Office Chairs in the Operations Room
The armchairs displayed in the Military Commission Operations Room at the former site of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo, along with Mao Zedong's office swivel chair, hold significant historical value. Here is a detailed introduction:
The twelve armchairs displayed in the Military Commission Operations Room were transported from Shijiazhuang by the Central Administrative Department and have been in use since the CPC Central Committee and the PLA headquarters moved to Xibaipo in May 1948. These armchairs are roughly the same size, with both length and width measuring over 40 centimeters and height over 90 centimeters, making them a common seat size suitable for daily office work and meetings. Their colors are primarily maroon, earthy red, and orange, which were common in furniture making at the time, offering both aesthetic appeal and a sense of the era. After years of use, these armchairs bear numerous scratches, which are not just marks of time but vivid testimonies to their witnessing of history and fulfillment of missions. Each scratch seems to tell a story of the intense battles and decision-making moments of that time.
In addition to the armchairs in the Military Commission Operations Room, the office furniture used by Mao Zedong during his time in Xibaipo has also attracted much attention. Among them, the accompanying swivel chair is a four-legged circular chair, which provided both stability and the ability to rotate, facilitating flexible posture adjustments for the user during office work. Although somewhat worn from the passage of time, this swivel chair carries the grand historical memories of that period. It witnessed the important decisions and strategic deployments made by Mao Zedong and other veteran revolutionaries in Xibaipo, as well as the glorious journey of the CPC from victory to victory.
These office chairs are not just simple pieces of furniture; they are witnesses and participants in history. Silently displayed at the former site of the CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo, they tell the story of those tumultuous years, allowing people to deeply feel the spirit of hard work and selfless dedication of the veteran revolutionaries, and inspiring future generations to move forward continuously, striving for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
