On May 31, 1940, Chen Jiageng, a patriotic overseas Chinese, arrived in Yan'an carrying the high hopes of countless overseas Chinese in Nanyang.
Outside the South Gate, more than 5,000 people, including farmers, children and women, as well as soldiers and high-level cadres, gathered together, gongs and drums, singing and dancing, welcoming his arrival.
Originally, Chen Jiageng was very disgusted by this kind of scene. In early May, when he first arrived in Chongqing, he was very unhappy with the welcome scene of Chiang Kai-shek's government.
He had originally heard that the anti-Japanese environment in China was very difficult, and the economy and materials were very poor, so he arrived in Chongqing only to resist Japan, but he did not expect that the Kuomintang held a welcome ceremony for him with great fanfare and enthusiasm, and the welcome banquet was even more extravagant, and famous cigarettes, wine, and various seafood delicacies were laid out on the table.
Chiang Kai-shek's set made Chen Jiageng look quite sad, and also made him pessimistic about the future of China's anti-Japanese resistance to the extreme.
Later, Ye Jianying and Deng Yingchao, who were still members of our party's office in Chongqing, paid a special visit to yan'an and invited him to Yan'an as a guest, which made him rekindle the starlight on the future of the nation in the future.
During his visit to Yan'an, Chen Jiageng realized that although the welcome of the Chinese Communist Party was grand, it was not extravagant. People were spontaneous, everyone was dressed so plainly, and many soldiers and peasants' clothes were patched but spotless.
When he arrived at Mao Zedong's cave, chairman Mao invited him to eat the first meal, which was even more delicious.
Compared with Chiang Kai-shek's table full of delicacies and seafood, Chairman Mao's table is a plate of cabbage, a plate of pickled radish, and a bowl of chicken soup.
Chairman Mao said, "I don't have any money, but this chicken is still the neighbor's wife who heard that I had a distinguished guest coming and killed me to entertain me!" The chicken was supposed to lay eggs, and usually her son was sick and needed. Otherwise, I wouldn't be willing to kill! ”
After Chen Jiageng listened, he was extremely moved, and the simplicity and sincerity of the Communist Party of China had been fully integrated into this bowl of chicken soup, which was better than Chiang Kai-shek's thousand plates of mountain treasures and seafood.
After Chen Jiageng and his party visited Yan'an, they established a close friendship with our party. He heard that Mao Zedong and Zhu De, as commanders of the one-party and one-army forces, did not have their own special cars, so they specially spent a lot of money to buy two luxurious Ford cars from the United States and transport them to Yan'an for the two of them to transport.
Chen Jiageng
Our story also begins with the car that Chen Jiageng gave to Mao Zedong.
As we all know, people always hold the greatest enthusiasm for Chairman Mao's affairs.
So as the founder of the republic, chairman Mao's life, what kind of cars did he have?
Today, I will list them for you.
One: Chen Jiageng sent two "Ford" brand cars
In 1940, after Mr. Chen Jiageng, a patriotic representative of overseas Chinese in Nanyang, left Yan'an, he spent a lot of money to buy two "Ford" brand cars from the United States.
When Chen Jiageng was invited to visit Yan'an, he was deeply impressed by the spirit and charm of the Chinese Communists, and he heard that such big figures as Mao Zedong and Zhu De did not have their own cars, so he secretly made up his mind to buy a car for them.
In Yan'an, mr. Chen Jiageng had already received a greeting, but when the car really arrived in Yan'an, it still surprised everyone.
This is what a "car", but a proper giant.
The car was pitch black and shiny throughout, and the body was wide enough to sit 10 people. At the rear of the sedan, there are pedals and stabilizing handles for guards.
Obviously, this is a special car tailored by Mr. Chen Jiageng for Chairman Mao and Zhu De, and his deep affection for the Chinese Communist Party has been fully carried in the car.
Originally, Mr. Chen Jiageng's original intention was to have these two cars, Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu, one for each person.
However, as we all know, our Party has always attached importance to democracy and equality, so when everyone discussed and decided to give a special vehicle to Mao Zedong, it was resolutely opposed by Mao Zedong.
In the end, after Chairman Mao and everyone's unanimous consultation, one of the two cars was dedicated to Commander-in-Chief Zhu De, who needed to be commanded in the front.
Zhu De is the commander-in-chief of our army, and he is older, and he has been galloping outside to command operations for many years, and it is obviously impossible to do without a special car.
The other one, on the other hand, is reserved for the central reserve.
Chairman Mao meant that considering that the five elders of Yan'an (Lin Boqu, Xie Jueya, Dong Biwu, Wu Yuzhang, Xu Teli) were old and frail, the five elders had the right of priority to use this car.
Of course, when there is a major mission, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi and other central leaders will also be temporarily called.
But in general, Mao Zedong used less and the organs used more. This car has also become a central bus, and on some major occasions, it can always be seen.
Two: American big jeep
Strictly speaking, Mao's second car was an American-style big jeep.
This car is more special, although Mao Zedong really used it for a short time, and the number of sitting times was even more limited, but it accompanied Mao Zedong and participated in the CCP's "entering Beijing to catch the examination" trip.
On March 23, 1949, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China prepared to depart from Xibaipo to "enter Beijing to catch the examination."
At that time, there were nearly 5,000 people in the headquarters organs, so the central government specially transferred 100 trucks and 20 jeeps from the Northeast Field Army to take charge of the trip to Beijing.
These were American jeeps seized from the Kuomintang.
This oldest big jeep, full of American muscles and strength.
In appearance, it is extremely simple, omitting almost all decorations and parts that are not related to driving. The angular appearance line is as straight as possible, the chassis has a large enough ground clearance, and the driver sits on the car, as if sitting on a high platform holding an iron ring, simple and rough, with a wide field of view.
It is said that in order to pursue wartime effects, this car not only requires the driver to hand-shake while driving, but also does not have a door, and the roof is a foldable tent, which is for the purpose of sitting and standing.
At the time of departure, the secretaries of the Secretariat and the leaders of the Central Committee shared one with their families, and Only Chairman Mao sat alone.
Because Minister Li Kenong said at that time that the central government's trip to Beijing would not be peaceful, Mao Zedong was also worried that he would really have an accident, and in order to avoid harming the pond fish, Mao Zedong deliberately let Jiang Qing and Li Ne take another car.
Why didn't Chairman Mao take the special car sent by Chen Jiageng before?
There are two details here.
First, since the Ford brand arrived in Yan'an, by 1949, its service life was not much. This car is a symbol of the friendship between the Communist Party of China and the overseas Chinese in Nanyang, so the Party Central Committee intends to cherish its feathers and try to use it at the right time and on the right occasion.
2. Xibaipo and Beiping are nearly 350 kilometers apart. At that time, the traffic was far less developed than it is today, so the off-road jeep was obviously more suitable for long bumps and treks than the flat-ground Ford sedan. There's no need to go to a chic car!
The route of the trip into Beijing is roughly as follows: Xibaipo - Shulu, Tang County, Hebei - Baoding - Zhuo County - Beiping.
Originally, the central government's plan was that Xibaipo and Beiping were not far apart, and everyone could take a car to Beijing, and at the same time, they could also go all the way to the grass-roots level to conduct research work.
However, when the large troops arrived in Zhuo County, Minister Li Kenong sent a secret telegram again, saying that it was very likely that the enemy special elements would carry out assassination and sabotage on the way to Beijing. Therefore, the central government temporarily decided to change from Zhuo county to take a train to Beijing. And these American jeeps also got on the train and followed the chiefs to Beijing.
At 2:00 a.m. on March 25, the train arrived at Peking Qinghuayuan Station. After that, Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and others took a short rest in Zhongnanhai.
In the afternoon, Mao Zedong and Zhu De arrived at Beiping Xiyuan Airport.
At Xiyuan Airport, Mao Zedong and Zhu De stood on this American-style jeep that entered Beijing with everyone and presided over the military parade ceremony of the Chinese People's Liberation Army stationed in Beiping.
This car was later moved into Beiping with the CPC Central Committee, and because of its limitations, it was gradually forgotten by everyone.
Three: Soviet-made bulletproof "Gies-115" sedan
This is also Chairman Mao's first special car in the true sense of the word, and it is quite related to the previous American big jeep.
On March 25, 1949, the footage of Mao Zedong and Zhu De riding a large Us-made jeep in the Xiyuan Military Parade was frozen by the reporter with a magnesium lamp.
Later, Stalin, who was far away in the Soviet Union, saw this photo and immediately ordered the relevant departments to hurry up the production of a batch of special cars for the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.
Why did Stalin do this?
There are two reasons for this:
First, the American jeep was made by the Americans, so Stalin looked at it particularly harshly.
Second, as the leader of the new China, he should have his own decent special car and means of transportation. At that time, New China did not have the ability to manufacture cars, so Stalin's move could be used as a congratulatory gift for the founding of New China and a favorable sentiment to consolidate the friendship between the two countries.
In the end, the Soviet Union tailored three bulletproof "Gies" sedans for Mao Zedong, Zhu De and Zhou Enlai.
Mao Zedong's car was the Gies-115.
The big advantage of this car is safety.
Its body is made of thickened special steel plates, the chassis is consolidated with steel plates, even the tires are specially made, and the whole body is extremely heavy, and there is no need to worry about bombs. Even the windows are lifted and lowered by hydraulic control, the glass is extremely thick, and ordinary bullets are helpless.
Of course, it also has two drawbacks.
First, high fuel consumption.
Heavy body weight necessarily means high fuel consumption. This "Gies-115" sedan is quite Soviet-style tough guy style, with an 8-cylinder engine, full of power and simply "oil tiger".
Second, there is no refrigeration system.
As we all know, the Soviet Union has a low temperature all year round, so this car is actually only loaded with a heating system at the factory, forgetting to match the refrigeration.
Chairman Mao was originally afraid of sweating, and in the summer, sitting in this airtight car, it was as if he were in a steamer.
Therefore, in order to slightly adjust the temperature in the car to make Chairman Mao sit more comfortably, the staff also deliberately put a large ice basin in the back seat all year round.
Chairman Mao was quite satisfied with this ingenious idea, and he never hated the fact that the car did not have a refrigeration problem.
Four: Dongfeng "brand 71 type car
Responsibly speaking, for a long time since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao's special cars have been Soviet-made "Gies-115" bulletproof cars.
Mainly domestic automobile production can not keep up for the time being.
In fact, if you had a choice, Chairman Mao was very reluctant to ride in a car made by the Soviets.
As early as February 1950, when he visited the Soviet Union, Chairman Mao, because of Stalin's arrogance and arbitrariness, gradually reduced the number of "Gies" cars donated by him.
Later, when Khrushchev came to power, his attitude toward our country was not very good, so Chairman Mao was even more scornful of Soviet-made cars, and what he most hoped for was that one day he would be able to take a car that we had made ourselves.
On May 5, 1958, a "Dongfeng" Type 71 sedan drove into Zhongnanhai, where it would greet his long-awaited owner, Mao Zedong.
This is China's first domestic car, manufactured by FAW, the car is quite modern style streamlined body, the upper part is silver gray, the lower part is purple red, no less than foreign high-end cars.
In addition, the most satisfying thing for Chairman Mao was that it was equipped with a cold and hot air system, which meant that it would no longer have to suffer from extreme heat in the future.
The car has a top speed of 128 km/h and consumes only 9 litres of fuel per 100 km/ h.
Overall, the car was quite good in the domestic environment at the time.
In the back garden, Chairman Mao Zedong and Lin Boqu and other central leaders laughed happily at the test drive.
In Chairman Mao's mind, the car he produced not only had a full sense of security when sitting inside, but also how to sit comfortably, which alone was stronger than the Soviet style and the American style, so he was quite satisfied.
Of course, after all, this car was only test-driven by Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other party and state leaders, and the purpose was to experience its performance, not a mature model.
At that time, FAW's consideration was that Chairman Mao and others would make suggestions for test drives before starting to finalize the model.
Five: "Hongqi" brand CA72 type luxury car
Not long after Chairman Mao's test drive of the Dongfeng brand sedan on May 5, 1958, in July, the first domestic "Hongqi" brand CA72 high-end sedan left the factory.
In the production of this high-end car in the true sense of our country, the party and state leaders have placed high hopes on FAW and have placed heavy money.
In order to help FAW design a unique model that meets the temperament of Chinese leaders, many party and state leaders also specially donated their own cars to FAW for inspiration and research, including Zhou Enlai's French Renault sedan, Zhu De's Czech "Skoda" sedan and Chen Yi's "Mercedes-Benz" 600 sedan.
In the end, FAW Bozhong's strengths, integrated the essence of China, and designed a unique "Hongqi" car rich in Chinese flavor.
Different from foreign cars, Hongqi cars appear to be atmospheric and moderate, although the body is based on the "Chrysler" C69 type trial production, but the body is unique, unique Chinese style.
Its slender body, dark and shiny throughout, not only has a unique Chinese moderate temperament but also highlights the solemnity and generosity, quite a fuehrer car style.
The front grille of the body adopts the traditional Chinese folding fan shape, and the rear light also uses the big red palace lamp, which is complete with the whole car.
The logo above the bonnet is three red flags, which are shaped like windwards, representing that new China will face the challenge of facing the East.
The first batch of this model was distributed to Chairman Mao after leaving the factory. Throughout his life, Chairman Mao had a special love for this car, and completely dried the Soviet-made Gisse sedan aside.
However, the car did not have a bulletproof function at first, so it was not until 1972 that Chairman Mao sat on the bulletproof series of this car.
Sixth: Lengthen the "Big Red Flag"
When China's first generation of cars came out, it caused a lot of contempt from foreign automotive industries, who stuck in their own ways and paranoidly believed that China's cars were just flower racks and could not be used in the middle.
As we all know, car manufacturing, that is, the longer, the larger the space, the more complex it is, and the more technical it is tested. Therefore, Chairman Mao was very dissatisfied with the criticism of domestic cars by foreign automobiles: We must build our own longest car!
At that time, the domestic automobile leader was FAW, so it shouldered a heavy responsibility, and FAW had an unshirkable responsibility.
Finally, at the end of 1976, FAW finally built a special Hongqi sedan.
The interior is not only high-end and luxurious, equipped with heating and cooling systems, but also the bedroom, air conditioning, refrigerator and TV, etc., which is simply a walking cottage.
Unfortunately, Chairman Mao did not see the car in the end, because he had passed away on September 9.
This car once represented the highest level in Asia, and Hongqi is the only one, which is a proper out-of-print collector's level.
The above is the resume of Mao Zedong's life.
In fact, looking back at history, we find that Chairman Mao's requirements for cars are not high, and if it were not for the needs of work and safety considerations, he would be extremely willing to get close to the masses and mingle with everyone.
Chairman Mao had a habit of being extremely reluctant to squeeze other people's cars, but he was extremely willing to let others squeeze his cars.
Once, when Khrushchev visited China, he invited Khrushchev, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, plus a total of 7 secretaries and guards, to squeeze into his Gies-115 sedan. Seven people stuffed a car, and he grinned happily.
In the history of New China, among the leaders, there was only one such humble person as Chairman Mao.
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