Not long ago, I went to Russia for work reasons, and I happened to pass by a famous shopping street in the center of Vladivostok, a city in the Russian Far East.
The streets were covered with posters of the Treaty of Aihui, which caught my attention.
As a history buff, I have a very good understanding of the content and historical background of the Aihui Treaty.
The Treaty of Aihui was an unequal treaty signed on May 28, 1858 between Nikolai Nikolayevich Muravyov, Governor of Eastern Siberia of the Russian Empire, and Yishan, a general of Heilongjiang in the Qing Dynasty, in Aihui (present-day Aihui District, Heihe City), which caused China to lose about 600,000 square kilometers of territory north of the Heilongjiang River and south of the Outer Khing'an Mountains, and to divide the Chinese territory east of the Ussuri River into Sino-Russian condominiumThe Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers are only allowed to be navigated by Chinese and Russian shipsAt that time, the Qing refused to ratify the treaty. In 1860, when the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing was signed, it was ratified by the Qing Dynasty.
This street is called Artem Street, which is one of the busiest commercial streets in Vladivostok and a gathering place for Russians.
As I walked down this street, I suddenly saw a huge propaganda poster of the Aihun Treaty, which read: "The Aihun Treaty is the result of consultations between China and Russia on an equal footing, and is proof that the Chinese people voluntarily gave up large territories." ”
I was shocked and outraged.
As a Chinese, I am very clear about the historical background and content of the Treaty of Aihu.
This unequal treaty was forced into the Russian Empire's aggression and deprived China of large swaths of territory and sovereignty.
Now, the Russians are hanging this treaty on this bustling commercial street, openly insulting the Chinese.
I felt very angry and dissatisfied.
As a Chinese, I feel that my dignity has been greatly hurt.
I am reminded of all the humiliations in history, and I am reminded of the bullying and oppression that China has suffered.
I felt my blood boiling.
However, I did not lose my mind.
I thought about it calmly and decided to take action to preserve my dignity and the interests of my country.
I first approached the staff of the Chinese embassy in Russia, reported the situation to them and asked for help.
They took my situation very seriously and immediately contacted the relevant Russian authorities to ask them to immediately remove the posters and apologize for it.
Thanks to the efforts of the embassy, the Russian side quickly removed the posters and apologized for them.
However, I was very impressed by this incident.
I believe that no country should tolerate insults and violations of its dignity.
We should firmly safeguard our own dignity and interests, and at the same time, we should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and nations.
Only in this way can we establish a relationship of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.