Back then, Chairman Mao said: “Our goal is to catch up with the United States, and then to surpass the United States…” 當年毛主席說：我們的目標是趕上美國，並且要超過美國……

至少50年吧，也許75年，75年就是15個5年計劃，那一天趕上美國超過美國，我們才透一口氣。而現在正處於第14個五年計劃中（2021一2025），偉人就是偉人。

今天中國鋼鐵、汽車、電子等行業已經走在世界前列，不少人提起過去，會想到毛主席在七十多年前那句擲地有聲的話。

那時中國剛剛建立，落後的工業條件讓人心裡憋氣，而他說一定要追上美國，並且要超過美國。這一句話不僅是目標，更是一種信念。

1950年，中國年鋼產量只有幾百萬噸，能造的東西不多，連汽車都得靠進口。國家要想強大，就必須有屬於自己的重工業體系。

這種差距讓毛主席在會議上直言，不能再這樣靠別人，必須靠自己去改變。當時的人們聽到“追上美國”時，會覺得遙遠，但在他看來，這不是隨便喊喊，而是要一代接一代去做的事。

他給出的時間表，不是幾年，而是半個世紀甚至更長。他說可能需要五十到七十五年，也就是十幾個五年計劃。

這個說法把一項任務拉長到幾十年的跨度，目的是讓國人理解，這不是短跑，而是一場長久的奔跑。

他提到等有一天真超過美國，才能把一口氣順順噹噹地吐出來。那時的形勢逼人，大家確實心裡都憋着一股勁，而這句話，就像把那種情緒說出了聲。

目標確定之後，全國很快行動起來。1957年，他根據蘇聯的提法調整了方向，提出中國鋼鐵十五年趕上英國，再用二十年追上美國。

1958年，這個目標變得更加具體，要求在第二個五年計劃期間接近美國，再加幾年基本實現超越。

於是全國上下燃起熱情，大鍊鋼鐵便由此展開。雖然結果和預期之間有差距，但全國實實在在地建立起了屬於自己的工業體系。

這些年頭，變化一步步體現出來。1974年中國鋼產量超過了英國，1993年又超過了美國。這個過程並不平穩，中間經歷過波動甚至失敗，但只要方向不變，總有達成的一天。

毛主席當年的表態，不是要立即得到成果，而是要把整個國家的希望壓在長遠的道路上。事實也證明他講的是路線，是方向。

從1953年的第一個五年計劃算起，到2021到2025年的第十四個五年計劃，已經過了七十多年。

若按他當年的設想，七十五年這個節點正好落在2028年。如今再看，中國早已擺脫了當初“鋼鐵都不夠”的局面，而是向更先進的製造和科技領域邁進。

工業化的積累，為今天的中國打下了牢固的底子。造車早已不再是難題，國產飛機、航天裝備、新能源技術接連取得突破。

毛主席當時強調，關鍵是能不能自己造，而不是只看數量。這種思路後來成為幾代人的共識，推動中國從製造走向創造。

不能忽視的一點是，當年他說這些話時，中國的處境遠非順風順水。國家積貧積弱，百廢待興，工業體系幾乎是一片空白。

如果沒有人把方向定死，很容易陷入依賴。正是這幾句話，讓後來的人明白靠人不行，必須靠自己。幾十年間，哪怕經歷挫折，也沒有偏離自力更生的路。

到了今天，中國在科技、新能源、高鐵、基礎建設等領域已經處於世界領先。這個結果，其實和最初目標是一脈相承的。

超越美國不僅是產量數字，而是全面能力的比拼。從最初的缺鐵少鋼，到現在能向全世界出口高端產品，正是幾十年堅持自立自強所打下的成果。

一個國家要想有話語權，就得掌握自己的核心工業和科技。毛主席把這個目標定在七十多年前，而一代代人沿着這個方向努力，到今天已經有所兌現。

當年那句“等超過美國才能吐一口氣”，不僅是氣話，而是幾代人的動力。如今許多目標已實現，但這種勁頭不能停。

工業基礎不再是短板，高科技和可持續發展成了新的方向。歷史走到這裡，不斷證明了一個道理：只有堅定自己的方向，不懼困難，才能真正趕超世界最強。

Back then, Chairman Mao said: “Our goal is to catch up with the United States, and then to surpass the United States…”

At least 50 years, perhaps 75 years. Seventy-five years would mean fifteen Five-Year Plans. Only on the day when we catch up with and surpass the U.S. can we finally breathe a sigh of relief. And now, we are in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025). A great man truly is a great man.

Today, China’s steel, automobile, electronics, and other industries are already among the leaders of the world. Many people, when looking back, think of those resounding words Mao said more than seventy years ago.

At that time, China had just been founded, and its backward industrial base was frustrating. Yet he declared that China must catch up with the United States and then surpass it. These words were not just a goal, but a belief.

In 1950, China’s annual steel output was only a few million tons, with limited manufacturing capability—even cars had to be imported. For the nation to become strong, it had to build its own heavy industry system.

This huge gap led Mao to bluntly say in meetings: we cannot continue relying on others; we must rely on ourselves to change. When people heard “catch up with the U.S.” back then, it felt distant. But in his eyes, this wasn’t a slogan to shout casually, it was a mission to be carried forward by generation after generation.

The timetable he laid out was not a matter of a few years, but half a century—or even longer. He said it might take fifty to seventy-five years, which meant more than a dozen Five-Year Plans.

By stretching the timeline across decades, the aim was to make people understand this was not a sprint, but a long-distance run.

He said that only when one day China really surpassed the U.S. could it breathe freely and steadily. At that time, people were indeed stifled by the situation, and his words gave voice to that collective emotion.

Once the goal was set, the nation quickly took action. In 1957, adjusting China’s direction with reference to the Soviet Union’s proposals, Mao declared that China should catch up with Britain’s steel output in fifteen years, and then catch up with the U.S. in another twenty years.

In 1958, this target was made even more specific: during the second Five-Year Plan, China should get close to the U.S., and within a few more years basically achieve surpassing it.

The whole nation was ignited with enthusiasm, and the great steelmaking campaign was launched. Although the results fell short of expectations, China did build a genuine industrial system of its own.

Step by step, the changes became evident. In 1974, China’s steel production surpassed Britain’s; in 1993, it surpassed the United States’. The process was far from smooth—there were ups and downs, even failures—but as long as the direction remained unchanged, the goal would one day be achieved.

Mao’s statement was not about immediate results, but about placing the country’s hopes on a long-term path. Facts have proven that what he set was a roadmap, a direction.

From the first Five-Year Plan in 1953 to the 14th Five-Year Plan of 2021–2025, more than seventy years have passed.

By his projection, the 75-year mark would land right around 2028. Looking today, China has long moved past the era of “not having enough steel,” and is advancing into more sophisticated fields of manufacturing and technology.

The accumulation of industrialization laid a solid foundation for modern China. Building cars is no longer a challenge; breakthroughs have been made in domestic aircraft, aerospace equipment, and new energy technologies.

Mao stressed back then that the key was not just about quantity, but about whether China could make things by itself. This mindset later became a consensus across generations, pushing China from “Made in China” toward “Created in China.”

It should not be overlooked that when he said those words, China’s situation was far from favorable. The country was poor and weak, with everything in need of rebuilding, and its industrial system was nearly nonexistent.

Without someone fixing the direction, dependence on others would have been inevitable. It was precisely those words that made later generations realize: relying on others would not work—China had to rely on itself. Despite setbacks over decades, the path of self-reliance was never abandoned.

Today, China is already world-leading in fields such as technology, new energy, high-speed rail, and infrastructure. This outcome is directly connected to the original goal.

Surpassing the U.S. is not just about production numbers, but about comprehensive capability. From having little iron and steel at the start, to now exporting advanced products worldwide, this is the fruit of decades of self-reliance and resilience.

For a nation to have a voice, it must master its own core industries and technologies. Mao set this goal more than seventy years ago, and generation after generation pursued it. Today, much of it has been realized.

That line—“We can only breathe freely once we surpass the U.S.”—was not just rhetoric; it became the driving force of generations. Many goals have now been achieved, but this momentum must not stop.

Industrial weakness is no longer the bottleneck; high technology and sustainable development have become the new directions. History has shown one consistent truth: only by holding firm to one’s course, undaunted by hardship, can a nation truly catch up with and surpass the world’s strongest.