On November 30, 2018 (October 23, 2018 in the lunar calendar), former US President George H.W. Bush passed away. On the evening of November 30, 2018, George H.W. Bush issued a statement at his office saying that Bush Sr. passed away at 10:00 pm Central Time in the United States at the age of 94. Biography Brief Introduction George H.W. Bush (GeorgeHerbertWalkerBush), the 51st and 41st President of the United States. Due to the existence of two Bush presidents in American history, it is often referred to as Bush Sr. to distinguish it from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who also served as President of the United States. Bush Sr. is best known for his political achievements in the 1991 Gulf War. In addition, in 1971, when the People's Republic of China resumed its legitimate seat in the United Nations, Bush Sr. was serving as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. In 1974, he was appointed by President Ford as the director of the US Liaison Office in Beijing. During his tenure, he made efforts to develop Sino-US relations. Bush Sr. and China In September 1974, George W. Bush was appointed by President Ford as the director of the US Liaison Office in China. Dagong.com commented that Bush said that he was sociable, approachable, and easy-going. In addition, Bush is not a career diplomat, but an active figure in American politics. Since leaving business in the mid-1960s, he has served as a congressman, the US ambassador to the United Nations, the chairperson of the Republican National Committee, and then the director of the liaison office in China. After leaving office, he has served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the vice president, and even the president. He has become the owner of the White House. This political experience has made him more famous among the Chinese than any other ambassador. According to previous media reports, Bush resigned from the United Nations in January 1973 and was appointed chairperson of the Republican National Committee by President Nixon. In August 1974, Nixon was forced to resign due to the "Watergate scandal". The successor President Ford intended to make Bush an ambassador to Britain or France, but Bush chose China, which many Americans considered mysterious at the time, as the second director of the liaison office in China. Bush was 49 years old when he went to China. According to his own book "Bush Autobiography", it was coveted to go to Britain and France, but it was more challenging to go to China. The new China is emerging, and the relationship between the United States and China will enter a critical period in the next few years, which is of great significance not only to Asia, but also to the United States and the world. He chose to go to China for another reason. It turned out that President Nixon's appointment of Bush as chairperson of the Republican National Committee after the Watergate scandal was to use Bush's political experience and reputation to mobilize the strength of the Republican organization to escort Nixon. It was a thankless job that left Bush in the crossfire of American politics and suffered. Bush called the experience "a political nightmare." He was eager to leave this place of trouble for a while, find a clean place to heal his spiritual wounds, and then return to the United States to seek a new career. On October 21, 1974, the Bushes arrived in Beijing. They moved into the residence of the director of the United States Liaison Office in the foreign embassy district outside Jianguomen, which is close to the office building of the liaison office. Bush refused to live the blues-like reclusive life of his predecessor, and he showed a sociable style as soon as he arrived in Beijing. Not only did he interact with Chinese diplomats, but he was also quite active in the Beijing diplomatic corps, actively visiting some of the diplomatic envoys in China and attending various events organized by them. At first, Bush went out in a luxury Chrysler sedan, and within a month he rode a bicycle. On sandy days, he also donned a mask and, like many Chinese, walked through the streets of Beijing and approached ordinary Chinese people. He loved to play tennis and was a regular on the tennis courts of international clubs, so he made friends with the international club's accompanying players. Later, he had the opportunity to play against Wan Li, a Chinese leader who likes to play tennis, and the two became friends. Every Sunday, the Bushes attended the Chongwenmen Church, chanting and praying with the Rev. Kan Xueqing and many Chinese and foreign believers. Bush and his wife Barbara began to learn Chinese, and Barbara was very interested in Chinese art, painting and architecture. Usually, the Bushes lived with their puppy "Fred", who they brought from the United States. During the holidays or summer vacations, they brought relatives, friends and children to Beijing. On Christmas Day 1975, Barbara flew back to the United States to reunite with her children, and Bush invited his mother and an aunt to Beijing. In the summer of 1975, Bush's sons George, Neil, and Marvin, and daughter Dorothy, who was baptized at Chongwenmen Church in Beijing on Aug. 18, their birthday, were all in Beijing for the summer. Launching the Gulf War The Gulf War was a local war against Iraq from January 17 to February 28, 1991 by a multinational force led by the United States (including France, Britain, South Korea, Egypt, etc.). The main battle included 42 days of air strikes, 100 hours of land combat, and finally the coalition achieved a decisive victory at a very small cost. The coalition: 223 killed, 697 wounded, and 13 captured. Iraq: 25,000 dead, 75,000 wounded. What if China in the 1990s encountered such a war? In 1991, when the United States beat the Iraqi army to pieces, Chinese officers were always watching closely. The Iraqi army at that time was an army with richer combat experience and slightly more advanced technology than the People's Liberation Army, and before the Gulf War, Iraq also had the largest, most complete and modern comprehensive air defense system in the entire Middle East. However, the United States eventually won the war, and the various high-tech weapons he used in the war showed the world the form and combat mode of modern warfare. Looking at the early 1990s, the Chinese People's Liberation Army was still an army with the army as the absolute main force and very limited naval and air force strength. The air force relied heavily on ground command and had a small combat radius. In the face of the informatization and precision strikes of the US military, the army that advocated daring to fight and bayonets would definitely be reduced to a passive role. At that time, the gap between the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the US military was not only a gap in equipment, but also a gap in combat methods and combat concepts. And from this war, China also saw its own gap. After the Gulf War, the "Military Strategic Guidelines for Active Defense in the New Era" determined at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission in January 1993. This understanding of the Gulf War helped China to promote the modernization of the military. Especially in the Air Force and Navy, when we purchased arms, we introduced 4 "Hyundai-class" destroyers, 8 "Kilo-class" submarines, "Su-30MKK" multi-purpose fighter jets, S-300 air defense missiles, and many core technologies. Finally, China accelerated the technological development of its own military industry. In the 1990s, it launched a series of weapons development and pre-research projects. At the same time, it kept pace with the Western military industry. High-tech equipment such as the J-20 and high-altitude long-endurance drones were developed in this context, focusing on building a strategic air force. George H.W. Bush, the last World War II veteran to serve as the president of the United States, was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. During World War II, Bush joined the Navy and served as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific Fleet. He was the youngest pilot in the US Navy. His fighter jet was shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and was awarded the Flying Cross for outstanding combat achievements. In 1944, Bush and his comrades flew planes to attack Japanese military bases in the Pacific Ocean. As a result, Bush's fighter jet was hit, he parachuted and fell into the sea, and was eventually lucky to be rescued by a US Navy submarine. Bush was the last World War II veteran to serve as the president of the United States. After leaving the army, Bush went to Yale University to study economics and received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1948. After graduation, he went to Texas to run an oil industry. In the early 1960s, Bush began to engage in political activities. He was elected to the House of Representatives, served as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, chairperson of the Republican National Committee, and was the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. From 1974 to 1975, Bush served as the director of the US Liaison Office in Beijing. After returning home, his political career was smooth sailing, and he successively served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and vice president. In 1988, Bush successfully ran for president and became the 41st president of the United States. During his four years in office, Eastern Europe changed drastically, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the world pattern changed fundamentally. During the US-Soviet Cold War, he announced in May 1989 that he would implement a strategy of "beyond containment" against the Soviet Union. In January 1991, he put forward the idea of establishing a "new world order" in his State of the Union address. He led to the evolution of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, broke away from the socialist system, unified Germany, and ended the Cold War. He is best known for his achievements in the 1991 Gulf War. In 2011, US President Barack Obama awarded George H.W. Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praising him as a "diplomatic expert" and calling his humility and tolerance the best expression of the American spirit. Despite his unprecedented military and diplomatic victories, Bush could not withstand the dissatisfaction of the people at home. Due to the economic downturn, Bush was defeated by Clinton in the 1992 election with the slogan "Stupid! The problem is the economy!" In poor health, he still loves sports parachuting to celebrate his 90th birthday. On the evening of December 23, 2014 local time, Bush Sr. developed shortness of breath and was rushed by ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital. After treatment, his condition was stable. However, as a precautionary measure, he was asked to continue to stay in the hospital for observation and had to spend Christmas in the hospital before being discharged after 7 days. This is not the first time that Bush Sr. has had health problems. In November 2012, Bush Sr. was hospitalized due to a long cough caused by bronchitis. During this period, he was transferred to the intensive care unit, causing concern. Finally, he recovered and was discharged after nearly two months of treatment. That year, Bush Sr. also spent Christmas in this hospital. Although he was later discharged from the hospital, because Bush is still recovering and has suffered from conditions such as Parkinson's for many years, he can only walk on a wheelchair or an electric scooter. In his biography of his father, "41: A Portrait of My Father," Bush revealed that before he announced his re-election bid in 1992, Bush had suffered from arrhythmia and other physical discomforts, and his son Neil Bush was mired in a lawsuit at that time. These personal and family factors made him consider giving up seeking re-election. In the election, he ultimately lost to Democrat Bill Clinton and was not re-elected. Despite his poor health, Bush was still very active. In June 2014, he celebrated his 90th birthday in Maine by a stunning skydive.