The untold story of the precious gifts that Chinese generals and people gave to President Ho Chi Minh.

The fan that Marshal Ye Jianying gifted to President Ho Chi Minh, and artifacts that President Ho Chi Minh used while staying at the home of Mr. Nong Ky Chan in Na Trao village, China, after leaving Chiang Kai-shek's prison… are currently on display at the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Visitors viewing the "Footprints of Ho Chi Minh" exhibition in China - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The exhibition "Ho Chi Minh's Footprints in China," organized by the Ho Chi Minh Museum in collaboration with the Central Party Office Archives, will be held at the Ho Chi Minh Museum from now until the end of April 2025. It also features many valuable documents and artifacts that tell the story of the precious affection that Chinese comrades and people had for President Ho Chi Minh. The exhibition is organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh's first arrival in China on his journey to find a way to save the country (1924 - 2024); and to look forward to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China (1950 - 2025).

The house where President Ho Chi Minh rested.

Featuring over 200 documents and artifacts, the exhibition "Footprints of Ho Chi Minh in China" showcases these valuable resources.   The event aims to introduce to the public the lasting legacy of President Ho Chi Minh in China. According to the organizers, during his revolutionary career, China was a place he visited many times, lived there for extended periods, befriended many Chinese people, and developed deep feelings for them.

Artifacts that President Ho Chi Minh used while staying at the home of Mr. Nong Ky Chan attracted visitors to the exhibition.

Many places in China still bear the footprints of President Ho Chi Minh, deeply moving and becoming vivid symbols of the Vietnam-China friendship. In the exhibition, viewers are moved to see artifacts such as a pendulum clock, a bronze basin, and a set of three porcelain rice bowls that President Ho Chi Minh used while staying at the home of Mr. Nong Ky Chan in Na Trao village, Ha Dong commune, Long Chau district, Guangxi province, China, in August 1944. In early August 1944, after being released from Chiang Kai-shek's prison, President Ho Chi Minh and his delegation were seeking ways and routes back to Vietnam. During that time, he stayed at Mr. Nong Ky Chan's house and lived with his family. Before departing, President Ho Chi Minh gave Mr. Nong Ky Chan a woolen scarf as a keepsake and also entrusted him with some books and notebooks. With the help of Mr. Nong Ky Chan and the villagers, President Ho Chi Minh's delegation left Ha Dong and returned to Vietnam through the Thuy Khau border gate. Around September 1944, Uncle Ho arrived at the Pac Bo base, preparing for the General Uprising to seize power throughout the country. After Vietnam's independence, Uncle Ho visited the Long Chau area many times and always remembered the days when he received the sincere protection and assistance of many Zhuang people, such as the families of Mr. Phan Toan Tran and Mr. Nong Ky Chan. In 1960, Mr. Nong Ky Chan was invited by Uncle Ho to visit Vietnam and was warmly received. The collection of artifacts was collected by the Long Chau District Museum and donated to the Ho Chi Minh Museum on June 26, 2007.

A close-up view of the artifacts that President Ho Chi Minh used when he stayed at the home of Mr. Nong Ky Chan - Photo: T. DIEU

The Xiang Fei fan was a gift from Marshal Ye Jianying.

Marshal Ye Jianying, from the 1930s, had a period of activity in the Chinese revolutionary movement alongside Nguyen Ai Quoc. Later, when Nguyen Ai Quoc became President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ye Jianying was promoted to the rank of Marshal, and that relationship continued to be strengthened and developed. On December 15, 1961, on the occasion of the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army , Marshal Ye Jianying led a military delegation from the People's Republic of China on a friendly visit to Vietnam.

The fan that Marshal Ye Jianying gifted to President Ho Chi Minh in 1961 - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

President Ho Chi Minh showed special attention and gave Marshal Ye Jianying and his delegation a warm welcome. During this meeting, Marshal Ye Jianying presented President Ho Chi Minh with meaningful and valuable gifts, including a Xiangfei paper fan. The fan was made of bamboo and paper, with the ribs crafted from Xiangfei bamboo, a rare type of bamboo from Hunan, China, hence the name Xiangfei fan. One side of the fan bore a dedication and a poem written by Marshal Ye Jianying in Chinese for President Ho Chi Minh. The seven-line poem expressed Marshal Ye Jianying's admiration for the indomitable fighting spirit and victories of the Vietnamese people. President Ho Chi Minh used the fan and kept it on a bookshelf in his office.

The sports equipment that President Ho Chi Minh often used, a gift from his Chinese friends - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Among the gifts presented to President Ho Chi Minh in 1961 by Marshal Ye Jianying and the Chinese military delegation, there was a very precious gift: a banner bearing the poem "Spring and Snow in the Garden" by Chairman Mao Zedong. Chairman Mao Zedong also presented a woven painting of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, May 19, 1967. The Chinese also gifted President Ho Chi Minh a set of exercise equipment when he visited China for medical treatment.

Six porcelain cat figurines were sent as a birthday gift to President Ho Chi Minh in May 1960 by two young girls from Beijing, Anna and Bach Lan - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The exhibition features a very precious and meaningful gift from the Guangzhou Military Region to President Ho Chi Minh on his 77th birthday in 1967: a statue of South Vietnamese Liberation Army soldiers made of light green jade. The artwork is a voice of shared support and encouragement for the Vietnamese People's Army to fight and defeat the American imperialists and unify the country.

A stew pot gifted to President Ho Chi Minh in 1957 by the Ha Nhi and Di ethnic groups in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan, China - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The exhibition also showcased the deep affection the Chinese people held for President Ho Chi Minh. In 1957, the Ha Nhi and Di ethnic groups in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, presented President Ho Chi Minh with a stewing pot. Similarly, two young children in Beijing, Anna and Bach Lan, sent President Ho Chi Minh six porcelain cat figurines as a gift for his 70th birthday in 1960.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-chua-ke-ve-nhung-vat-quy-ma-tuong-linh-nhan-dan-trung-quoc-tang-bac-ho-20241114062001568.htm#content-1