As the great founding leader of China, Chairman Mao has many outstanding points. Not only does he have enough courage and courage, but his wisdom is also amazing. Once, when Nixon visited China, the chairman gave him the famous twelve-character ink treasure, which has also become a problem that has plagued everyone for many years. Not even Chinese scholars can solve the mystery of the twelve characters, let alone the Americans. But with Chairman Mao's wisdom and boldness, these twelve words must have a special deep meaning.
1972 was the year when Sino-US relations broke the ice. After aid to North Korea, there was a rare thaw in U.S.-China relations, because in the two or three decades before that, U.S.-China relations had been tense, even though there was no direct armed conflict between the two sides during this period. But this quiet tension has also suffocated the people of China and the United States. In February 1972, President Nixon and his wife came to China. Premier Zhou Enlai personally met with them, which shows that both sides attach great importance to this interview. Not only that, although Chairman Mao was unable to move at that time, he still dragged his seriously ill body and warmly received President Nixon and Mrs. Nixon. As for gifts, of course, gifts from both sides are exchanged. President Nixon brought exquisite small gifts from the United States, specifically for Chairman Mao and some Chinese officials.
Chairman Mao, as host, also gave President Nixon some gifts, but Nixon strongly demanded "Chairman Mao's calligraphy." This is also the origin of the "twelve-character ink", and Chinese are very clear that Chairman Mao is not only a great politician and military expert, but also his calligraphy and poetry are a great achievement. How could Chairman Mao refuse guests who had traveled thousands of miles as soon as he opened his mouth?
Therefore, the chairman poured ink on the rice paper and wrote 12 words: "The old man sits on the stool, Chang'e runs to the moon, and walks and watches the flowers." Nixon was very interested at the time, and although he could read the three idioms, he did not understand the meaning. Since this is chairman Mao's own inscription, it naturally has a deeper inner meaning. At that time, in addition to applauding, everyone was still thinking about the connotation of these twelve words. After all, the U.S.-China relationship at that time was very special. From the frozen two or three decades to the present, Nixon's ice-breaking journey has a unique significance for both China and the United States. Therefore, Chairman Mao's twelve words are by no means just literal "words."
Later, Nixon returned to the United States with the painting, which caused a lot of criticism at the time. Some even see it as "an expression of malice," but many more take the initiative to "speculate on what these twelve words really mean." At first, along with many Chinese scholars, we were in a state of confusion, as if we were looking at the moon in the water, as if the whole world was waiting for Chairman Mao himself to come out and give the answer, but unfortunately, until Chairman Mao died, we did not wait for the answer we wanted. But speculation hasn't ended, especially with Ross Trier, an American familiar with Chinese history. He also published The Second Half of Mao Zedong's Life and Biography of Mao Zedong.
More importantly, Ross Trier studied under the sinologist John Fairbank. It's the guy you see in high school history textbooks and exercise sets. Drawing on John Fairbank's research on traditional Chinese culture and John Fairbank's insights on Chairman Mao, he came up with his own answer:
(1) The old man sits on a stool
The "old man" alludes to the superpower of the United States, still stubbornly and arrogantly sitting on a stool, looking at the world arrogantly, but not knowing that the bipolar world has been quietly changing;
(2) Chang'e Benyue
"Chang'e" comes from Chinese mythology, when the Chinese satellite "Dongfanghong 1" has been successfully launched, coupled with "Kissinger secretly visited China as early as 1971, when the gift was to bring back a piece of iron ore from the moon", Chairman Mao implied that China has entered a new era of development like the Dongfanghong I that successfully broke through the clouds.
(3) Go and see the flowers
This idiom undoubtedly implies a pejorative connotation, meaning to be sloppy about everything, rather than to know everything carefully. RossTril believes that this is Mao Zedong's response to Nixon's visit to China, and he is only sloppy and sloppy.
If these three idioms are true, as Americans suspect, they contain Chairman Mao's confidence in the rise of New China and contempt for the hegemony of US imperialism, which wants to rule the world.
As for the true meaning of these twelve words, I guess it will not stop. But it is undeniable that today's China is standing on the world stage with a new and high-spirited posture. China is now the second largest economy in the world, and is the largest country in manufacturing, trade in goods, and foreign exchange reserves. China's development is indeed like Chang'e running the moon. The true meaning of those twelve characters is not so important, but he must have condensed Chairman Mao's courage and wisdom, which is a strong stroke in the history of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.