preface
If the most well-known "gate" in Chinese history is selected, then Beijing Tiananmen is naturally famous in the world. This is not because of the importance of Tiananmen in its past feudal history, but because it is a landmark symbol of the People's Republic of China: it has it on the national emblem of the new China, the first set of television news shots has it, and the pattern on the renminbi has it.
In the past history, Tiananmen was a place where feudal emperors exercised power, and whenever there was an important event such as the emperor's rank and the appointment of an empress, an edict would be issued on the upper floor of Tiananmen. After the reading, the officials of the Ministry of Rites knelt under the city gate to receive the edict. For a long time, Tiananmen Square has been a famous "forbidden land", and ordinary people passing by here, even if they look at Tiananmen Square a few more times, will also be punished by the forbidden army in the name of "peeping at the palace gate".
Tiananmen Tower
However, time passed, and on October 1, 1949, after Chairman Mao ascended the Tiananmen Tower, Tiananmen once again returned to the hands of the people. Since then, on every major holiday, important leading comrades of the party and the state will climb the Tiananmen Tower to celebrate with the people, so in the eyes of the people of New China, the Tiananmen Tower is revered and has a bit of a mysterious color, and the masses of the people especially like to put "Tiananmen" and "Chairman Mao" together, as if Chairman Mao lived in Tiananmen.
In fact, chairman Mao's number of times he climbed Tiananmen Square was also limited. According to relevant statistics, Chairman Mao's old man has visited Tiananmen 45 times, under normal circumstances, Chairman Mao goes to Tiananmen twice a year, "May Day" and "Eleventh" once each, but there are exceptions in special circumstances, such as 1966, Chairman Mao went to Tiananmen 8 times a year...
On the eve of the founding ceremony: In order to ensure Chairman Mao's smooth landing on Tiananmen Square, Zhou Enlai stayed up all night
In the early morning of October 1, 1949, the Tiananmen Square duty room.
With a slight "creak" sound of pushing the door, the duty officer sleeping on the table raised his hazy eyes to see that Premier Zhou Enlai, who was originally covered in autumn wind and cold dew, came here to ask about the work. As a result, Premier Zhou asked questions and asked questions, and the duty officer did not answer clearly, which made Premier Zhou very dissatisfied.
Tiananmen Tower in 1949
According to the reason, the person in charge of the duty on September 30 should be Qi Yanming, who is responsible for the preparation of Tiananmen, but Qi Yanming has not closed his eyes for several days and nights before, and he really can't hold on to this day. Since the preparations for Tiananmen Square that night were basically ready, the duty officer volunteered to let Qi Yanming rest, and he drank some wine himself to refresh his mind, but then he really couldn't hold on and slept.
Premier Zhou Enlai could smell the wine from the mouth of the duty officer, and he knew that he could not ask a question anymore, so he frowned deeply, and then directly grabbed the phone: "Pick me up the Tiananmen Tower." ”
Su Fan, who was on the other end of the phone, hurriedly grabbed the phone: "Prime Minister? Well, I'll be ready right away. ”
Premier Zhou Enlai
Soon after, Zhou Enlai climbed the Tiananmen Tower, Su Fan accompanied the visit, at this time the sun had not yet risen, Zhou Enlai slowly paced on the Tiananmen Tower, Premier Zhou thought in his heart: "This is the last acceptance, we must pay attention to every detail." Then, he walked down the Tiananmen Tower and observed the appearance of the Tiananmen Tower from the square in the distance.
Suddenly, Zhou Enlai found a fatal problem, so he raised his hand and pointed to the staff around him: "You see, which country's flag is hanging on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square now?" ”
The staff was stunned and did not know what Zhou En's words meant.
"This is clearly the flag of Vietnam, so you should quickly tear it down!"
Premier Zhou Enlai is at work
The staff suddenly realized that Xiao Ye, a Japanese artist who was originally responsible for the design of the Tiananmen Tower, felt that the feudal atmosphere of the Tiananmen Tower was too strong, so he covered 6 of the 8 screens behind the podium of the Tiananmen Tower with a wooden frame, and placed a golden red five-pointed star in the middle of the large wooden frame, and 20 red cloths were added around it. After the decoration, everyone applauded, but they did not think of looking at the past from a distance, like a golden five-pointed star in the center of a red cloth.
The staff apologized, but Zhou Enlai shook his head and said, "I can't blame you for this matter, this is my negligence." Under the guidance of Zhou Enlai, the staff hurriedly removed the wooden frame with the red cloth.
Chairman Mao preached to the microphone: Turn on the mercury lamp, I want to see the students' ranks!
Chairman Mao had just lay down to sleep when Zhou Enlai was busy making a final inspection of the performance and safety of the environment around Tiananmen Square, and the work habits that Chairman Mao had developed during the war years had not changed; during the period of preparation for the founding ceremony of the people's republic of China, his work was really too busy, and it was absolutely not too much for Chairman Mao to use the phrase "every day to reason with all opportunities" to describe his working state.
Chairman Mao was in Beijing in 1949
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Chairman Mao woke up from his deep sleep, and according to the recollections of the guards around Chairman Mao at that time, Chairman Mao's sleep situation at that time was not very good -- you know, today's founding ceremony, he was the protagonist, how can Chairman Mao's heart calm down?
According to Chairman Mao's habit of getting up, as soon as he woke up, he wanted to pick up the newspaper at the head of the bed to read the latest news, but this daily habit was interrupted by the guards, who had to urge Chairman Mao to dress and eat because of the tight time, and prepare to participate in the founding ceremony.
After eating, Chairman Mao first perked up his spirits and came to the vicinity of Zhongnanhai to preside over the first meeting of the Central People's Government, where comrades Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, and others had long been waiting for Chairman Mao to appear, where Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the Central People's Government, and then seized the time to go downstairs at Tiananmen Square.
At 2:50 p.m., Chairman Mao, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and other comrades came to the upper floor of Tiananmen Square and lined up in turn to climb Tiananmen Square, and Chairman Mao naturally lined up in front of the other comrades and was the first to walk to the center of Tiananmen. The first time he boarded Tiananmen Square, Chairman Mao's expression was very serious, and he looked at the boiling crowd in Tiananmen Square with eager eyes.
After Secretary General Lin Boqu announced the start of the conference, Chairman Mao took a healthy step to the microphone in Tiananmen, he first took a deep breath, tried to maintain emotional stability, and then announced to the world in his characteristic Hunan accent: "The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China has been established!" ”
This sentence has become the starting point of a new historical period. Later, some people said that Chairman Mao also said that "the Chinese people have stood up from now on", but in fact this was not the case, and Chairman Mao did not say anything else.
Chairman Mao is raising the flag
Subsequently, Chairman Mao came to the button of raising the flag, turned the button, and the five-star red flag was suddenly slowly raised along with the solemn "March of the Volunteer Army", and the salute was fired 28 times on Tiananmen Square. At this moment, Chairman Mao is as excited as the masses under Tiananmen Square, and the Chinese Communists and the masses of the people have struggled hard for decades to finally usher in the founding of New China, and it takes less than 30 years to rebuild a new China.
The raising of the flag was followed by an exhilarating military parade. Under the order of Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, Nie Rongzhen, acting chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, led the paraded troops to accept Chairman Mao's inspection, and the square was silent for a moment, only the neat footsteps of the PLA parade team.
Founding Congress of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 (from right: Huang Yanpei, Peng Zhen, Mao Zedong, Li Jishen)
After all the military parades, it was dusk on October 1, followed by a mass parade. In the midst of loud songs such as "Unity is Strength", torches shone on Tiananmen Square, lanterns were waved, and a red ocean of joy was suddenly formed, and the masses shouted out their heartfelt words: "Long live Chairman Mao!" Some people once examined the word "long live", which seemed to be a bit feudal, but people at that time could not think of other words to describe their sincere love and reverence for Chairman Mao.
When Chairman Mao was shouted "Long live" by the tens of millions of people at Tiananmen Square, his mood must have been very uneasy. In the face of the enthusiastic shouts of the masses, Chairman Mao also waved at Tiananmen Square and responded to the masses: "Long live the comrades!" Then Chairman Mao walked up to the microphone and said excitedly, "Turn on the mercury lamp, I want to see the students' ranks!" ”
The new Chinese people sang and danced in Tiananmen Square
Chairman Mao's ascension to the Tiananmen Tower at the founding ceremony was an unforgettable moment for both the masses of the people of New China and Chairman Mao himself, but what Chairman Mao was thinking in his heart at that time could not be shown on his face, which is probably already an insoluble mystery for future generations...
In 1966, Chairman Mao climbed the Tiananmen Tower and asked to see Li Zongren by name: You must pay attention to taking care of your body
In 1966, for Li Zongren, who did not hesitate to travel thousands of miles to return to his roots, there seemed to be nothing unusual, and he was still a guest and made friends as usual. After receiving Li Zongren's notice, Zhang Shizhao hurriedly wrote a letter of persuasion: "Please Mr. Delin must be careful, the current movement is entering a climax period, and I have not been spared by hanging a photo of Chairman Mao and me in the living room." ”
Although Li Zongren was not worried about his own safety, on September 15, Premier Zhou Enlai still found Comrade Gao Fufu, deputy director of the State Council Organ Affairs Bureau, and said to him: "Please send Mr. Li Zongren to the 301 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army for protection, this matter can only be known to you, me, Secretary General Zhou Rongxin and Gao Dengbang (director of the Organ Affairs Bureau). ”
Li Zongren, Chiang Kai-shek and Bai Chongxi took a group photo
On October 1 of that year, the 17th anniversary of the founding of New China, Li Zongren, who was resting at the 301 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, suddenly received a comrade from a superior, saying that Chairman Mao had invited him to Tiananmen Square to participate in the National Day activities and that he would be called to see him at that time. Upon receiving such a notice, Li Zongren's heart was naturally very happy, so he was invited to the lounge of Tiananmen Square to rest. While waiting for Chairman Mao's arrival, Li Zongren naturally sat down with some people in the CPPCC, who were also old friends of Li Zongren, such as Cheng Qian, Fu Zuoyi, and so on.
Soon after, a woman dressed in black also climbed the Tiananmen Tower, and Li Zongren saw that many people got up to salute each other, but Li Zongren did not recognize who she was, so naturally he did not talk to the other party.
After the other party left, Li Zongren whispered to Fu Zuoyi, "Who is that woman?" ”
Fu Zuoyi replied with some incomprehension: "This is Chairman Mao's wife, don't you know?" ”
Old photo of Li Zongren
After hearing Fu Zuoyi's explanation, Li Zongren's face suddenly hung up, and he responded with some blushing: "I only met once last year when I was invited to dinner by Chairman Mao, but now after changing my clothes, I don't recognize it..."
While the two were talking, Chairman Mao's celebration on the top of Tiananmen Square began, and Li Zongren stood on the top of Tiananmen Square looking at the red ocean, as if he was thinking of a thousand thoughts. Suddenly, Chairman Mao walked over to Li Zongren and extended a thick and powerful palm to him to shake his hand.
In 1966, Chairman Mao held a cigarette on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square
Li Zongren hurriedly got up from the sofa and tightly held Chairman Mao's hand: "Hello Chairman, I haven't seen you for a long time!" ”
Chairman Mao smiled and said to him, "You must pay attention to taking care of your body, and we Chinese Communists will not forget you." "It can be seen that Chairman Mao's tone is full of sincerity." Let's go, let's go to tea together. Chairman Mao took his hand and walked to the Tiananmen lounge.
Photo of Li Zongren and his wife
When passing by Lin Biao's side, Chairman Mao enthusiastically introduced himself to Li Zongren: "This is Comrade Lin Biao. ”
"I have long admired your name." Li Zongren had long heard of this marshal Lin Biao, who used soldiers like gods, and gently owed him a debt. At that time, Lin Biao's mood seemed very good, and he stood up enthusiastically and saluted Li Zongren with a military salute: "Mr. Li Zongren was previously a member of the school council of the Whampoa Military Academy, and I, as a student, heard your speech when I was in Huangpu. ”
Subsequently, Chairman Mao and Li Zongren came to the lounge, and Chairman Mao asked Li Zongren to sit first, but Li Zongren refused: "You are the chairman, how can I sit down first?" ”
Chairman Mao shook his head: "No, since ancient times, China has put the elderly first, and you should sit first." ”
After the two sat down, Chairman Mao asked him to talk about his views, and Li Zongren pondered for a while, and replied euphemistically: "Chairman Mao is far-sighted, wise, and great, and although there are some problems at present, these costs are acceptable for the sake of future generations." ”
Li Zongren and Chairman Mao shook hands with each other and had a pleasant conversation
Of course, Chairman Mao's conversation with Li Zongren on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square aroused the interest of some reporters. After Chairman Mao left, some reporters surrounded Li Zongren, wondering if Chairman Mao had just talked to him about some topics, but Li Zongren waved his hand and said, "Just chatted about some household affairs." "As to why Chairman Mao specifically called Li Zongren to Tiananmen Square, there were many opinions among the people later, some people said that it was because Chairman Mao wanted to solicit the opinions of the original Kuomintang elders, and some people said that it was to protect Li Zongren from being shocked...
On National Day in 1970, Chairman Mao invited Snow to climb the Tiananmen Tower: You are a sincere friend of the Chinese people
Three years later, on October 1, 1970, Tiananmen was still very lively, but a special guest came to the Tiananmen Tower, that is, the American journalist Snow, and when the reporter and his wife stepped out of the elevator of the Tiananmen Tower, Premier Zhou Enlai quickly stepped forward and shook the American's hand: "Welcome to Tiananmen, Comrade Snow." ”
Snow excitedly said to Premier Zhou Enlai: "Am I really the first American to climb the Tower of Tiananmen?" ”
Mr. and Mrs. Snow for a group photo
Zhou Enlai naturally nodded affirmatively. "Chairman Mao asked me to invite you over, and you are the most sincere friend of the Chinese people."
Although he had been a good friend of the Chinese Communist Party many years ago, he still had a strong curiosity when he walked up to the Tiananmen Tower, and he felt that everything on the Tiananmen Tower made him feel very new.
A moment later, as the elevator door opened, Chairman Mao's figure once again appeared on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square, and Zhou Enlai and Snow came to meet him, and Snow found that Chairman Mao had changed somewhat from the appearance of the previous year ago, and it was obvious that Chairman Mao had entered the old age.
"Look, Chairman, who's coming?" Zhou Enlai introduced enthusiastically.
"Ah, mr. Snow, god bless, we meet again!" Chairman Mao naturally recognized Snow and shook his hand cordially.
Chairman Mao and the American journalist Snow
Immediately afterward, Chairman Mao introduced Snow to Lin Biao, who was standing nearby: "This is Comrade Lin Biao. Snow and Lin Biao had long been old friends in the Yan'an period, and as early as that time, Snow had interviewed him, only to see Lin Biao say: "Mr. Snow, you were invited by Chairman Mao, and we warmly welcome your arrival!" ”
Later, Chairman Mao called Snow over to stand in the middle of Tiananmen Square, and the photographers around him hurriedly took this precious shot.
Chairman Mao wrote English to Snow
As for Chairman Mao's intention to invite Snow to Tiananmen Square, many people speculated later, especially some intelligence agencies on the US side, for which former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger later wrote in his memoirs: "Chairman Mao was keenly aware that the US side lacked the ability to understand the friendly message conveyed by the Chinese side, resulting in the Chinese side's twisted attitude conveyed completely ignored by the Westerners' rough attitude. Therefore, there is no doubt that Chairman Mao's move to invite Snow to ascend the Tiananmen Tower has sufficient political purposes. In fact, Chairman Mao's purpose was simple, and the message he wanted to convey was only one sentence: It is time for Sino-US relations to thaw.
On December 18, 1970, more than two months later, Chairman Mao clearly pointed out in a conversation with Snow: "How many times have China and the United States talked?" I tell you, it's been talked 136 times in 15 years. Now we're going to talk in person. ”
Snow is on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square
Snow hurriedly asked, "Then would Chairman Mao be willing to see him?" ”
Chairman Mao smiled and replied, "If Nixon really wants to come to Beijing, just tell him and let him quietly get on a plane and go to China." In my opinion, we will not quarrel, of course, criticism must be to criticize him, we also have to do self-criticism. In 1971, Snow mentioned the incident in his last report, but soon after, the most sincere friend of the Chinese died of cancer in Geneva, Switzerland, and he failed to see the formal "ice-breaking" of Sino-US relations.