Plant slogans were planted in March 1959. At that time, the newly established people's commune, with reverence and love for the * * * production party, was organized by Zhang Guanglin and Qi Bingxiang, then deputy secretaries of the commune, and four art teachers, Zhang Yi, Shi Fengxian, Yang Zhaogeng and Wang Yuxiang, were transferred from Zhou Miao Primary School for planning and design. Under the guidance of Zhang Yi, they used primitive tools such as meter ruler and rope to measure and write the range of characters, and successively used lime and chopsticks.
After a series of preparatory work, at the end of March of the lunar calendar 1959, more than 20,000 villagers from 53 villages of the commune and people from all walks of life such as industry, agriculture, commerce, learning and military were organized to plant trees in the mountains, and more than one million saplings of Platycladus orientalis in Mashan commune nursery and Wufeng commune forest farm were mobilized. According to the old comrades who took part in planting trees in those years, all the active people went up the mountain except the old people and children, and many of them went spontaneously, because in people's minds at that time, the kindness of the * * * production party was higher than the sky and deeper than the sea, and it was the best reward for the kindness of the * * * production party to plant a few trees on the mountain in person.
On the day of planting trees, the sky was clear in Wan Li, red flags were flying on the ground, gongs and drums were loud, and people were all over the hillside. According to the division of labor in advance, they worked in groups of two, one word at a time, vying for each other and doing their best. There was a long line of people carrying saplings, and the pots were buried at the foot of the mountain to cook, and the smoke curled up. One slogan after another resounded through the land of Mashan and spread for more than ten miles. In just one day, millions of saplings were planted, and the giant Chinese character "Long live Chairman Mao" composed of Wukesong and cypress was embedded in Mashan.
The five characters "Long live Chairman Mao" grew on the hillside of Mashan and remained in the hearts of Mashan people. If this greening project is the organization of the government, the wisdom of the leaders and the will of the masses, then it is a masterpiece under specific historical conditions, and the subsequent events have some mysterious colors that are in harmony with nature.
The purpose of planting trees is of course to ensure the survival rate of trees. Millions of cypress trees are planted on slopes of 35 to 60, so it is impossible to water them. On the day of planting trees, the sky is surprisingly clear. Just when people were worried, two days later, several clouds suddenly floated in the sky and it rained intermittently. After the rain, people went to the mountains to see it, but none of the millions of saplings withered. Later, it was said that it was the kindness of Chairman Mao's * * * production party that moved heaven.
1in the autumn of 976, "Long live Chairman Mao", who planted cypress trees in Mashan, suddenly encountered a large-scale pest. In just two days, a large area of cypress leaves was chewed off by the "cypress cocoon". The government organized more than 3,000 primary and middle school students to carry out "pest control and tree protection" activities. Although the pests were eliminated in time, the trees were still gnawed on the branches, which made people feel different, because these trees were more than just trees in Mashan people's hearts. According to the local old people, they have never heard of cypress "inviting disasters" since they can remember. September 9th this year is the day when Comrade Mao Zedong passed away. Is this a "natural disaster" or a historical coincidence? 1977 In the spring, the cypress tree actually came back to life, and it was even more flourishing.
Coincidentally, a once-in-a-century earthquake happened in Tangshan this year, which spread to Mashan. That night, a boulder fell from the mountain and hit the word "Lord" on the plant slogan "Long live Chairman Mao". At this point, the word "Lord" became the word "king". According to local legend, Mao Zedong was a "man" before his death and became a "god (king)" after his death.
In the mid-1960s, the superior instructed to clean up quotations, portraits and sculptures of Chairman Mao built on the roadside. Chairman Mao's archway in Mashan commune and the slogan "Long live Chairman Mao" on the mountain are also being cleaned up. The county party Committee specially sent a working group to Mashan to clean up within a time limit. This task fell to Comrade Li Xiangyun, who was then a cultural and educational assistant. In the political situation at that time, the orders of superiors must be carried out unconditionally. The chairman's archway in the commune compound was cleaned up quickly, but it was not easy to "clean up" the trees on the mountain. Cutting down trees is undoubtedly the "best" way, but although it does not violate the instructions of "superiors", people are psychologically unacceptable. Comrade Li Xiangyun thought for several days and thought of many ways. Finally, he suggested that trees should not be cut down until next spring, and the words "Long live Chairman Mao" would be filled with trees, so that people could not read the handwriting clearly. This method has been approved by the working group. Later, although the tree was not planted, "Long live Chairman Mao" survived. Although the orders of the "superiors" have to be carried out, the wisdom of the executors has played a role intentionally or unintentionally, and sometimes even the parties can't tell.
In order to better protect and develop this precious wealth, in mid-May, 20001,Mashan Town formally applied to the Shanghai headquarters of the World kiness encyclopedia, and after being approved by the Shanghai headquarters, it was officially named "Plant slogan" China first "in mid-August. And set up a monument pavilion at the foot of the mountain to commemorate it.