Foreword
Since the early morning of October 15, 2012, vehicles have been entering and exiting the compound at No. 15 Minxiang in the eastern suburbs of Beijing, and people who have come here to mourn the death of the former king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk.
A flag-and-mast ceremony was held in Tiananmen Square to express condolences to the old Chinese friend.
1. China and Cambodia have not yet established diplomatic relations, and ** and *** invited Sihanouk to visit China in his personal capacity
Sihanouk ascended to the throne in April 1941 at the age of 19, and before that he was still seriously studying his **, crazy for composing, suddenly becoming king, he panicked: "I can't carry such a heavy burden, I'm too young." ”
Sihanouk proved to be up to the task, and under his leadership, Cambodia gained full independence in 1953 after arduous struggle and hard work. The king, who was in his early thirties, was dubbed the "Father of Independence" and "National Hero" of Cambodia by his people.
Sihanouk's half-century-long friendly relations with China began at the Geneva Conference in 1954.
At this major international conference, he showed his diplomatic demeanor of neither humility nor arrogance, wisdom and courage, and the contribution made by New China to world peace was also seen by more countries.
During the meeting, the Cambodian delegation was invited to lunch, and he also asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, Mr. Di Pufen, to convey his respect and congratulations to King Sihanouk.
Sihanouk, who is in Cambodia, has already heard of the outstanding performance of the diplomats of New China at this conference, and he is curious about China and China.
Upon their return, the Cambodian delegation praised the Chinese prime minister, claiming that they were fascinated by him. The charm of ** left a deep impression on Sihanouk.
In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated the throne to his father, formed the "People's Socialist League", and became Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In April of the same year, he attended the Bandung Conference, where he met with the leader of the new China, the premier
"His great intellect, profound learning, and elegant demeanor immediately attracted me. ”At that time, Cambodia and New China had not yet established diplomatic relations, but *** issued a "statement on Cambodia's pursuit of independence policy" at the conference, expressing high praise for the Cambodian independence movement led by Sihanouk.
What surprised him even more was that the Cambodian delegation headed by him was also hosted at a banquet during the meeting.
At the banquet, Sihanouk felt the enthusiasm of the Chinese delegation, and everyone frequently raised their glasses and exchanged cordial views. **In his personal name and ***, Sihanouk was invited to visit China, and Sihanouk happily agreed, and also invited *** to visit Cambodia.
In February 1956, Sihanouk visited the People's Republic of China for the first timeWhen he set foot on Chinese soil, he did not expect that he would have such a deep affection and bond with this country in the future.
At Beijing Airport, a grand welcoming ceremony was held for the Cambodian delegation headed by Sihanoukville.
The next day, the leader of the new China, the chairman of the People's Republic of China, met with him in Zhongnanhai. ** was already standing at the door waiting, and when he got out of the car, he greeted him.
Sihanouk did not expect that he would be taken so seriously by the leaders, and hurriedly bent down, folded his hands, and paid his respects to the *** president with Khmer etiquette.
Then he invited Sihanouk into the meeting room and said: "Our two countries have a lot in common, China has just gained independence, and we have had enough of the oppression of others in the past, and now we are free from the control of others, and a truly independent country cannot let other countries control it!" ”
Sihanouk was quite moved by his opening remarks, and he had a cordial conversation with ***.
When talking about the foreign policy pursued by the two countries, ** learned that there are still certain difficulties in establishing diplomatic relations between Cambodia and New China, so he said with a smile: ".Cambodia has difficulties, we can wait.
During this visit to China, he met with Sihanouk several times. Sihanouk wrote in his memoirs:
In front of me is a great man among mankind. His kind and expressive face shone with wisdom, composure, and perseverance. I think the reason why he met me so often, and for so long, happened to be a symbol of China's interest in and respect for smaller countries ......I quickly developed a crush on ***, and he did the same for me, which is very obvious.
For this country that has only recently become independent, China has given great help. In addition to providing £8 million worth of supplies and commodities free of charge, it also helped build three large factories, namely a textile mill, a plywood mill and a paper mill.
Sihanouk also expressed the gratitude and reverence of the Cambodian people to China, and he wore the Grand Cross, the highest medal of the Kingdom of Cambodia, for the President and the Prime Minister. This was given to the two leaders by Sihanouk's father, Norodom Suramarita.
These two medals shine on the chests of *** and ***, and China-Cambodia relations are also bright.
On February 19, Sihanouk and his entourage left China by plane. **Wait for the leaders to go and say goodbye. The spring cold is steep, and the people at the airport are shivering from the cold, but *** is motionless, straightening up and standing in the cold wind.
Sihanouk's plane circled in the sky, and as a farewell and thanks, China's leaders raised their heads and waved at the plane.
At this time, he found that two senior cadres were missing, and after the plane flew away, he found the two people and said angrily: "The plane has not left yet, you will leave first, this is disrespectful to others......”
The two cadres ran to the waiting room after the plane took off because they couldn't stand the cold weather. When they saw *** so angry, they were both sad and guilty, so they lowered their heads and apologized seriously. But *** still has to continue to criticize.
The *** on the side was worried that ***'s body would be frozen, so he said: "Prime Minister, they already know that they are wrong, so don't say it again." ”
From this little thing, we can see the friendship and importance that the Chinese leaders and China attach to Cambodia.
Second, Sihanouk's father died, and ** visited in plain clothes
Sihanouk's first visit to China began a process of cordial exchanges between the leaders of China and Cambodia. In November of the same year, ** was invited to visit Cambodia. On July 19, 1958, China and Cambodia formally established diplomatic relations.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained friendly exchanges. In April 1960, a Chinese delegation headed by *** was visiting India, Nepal and other countries, and in early May they would visit Cambodia.
But just as they were about to end their visit to India, they were shocked by the news that came. The king of Cambodia, Sihanouk's father, Sura Marit, died.
The king died suddenly, and Cambodia was plunged into mourning, and a new king had not yet succeeded to the throne. Cambodia said to the Chinese delegation that if the prime minister visits according to the original date, it may affect the specifications of the reception because it is in the period of national mourning; If the visit is postponed, after the king's cremation, Cambodia will hold a grand reception ceremony as originally planned.
The second option, proposed by Cambodia, is the general practice of diplomatic missions. There is no doubt that the same should be true for the Chinese delegation. However, *** fell silent after receiving the telegram from Cambodia, and then he had a serious discussion with **, and finally decided to change the date of his visit to Cambodia, so that he could personally mourn King Sulamarit.
As for the specifications of the reception, the Chinese delegation invited the invitation to be simple. The reception is just a formality and will not affect the deep friendship between China and Cambodia.
In addition, ** also prepared two sets of mourning clothes, one suit and one tunic, for each member of the delegation, expressing China's respect for Cambodia and condolences to the deceased king.
On May 5, 1960, he led the Chinese delegation to visit Cambodia as scheduled. **The plane landed at Phnom Penh Airport, and the crowd that greeted the airport was all dressed in white mourning clothes.
The cabin door opened, ** appeared at the door of the cabin dressed in white, he looked at the crowd at the airport, and walked down the gangway with a serious expression. Walking behind him was **, also dressed in plain clothes, and then the members of the Chinese delegation in white suits walked down the gangway in turn.
All members of the Chinese delegation appeared at Phnom Penh Airport in plain clothes, and the Cambodian masses and people who came to greet them understood their intentions. Immediately, the airport burst into applause and the band played a welcome song.
Sihanouk, who was standing by the gangway, had tears in his eyes, and he stepped forward and grabbed ***'s hand. I would like to thank China** for the most sincere and unforgettable friendship with Cambodia and him.
From the airport to the hotel, the road was full of Cambodian crowds, all of them wearing white mourning clothes and black veils, but they were full of enthusiasm. Due to the large number of onlookers, the vehicles of ** and Sihanouk and others could no longer move forward, so he and Sihanouk got out of the car together and waved to the crowd.
Someone stepped forward with a bright wreath, leaned over slightly, and the man took the wreath on his body. Then a second or third person came to deliver the wreath. ** is covered with colorful flowers.
This flower symbolizes the Cambodian people's sincere friendship with China and China.
After arriving at the hotel, the group rested for a while, and then went to Phnom Penh Mulberry Garden Villa to comfort Sihanoukville.
In the afternoon, after obtaining Sihanouk's consent, ** went to the mourning hall to pay condolences and placed two large flower baskets. Later, he met with Sihanouk's mother and members of the Regency Council.
On May 6, ** presided over the opening ceremony of Royal Cambodian Radio. This radio station was a gift to Sihanouk during his visit to Cambodia in 1956. Then he visited the plywood factory and the royal textile factory built with Chinese aid, and was deeply pleased to see these large-scale factories.
That night, Cambodia set off brilliant fireworks for the Chinese delegation. During the state funeral, Cambodia welcomed the Chinese delegation so ceremoniously, and ** and ** were very moved.
Leading the Chinese delegation to visit Cambodia this time is a reflection of the respect that big countries have for small countries and the equal relationship between countries.
A few months later, Sihanouk visited China as Cambodia's head of state. ** and his wife Deng Yingchao held a welcome dinner for Sihanouk and his entourage, and accompanied them on a tour of various parts of China.
The relationship between Cambodia and China has become closer and closer, and Sihanouk has gradually become a good friend of China, and he has come to China more and more often.
In February 1963, Sihanouk visited Harbin and was accompanied by ** and **. At that time, the most worthwhile attraction in Harbin was the large toy train in the children's park, and every time world leaders visited, they were arranged to experience this project.
This time, **and** also prepared this project for Sihanoukville. But the night before Sihanoukville visited the children's park, ** suddenly thought of something, he found Tan Yunhe, secretary general of the Longjiang Provincial Party Committee, who was in charge of reception.
** Asked: "Did you know that Prince Sihanouk is going to take the 'train' in the children's park tomorrow morning?" Tan Yunhe nodded: "I know." * Then asked: "I heard that the 'train' of the children's park runs from 'Beijing Station' to 'Moscow Station' and back again, is that true?" ’”
Tan Yunhe replied: "That's right. ”
** After being silent for a while, he said: "A few days ago, Sihanouk's visit to the Soviet Union 'hit a wall', and now I'm afraid it's not good to put 'Moscow Station'." Tan Yunhe suddenly felt that he was negligent, but he also had difficulties: "It's easy to change the stop sign, but the station style is still Russian, what should I do?" ”
**After thinking about it, he sent his wife Wang Guangmei to carry out a "secret mission" to solve Tan Yunhe's problem.
After receiving the "mission", Wang Guangmei went to visit Sihanoukville's wife, wanting to inquire about the style characteristics of Phnom Penh and the style of the railway station through small talk. Madame took out a set of Cambodian picture albums, which showed various Cambodian scenic spots, including Phnom Penh Railway Station, the capital, the Islamic Basilica, etc. Wang Guangmei immediately said that she wanted to borrow it for a closer look, and her wife happily lent her the album.
Tan Yunhe got the album and urgently instructed the relevant personnel to transform it according to the style on the album.
At nine o'clock in the morning of the next day, Sihanouk boarded the small train, which departed from the "Beijing" station, passed through "Wuhan", "Changsha", "Kunming", and finally came to "Phnom Penh". When Sihanouk and his wife saw the familiar scene in front of them, they felt as if they had returned to their motherland, and a sense of intimacy filled their hearts.
They got off the train excitedly, took a group photo with the *** couple in "Phnom Penh", and looked around seriously for a week before boarding the train to return to "Beijing Station".
3. Sihanouk was "deposed" and exiled to China, ** we will never recognize others
When Sihanouk was visiting Moscow in March 1970, he did not expect that he would end up "homeless" on this trip.
Cambodia's prime minister staged a military coup d'état, and Sihanouk, the head of state, was deposed.
Sihanouk was on a plane to Beijing when the news came, and when the plane passed over Cambodia, he was deeply saddened that the people would be living in dire straits. Now, there is no going back to the motherland, because he is likely to be assassinated as soon as he gets off the plane.
Despite the dire situation, he was still preparing for a new battle, and on the plane, Sihanouk and his entourage were already planning for the resistance. The closer the plane got to China, the more uneasy he became, and now that he had been deposed, would he still be recognized by China? Will their own resistance be supported?
These doubts were all dispelled the moment Sihanouk got off the plane.
** A grand welcome ceremony was held for him, and the reception was also carried out in accordance with the specifications of the head of state.
In fact, he has been paying attention to the current situation in Cambodia, and after learning that Sihanouk was coming to Beijing, in order to prevent accidents, he sent additional people to ensure his safety.
Excited, Sihanouk stepped down the gangway and stepped on the bright red carpet that China had laid for him. ** and a large number of Chinese ** and ambassadors to China applauded warmly on the other end of the red carpet ......
Sihanouk walked up to *** with tears in his eyes, ** went up and gave him a big hug, then held his hand and said firmly and forcefully: ".You are still the head of state, and the only one in Cambodia, and we will never recognize anyone else.
A warm current welled up in his heart, and Sihanouk was speechless with excitement. Then he went all the way and sent him to the Diaoyutai Hotel. Here Sihanouk has a sense of homecoming, antiques, calligraphy and paintings are placed in the living room, and the furniture is also extremely elegant, which are specially prepared for him.
It may take some time for things to return to normal in your country. Please consider China your second home for the time being. ”
China has given Sihanouk great support for the ongoing resistance movement,** and has had many conversations with him, in which he has repeatedly stressed: "China is determined to support the prince until he returns home victoriously." As long as the prince is determined to fight to the end, we will support you. ”
On May Day of that year, Sihanouk was invited to climb the Tiananmen Tower and made a promise to him: "We are not arms dealers......For some aspects of help, you can call it a loan, or you can keep an account, but you can do it with the exception of arms. ”
The implication of this sentence is that it will provide him with the necessary ** support.
In 1975, the Cambodian people, under the leadership of Sihanoukville, regained Phnom Penh and liberated the whole country.
Sihanouk ended his exile and returned to Cambodia. Those difficult but warm days often appeared in his mind. He has spoken to others many times: ".China is my second motherland.
In his later years, Sihanouk made Beijing his retirement home. In the "No. 15 Compound" of Dongjiaomin Lane, he got up on time at 7 o'clock every day, worshiped the Buddha and meditated for 20 minutes, and then went to breakfast. Then it was time to read the newspapers, review the documents, and meet with the delegates.
In addition, he also created his own set of "Sihanoukville Taijiquan", and played boxing in the courtyard in his spare time, so that he maintained a comfortable life until his death.