Nixon's daughter Julie visited China and talked to ***, and Julie wanted to change seats.
In 1972, Nixon** visited China, ending more than 20 years of isolation between the two countries, which was an important moment in history. In view of the international environment at that time, the improvement of relations between the two countries was beneficial to both sides.
Three years later, Nixon's daughter Julie and son-in-law David Eisenhower were invited to visit China, you know? David is actually the grandson of the former ** Eisenhower in the United States, and Nixon's election success was also helped by Eisenhower, so it can be said that this is also a kind of marriage.
For the two descendants of the former United States, the chairman showed great enthusiasm and attention, although the chairman was not in good health at the time, when he saw them, he still asked the assistant to help him stand up and extend his hand to the guests to welcome them.
After the initial exchange, the Chairman warmly invited the two American guests to take their seats. Julie had actually come on behalf of her father, who had been gleefully talking to the chairman.
During the conversation, she was so excited about the couch Julie was sitting on that she immediately offered to swap places with David. Why is that? Does that seat have a special meaning?
What is Julie's mission for this trip? What impact did her trip have? It all stemmed from the events that followed her father's visit to China.
In 1972, Nixon**'s visit to China was hailed"Icebreaker tour", opening a new chapter in the friendship between China and the United States. During this trip, the Nixons not only had a high degree of praise for China, but also participated in a special trip"Panda diplomacy"。
During their visit, the Nixons visited the Beijing Zoo, and Mrs. Nixon's Pat was fascinated by the panda as soon as she saw it. With permission from the zoo and accompanied by staff, she had a close encounter with the pandas.
At the banquet that day, Pat was pleasantly surprised to find a box of Panda brand cigarettes on everyone's table. She picked up her cigarette and carefully admired the lifelike panda pattern on it, and couldn't help but admire: "This cigarette is so beautiful, I like pandas so much!" ”
Hearing Pat's words, the *** in charge of entertaining them smiled: "Madam, this is not a cigarette, it is a giant panda for you and Madame." When Pat heard this, he couldn't help but laugh and said that he didn't smoke.
Still smiling, he explained, "It's not smoke, it's a panda for you and your wife as a gift." This episode left a deep impression on the Nixons' friendship and warmth toward China, and it also became a good story in the history of Sino-US relations.
Pat Nixon was thrilled, and Nixon was overjoyed. After the departure of Nixon in the United States, a pair of giant pandas from China arrived at the National Zoo in Washington, which seemed to have become a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
Although Nixon laid the groundwork for the normalization of relations between the two countries, the two countries did not establish diplomatic relations during his tenure, as he was forced to resign in 1974 in response to the Watergate scandal.
Just a few days after his resignation, the prime minister sent a telegram inviting him to visit China again, much to Nixon's surprise and excitement. However, before he could make a decision, he was hospitalized due to ill health and was unable to make the trip.
** Upon learning of this news, he expressed his condolences through an interpreter and told him that in the hearts of the Chinese, Nixon was one of the greatest statesmen, and that China would welcome him at any time if he wanted to.
However, for various reasons, Nixon needed to deal with domestic affairs, so he could not make the trip.
On December 1, 1975, the United States ** Ford visited China, and the relationship between the two countries became even closer. After Ford returned home, he decided to invite Nixon's daughter and son-in-law to visit China, taking into account Nixon's health.
When the descendants of these two ** learned that the chairman of *** might receive them, they were very excited, because the chairman was already very old and there were not many opportunities to receive foreign guests.
Although they came from a prominent family, they were just ordinary people, how could they not be thrilled to receive such an honor? On December 29, Julie and David arrived in Beijing, their first time in China, and everything made them curious.
In the first two days, a staff member took them to visit some places in Beijing. Late at night on the 31st, Julie was preparing to rest when a diplomatic staff knocked on her door and told her that the president was going to meet them.
They immediately put on their clothes and followed the staff to Zhongnanhai. According to Julie's recollection, when they arrived at the residence of the chairman of ***, it was just in time to ring the New Year's bell, and New Year's Day in 1976 arrived.
Overall, Ford's visit to China brought China and the United States closer together, and Nixon's daughter and son-in-law's visit became an unforgettable experience for them in the president's advanced years.
Their stories show us the influence of heads of state and the hospitality of the Chinese people.
Accompanied by Huang Zhen, then director of the Chinese Liaison Office in the United States, Julie and David entered ***'s study. The chairman was sitting on the couch and looked a little tired.
Seeing that a guest was coming, he also motioned to the staff to help him up and stretched out his hand to welcome him. David had always been curious about the chairman, and this time he finally saw him, and his eyes couldn't help but lock on the chairman's face.
The chairman also noticed the difference in the guests and asked, "What are you looking at?" David replied, "I'm looking at your face, and your forehead is full and outstanding." ”
After hearing this, the chairman smiled and said: "I have a great Chinese face, and our noses are relatively flat, so it is not bad to act, the French, the Americans, and the Soviets can all play it."
Foreigners can't do it, they can't play Chinese, their noses are too high, they can't see their noses for acting. The chairman's words made everyone laugh, and Julie and David's original tension dissipated instantly.
Humor is the best regulator at any moment.
Julie was full of curiosity about the events of the chairman's father's visit to China, and the chairman patiently answered them one by one. She particularly wanted to know where the chair had been sitting, and the chair smiled and replied that it was where she was sitting now.
Julie was astonished to hear this, and she immediately stood up, looked at the sofa carefully, and then made a request to the chairman: "Chairman, I would like to change seats with Davy, so that he can say that he has also sat on this historic sofa." ”
The chairman smiled and nodded, and saw the two young men quickly change seats, their eccentric appearance made the chairman's mood happy. Then, Julie took out a handwritten letter from Nixon from her bag and handed it to the chairman.
The chairman took it and looked at it for a while, then read out the date in English: "December 23, 1975." This was a great surprise to both Julie and David.
It is not surprising that the chairman speaks English, and his security guard, Wang Mingfu, recalls that the chairman loved to read all his life, and after swimming the Yangtze River in his 60s, he began to memorize English words as soon as he came ashore.
After reading the letter, the Chairman asked, "How is Mr. *'s leg recovering?" Julie replied, "It's much better." The chairman nodded: "Please tell Mr. ** that last time he said that he would climb the Great Wall, let him take good care of his legs."
By the way, help me tell him that I miss him all the time. David reminded on the side: "He's not a ** anymore." However, the chairman did not care about these details and still habitually called Nixon **.
Julie mentioned with some regret: "There are many people who oppose my father now, and there are even people who are strongly demanding that he be put on trial. ”
When her father comes to China again, he will wait for him. Julie was deeply moved by the enthusiasm of the Chinese, and after returning to China, she told her father about this experience. She is looking forward to visiting China again in 10 years' time, when everything will be all new.
We should seek a just peace. The meeting lasted an hour and 40 minutes, and it was also the last long dialogue the chairman had with foreign guests.
The chairman's wish before his death was to hope that China and the United States could establish diplomatic relations at an early date, so that the countries could have more exchanges and the people could have a broader road to follow. Regrettably, the President was not able to witness that day in person.
On September 9, 1976, the president died of illness, and Nixon issued a public statement of condolence as an old friend. On December 16, 1978, China and the United States issued a joint communiqué, and 15 days later, the two countries formally established diplomatic relations.
In fact, all this is also promoted step by step by the chairman's generation. Self-interest is temporary, but justice is eternal. Whether it is an opponent or an enemy, they have a high opinion of the chairman, because he is a great man who is dedicated to the people, so he can also be loved by the people.