(March 1958)
Mao Zedong:
(To the Jiangxia’s Third Mate, young woman Shi Ruoyi) When you don’t yet understand something, you tend to be afraid of it. Just like snakes: when people don’t know them well and haven’t grasped their characteristics, they feel very frightened. But once you come to understand them—know their traits and weaknesses—you no longer fear them; in fact, you can even catch them.
Mao Zedong:
(To Shi Ruoyi) How long have you been working on this ship?
(Shi Ruoyi replied that it had been more than four years.)
Mao Zedong:
(To Chief Mate Yang) And you?
Chief Mate Yang: Over thirty years.
Mao Zedong:
(To Shi Ruoyi) You should learn diligently from them. These veteran workers are your excellent mentors. They have vast experience on the water, and much of what they know simply cannot be found in books.
Mao Zedong: The navigation channels in some areas are very poor. Constructing a large dam in the Three Gorges would generate electricity, facilitate shipping, and also serve for flood control and irrigation…
Mao Zedong: (To the captain of the Jiangxia) You have extensive experience. You should take on more apprentices and pass on your skills to the younger generation.
[!]
This is part of a conversation Mao Zedong had with the crew while traveling to Wuhan aboard the Jiangxia in March 1958.
[Photo Archive]
March 1958: Mao Zedong converses with Wang Renzhong and others on board the Jiangxia.
March 1958: Mao Zedong talks with Third Mate Shi Ruoyi during his voyage to Wuhan aboard the Jiangxia.
Photo Archive
March 1958: Mao Zedong warmly chats with the crew on the bridge of the Jiangxia.
March 1958: On the bridge, Mao Zedong inquires of Captain Mo Jiarui about conditions along the Yangtze River’s navigational route.
March 1958: After cruising the Yangtze, Mao Zedong engages in free-flowing conversation with everyone aboard.
March 1958: Mao Zedong speaks with the ship’s crew on the Jiangxia.
Photo Archive
March 1958: Mao Zedong converses with Third Mate Shi Ruoyi.
March 1958: Mao Zedong seeks information from Chief Mate Yang Dafu regarding the Yangtze River. Xie Ziqun is third from the left, and Yang Dafu is fourth from the left.
March 1958: Mao Zedong travels aboard the Jiangxia to inspect the Three Gorges area.
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March 1958: Mao Zedong embarks on a river cruise to survey the Three Gorges waterway.
Photo Archive
March 1958: Mao Zedong inspects the Three Gorges navigation channel from aboard the Jiangxia.
The Jiangxia, which Mao Zedong boarded three times, was later renamed the Dongfanghong.