Express mail existed in the 1930s, especially for domestic airlines, which had few passengers all year round. On the contrary, the business of sending letters by plane was more popular.
By the mid-1930s, as competition among airlines became increasingly fierce, the cost of express mail was greatly reduced. Many newspaper manuscripts and official government letters were sent by express mail, and these letters were often thrown into passenger planes and sent out.
This situation also applies to international express delivery. For example, this time the Chinese reporter's Olympic manuscript was sent to China for publication by plane, which took about... four days.
When the news came out that Liu Changchun won the bronze medal in the men's sprint, it was enough for the Chinese people to cheer and celebrate. And when the news came out that the swimming team won six gold medals, newspapers across China went crazy. People everywhere beat gongs and drums and set off fireworks.
Firecrackers are celebrated like the New Year.
Historically, the Chinese football team set off early and sold tickets to raise funds along the way. They played continuously in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, South Africa and other places, almost throughout Asia and Africa, except for two draws.
Except, everything else is a victory.
The news spread to Europe, and when the Chinese football team began to compete with European teams, the local overseas Chinese actually burned incense and worshiped Buddha, praying to Bodhisattva and Mazu day and night for the victory of the Chinese team.
It will be difficult for people in later generations to understand that feeling. This is an era in which national self-confidence is urgently needed.
Zhou Hexuan and others returned to China this time and stopped several times at the port. Every time they docked, countless overseas Chinese came spontaneously to welcome and express their condolences. They played gongs and drums, danced dragons and lions, and were often expelled by the port management staff, but they still enjoyed it.
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Every Olympic team member was surrounded by people shaking hands, and their bodies were touched by overseas Chinese. It seemed that just touching an Olympic athlete would bring them magical energy.
Eggs, cigarettes, cloth, snacks, pickles, liquor, fruits... Most of the overseas Chinese are not very wealthy, but they bring all kinds of gifts and stuff them into the arms of the Olympic athletes without saying a word.
What impressed Zhou Hexuan the most was that a 60-year-old Singaporean overseas Chinese lady placed sacrifices and incense candles at the pier, kowtowed four times to the athletes and to the sky and the sea, with tears in her dim eyes.
In the Minnan dialect that I don’t understand well: “Mazu bless, Mazu bless, the Chinese people are proud now.”
At that moment, Zhou Hexuan's throat was choked with sobs, and indescribable emotions lingered in his heart.
When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, many of the overseas Chinese who came to greet them sent their sons to the battlefield.
Since the ports in the east and south were occupied by the Japanese army, the government could only open the Burma Road to transport international aid. At that time, there was an urgent need for a large number of drivers and car mechanics. Countless overseas Chinese gave up their decent lives, took off their suits and braved artillery fire to transport supplies. They did not dare to transport supplies during the day.
When driving, you can only turn off the lights at night to avoid driving on steep winding mountain roads. Some people accidentally drove off the cliff and died.
At that time, there were more than 3,000 cars on the Burma Highway, of which more than 1,100 were donated by overseas Chinese. Most of the drivers of these 3,000 cars were overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia. More than 1,000 overseas Chinese died in wars, car accidents and diseases.
, resting forever on the land of Yunnan, the sacrifice ratio is close to 50%.
When the ship docked at the Singapore port, the overseas Chinese leader Mr. Tan Kah Kee presented each athlete with a bag of rice and a dozen canned pineapples.
It’s not that Tan Kah Kee is stingy. He is a frugal person. The things he uses in his home are ordinary things, without the luxury of a capitalist. During the world economic crisis, Tan Kah Kee’s company owed more than 4 million yuan in bank debts and was already insolvent.
But he raised more than 900,000 yuan to run schools in Xiamen and other places.
According to statistics, based on the ratio of RMB to gold in the 1980s, Tan Kah Kee's lifetime donation to schools amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. That was hundreds of millions of dollars in the early 1980s.
It was also Tan Kah Kee who initiated the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to support the road transport between Yunnan and Burma. When he raised his voice, countless overseas Chinese sent their sons to the anti-Japanese front line.
From Europe, Africa, Nanyang to Shanghai, the overseas Chinese along the way gave Zhou Hexuan an indescribable spiritual baptism. From the excited, excited, ecstatic and crying faces, he felt the surging vitality and cohesion of this nation.
Those medals won at the Olympic Games are not just medals, but heavy hopes for the future.
Shanghai pier.
Passengers on the same ship automatically stood on the deck to make way for the athletes. Before they even stepped onto the gangway, cheers erupted on the pier, followed by crackling firecrackers and a lion dance team flying to the rhythm of gongs and drums.
stand up.
The Olympic athletes lined up and disembarked from the boat one by one. Ye Beihua, who had his leg broken by a kick, went down on crutches and was supported by his teammates to stand up straight.
The head of state, Lin Sen, came in person to celebrate the occasion. Accompanying him were Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng, as well as a number of Shanghai officials and celebrities.
Lin Sen, the head of state, did a very cool job. What he was most busy with all day long was collecting and appreciating antiques. There were a bunch of fakes found on the antique street at home. Although he didn't take care of things very much, he was the nominal supreme leader of the Republic of China after all. He personally
Wang Zhengting was flattered by the act of coming to pick up the ship.
Wang Zhengting walked up to Lin Sen with his head held high and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Report to Chairman Lin, Wang Zhengting, who is humble, led the Olympic athletes to return home in triumph. In this Olympic Games, our athletes won a total of six gold medals, Japan only had five, and the British
The empire has only four, and our neighboring country India has only one! The gold medals ahead of us are Germany, the United States, Hungary, Italy, Finland and France, and China is tied for sixth with Sweden and the Netherlands! Our athletes are in swimming events
, broke the world record eight times (the silver medal also broke the record)! Chinese athlete Liu Changchun, although he only won the third place in the sprint, broke the Asian record again! Chinese athlete Jin Guidi was injured by a malicious foul by a British boxer, and he still won the third place despite being injured.
Four! Our country’s football team successfully entered the top four in the world and defeated the host Germany! Please give Chairman Lin a lecture!”
"good!"
"China will win!"
“China is number one in Asia!”
After hearing Wang Zhengting's report, the entire dock cheered. Even the dock coolies who were carrying the goods were standing in the distance and listening happily, and the usually harsh Chinese supervisors did not stop it.
"Okay, okay, good job!"
Lin Sen said a few good words one after another, with a smile on his face and great comfort. He stroked his white beard and said: "I want to shake hands with the athletes in person."
Wang Zhengting quickly stepped aside and said: "Chairman Lin, please!"
Lin Sen first came to Zhou Hexuan, shook hands and said with a smile: "I want to shake hands with Mingcheng first. You have contributed a lot to the Olympics. I want to thank you on behalf of the party and the country."
"Chairman Lin is ridiculously complimentary. I'm just waving the flag and shouting. It's the athletes who are really working hard." Zhou Hexuan shook hands and stepped aside.
I don’t know if he was showing true feelings or just pretending, but Lin Sen was very good at showing off. He actually took off his glasses to wipe his tears, and then shook hands with dozens of athletes one by one. Every time he shook hands, he had to ask the other person’s age and place of origin.
and the participating projects, and said some words of encouragement and appreciation, which moved the athletes to tears.