Jiao Yulu's Office Chair
Jiao Yulu's office chair is an old rattan chair with special historical significance, now displayed at the Jiao Yulu Memorial Hall in Lankao, Henan Province, as a treasured exhibit for future generations to admire.
This rattan chair has distinct visual characteristics: there is a large hole in the rattan net on the right side of the chair, formed by broken rattan strands. This is a mark left by Jiao Yulu pressing hard objects against his liver to alleviate pain during his long struggle with liver disease. The chair measures 66 centimeters in length, 56 centimeters in width, and 91 centimeters in height. Its overall structure appears worn and aged due to prolonged use, yet it is full of stories.
This chair is closely connected to Jiao Yulu's work and daily life. During the severe period of his liver disease, whether attending meetings or giving reports, he would always use hard objects such as pens, wooden sticks, teacup lids, feather dusters, or brushes, pressing one end against the right side of the chair and the other against his liver to relieve the pain. His tenacious perseverance and dedication to his work gradually caused the large hole in the chair. This chair accompanied Jiao Yulu for over 400 days and nights, with some accounts suggesting up to 470 days, witnessing his arduous efforts in combating natural disasters such as sandstorms, waterlogging, and saline-alkali soil in Lankao County. He often worked at this chair, drawing maps of saline-alkali distribution in Lankao and formulating scientific plans for the county's development.
After Jiao Yulu's passing, the chair was carefully preserved by Liu Junsheng, then a news officer in Lankao County. After two years of safekeeping, it was transferred to the Jiao Yulu Memorial Hall in Lankao for collection and display in 1966. Today, this chair has become a symbol of Jiao Yulu's spirit. It is not just a physical exhibit but also a carrier of spiritual inheritance. It reminds future generations to learn from Jiao Yulu's spirit of hard work and selfless dedication, striving tirelessly for the cause of the country and the people.
