Speaking of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, the most talked about topic is the "ping-pong diplomacy" in 1971 -- in April of that year, Chairman Mao personally approved the invitation of the US table tennis delegation to visit China, showing China's sincerity in exchanges with the United States, and opening the epoch-making drama of "small ball turning the big ball".
Before that, however, there are two details that cannot be ignored.
First, on February 1, 1969, just 12 days after Nixon was sworn in, he asked government officials to explore the possibility of contact with Chinese officials.
Second, on October 1, 1970, Chairman Mao invited Chinese's old friend and American writer Edgar Snow to attend the New China's National Day ceremony, and let him follow him and climb the Tiananmen Tower together. On December 18 of the same year, Chairman Mao sent a message through Snow that China welcomed Nixon's visit to China.
Speaking of Edgar Snow, I believe that everyone will not be unfamiliar.
He was the author of "The Red Star Shines on China" (Journey to the West), and was the first person to comprehensively publicize the true image of the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army overseas.
His "Red Star Shines on China" was published in London, England, and caused a great sensation among the readership.
He was a messenger of peace and was later named one of the 100 heroic and exemplary figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China.
After he came to China in 1928, he regarded China as his second hometown and deeply attached himself to the land.
After returning to the United States in 1941, he has been working hard to "build a bridge of friendship between China and the United States", and for this reason, he has gone to the White House three times to meet President Roosevelt.
In April 1971, when the U.S. table tennis team visited Beijing, Snow wasted no time in publishing an "exclusive insider news" in Life magazine, revealing what Chairman Mao had said to him: China welcomes Richard Nixon, both as a tourist and as president.
Unfortunately, just as Nixon was leaving for Beijing, Snow died of illness.
Some of his ashes were buried in China.
On January 29, 1979, Deng Xiaoping, then Vice Premier of the State Council, paid an official visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
This was the first visit of a Chinese leader to the United States after the founding of New China.
During his eight-day visit to the United States, Deng Xiaoping conducted a series of nongovernmental foreign affairs contacts in addition to formal meetings with US President Carter and others.
Among them, he unexpectedly received a handwritten letter written to him by Chairman Mao 42 years ago.
The messenger was delivered by an old lady with two white sideburns.
As soon as the old lady saw Deng Xiaoping, she tightly held Deng Xiaoping's hand and said with infinite emotion: "We should have met 42 years ago!" ”
Deng Xiaoping, through the introduction of the interpreter, shook her hand and asked hesitantly, "You Mrs. Snow?" Did you look for me 42 years ago? ”
"Yes, I used to look for you 42 years ago, you see, what is this?" Mrs. Snow raised a letter and solemnly handed it to Deng Xiaoping.
When Deng Xiaoping opened the letter, he was confronted by Chairman Mao's familiar font of vigorous and powerful dragons and phoenixes!
This is a letter of introduction written by Chairman Mao himself!
The letter reads:
Reading this letter, Deng Xiaoping's appearance was as usual, but his heart was full of ups and downs and tumbling.
His thoughts suddenly drifted back to the era of artillery fire 42 years ago: on December 12, 1936, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched an incident in Xi'an, and Chiang Kai-shek was forced to accept the Communist Party of China's proposition of cooperating in joint resistance against Japan; on July 7, 1937, Japan launched the Lugou Bridge Incident to open the prelude to a full-scale war of aggression against China; on August 22, 1937, the Military Commission of the National Government officially announced the reorganization of the Red Army into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and the anti-Japanese national united front was officially formed. He himself had led his troops to the Taihang Mountains a week earlier, with Ren Bishi...
Lao Qin makes a special note here: this Mrs. Snow is the first wife of Edgar Snow mentioned above, Helen Foster.
Helen Foster was born in Seda, Utah, to parents who were some of the best journalists in the United States.
Influenced by her parents, Helen has developed a keen interest in the journalistic profession since childhood.
During college, she inadvertently read Snow's articles, and was immediately attracted by Snow's literary style and adventurous spirit, and soon became a die-hard fan of Snow.
In order to "chase the stars", she gave up her studies, came to China in 1931, successfully found Snow, harvested full of love, and married Snow on Christmas Day 1932 - after her name, she added Snow's surname, and never changed, even after the divorce.
Speaking of which, Snow was able to achieve such a great achievement later, and Helen was indispensable.
You know, at that time, Snow, first in the primeval forest on the border between China and Myanmar was kicked by a mule kneecap, and after returning to Shanghai, he fell ill with malaria, and after repeated blows, his will was depressed, and he was planning to return to the United States in 1932.
Because of Helen's appearance, his life was rejuvenated, he gave up the idea of returning to the United States, and indulged in love wholeheartedly.
Snow's "Journey to the West", on which he became famous in his lifetime, is not actually his own solo work, but a co-author with Helen.
Snow entered Bao'an (present-day Zhidan County), northern Shaanxi, in June 1936 and successfully interviewed a group of CCP leaders and Red Army commanders.
In the autumn and winter of that year, he returned home with a full load and returned to his home in the Courtyard of No. 13 of the Beiping Armor Factory, discussing with Helen how to organize and publish the materials he brought back to the world.
He said regretfully: "It is really a fly in the ointment, I have not met Zhu De and other outstanding Red Army generals." ”
Yes, when he arrived at the security guard, all he encountered was the Red Army and the Red Army in northern Shaanxi after the division, Zhu De, Liu Bocheng and others were still in the Red Fourth Front, while the Red First and Fourth Fronts met in Huining in October of that year; the Red First and Second Fronts met at Jiangtai Fort even later.
Helen listened to her husband's words and said very dissatisfiedly: "Zhu Mao has never separated the family, you only interviewed Mao, not Zhu, what is this?" Wait, I will definitely go to the Sioux area at all costs and interview people you didn't have time to visit! ”
Helen did what she said, she left Beiping in late April 1937 and arrived in Yan'an, northern Shaanxi province, after all kinds of hardships.
In Yan'an, she completely sank her heart and spent nearly five months interviewing 65 senior Red Army generals, including Chairman Mao, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Wentian, and other leaders of the Communist Party of China, as well as Peng Dehuai, Liu Bocheng, He Long, Xiao Ke, and others, and wrote short biographies for 34 of them.
She and Chairman Mao had 5 long, memorable conversations.
There is no doubt that her interview greatly enriched the "Journey to the West" that her husband was writing and revising, and she also used the rest of the material to write a sister article comparable to the "Journey to the West" (the foreign version is "Red China Insider").
However, the publication of "The Journey to the West" was suppressed by various reactionary forces, so that its achievements were far inferior to those of "Journey to the West".
Then again, although Helen interviewed 65 senior Red Army generals, ren Bishi, director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army, and Deng Xiaoping, deputy director, were missing.
When she heard that Ren Bi and Deng Xiaoping were on the Yunyang front, she pressed hard for Chairman Mao's permission to go to the front with the Red Army troops.
Chairman Mao could not help her, but he was worried about her safety, so he took up his pen and wrote a short introduction letter that she asked her to bring to Ren Bishi and Deng Xiaoping.
Unfortunately, it did not happen that when Helen took this letter and hurried to Yunyang, Ren Bishi and Deng Xiaoping had already led their troops to the Taihang Mountains.
Helen had planned to continue to follow Deng Xiaoping's footsteps to the Taihang Mountains, but received a telegram from her husband, Snow.
Snow informed her in a telegram that the situation was urgent and that she must leave immediately and return to Beiping via Qingdao, otherwise she would not be able to return this year.
In this regard, Helen could only look up to the sky and sigh, with full of regret and the letter that had not yet been sent, detoured to Qingdao and returned to Beiping.
Helen and Snow divorced in 1949 in Salt Lake City, USA, on the grounds of "personality incompatibility."
Snow and Helen had no children, and snow soon after divorcing Helen, went to the marriage hall with American actress Lois Wheeler, and had a pair of children Christopher and Xian Snow.
Helen remained unmarried for the rest of her life and lived alone.
Like her ex-husband Snow, Helen loves China, and she has been engaged in her China studies, believing that sino-US relations will definitely break the ice.
From 1949 to 1979, a full 30 years, Helen finally waited for the day when Sino-US relations broke the ice, and when she handed over the letter that she had treasured for 42 years to the recipient, Deng Xiaoping, she felt relieved and felt that her life's mission had been completed.
When Deng Xiaoping read the letter, he felt as if he had passed away, and the letter writer and the other person who received the letter, Ren Bishi, were no longer there, but the common smoke years were unforgettable.
Helen was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in her later years.
In 1991, she received the "Understanding and International Friendship Award" from the Chinese Writers Association and the China Literature Foundation.
In June 1996, the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries awarded her the honorary title of "People's Friendship Messenger".
On January 11, 1997, Helen passed away peacefully at the age of 90.