great Stalin!
Long live the SOVIET Union, the fortress of world peace and democracy!
Chairman Mao and Stalin talks (imaginary)
Mao's birthday message was full of affection, but Mao Zedong was not happy. Judging from the photos that came out later, Mao Zedong had a cold expression and did not smile at all, and the biggest reason was probably that the results of the first meeting disappointed him. The banquet celebrating Stalin's 70th birthday at that time began at 8 p.m. and didn't end until 1 a.m. the next day.
After returning to his place of accommodation, Mao Zedong said to the staff around him: "I don't know why they have to hold a banquet for so long? I don't see anything good to eat, and I don't see anything to look at. After a night of clapping, my hands hurt. We don't go back to learn this, eat well, and watch the drama to watch the drama. ”
In Mao's view, the process of wishing Stalin a happy birthday was too complicated and lengthy. At the same time, Stalin also accepted too many gifts, which was very bad, so Mao Zedong did not agree to the birthday celebration, and afterwards said to the people around him: "We do not learn from him." ”
On the third day after Stalin's birthday banquet, Mao Zedong once again took the initiative to talk with Stalin. Mao Zedong originally intended that the birthday celebrations a few days ago would be successful, and in such an atmosphere, there should be a breakthrough in the negotiations, but Stalin also said that the old rhetoric was to shut up and not talk about the Sino-Soviet treaty.
The meeting lasted for five hours, but Mao Zedong was extremely annoyed. After that, Stalin called every day to greet him, but he did not want to see Mao Zedong again. Mao zedong was even more angry, and one day Kovalev, who was in charge of liaison between the two sides, came to visit with an interpreter. Apparently, the two were sent by Stalin to look at Mao's situation.
As soon as they met, Mao Zedong said: "You still have to maintain the treaty with the Kuomintang, so you will continue to maintain it, and in a few days I will leave." Mao Zedong said in a very heavy tone, and he added: My task now is three: eating,, and sleeping. Mao zedong was clearly pressuring Stalin to express his dissatisfaction with the Soviet Union's reluctance to sign a new treaty.
The country gave Stalin a birthday celebration scene
For the next few days, Mao remained closed, and soon he waited for a good opportunity. At that time, Western countries paid close attention to Mao Zedong's visit to the Soviet Union, and after seeing that Mao Zedong and Stalin had two talks and were unhappy and reluctant to go out, a British newspaper spread rumors and declared that Mao Zedong was "under house arrest" by Stalin in Moscow! ”
There was a lot of pressure on the Soviet side, and Stalin believed that if Mao Zedong could appear in people's field of vision, the rumors of the Western countries would be self-defeating. So, on New Year's Day in 1950, Stalin sent an invitation to Mao Zedong to travel and visit factories throughout the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong directly refused, on the grounds that "I am 'unwell' and do not want to visit the factory, make a report, or give a public speech for the time being." ”
Mao Zedong and Stalin continued to "compete," and neither side was willing to back down. But Mao soon saw another opportunity. At that time, India, Burma and other countries had the idea of establishing diplomatic relations with New China, and Mao Zedong called Zhou Enlai and others to ask the Party Central Committee to "publicly publish" the news, so as to exert pressure on Stalin, so that "the initiative is still in my hands." ”
Sure enough, Stalin's side could not resist first. On January 2, Stalin, in order to dispel rumors, with the consent of Mao Zedong, drafted a reply to the TASS reporter's question. Mao Zedong and the reporters asked and answered, focusing on answering two questions: how long to visit the Soviet Union and what questions to consider now.
As for how long he stayed in the Soviet Union, Mao Zedong replied: I plan to stay for a few weeks. As for the length of stay in the USSR, it depends in part on the time required to resolve the issues concerning our interests.
As for which questions to consider now, Mao Zedong replied: First of all, the existing Sino-Soviet treaty of friendship and alliance, the Soviet Union's loan to the People's Republic of China, the trade and trade agreement between You and China, and other issues. In addition, I intend to visit several places and cities in the SOVIET Union in order to gain a better understanding of the economic and cultural construction of the Soviet state.
After the reporter's question was published in the newspaper, Mao Zedong and Stalin formed a "tacit understanding." Mao Zedong accepted the arrangements of the Soviet Side, visited some factories near Moscow, and also watched many documentaries on historical figures in Russia and Europe. Stalin joked: "Mao Zedong is really smart, and watching documentaries on people when he has time is the fastest way to understand history." ”
When the time was ripe, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to china: "Comrade Stalin has agreed to Comrade Enlai's coming to Moscow and to sign a new Sino-Soviet treaty of friendship and alliance and agreements on loans, trade, and civil aviation. Soon Zhou Enlai came to Moscow, and the two sides negotiated a new treaty.
The scene of the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance
On February 14, China and the Soviet Union signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance, the Agreement on The Changchun Railway, Lushunkou and Dalian in China, and the Agreement on Soviet Loans to the People's Republic of China. This is a big deal for a nascent China.
It is said that Stalin also said to Mao Zedong before the signing of the treaty: "You have come from afar this time, and you cannot go back empty-handed. Mao Zedong pointed out: "I'm afraid it will be through consultation between the two sides to make something, this thing should be both beautiful and delicious." The so-called good-looking, is the form of good-looking, to be shown to the people of the world, sounding grand; delicious is to have content, taste, real. ”
Mao's strategy was successful, which also announced the complete success of Mao Zedong's first visit to the Soviet Union. On February 17, Mao Zedong and his party left Moscow and returned to China. Compared with the solemn atmosphere before returning home, Mao Zedong was in a good mood when he returned to China, and talked a lot with the staff around him on the train.
Stalin also returned the gift, so the staff was curious why we included so many vegetables in the gift. On this question, Mao Zedong laughed and said to everyone:
"In the era of the Communist International, the Soviet Union did a lot of work to help us, but in the Stalin era it also did a lot of things that were not good for the Chinese revolution. For both of us, there is always a stomach full of gas. Now sending him green onions and turnips can be smooth, which is a gift in one fell swoop. ”
Chairman Mao visits the Soviet Union poster
The staff all nodded, and everyone was impressed by Mao's wisdom. However, the most important thing is the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance. This was Mao's far-sightedness, and the first article of his treaty clearly stipulated:
The Contracting Parties undertake to work together to take all necessary measures with a view to putting an end to the renewed aggression and breach of the peace by Japan or any other Country which is directly or indirectly in collusion with Japan in its acts of aggression. In the event that either Contracting State is invaded by Japan or a State allied with Japan and is therefore in a state of war, the other Contracting Party shall do its utmost to provide military and other assistance.
The parties also declared their willingness to participate in all international activities aimed at ensuring peace and security in the world in a spirit of faithful cooperation and to contribute fully to the speedy realization of that end.
As far as the newborn New China was concerned, our country was facing many external threats at that time, and Chiang Kai-shek in Taiwan constantly clamored for a counter-attack on the mainland. At the same time, on the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam and other places, there are foreign forces that threaten the nascent regime. If the "one-sided" strategy cannot be achieved at this time, the consequences are unimaginable.
Of course, in order to enable the smooth signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance, our side has indeed made some concessions on some issues on which the two sides are very different, which is a decision based on national conditions. Mao Zedong himself later made some clarifications, saying:
"When I visited the Soviet Union in 1950, I argued with Stalin in Moscow for two months. At that time, the two sides adopted two attitudes on the mutual assistance treaty, the medium-long railway, the joint stock company, and the border question: one was that we must argue when we disagreed with the proposal; the other was that if we insisted on it absolutely, we would accept their proposal, which was for the sake of the overall situation and for the sake of socialist interests. ”
In short, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, our country began the construction of socialism in full swing, which laid a preliminary foundation for the subsequent construction of a strong new China. It was also because of the assistance of the Soviet Union that when the "United Nations Army" led by the United States invaded the Korean Peninsula and threatened the security of China's territorial sovereignty, Mao Zedong and the PARTY Central Committee resolutely made the decision to resist the United States and aid Korea and defend the country.