At the Seventh Congress of the Ancient Communist Party a few months ago, nearly90year (of crop harvests)Fidel Castro, the senior leader of the Cuban Revolution, gave a rather valedictory speech, "I will soon reach the age of90Age. Soon, I will be like all the others. All of us will face that moment."

Seemingly prophetic, according to the Cuban media26The news of the day, Castro on local time25He died on the evening of Sunday. A legend of his generation.

▋ The "hard core" that fights for its ideals.

Fidel Castro1926surname Nian8moon13Born in the town of Vilán, Holguín Province, Cuba, on1950Graduated with a doctorate in law from the University of Havana in 2007.

1959Year.30Two years later, Castro declared the beginning of the socialist revolution in Cuba, after the uprising led by him in his early teens overthrew Batista's pro-U.S. dictatorship and established a revolutionary government. Since then, the seeds of socialism have taken root in this Caribbean land.

1957In 2007, Castro, who was a Cuban guerrilla leader, and his comrades.

However, the road to socialism in Cuba has not been a good one.

1961In 2007, after breaking off diplomatic relations with Cuba, the United States launched the infamous "Bay of Pigs" operation, in which it supported the landing of Cuban mercenaries in the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban revolutionary regime by force.

A year later, then United States President John F. Kennedy signed a decree marking the official beginning of the half-century-long United States trade embargo and economic blockade against Cuba.

1960surname Nian9In January, Castro gave a speech at the UN General Assembly that lasted4hourly29The "marathon" of speeches condemned the United States.

At that time, Cuba was in a state of disarray, embargoed and blockaded by the U.S., with economic shortages worsening, and Castro was leading the Cuban people to slowly tide over the difficult times under such hard conditions.

"In those days, every year when the sugarcane harvest was in full swing, Castro picked up his machete and went out into the fields to cut the sugarcane with the farmers." Thinking back to the last century60Xu Shicheng, a researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Academy of Social Sciences, who studied in Cuba during the 1960s, said with emotion, "Every year, we international students followed along with the sugarcane cutters, and we could see Castro mingling with the masses, with no attitude whatsoever, and being particularly cordial."

last century90In the 1990s, the world landscape changed radically with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe. Many Western politicians predicted that, without the support of the Soviet Union and with the United States policy of "pressure for change", the Cuban revolutionary regime would soon collapse.

Liu Yuqin, former Chinese ambassador to Cuba, recalled, "Those of us who have been based in Cuba, including so many Western missions, feel that Castro is particularly authoritative, and that the Cuban people respect him from the bottom of their hearts," Liu Yuqin said, adding that, "Cuba cannot succumb to it, and although the U.S. has strengthened its embargo and sanctions, the Cubans have to work together to tide over the difficulties. This is90Era Castro's overriding message to the Cuban public."

1994surname Nian8moon5On Sunday, hundreds of Castro's supporters and opponents flocked to the capital Havana's promenade to hold a march, the situation is very tense. As the clashes between the two sides intensified, Castro arrived alone. Surprisingly, without a word, Castro's arrival defused the fight. Both supporters and opponents put down their rocks and sticks, put aside their positions, and chanted Castro's name in unison, "Fidel! Fidel!"

Under Castro's leadership, Cuba has continued to struggle against the world's number one power by pursuing its own path of development in the face of economic difficulties. Although the strength of this confrontation is vastly different, Cuba's "spirit of hard knocks" in defense of its sovereignty and independence has united the strength of its people and is admired throughout the world.

surname Cong1992Every year since 2007, the United Nations General Assembly has voted on a resolution calling on the United States to lift the embargo against Cuba. In the last year10On the ballot for the month of191Three countries voted in favor, with only the United States and its ally, Israel, abstaining.

▋ had been planned for assassination638subprime legend

Castro has probably suffered the most assassinations in the world, with rumors suggesting that he was planned to be assassinated as many as638The number of assassinations is the highest of any leader. Castro once said, "If the Olympics had a category for the number of assassinations suffered, I would be the absolute champion. The fact that I am alive today is entirely due to the fault of the American CIA."

1961After Castro declared Cuba a socialist country in 2007, with the U.S. hostility and embargo against Cuba, Castro became a thorn in the side of the U.S. (and the CIA in particular), wanting to get rid of him - even up until2000The CIA is still conducting assassination campaigns against him in the year. The assassination methods are even more varied.

Because Castro loved cigars, the CIA used this as an opportunity to invent a cigar that exploded instantly when lit, and was going to send it to Castro as a birthday present. But before that plan could work.1985In 2007, Castro declared: for the sake of the Cuban people, I'm giving up my favorite cigar.

Castro liked to dive off the Cuban coast, and the CIA worked on the mollusks off the coast. They wanted to find a shell that could hold enough deadly explosives, which they would then paint in bright, shiny colors to attract Castro's attention and detonate it while he was near. This option was allegedly considered by the Clinton administration but was ultimately unsuccessful. 

The beauty queen CIA tried it too. By chance, the CIA recruited Castro's ex-lover, and the ex-lover got close to Castro. Castro actually knew what she was up to early on and duly pulled out a pistol and handed it to her, only for the lover to say, "I can't do it, Fidel."

There were also fungal diving suits, Mafia assassinations, etc., and the CIA tried everything it could think of - but all of these plans were aborted without exception. It's been said that the President of the United States is as strong as Castro.11All the American presidents tried to remove this "thorn in the side", but were unsuccessful.

▋ Old friends of the Chinese people

Castro is an old friend of the Chinese people and has formed a deep friendship with several generations of Chinese leaders.

2008surname Nian3In January, the Chinese edition of the biography of Castro's interview: My Life was published, and in the preface, To the Chinese People, Castro wrote: "The revolution has made the two peoples brothers, side by side, in the struggle for socialism."

Cuba was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with China.1960surname Nian9moon28On January 1, China and Cuba announced the formal establishment of diplomatic relations.

1995In 2007, Castro, as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, made his first visit to China. The visit lasted8During this time, he visited Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other cities.5The city. When Castro arrived in Shanghai, many people spontaneously came to the street to welcome this guest from afar, wanting to witness the style of this Latin American tough guy, such a scene makes him very moved.

1999In 2007, Hurricane Irene devastated Cuba, causing a massive and prolonged disruption of electricity supply to the capital, Havana. Not long after the storm, Castro came to the Chinese Embassy to inquire about the damage. When he learned that the embassy had lost power26More than an hour later, Castro had not said a word. What was not expected was that a few days later, the ancient government sent a generator to the Chinese Embassy.

"The Last Century.90The Cuban economy was particularly difficult in the 1970s, but under such conditions, Castro, as the highest leader of Cuba, still thought about the staff of the Chinese Embassy and wanted to provide us with better working and living conditions, which is quite touching when I think about it now," Liu Yuqin recalled, "Until now, this generator is still placed in the Chinese Embassy and can be used occasionally. and occasionally comes in handy, becoming a witness of an era."

▋ Final farewell speech

last year4In January, Castro gave a speech at the closing ceremony of the Seventh National Congress of the Cuban Communist Party - "Why Did I Become a Communist?

"I am soon to reach the age of90Age. Soon, I will be like all the others. All of us will face that moment."

"But the ideals of Cuban communists will remain intact and continue to prove on this planet that if people work hard and with dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that humanity needs. We need to continue to fight non-stop for this."

This speech became Castro's last "farewell speech".

From leading the Cuban Revolution to leading the country towards prosperity, Castro is "a bearded man who is not afraid, who cannot be crushed, who cannot be defeated", and he is a hero in the hearts of the Cuban people.

"I'm with82individuals to start a revolution together. If I have to do it again, I will do it with conviction, and10maybe15Individuals do it together. It doesn't matter how small the team is as long as you have a belief and a plan of action."

"Revolution is not a bed of roses, revolution is a struggle between the future and the past."

Castro took his revolutionary zeal and carried it through his life.

"I will eventually leave, but the ideal is immortal!"

(The material in this article is synthesized by Peak Ridge from People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Phoenix.com and Global Times, with images from the Internet.)