Portrait of George H.W. Bush： 73 years of marriage, 90-year-old skydiving, and ＂bicycle ambassador＂ in China.
Chinanews. com December 2 (Kong Qingling) "The world has lost a great leader and the United States has lost a best leader." On November 30th, local time, former US President George HW Bush died at the age of 94. American politicians and celebrities have mourned, and an official when Bush was in power also gave such an evaluation.
The picture shows that George Herbert Walker Bush was awarded the "American Patriot Award" at the "American Patriot Award" dinner in Washington on December 6, 2002. (data map)
George H.W. Bush has lived for nearly a century: from a young pilot to a great American president; From the witness of the end of the cold war to the initiator of the Gulf War; From the representative of American dedication to the "old friend" who became attached to China; From the "cool old man" who plays skydiving to the guardian of the 73-year model marriage, his life is really wonderful!
Bush in the eyes of the American "presidential group": hard to compare!
After the death of George H.W. Bush, the current US President Trump and former presidents Obama and Clinton expressed their condolences for the first time and spoke highly of the old man who witnessed the history of nearly a century.
Data map: US President Trump.
Trump praised Bush for his "reasonable judgment, common sense and indomitable leadership", which led the United States and the world to end the Cold War in a peaceful way and laid the foundation for the prosperity of the following decades.
He also said that George H.W. Bush inspired generations of Americans to devote themselves to public service. In the words of George H.W. Bush himself, it is to be a "thousand points of light" to illuminate the greatness, hope and opportunity brought by the United States to the world. "
Former US President Barack Obama said, "The United States has lost a patriot and a humble public servant." Obama believes that George H.W. Bush established a broad international alliance, expanded his commitment to new immigrants in the United States, and ended the Cold War with a steady diplomatic hand without firing a shot. This is a service legacy that can never be matched.
Bush’s former rival, former US President Bill Clinton, also sent a message to recall the friendship between the two. He believes that few Americans-and it will be hard to do so in the future-have made equal contributions to the United States as President Bush and enjoyed every day. He "led the post-cold war world in the direction of greater unity, peace and freedom."
Baker, who served as Secretary of State in the Bush administration, said that Bush’s legacy "will be engraved in the history of the United States and the world forever." He pointed out that Bush "made selfless risks for our country" all his life.
This life’s resume is too rich: a "time terminator" with long sleeves and good dancing.
From being a US Navy pilot at the age of 18 to becoming the president at the age of 65, Bush Sr. is the politician with the longest resume among modern American presidents.
The picture shows George Herbert Walker Bush speaking at the World Leaders Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on November 21st, 2006. (data map)
In the 1940s, after the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, young Bush joined the US Navy and became the youngest pilot in the history of the US Navy. When the fighter plane he was driving was hit by the Japanese in a bombing mission, he parachuted to escape, but fortunately he was rescued by an American submarine.
Bush later returned to the United States as a war hero and made money from oil fields. In the 1960s, George H.W. Bush began to go into politics. Before he became president, he served as a congressman, US ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee, director of the liaison office in China, director of the CIA, and vice president of the Reagan administration.
During his term of office, George H.W. Bush experienced major events such as the end of the Cold War and the Gulf War. The New York Times commented that George H.W. Bush had skillful officialdom and diplomatic skills, played a role in ending the 40-year-long Cold War, and dealt with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the changes in Eastern Europe in a subtle way.
The newspaper pointed out that George H.W. Bush chose a cooperative way and accepted the reunification of Germany, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War with then Soviet leader Gorbachev. The two men also signed a treaty to reduce their nuclear and chemical weapons reserves, which had a far-reaching impact on history.
Long sleeves dance here, and swords meet there. Shortly after the end of the Cold War, the Bush administration launched the Gulf War, which made a quick decision and drove Iraq out of Kuwait. This action was recognized in the United States, and it also had an impact on the new international order after the Cold War.
尽管老布什因其外交政策赢得赞誉，但他在国内事务上却鲜有成就。耶鲁大学经济学出身的他，却没能管理好美国经济。在他任期内，美国失业率攀升，他也因此在1992年的总统大选中输给了民主党人克林顿。
中国人的老朋友：爱吃烤鸭的“自行车大使”
相对于平淡无奇的美国国内政绩，老布什在外交领域的表现可圈可点，特别是与中国建立了深厚渊源。从担任美国驻华联络处主任到出席北京奥运会，数十次访华的老布什成为当代中美关系的有力推动者。
图为1988年5月21日，乔治赫伯特沃克布什出席一年一度的白宫记者协会颁奖晚宴。(资料图)
老布什与中国结缘，要从1974年说起。当时他来到中国，担任美国驻华联络处主任。他曾在《乔治H.W。布什的中国日记》中写到，选择来中国，不是为了躲避新闻媒体和“水门事件”，而是“因为对中国的好奇和神秘”。
在担任驻华联络处主任时，老布什就经常和妻子芭芭拉骑自行车在北京的大街小巷穿梭。两人还有一张骑自行车在天安门城楼前的合影，流传甚广，老布什还因此获得了“自行车大使”的美誉。
Bush also has a soft spot for Chinese food, especially Beijing roast duck. After he returned to China, he was still obsessed with Beijing roast duck and often went to Chinese restaurants to "satisfy his cravings". The American media ridiculed that "if President Bush has always been loyal, then one is the Republican Party and the other is Beijing Roast Duck."
George H.W. Bush also called his days in China "the happiest time of his life". Shortly after he was elected president, he visited China, the first American president to visit China since 1970s. Over the past decades, he has visited China 20 times back and forth, and has forged a deep affection with China.
In 2008, Bush made a special trip to Beijing to watch the Beijing Olympic Games. In 2009, overseas Chinese in Houston, USA, awarded the "2009 Outstanding Friends of China Award" to Mr. and Mrs. Bush in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the development of Sino-US relations over the past 30 years.
Live into a "legend": 73 years of model marriage and 90-year-old skydiving birthday celebration
George H.W. Bush’s life can be described as an attachment to skydiving. His first skydiving in his life was at a critical moment. In December 1941, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he just graduated from middle school and enlisted in the army to fly a torpedo bomber in the Pacific Fleet. Once, his fighter plane was unfortunately shot down by the Japanese army, and Bush parachuted to escape.
The picture shows George Herbert Walker Bush wearing the uniform of a naval aviation cadet in early 1943. (data map)
Skydiving gave the young man a chance to be born again. After retirement, Bush chose skydiving to celebrate his important birthday. On his 75th, 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays, he gave himself the gift of "flying high in the sky", which was passed down as a much-told story.
However, on his 90th birthday, he was unable to complete the skydiving activity alone because of illness. He landed with the personal assistance of a skydiver. When landing, George H.W. Bush was unable to raise his paralyzed legs and fell on the lawn. Fortunately, there was no serious problem.
For Barbara (left) and George Bush (right) kissing on a TV show. (data map)
If Bush’s courage in skydiving at the age of 90 is amazing, then the 73-year model marriage is even more enviable. Barbara Bush’s wife died in the first half of this year at the age of 92. They got married in 1945 and have been together for 73 years. They are the longest married presidential couple in American history.
The US media reported that in those difficult years in the White House, Bush knew that there was one person who would always support him, and that was his wife Barbara. Jeb Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush, once said at his mother’s memorial service, "The day after my mother was hospitalized last time, my father felt sick in the hospital, too. I think he was deliberately’ sick’ so that he could go to the hospital to accompany her."
Former US President Barack Obama said in mourning for George H.W. Bush that after 73 years of marriage, George H.W. Bush and Barbara are now together again. The two of them are two lights that never dim.
Goodbye, old Bush!
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