On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the founding of the People's Republic of China was held in Tiananmen Square.
This historic moment not only marked the birth of New China, but also the great victory of the Chinese people in the protracted struggle.
On the same day, when Chairman Mao Zedong solemnly announced the founding of the People's Republic of China on the tower of Tiananmen Square, a salute was fired, and 28 salutes shook Tiananmen Square.
This shocking cannon sound announced the end of old China and the beginning of new China, and became a glorious moment in the history of the Chinese nation.
As an important ritual of the founding ceremony, the symbolic meaning and historical origin behind the salute have attracted widespread attention.
Why did you choose the number 28 rings? Is there a special meaning hidden in these 28 salutes?
At the same time, the salutes were not produced in China, but from the Soviet Union.
At that time, New China had just been founded, and the domestic industrial base was weak, and it was not yet possible to produce such a sophisticated salute.
As a result, Zhou Enlai, director of the Preparatory Committee for the Founding Ceremony, decided to ask the Soviet Union for help.
In the absence of formal diplomatic relations, the Soviets transported the salute by warship to Port Arthur, and then forwarded it to Beijing by the Chinese side.
The hardships and challenges along the way have all demonstrated the close cooperation and friendship between China and the Soviet Union.
So, how were these salutes transported to Beijing step by step at that time, so that they could be fired at the founding ceremony?
1. Why did the salute at the founding ceremony have "28 shots"?
The choice of firing a 28-gun salute at the founding ceremony has long sparked widespread speculation and discussion in the international community.
Scholars and politicians from different countries have tried to decipher the deeper meaning behind this historical event from their own perspectives.
The Americans were the first to express their opinion. They believe that Mao Zedong was writing the surname of the Communist Party in the Chinese sky with a salute.
In Chinese characters, the character "共" can be broken down into "廿" and "八", which is a combination of the number "28".
From this, the Americans speculated that the 28 salutes were fired to symbolize the great victory of the Communist Party of China and the arrival of a new era.
This interpretation not only skillfully combines the unique structure of Chinese characters, but also reflects a deep understanding of Chinese culture.
The Soviets put forward a point of view that was more historical and cultural.
They believe that the 28-gun salute is closely related to Liu Xiu, the Guangwu Emperor of the Han Dynasty in Chinese history.
According to historical records, when Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty pacified the world, there were 28 meritorious heroes, who were known as the "Twenty-eight Generals" and enjoyed a high reputation in history.
In addition, in ancient China, there was a saying of "28 constellations", which believed that the 28 constellations in the sky corresponded to the 28 heroes in the world.
The Soviets speculated that Mao Zedong chose the 28-gun salute to commemorate these great figures in history and highlight the bravery and wisdom of the Chinese people.
The British interpretation is more romantic and sensual.
They believe that the 28-gun salute is an affectionate memorial to Mao Zedong's first love and his wife, Yang Kaihui.
In 1917, Mao Zedong fell in love with Yang Kaihui, who was at the age of 16, as the Chinese call a "twenty-eight girl". In 1921, when the two got married, Mao Zedong was 28 years old; In 1929, Yang Kaihui was also 28 years old when he died; From the marriage of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui to the founding ceremony, exactly 28 years have passed.
These coincidences convinced the British that Mao Zedong chose the 28-gun salute in order to commemorate his beloved wife at this glorious and solemn moment, and to express his deep nostalgia for Yang Kaihui with the special number "28".
In 1972, during his visit to China, U.S. President Richard Nixon once again put forward his views on the number "28".
In the courtyard of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Nixon was walking with Premier Zhou Enlai when he suddenly said: "Your country's 28 cannon salutes 23 years ago have caused a lot of speculation in the international community, and I don't think they can get the point. ”
Zhou Enlai smiled and said, "I want to hear your excellency's views first. ”
Nixon paused deliberately, then took out his pen with a smile and wrote three traditional Chinese characters "Mao Zedong" on his white handkerchief: "May I ask how many strokes are these three Chinese characters?" ”
Zhou Enlai said without thinking: "28 paintings." ”
Nixon said confidently: "Mao Zedong has a pen name called 'Twenty-Eight Painters', and 'Twenty-eight' is Mao Zedong!" ”
Zhou Enlai looked at the handkerchief and said: "The chairman has a pen name of 'Twenty-eight Painters', but we have taken into account the promotion of simplified characters since the founding of the country." After simplification, the chairman's name is not 28 strokes. ”
Nixon asked impatiently, "So what is your understanding?" ”
Zhou En said: "If you want to say it, it's just my personal thinking, and it may not be in line with Chairman Mao's original intention." Ninety days before the founding ceremony, the chairman said: 'The Communist Party of China is 28 years old. In the past 28 years, we have won the revolutionary war. But we still have a lot of things to do, just like the first step of a long march'. Do you think it's okay to use the chairman's words as my understanding of '28'? ”
Nixon said thoughtfully, "It's not unreasonable, but what I'm trying to get is its standard answer." ”
Zhou Enlai stretched out his hand: "Then I have to ask Your Excellency to ask the chairman in person when you meet with the chairman tomorrow." ”
However, for some reason, Nixon did not mention this when he met with Mao Zedong.
While the international community's interpretation of the 28-gun salute varies, Mao's own interpretation of the number is particularly important.
On the eve of the founding ceremony, Mao Zedong publicly stated: "The Communist Party of China is 28 years old. In the past 28 years, we have won the revolutionary war. But we still have a lot of things to do, just like the first step of a long march. ”
This passage shows that the 28-gun salute is not just a simple number choice, but a symbol of the 28 years of hard work and outstanding achievements of the Communist Party of China since its founding.
In the past 28 years, the Communist Party of China has gone through countless hardships and hardships, and finally won the victory of the revolution and established New China.
Therefore, the choice of a 28-gun salute is a commemoration of this glorious history and an incentive to continue to strive for the future.
So, how were these salutes produced back then?
2. How is the Salute produced?
In 1949, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, China's industrial base was not yet perfect, and it was unable to manufacture high-quality salutes on its own.
Therefore, China turned to the USSR for assistance.
The Soviet Union accumulated a wealth of experience in military manufacturing during World War II, especially in the field of heavy artillery, with world-leading technology and technology.
The Soviet-made salute for China was designed and produced with full consideration of China's actual needs and the special use of the salute at the founding ceremony.
The salutes were made using state-of-the-art technology at the time, with a focus on stability and safety, ensuring that they could be fired accurately and steadily during use.
In terms of design, the Soviet Salyut adopted a modular design concept, which was convenient for transportation and assembly.
This design not only reduces the risk during transportation, but also improves the efficiency of the maintenance and upkeep of the salute.
Every part of the Salyut undergoes rigorous quality testing to ensure that each Salute will work properly under the most demanding conditions.
The Soviet-made Salute had a number of outstanding features in performance.
First of all, these Salutes have a very high range and accuracy, capable of maintaining a high degree of stability and accuracy at long distances.
Secondly, the Salute's firing system uses advanced hydraulic and mechanical control technology, which is able to ensure that every shell is fired smoothly and powerfully.
The salute's firing speed and burst fire capability are also important performance indicators.
The Soviet Salute could fire multiple shells in a short period of time, and the time interval between each shell was very small, which provided a technical guarantee for the continuous firing of the 28-gun salute at the founding ceremony.
In addition, the material selection and manufacturing process of the salute are also very particular, using high-strength alloy steel, which not only ensures the durability of the salute, but also enhances its impact resistance.
In the production of these salutes, Soviet workers and technicians played a key role. In order to ensure the perfect performance of the Salyut at an important moment in the history of China, the Soviet side sent the best designers and engineers to participate in the project.
These experts not only provided expert guidance during the design and production of the Salute, but were also personally involved in the commissioning and testing of the Salyut to ensure that each Salute was in the best possible condition.
In the process of creating the Salute, Soviet workers and technicians put a lot of effort and effort.
The Soviet government attached great importance to this project, and set up a special Salyut manufacturing working group to concentrate the best resources and forces in the country to ensure that the project was completed on time and with high quality.
Soviet workers showed a high degree of responsibility and expertise in the manufacture of the salute.
In order to complete the production task before the founding ceremony, they often worked overtime and even gave up holidays and rest.
Not only do they have to ensure the accuracy of each process, but they also have to deal with various technical challenges.
In some key technical links, the workers finally overcame the difficulties through continuous testing and adjustment, ensuring that the quality and performance of the salute met the expected requirements.
After production, how to transport it is still a big problem!
3. How were the salutes transported?
Since China and the Soviet Union had not yet formally established diplomatic relations at that time, the transportation of the salute had to be carried out by secret and efficient means.
The USSR decided to deliver the Salyut to Port Arthur in China by warship.
Port Arthur was an important Soviet military base in the Far East, with well-developed port facilities and security measures.
From the manufacturing plant in the USSR to Port Arthur, the Salyut was first transported by rail, spanning thousands of kilometers of distance.
During this period of transportation, the Soviet railway authorities made meticulous arrangements and coordination to ensure that the salute arrived safely and quickly at Port Arthur.
Immediately after the Salute arrived at Port Arthur, the command of the Soviet naval base sent a staff officer of the Major General to conduct urgent consultations with Zhang Xinting, the head of the Chinese side of the Dalian Railway Branch, on handover and loading.
In order to ensure the safety of the salute, the Soviet side sent elite warships to carry out transport tasks.
Loading is carried out under strict safety measures.
The hatch of the warship loaded with the salute was opened at night, and the Soviet officers and soldiers were responsible for loading the vehicles, and the Chinese police were responsible for guarding.
The whole process was tense and orderly, ensuring that the Salyut was loaded safely and unmistakably onto the warship.
After careful inspection and packaging, the salute finally set out on its journey to China.
After the salute arrived at Port Arthur, the task of escorting the salute to Beijing fell on the shoulders of the Dalian Railway Public Security Bureau.
After receiving the order from his superiors, Zhou Guang, director of the Public Security Bureau of Luda University, presided over a meeting overnight to convey in detail the requirements of the escort mission and determine the escort plan.
In order to ensure the completion of the task, Teng Daiyuan, Minister of Railways, personally signed a telegram demanding that the safety of the salute transportation be absolutely guaranteed.
The escort team is composed of more than a dozen police officers such as Sun Xudong and Sun Yihe, who are all experienced and have a strong sense of responsibility.
A few days later, Soviet warships sailed into Port Arthur with a salute.
After the salute was loaded, a special train consisting of seven stuffy tankers headed for Beijing in the dawn of dawn.
During the escort salute, the escort team faced many challenges.
First of all, the backward railway facilities in old China, coupled with the damage of the war, many lines could not be opened to traffic normally.
When the train is in the section from Dalian to Shihe, it can barely maintain a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, but when it crosses Shihe, the fastest speed is about 30 kilometers per hour.
This greatly lengthens the transport time and increases the difficulty of the task.
In Shenyang, the escort team received a telegram from the Ministry of Railways, asking the train to speed up and not to stop on the way, except for coal and water.
At the same time, military and police stations along the way have been placed on strict alert to facilitate the operation of the special train.
However, after passing Jinzhou, many sections of the road along the line are being repaired, and the special train can only stop and go, and the speed of progress is even slower.
During the escort process, the air in the stuffy tanker was not smooth, and the long-term driving led to a decline in the physical fitness of the policemen, and some of the policemen suffered from colds, fevers, and vomiting, but none of them complained of being tired. They feel that it is extremely glorious to be able to do their best for the founding ceremony, and they are willing to work hard and tired.
Despite the difficulties, with the joint efforts of all railway employees and escort officers, the special train finally entered Beiping Station safely after seven days and nights.
The salute was handed over to the North China Military Region, and the escort task was successfully completed.
After the salute arrived in Beijing, Zhou Enlai, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, was very happy, praised the Dalian Railway Public Security Officers for completing the escort task well, and personally told Yang Chengwu, commander of the 20th Corps of the People's Liberation Army, to receive the escort cadres and policemen well.
Commander Yang took all the escort personnel to the headquarters, held a banquet, and personally accompanied them.
Feng Ji, leader of the Ministry of Railways and director of the Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Railways, made a special trip to his residence to visit all the cadres and policemen and praised them for doing a great good deed for the people of the whole country.
The 28-gun salute at the founding ceremony is not only a symbol of the celebration of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but also a testimony of Sino-Soviet friendship.
Carefully manufactured and transported by the Soviet Union, these salutes made a shocking sound at a critical moment, announcing the birth of New China.
The manufacturing and transportation process of the salute embodies the wisdom and sweat of countless people, and demonstrates the close cooperation and unity between the Chinese and Soviet peoples in the great changes in history.
During this challenging journey, Soviet technicians and Chinese escorts worked together to overcome many difficulties and ensure that the salute arrived in Beijing on time and safely.
This historical event is not only engraved in the memory of the Chinese nation, but also inspires future generations to continue to struggle on the road of building the country.
The salute of the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China echoes in the long river of history and will always be remembered in my heart.
I'm the Phantom of Shihai, follow me and praise history.