Chapter 69 Looking up at Tiananmen

Tiananmen Square, gleaming glazed yellow tiles, bright red walls, bright red gauze lanterns, bright red fluttering flags.The happy jade railing supports the hands of the great leader who is caressing... 650 million happy people, when they think of our dear party, dear leader, and billions of bright red hearts, they are all from the motherland for a moment. In all directions, facing Beijing, looking up at Tiananmen Square! The soldiers on the front line of national defense think about it in the storm under the shadow of the stars and the moon; Thinking about it on the green and yellow fields; the young people sitting around the campfire on the Gobi beach, on the top of the snow mountain, thinking about it with contemplative eyes... They are thinking about our great leader standing on Tiananmen Square; It is the waves of colored flags and the joyous crowds that surge in front of Tiananmen Square; what they are thinking of is the exciting and surprising models of things and production indicators; The children who shouted "Long live Chairman Mao" with crisp and tender voices; what they think of is the army of literature and art blooming with thousands of flowers; what they think of are the balloons and pigeons flying all over the sky; ; What they think of is the happy scene of people boiling under the nightless sky.

How bright and splendid is the Tiananmen Square they enshrined in their hearts. However, people who have been away from Tiananmen Square for ten months do not know that Tiananmen Square has changed drastically.The two great buildings in the east and west: the Great Hall of the People, the Revolution Museum, and the History Museum are several feet higher than the Tiananmen Tower. Get out.However, these two newly-developed buildings stand on both sides in a modest and respectful manner from a distance. On the 44-hectare wide square, the criss-crossing lights like eucalyptus and viburnum can only set off Tiananmen Square more solemnly and magnificently!

The ancient Tiananmen Square and the Chinese people who "do not want to be slaves" have gone through hardships together!In its dilapidated and desolate age, it has seen imperialist robbers swarming into the city, and it has heard the sound of the enemy's chariots and horses running over and trampling.It has also seen thousands of passionate young people raising their arms like forests and waving paper flags like white waves, and it has also heard their roars that shook the sky.This huge sound quickly rippled away from Tiananmen Square, arousing a monstrous tide of anger, washing out a brilliant new China!

The Chinese people will always reverence and cherish this majestic and ancient Tiananmen Square. They have restored it to a golden splendor and painted it on the national emblem.Ten years ago, on October 1st, Chairman Mao announced to the world on it: "The Chinese people have stood up!" An indelible impression! We will always defend it, cherish it, and carry forward it with the spirit of daring to think, speak and do! You see, on both sides of the Monument to the People's Heroes in the square, there are several teams of militiamen who are practicing walking, and each of them looks only the size of an olive.There are two olive-sized teachers on the side of the square, leading children the size of red beans, walking towards us from a distance.Although the children are only as small as red beans, I have heard one of them say: "We will take the national emblem with Tiananmen painted on it, sit on the rocket we made, and fly far away to another place in the universe." Go to the planet! Do you believe it or not? One day!"

Tiananmen is above, I believe, one day! September 1959 (This article was originally published in "Beijing Daily" on October 1, 1959, and later included in the collection of essays "Sakura Praise".)