2024Farm of Chinese-Czech-Slovak Friendship - First Day Cover

The China-Czechoslovakia Friendship Farm was founded in June 1956 after the Czechoslovak government gave 670 items of agricultural equipment to the People’s Republic of China. It was initiated by the Chinese premier, Zhou Enlai, who visited Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1956. At that time, Prime Minister Viliam Široký presented the Chinese delegation with Czechoslovak produced farming equipment, mainly tractors made by Zetor Brno, to help China develop its extensive agriculture. For this reason, the “China-Czechoslovakia Friendship Farm”, which covers 268 km2, was founded 200 km from Beijing in Cangzhou county, Hebei province. The short Chinese name is “Zhongjie”. As the Chinese farmers did not know how to use the machines, a group of seven professionals, led by a car mechanic, Václav Nádraský, were also sent to China. There they trained a group of workers in the operation and maintenance of the equipment.