Congratulations to the Officers and Crew of the Cruiser Chongqing on Their Uprising

(March 24, 1949)

Captain Deng Zhaoxiang and All Officers and Crew of the Cruiser Chongqing:

We warmly celebrate your heroic uprising. Although the U.S. imperialists and the Guomindang air force have bombed and sunk the Chongqing, this can only add luster to your uprising, only intensify the indignation of all patriotic people in China, of patriotic naval personnel, and of the patriots in the Guomindang army and air force, and make them understand more clearly that the road you have taken is the only road that patriotic Guomindang military personnel should take. Your uprising shows that the Guomindang reactionaries and their master, the U.S. imperialists, are already in their death throes. They may bomb and sink one Chongqing, but they cannot prevent more warships from following your example, and more warships, planes and ground forces will rise in revolt and go over to the side of the People's Liberation Army. The Chinese people must build a powerful national defense; in addition to the army, they must build their own air force and navy, and you will be the vanguard in building the Chinese people's navy.

We wish you every success!

Mao Zedong
Zhu De

March 24, 1949

[1] The cruiser Chongqing was the largest cruiser in the Guomindang navy. On February 25, 1949, its officers and crew staged an uprising at Wusongkou, Shanghai, and joined the Chinese people's navy. On March 19 of the same year, it was bombed and sunk by the Guomindang air force near Huludao.