But all those who came into contact with Mao Zedong were impressed by the strong attraction of Mao Zedong's perfect fusion of personal charm and outstanding talents, not only within the Party, but also among the ordinary people, even by non-Party figures and even foreigners.
In 1944, Mao Zedong welcomed an American observer mission to Yan'an
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >1, the famous American journalist Edgar. Snow looked at Mao Zedong</h1>
In July 1936, under the arrangement of Soong Ching-ling, Snow risked his life to visit the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region for the first time, and after he arrived at the security of the central seat of the CPC Central Committee, he met Mao Zedong, who had a long-admired mao zedong, and Mao Zedong had a close and in-depth long conversation with him. Soon after, Snow recorded in detail his impressions of mao zedong when he first met him.
In Snow's view, Mao zedong was a very interesting and complex person. He has the simple and innocent character of a Chinese farmer, has a sense of humor, and likes to laugh. He laughed hard even when he spoke of himself and of the shortcomings of the Soviets. His laughter was a childlike laugh that did not shake his inner belief in his goals.
Mao was approachable and lived a simple life, which some people might misread as a bit vulgar. Yet he combined the strange qualities of innocence and simplicity with sharp wit and sophistication, a combination that did not conflict with him, but gave him an indescribable charm.
Mao Zedong's first impression of Snow was that he was "born shrewd," and Snow was convinced that this impression could not be wrong. Mao Zedong was also an accomplished scholar who was well versed in old Chinese studies, with extensive books, in-depth study of philosophy and history, a talent for speech and writing, a memory far beyond that of ordinary people, and an unusual ability to concentrate.
Mao's personal habits and appearance seemed to be unruly, but he was meticulous in every detail of his work. His energy was superior, as if he were never-ending, and he was a rather gifted military and political strategist. Many Japanese consider him to be the most talented strategist in China, which is interesting.
Mao's life was no different from that of the average soldier in the Red Army, where his belongings consisted of a roll of bedding and a few pieces of personal clothing, including two sets of cloth uniforms. When Snow met Mao Zedong for the second time, Mao Zedong talked to two young peasants on Yan'an Street, and although Nanjing offered him a reward of 250,000 yuan for his first rank, he did not mind walking with the pedestrians next to him, which made Snow feel very incredible.
Mao Zedong did not have any shadow of arrogance, but his personal self-esteem was extremely strong, and his attitude made people feel that he had a strong courage to make a decision when necessary, Snow had never seen Mao Zedong angry, but Snow had heard that Mao Zedong had lost his temper on several occasions, which made people afraid. It is said that when he lost his temper, his ability to laugh and scold was extremely outstanding and overwhelming.
Snow and Mao
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >2, Liang Shuming, the leader of China's rural construction faction, looks at Mao Zedong</h1>
Liang Shuming and Mao Zedong can be regarded as very lucky people, both were born in 1893, Liang Shuming is 70 days older than Mao Zedong. When he was young, Liang Shuming was a university professor, and Mao Zedong was a small clerk who went north to ask for advice; later, Liang Shuming was a guest of honor of the Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong was the "communist bandit leader" who was chased and suppressed by the Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek and was in a corner of peace.
Liang Shuming's interaction with Mao Zedong actually began very early. In 1917, Liang Shuming was invited by Cai Yuanpei to teach Indian philosophy at Peking University, and became colleagues with Mao Zedong's teacher Yang Changji, and the two soon became friends. Yang Changji is an elder, and Liang Shuming often takes the initiative to visit Yang Changji's home. The door for Liang Shuming was often a tall young man who spoke Hunan dialect, and the two looked at each other and nodded in greeting, but did not inform each other of their names. This tall young man was Mao Zedong.
In 1938, when Liang Shuming went to Yan'an alone as a national political suffragette, when he met Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong said in his first words, Mr. Liang, we have already met, do you remember? In the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918) at Peking University, you were a university lecturer and I was a little librarian. You often come to Mr. Yang Changji's house, always the door I opened, and later Mr. Yang died of illness, and I also became the son-in-law of the Yang family.
When the "July 7 Incident" broke out in 1937, Liang Shuming's rural construction movement that had been carried out in Shandong for 7 years could not continue any longer, and after the defeat of the "August 13" Anti-Japanese War, his mood was extremely pessimistic and depressed. This time, with extreme disappointment in the Chiang Kai-shek government's War of Resistance, extreme anxiety and even pessimism about the future of the War of Resistance, he deliberately went north from Wuhan to Yan'an to ask Mao Zedong for advice on solving the difficult problems of the current situation.
During liang shuming's visit to Yan'an alone, he had in-depth conversations with Mao Zedong eight times on issues such as the future of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and class struggle, and each conversation lasted more than 2 hours, and the longest was even all night. Until half a century later, Liang Shuming can still clearly recall the scene of the conversation with Mao Zedong.
Liang Shuming said: Mao Zedong's words are the Tao, which is reasonable and makes me very impressed. It can even be said that in the past few years, no one has ever made such a convincing conversation to me about the victory of the War of Resistance, as to how to resist Japan and how to develop, nor have I read such an article. I have heard and read Chiang Kai-shek's speeches and proclamations many times, and I have talked with Chiang Kai-shek many times, but I have never had such a great attraction and persuasiveness as this conversation with Mao Zedong.
Later conversations involved issues such as class struggle, and Liang Shuming and Mao Zedong had different views, but Mao Zedong did not impose his opinion on Liang Shuming. Liang Shuming said that what I will never forget is Mao Zedong's style and demeanor as a politician, he sometimes paced, sometimes sat down, sometimes lay on the bed, very relaxed and relaxed, calm. He is immobile, not strong, humorous, often surprising witty, obviously not giving in to each other's arguments, but it makes you feel comfortable, like an old friend talking.
In 1938, Mao Zedong met with Liang Shuming in Yan'an
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >3, Epstein, a reporter for The New York Times and Time Magazine, looks at Mao Zedong</h1>
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces composed of Britain, the United States, France, Canada, Poland, and the Netherlands landed in Normandy, France, and opened the second european battlefield. Three days later, on June 9, the Kuomintang authorities, under pressure from various parties at home and abroad, allowed for the first time a delegation of Chinese and foreign journalists to visit Yan'an. A delegation of 21 foreign reporters, including Epstein, a reporter from The New York Times and Time Magazine, as well as some reporters from major newspapers in the Kuomintang-ruled areas and Kuomintang officials, arrived in Yan'an.
On June 12, Mao Zedong met with a delegation of reporters. Most of the members of the press corps came to Yan'an for the first time and felt fresh about everything here, and they raised many questions in their conversations with Mao Zedong, and Mao Zedong patiently answered them one by one. None of these Chinese and foreign reporters could have imagined that Mao Zedong would meet them so quickly, answer their questions in detail, and return to their residence, and everyone was particularly excited.
Epstein, a reporter for the New York Times and Time Magazine, recorded his personal feelings and experiences in detail in his notes: I feel that in Yan'an, Mao Zedong is accessible and very simple. He would walk in the streets of the loess and talk to the common people, and he would not have guards. When taking pictures with a group of people, including us, he wasn't standing in the middle, and no one was leading him to stand in the middle, he was standing anywhere, sometimes on the side, sometimes simply behind others.
Another deep impression that Mao Zedong left on us in Yan'an was his calmness and self-sufficiency. In his multifaceted relationship with the Kuomintang, Mao Zedong was the main decision-maker, both to avoid the attack of his opponents to avoid civil war and to push his opponents to strike more forcefully against the Japanese army. He was busy formulating domestic and international policies after the end of World War II, writing theory and resolving intra-party debates.
We foreign journalists have been to Chongqing before, and we can't help but compare Mao Zedong with Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing, and it turns out that the two of them have a strong contrast in behavior: Chiang Kai-shek is rigid, restrained, neurotic, monotonous, and seems to be often in a state of tension. Chiang Kai-shek often unnecessarily asked too much chore, and afterwards criticized his commanders for everything they did.
Mao, on the other hand, was extremely good at appointing others to something so that he had enough time to consider and analyze a larger vision; he was also good at setting an example and summarizing experience. Due to traffic blockages and difficulties, Mao Zedong could not give specific military and political instructions to the various anti-Japanese base areas at any time, which required the base areas to understand and follow the overall line and principle set by Mao Zedong, and let them judge and decide their own actions.
In July of the same year, the head of the US military observation group who visited Yan'an, David M. Colonel Bourred also recorded in his memoirs the situation in which Mao Zedong gave his speeches: Mao Zedong always looked at ease, and when he made his views clearly and effectively, he did not roar like thunder, nor did he look at the sky, knock on the table, and other unnatural expressions. The pungent and humorous folk proverbs he quoted caused the audience to burst into laughter from time to time. If there has ever been a speaker who draws his audience through gestures, it is None other than Mao Zedong!
In 1944, Mao Zedong (front row left 4) and others met with a delegation of reporters, Epstein (front row right 4)
Mao Zedong was such a great figure that all those who came into contact with him were impressed by the strong attraction of the perfect fusion of his personal charm and outstanding talents, and it was with this unparalleled strong attraction that he conquered all those who came into contact with him, even his enemies.