On March 4, 1953, after Gao Gang learned the news of Stalin's sudden cerebral hemorrhage, Gao Gang, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Lin Boqu, and others went to the Soviet Embassy in China to meet with Ambassador Pan Youxin and expressed deep concern and condolences about Stalin's serious illness.
On 4 March, upon learning of Stalin's serious illness, Mao Zedong, together with Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and Gao Gang, went to the Soviet Embassy in China to meet with Ambassador Pan Youxin, asking him to convey the concern and condolences of the Chinese, the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese government for Stalin's illness, and expressed his hope for Stalin's early recovery. On the night of March 5, Stalin died.
On 6 March, Mao Zedong sent a telegram of condolences and, together with Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Lin Boqu, Zhang Wentian, Peng Zhen, and Deng Xiaoping, went to the Soviet Embassy in China to offer condolences and asked Ambassador Pan Youxin to convey the infinite mourning and reverence of the people of Chinese, the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese government for Stalin.
On March 9, Mao Zedong published an article in mourning Stalin, "The Greatest Friendship." On the afternoon of the same day, at the same time as Stalin's funeral was held in Moscow, more than 600,000 people from all walks of life in Beijing held a memorial meeting in Tiananmen Square. There is little precedent for holding memorial meetings for foreign leaders in our country. Mao Zedong attended the memorial service as a member of the presidium of the memorial service and laid a wreath of a statue of Stalin.
On March 15, 1953, after learning of the unfortunate death of Clement Gotwald, President of the Czechoslovak Republic and Chairman of the Czech Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Mao Zedong, together with Zhu De, Peng Zhen, Deng Xiaoping, and Yang Shangkun, went to the Czech Embassy in China to offer condolences and asked Ambassador Consara to convey the deep condolences of the Chinese people, the Communist Party of China, and the Chinese Government to Gotwald.
![Chairman Mao reclaimed the port of Lushun and occupied it for 60 years as the "First Fortress of the East."[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)