? An interesting person
Coming to Baoan, Snow met the famous leader who led the Red Army to fight Nanjing for ten years. His reward was worth 250,000 yuan. Now, he is the chairman of the "Soviet People's Democratic Republic of China". The behavior of this Soviet giant, who was respected in the Communist Party and noble in the Kuomintang, surprised Snow: One evening, he was walking on the street with his head bare, while talking to two farmers, and he was also enthusiastic making gestures. He seemed to have forgotten that Nanjing offered a reward of 250,000 yuan for his head, and casually chatted with passers-by while walking.
Four months later, Snow ended the interview and returned to Xi'an. What he encountered was this scene: Chairman Chiang suddenly came to Xi'an, and the traffic on the streets was completely cut off. All roads were lined with military police and troops. Farmers along the roads were driven out of their homes, and several despised huts were completely demolished.
Snow expressed heartfelt emotion:
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What impression did this Soviet giant leave on Snow? Snow described his appearance like this:
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Snow was quite proud that, as the first foreign journalist to interview him, he saw a real, Interesting leader of the Red Army. When Snow arrived in the Soviet area, news of his death was widely spread in Nanjing newspapers. This was not the first time, but this time, Snow could prove: he was still alive and well. This year, he is 43 years old.
In Snow's eyes, he is an interesting person.
He is from Hunan and loves spicy food. He once said impromptuly during a meal that "people who love spicy food are revolutionaries" and cited Spain, Mexico, Russia and France as proof. However, he soon found that he could not justify it because some people said that Italians also like to eat red pepper and red pepper. Garlic smiled and admitted his failure. His favorite song is "Hot Red Hot Chili Peppers."
He lives a simple life, no different from ordinary soldiers in the Red Army. He and his wife lived in two cave dwellings with bare walls. They only hung some maps on the walls. The only luxury they could boast of was a mosquito net. His only possessions were a blanket and a few personal items - including two sets of cotton uniforms.
He rejoiced with the people. At mass meetings between villagers and the Red Army, or in the red theater with security guards, he would sit unobtrusively among the audience, enjoying himself, and was often invited by the people to perform.
He was in excellent health and "seemed to have an iron constitution." This is due to the work in the fields as a boy, and also because of his deliberate physical training in his youth. He once went swimming on freezing days and ran in the rain and snow without a shirt; he once walked all over Hunan Province, working for farmers from door to door, and even begging to make ends meet; during the Long March, except for a few weeks when he was sick, he He basically walks like the soldiers. Such a good body enables him to work for thirteen or four hours a day, often not taking a break until two or three o'clock in the night.
He is full of emotions. He took off his shirt to the wounded soldiers on the front line. When the Red Army soldiers had no shoes to wear, he was unwilling to wear shoes. Recalling the unfortunate incident in the early years when several hungry farmers were beheaded because they went to the government office to ask for food, he still gets wet eyes after all these years.
He still maintains the personality of a farmer. One day, when Snow was talking to him in a very hot small room, he saw him suddenly falling down on the bed, holding his breath, loosening his belt, and seemed to be searching for some parasite.
But at the same time, he studied the military map on the wall carefully for twenty minutes while answering questions from others.
He is very familiar with world politics. He had his own views on European society and politics. He opposed the British McDonald and believed that he was a "traitor" who betrayed the British people; he believed that President Roosevelt was an anti-fascist and believed that China could cooperate with him; he also had clear views on the Indian issue.
He loves studying philosophy. The scope of his reading was not limited to Marxist philosophy, but also the works of ancient Greece, Spinoza, Kant, Goethe, Hegel, Rousseau and others.
He is sincere, honest and true to his words and deeds. No matter what articles Snow wrote or what photos he took, he never interfered and gave Snow enough kindness and respect. What he hoped was that Snow could use the materials he collected to let the world understand all aspects of the Soviet Union.
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Snow's overall evaluation is: he is a great man who combines rural simplicity, sharp wisdom and skills in dealing with the world.