Ms. He Liliang wrote an article for the "19th Snow Symposium"

The "19th Snow Seminar" sponsored by the Beijing Municipal People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and other units was successfully held in Beijing on September 15, causing widespread repercussions. Ms. He Liliang, the wife of Huang Hua, advisor to the China International Friends Research Association and former Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of the State Council, wrote a special article to express congratulations as Snow's friend, and detailed the deep friendship between Vice Premier Huang Hua and Snow. Let's listen to the story of this 95-year-old historical witness, Ms. He Liliang.

Dear friends,

As an advisor to the China International Friends Research Association, I would like to briefly introduce the history of my husband Huang Hua's interaction with Snow, and hereby congratulate the success of the 19th Snow Symposium.

It can be said that Huang Hua was one of the Chinese revolutionary comrades who had the longest contacts with Snow.

Back in 1935 "One two. Before the outbreak of the Nine Movements, in order to avoid arrest by the reactionary government, Huang Hua, together with his Classmates at Yenching University and other comrades of the Peking Students' Federation, came to Snow and Helen's residence in Beiping, No. 13 Armor Factory Hutong (now the location of the Zhong'an Hotel in Beijing), where they wrote to Song Qingling and asked her to point out the way to fight for the Beiping students. In early December, Song Qingling, through Smedley and Snow, replied that he explicitly advised the Pingjin students to "take action." This gives a powerful impetus to the "one two. Nine Movements".

In mid-June 1936, after Comrade Huang Hua saw the news of the arrival of the Central Red Army in northern Shaanxi in the Ta Kung Pao, he decided to go to northern Shaanxi to join the Red Army, and it was at this time that Snow secretly told Huang Hua that the CPC Central Committee had agreed to let him visit the Northern Shaanxi Soviet region and asked Huang Hua if he would like to accompany him to northern Shaanxi and serve as an interpreter for him. Huang Hua felt that this was really a joy to descend from heaven, and immediately and happily agreed to Snow's request, and directly reported to Comrade Huang Jing of the Beiping Municipal Cpc Committee of the CPC on his plan to go to northern Shaanxi with Snow, and obtained consent.

After Huang Hua and Snow arrived in Xi'an, they set off for northern Shaanxi in different ways. In Xi'an, they also met Dr. Ma Haide, who was also going to northern Shaanxi. Both Snow and Ma Haide were introduced to northern Shaanxi by Song Qingling. Snow and Ma Haide arrived at Bao'an (now Zhidan County) first, and Huang Hua went through various twists and turns, and then also arrived at Bao'an, where after meeting with Snow, Snow told Huang Hua that he had interviewed Chairman Mao Zedong several times, and that Wu Liangping and Lu Dingyi had helped translate it, and that he had gained greatly and recorded several books. After interviewing Chairman Mao at the security guard, Snow interviewed many CCP leaders and Red Army commanders and fighters, who spoke to Snow about the many incredible human miracles created by the Red Army during the Long March. In the industrial areas and arsenals of the Soviet Zone, at the logistics base of the Red Army, Snow interviewed workers, engineers and managers about issues, including the treatment of women workers. Questions about the peasantry and the agrarian revolution were also answered. In late August, Snow's interview plan in northern Shaanxi was largely completed, and he was about to go to the Ningxia front to interview, Huang Hua and Snow bid farewell to Chairman Mao, Snow proposed to take a picture of Chairman Mao, and seeing that Chairman Mao's hair was rather messy, Snow took off his brand-new Red Army hat on his head and asked Chairman Mao to put it on. This photograph became Snow's most proud work, and later became a well-known picture of Chairman Mao wearing a Red Army hat. Before leaving the security guard, Chairman Mao asked Snow to first sort out the records of his previous conversations on the establishment of an anti-Japanese national united front and policies, and asked Huang Hua to translate it into a Chinese immediately returned to the security guard so that he could approve it. While resting on the way to the front, Snow used a typewriter to type out the notes three times, and Huang Hua translated it into Chinese and then sent it to the security guards by a Red Army correspondent and handed it over to Chairman Mao.

After Huang Hua, snow and Ma Haide arrived at Prewang fort on the Ningxia front, Snow interviewed Peng Dehuai, commander-in-chief of the Red Army, Zuo Quan, chief of staff, Nie Rongzhen, political commissar, Xu Haidong, Chen Geng, Zhang Aiping, Yang Chengwu, Yang Dezhi, Xiao Hua, and many other Red Army cadres and fighters, and visited the training and exercises of the troops.

Snow interviewed nearly a hundred high- and middle-ranking Cadres of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi and Ningxia left a very deep feeling and vivid impression on him. He saw that the leaders of the Chinese Red Army were brilliant people who were knowledgeable, civilized, knew revolutionary theories and policies, were good at organizing and leading and loving the masses of the people, and were not at all the "bandits" cursed by Chiang Kai-shek. The soldiers of the Red Army were all strong, united, disciplined and studious children of workers and peasants, young people full of revolutionary anti-Japanese fighting spirit and optimism. Most importantly, Snow confirmed in many ways the high morale of the Soldiers of the Red Army and the sincere support of the masses of the people for the Communist Party and the Red Army.

On September 7, Snow returned to Beiping after completing the interview and said goodbye to the comrades of the former enemy committee and Huang Hua and Ma Haide at Prewang Fort. Huang Hua and Ma Haide prepared to follow Chen Geng's Red First Division to southern Gansu, and the Red Army's First, Second, and Fourth Fronts would meet in the Shaanxi-Gansu Border Region. Immediately after returning to Beiping, Snow sent reports to major Newspapers and Periodicals in Britain and the United States to publicize the deeds and propositions of the Red Army and let the whole world know that China had such an anti-Japanese national salvation force with advanced thinking, excellent work style, and vigor. These reports became the most sensational news of the time. He then wrote a book about what he had seen and heard in the Soviet Union, which was first published in England under the title RED STAR OVER CHINA, which was reprinted five times within a month. It shocked the world. In 1938, Shanghai underground party members Hu Yuzhi, Mei Yi and other comrades translated Snow's book into Chinese, and in order to avoid the Kuomintang's press checks, the title of the book was changed to "Journey to the West" in the style of travelogue. Widely circulated in secret among progressive intellectuals, the book became a book that broke the Kuomintang news blockade and countered the smear against the CCP. It allows readers to broaden their horizons, understand the revolution, and guide people to pursue the light. After reading this book, thousands of patriotic young people rushed to Yan'an from all directions to join the revolution.

After the founding of New China, Snow came to China three times. Huang Huayin, who visited China twice in the 1960s, did not participate in the reception work because he was ambassador. In 1960 Snow spent five months in China, visiting 14 provinces and 16 cities to observe the changes that took place in China. Later, he wrote a book about New China, "The Other Side of the Great River". He begins his book by quoting the French philosopher Bascar: "There is a strange law bounded by a river!" What could be more ridiculous than the fact that a man has the right to kill me just because I live on the other side of the river..." This is a satire of U.S. policy hostile to China.

Snow returned to China in August 1970. Premier Zhou instructed Huang Hua and I to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Snow on a tour in Beijing and abroad. In Beijing, he visited Peking University, Tsinghua University, Union Hospital, Erqi Locomotive Factory, etc., and went to Yan'an, Bao'an (Zhidan County), Shenyang, Anshan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan. In particular, on October 1, Huang Hua accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Snow to the Tiananmen Tower to watch the National Day parade, and in the middle of the tower, Chairman Mao stood with Mr. and Mrs. Snow for about forty minutes. Afterwards, Chairman Mao said that this was a test balloon that touched the sensory nerves that touched the United States.

In February 1971, Snow returned to Switzerland after a six-month visit to China. The most important report on his visit to China, and the conversations between Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou, were published in Time magazine in Italy and Life magazine in the United States. In April, a White House spokesman said at a news conference that President Nixon had taken note of the message in Snow's article that he hoped to one day visit China. Snow later developed pancreatic cancer and was admitted to the hospital. At the hospital he received a letter from Nixon saying that he admired Snow's "long and illustrious career" and that he would be visiting China and that he would be greatly honored if Snow could be his envoy to China in advance. Obviously, Snow is not only a pioneer journalist who introduced the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Red Army to the world, but also an important paver who broke the ice of Sino-US relations.

In January 1972, snow was seriously ill, and Ma Haide received a letter of help from Mrs. Snow, and China sent a six-member medical team led by Ma Haid to Switzerland. At the beginning of February, Snow was critically ill, and Premier Zhou instructed Huang Hua, who was holding a meeting abroad, to visit Snow and greet Snow on behalf of Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou. When Huang Hua arrived, Ma Haide said to Snow, "Who do you see coming?" It's Huang Hua! The weak Snow stretched out his hands, grasped Huang Hua and Ma Haide's hands tightly, and said with all his strength, "Ah, the three of us red bandits are together again." They remembered the stormy moment 36 years ago.

On February 15, 1972, six days before Nixon's visit to China, Snow passed away. Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and Soong Ching-ling sent telegrams of condolence. According to Snow's last words, part of his ashes were placed on the shores of the unnamed lake of Peking University, and Marshal Ye Jianying wrote an inscription.

Chinese Min's best friend is gone, and we will always miss him! The Snow Seminar is a good form of our remembrance of him. I wish the seminar better and better!

Related Links

The 19th Snow Symposium was held in Beijing

Author: Dr. Chen

Editor: Xinhui Liu