Not everyone can be printed on banknotes, and not every tractor can be casually boarded in RMB.
It is necessary to be a person who has made outstanding contributions to the country and the nation in order to become such a symbol.
In the third set of renminbi issued in 1962, there was a special one-yuan note with a female tractor driver printed on it.
She is Liang Jun, the first female tractor driver in New China.
How did Liang Jun become a "RMB girl"? How has her life changed since then?
In 1930, Liang Baozhen was born in the beautiful Mingshui County, Heilongjiang Province.
Her childhood was not easy, her father served in the Northeast Army, but unfortunately died when she was two years old.
After her mother remarried, Liang Baozhu (her original name) had a deep memory of her "father".
She experienced a lot of difficulties in her childhood, but she had a strong desire to learn, and she wanted to study.
At the age of 11, she was married to a large local family for the sake of her family's livelihood.
Although it was a child marriage, she insisted on continuing her studies, and after studying at a village normal school for a while, she began to learn to weave.
After the liberation of Northeast China, Liang Jun finally got rid of the fate of child brides that he was forced to bear in his early years and regained his life.
Liang Baozhen renamed himself Liang Jun.
It means that she has to work hard like a soldier and contribute to society.
At that time, there were frequent cultural exchanges between China and the Soviet Union, and Liang Jun was inspired by the Soviet film "Women Heroes" and wanted to be a tractor driver himself.
Bazaar in the film can not only drive a tractor to farm in peacetime, but also drive a tank in wartime, which is very suitable to describe as "heroic".
In 1948, in order to increase grain production, the state imported tractors from the Soviet Union and held a training course for tractor drivers in Heilongjiang.
Liang Jun overcame many difficulties and signed up for the tractor driver training course held by the Bei'an Agricultural Reclamation Bureau in Heilongjiang Province, becoming the only female student among the 70 trainees.
She firmly believes that women can do everything that men can do.
Liang Jun performed very well in training, not only mastered driving skills, but also learned maintenance, obtained a tractor driver's license, and became the first female tractor driver in New China.
She became a female tractor driver as she wished, galloping across the vast fields, sowing hope.
Her name spread throughout the country and became a symbol of strength and independence.
Immediately afterwards, she went to the Great Northern Wilderness with other students.
At that time, the Great Northern Wilderness was desolate, and the living conditions were extremely difficult.
But she withstood the pressure, working more than 12 hours a day, driving a tractor to clear wasteland, dramatically increasing local food production.
As a result, she was selected as a national model worker and was cordially received by Chairman Mao.
In that era, Liang Jun was an expert in technology, and he was also the "flower" of the countryside in that era.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, women's liberation has not only been a slogan, but also a real action.
Many may remember the status of women in the old society, but they are bravely taking off the shackles of bondage and walking on the road to self-realization.
In the new era, China is going farther and farther on the road of women's emancipation.
Although the barriers of traditional ideas still exist, the problem of women's lack of confidence and lack of professionalism in the workplace still needs to be solved.
But more and more women, like Liang Jun, are breaking with tradition and daring to try and break through.
Liang Jun's story has inspired thousands of women to get out of their homes and participate in society and nation-building.
The People's Daily also published a newsletter about her, and her heroic deeds quickly spread across the country.
In 1959, when the first batch of domestically produced "Dongfanghong-54" tractors arrived in Heilongjiang, Liang Jun excitedly jumped into the driver's seat and drove it around the fields.
This scene was captured and published by reporters.
Later, it was selected to be included in the design of the third set of renminbi, but Liang Jun himself did not know about it for many years.
Her life has not changed because of this, and she is still the unpretentious and diligent agricultural machinery worker.
Until 2003, Liang Jun participated in the recording of the program "Xiao Cui Says Things".
Only then did I know that I was the prototype of the woman driving a tractor on the third set of RMB one-yuan banknotes.
Liang Jun was overjoyed.
Her life is full of glory and struggle, she has served as the captain of the women's tractor team, the deputy director of the Provincial Agricultural Machinery Research Institute, the director of the Harbin Agricultural Machinery Bureau and the chief engineer.
He has also been rated as a model worker and an advanced worker many times.
In 1990, Liang Jun had to retire due to health reasons.
Since her retirement, she has been active in various social activities and is willing to share her experiences and stories to spread positive energy.
She always modestly said that she represents a group of women of an era, and the honor she has received belongs to all those who are working hard.
Liang Jun said:
"If I could go back to my youth, I would still choose to be a tractor driver and contribute to the economic construction of the motherland!"
In July 2010, Liang Jun took a group photo with Dongfanghong-3804 tractor.
On January 14, 2020, Liang Jun passed away in Harbin at the age of 90.
Netizens left messages of condolences.
Among them, there is a woman's comment that makes people cry instantly:
"After I was admitted to university from the countryside, I didn't have money to go to school, so I tried to scrape together money everywhere, and many people in the village said, 'What's the use of a girl doll studying'! When I left the village, my grandfather handed me a dollar with a female tractor driver on it. I've always treasured this money. Whenever I was in trouble, I looked at the banknote, looked at the female tractor driver, and told myself: girls can make a difference! ”
Liang Jun used his ordinary and glorious life to contribute all his strength to the agricultural cause of the motherland.
Her life is a life of growing up with the new China's agricultural machinery industry.
Who says women are inferior to men?
Women can also show their talents in socialist construction and show their talents.
Nowadays, the style of the renminbi has long been changed, and the third set of renminbi has become a kind of treasure and is no longer in circulation.
However, these banknotes have accompanied the Chinese people for 50 years, making them the longest and most numerous set of renminbi in history.
As of this year, Liang Jun's predecessor has left us for 4 years, but her spirit will always inspire us to keep going.