Why was China's first automobile named 'Jiefang' (Liberation)?

[RyanMarie]

There are two accounts regarding the origin of the name 'Jiefang' for China's first automobile. One version states that Chairman Mao selected 'Jiefang' from numerous names submitted by staff members as the name for China's first vehicle. Another version suggests that the name 'Jiefang' was proposed by Zhu De, reasoning that since the nation's armed forces were called the People's Liberation Army, the first domestically produced vehicle could also bear this name. China's first automobile: On July 13, 1956, the first batch of Jiefang brand trucks were successfully trial-produced at Changchun First Automobile Works. These initial Jiefang vehicles were general-purpose trucks with a load capacity of 4 tons, equipped with a 90-horsepower six-cylinder gasoline engine. They had a maximum speed of 65 km/h and an economical speed of 33-35 km/h when fully loaded, making them well-suited for China's highway and bridge load conditions at that time. Production principles: Changchun First Automobile Works designed and manufactured these vehicles based on the Soviet ZIS-150 truck model, with modifications made to certain structures according to China's actual conditions.