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In 1980, California Governor Reagan won the presidential election, and his Reagannomics not only brought changes to the domestic affairs of the United States, but also the first US president to visit China after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, which is also of great significance in the diplomatic history of the United States and the world.
But what few people know is that the success of Reagan's visit to China was also inseparable from the efforts of many people.
For example, on New Year's Day 1981, the special guest who stayed at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in a blanket of snow.
Chen Xiangmei
She is Chen Xiangmei, one of the directors of President Reagan's campaign committee, and a famous leader of the Chinese diaspora in the world, and her husband is the famous air force commander Flying Tiger General Chennault.
Her visit to China was inseparable from a letter lent to him by her uncle Liao Chengzhi, and it was because of this letter that she successfully accepted the invitation of the CCP.
In Zhongnanhai in 1981, accompanied by her uncle Liao Chengzhi, Chen Xiangmei met Comrade Xiaoping, and several people held friendly and relaxed talks in the Great Hall of the People, and many interesting things happened.
An invitation letter across the ocean
When the dark tide of the U.S. campaign in November 1980 finally came to an end, Chen Xiangmei, the director of the campaign committee, arrived at the home of Republican Governor Reagan to celebrate this momentous victory.
Campaign success was only Reagan's first step, and what he had to consider was America's domestic and foreign affairs, as well as the big policies behind those causes.
Chen Xiangmei first congratulated President Reagan on his successful campaign, and Reagan also thanked Chen Xiangmei, and then the two began to discuss the direction of US diplomacy.
"I recently consulted with several friends in the party, and they all suggested that I contact Chinese mainland to figure out exactly how to treat and handle China and Taiwan before I took office," Reagan said.
Chen Xiangmei thought about it and did not answer this question directly, but decided to test Reagan's attitude first.
She said: "This is indeed a problem, and on the island of Taiwan, there is a popular saying that means that you have a lot of friends in Taiwan, and you may re-recognize Taiwan after you take office, which will have a great impact on the mainland."
Unexpectedly, Reagan waved his hand again and again: "I'm not a conservative!" I think it is necessary to explain this before taking the oath of office."
Chen Xiangmei showed a puzzled expression, how do you want to explain it?
Reagan then voiced his thoughts:
"I decided to send a special envoy to the mainland, and you are not only my loyal supporter, but also know the situation in the United States and China very well, and I think you are the best candidate."
Hearing Reagan say, "I hope to have a formal invitation from the mainland," Chen Xiangmei also expressed her thoughts.
Chen Xiangmei
Not long after the session at Reagan's house ended, Chen Xiangmei received an official invitation from the mainland.
The famous patriotic general Cai Wenzhi and his wife came to Washington to visit Chen Xiangmei, and the two of them had some personal friendships with Chen Xiangmei, first as the vanguard, and after some pleasantries, Cai Wenzhi said the purpose of his trip.
He conveyed the request of the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Chai Zemin, to meet with Chen Xiangmei, and then said that Mr. Chai Zemin had a letter from an important person in Beijing that needed to be handed to you in person, and Chen Xiangmei readily agreed.
A few days later, Chen Xiangmei came to Cai Wenzhi's house for a banquet as promised, and when she arrived, Chai Zemin was already waiting here.
Chai Zemin greeted Chen Xiangmei warmly and easily with a Shanxi accent, and the atmosphere of the dinner party immediately became relaxed and happy.
After taking his seat, Chai Zemin took out an envelope from the pocket of his shirt, which seemed to have nothing special, but Chai Zemin solemnly handed it to Chen Xiangmei with both hands and said, "This is an important task to meet me today."
Chen Xiangmei took the letter and looked at it, only to see that there were a few big characters written on the envelope: "Please ask Ambassador Chai Zemin to personally hand over Ms. Chen Xiangmei", and the "Liao Mi" at the drop off almost made Chen Xiangmei's eyes red.
"This is my uncle Liao Chengzhi! We talked through our relatives last year when he was in California, but for various reasons, we never met, and I was very excited to see his letters."
In this letter, Liao Chengzhi clearly stated that he invited Chen Xiangmei to visit China on behalf of Comrade Xiaoping, and the real person who invited him was Comrade Xiaoping, chairman of the Central Advisory Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Liao Chengzhi hoped that the date of Chen Xiangmei's visit to China would be as soon as possible.
After all, Chen Xiangmei is still in American politics, although she hopes to visit China as soon as possible, whether in terms of national feelings or family relations.
But whether or not to visit China is not his decision.
Therefore, she did not completely and affirmatively agree to this matter, but told Chai Zemin that she needed to consult President Reagan and the chairman of the Republican Party, and she would definitely give Chai Zemin an answer within a week.
Chen Xiangmei came to Reagan's residence again, and Reagan handed Chen Xiangmei a personal letter of his own, saying, "Ms. Chen, as my special envoy, you will accept the request of the Beijing leader to visit China secretly."
But Chen Xiangmei still cautiously asked to invite Republican Senator Stephens to join her, not only to reduce her own burden, but also to reduce some unnecessary troubles.
In this way, Chen Xiangmei's visit to China was confirmed.
After consulting with Ambassador Chai Zemin, the time of the visit to China was set for the Chinese New Year, and this trip should not be fanciful, and the choice of New Year's Day or Chinese New Year's Eve everyone is busy celebrating the New Year, perhaps avoiding the tracking of the news media.
A relaxed meeting in the Great Hall of the People
On New Year's Day in 1981, from the early morning, the entire city of Beijing was shrouded in heavy snow, and the golden Forbidden City was also covered in snow, and the whole Beijing seemed to be a silver palace.
Chen Xiangmei's plane also crossed the Pacific Ocean from the United States, landed steadily at Beijing Airport, stepped off the plane, she stepped on her long-lost homeland, and also saw China after a long absence.
Chen Xiangmei was born in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, grew up in Beijing, and spent many winters in Beijing during her childhood, which made her feel a little emotional.
At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, which used to be a special place to receive the head of state, Chen Xiangmei's stay here is enough to see the importance that Beijing attaches to her.
Chen Xiangmei came to the Great Hall of the People accompanied by the reception staff, and she walked up the stairs with excitement, he had already heard about the itinerary and accompanying personnel from the reception staff.
She was about to be received by Comrade Xiaoping at the Great Hall of the People, and in the evening, Liao Chengzhi hosted a reception dinner, and the next morning, she visited Chen Xiangmei's alma mater, Kongde Primary School.
Chen Xiangmei and Stephens finally entered the Taiwan Hall of the Great Hall of the People, and before entering the hall, they saw their uncle and aunt Liao Chengzhi and Jing Puchun and his wife, and Comrade Xiaoping had long been waiting here.
Comrade Xiaoping and Chen Xiangmei's hands clasped together, "Ms. Chen, welcome back to visit"! Comrade Xiaoping said enthusiastically.
At the beginning, the thought of meeting with the leaders of the CPC, Chen Xiangmei and Stephens, was a little nervous, and the next joke with Comrade Xiaoping quickly relaxed their nervous mood.
The two first talked about Chen Xiangmei's childhood experience in Beijing, and in the third grade, because of the Lugou Bridge incident, Chen Xiangmei fled to Hong Kong with her family, and has since left Beijing.
When he said this, Liao Chengzhi suddenly interjected:
"At that time, you were still a primary school student, and your mother Xiangzhi often took you to our house to visit the door, and everyone used to celebrate the New Year and festivals together, do you remember?"
Chen Xiangmei said excitedly:
"Of course I remember! I still remember that everyone respected the second uncle very much, and she often educated us juniors. ”
Comrade Xiaoping quipped to Liao Chengzhi again: "It turns out that your mother is so fierce, you 'prison expert' is not often at home, right?" ”
Liao Chengzhi was once captured by the Kuomintang while fighting guerrilla in northern Guangdong and spent more than three years in the Kuomintang prison, until He Xiangning later pleaded with Chiang Kai-shek and was able to escape.
Amid the laughter, the atmosphere finally became relaxed and harmonious.
At this time, Chen Xiangmei did not forget her main task, she took out President Reagan's personal letter and solemnly handed it to Comrade Xiaoping.
Then, Chen Xiangmei also conveyed President Reagan's wish, "Before I set off, President Reagan specially summoned me twice and told me to work for peaceful relations between China and the United States."
After this formal meeting, Liao Chengzhi said to Chen Xiangmei in private: Comrade Xiaoping will specially invite you to dinner tomorrow, and I will accompany your aunt, and everyone will have some personal words.
At noon the next day, Chen Xiangmei, Liao Chengzhi and Jing Puchun came to the small living room of the Great Hall of the People, and only four chairs were placed on a square table.
At this time, Stephens was eating with officials from the Defense Department.
Because the meeting was not a formal diplomatic occasion, Liao Chengzhi kindly evoked Chen Xiangmei's nickname and asked about the recent situation of her relatives in her family, and the three waited for Comrade Xiaoping while talking.
The revolutionary friendship between Comrade Xiaoping and Liao Chengzhi
After a while, Comrade Xiaoping opened the door and walked in quickly, turning his head sideways and instructing the guard, "Go and get busy, I'll talk to the fat boy's relatives for a while."
Comrade Xiaoping and Liao Chengzhi met during the revolutionary period, and although Liao Chengzhi's parents, Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning, were both veterans of the Kuomintang, Liao Chengzhi still firmly embarked on the road of communism, fought guerrilla warfare, took the Long March, and remained loyal to the Party.
Liao Chengzhi and Jing Puchun
In pursuit of communist ideals, he was persecuted by the Kuomintang.
Not only that, even during the Long March, he also suffered a lot because of his parents' identity, but all this did not shake his ideals in the slightest.
When Liao Chengzhi was young, his parents called him Fat Boy, which is also his parents' loving name for him.
The fact that Comrade Xiaoping can call him this shows the depth of friendship between the two.
The four of them ate and talked, the atmosphere was very casual, and Chen Xiangmei was sincerely happy for her uncle when she saw that the relationship between her uncle and Comrade Xiaoping was so close.
Comrade Xiaoping was very addicted to cigarettes, and he hardly stopped the cigarette in his hand during the meal.
The others present did not care, but Liao Chengzhi could not bear it, so he had to stretch out his hand and ask Comrade Xiaoping for cigarettes.
Seeing this, Comrade Xiaoping said to Chen Xiangmei, "Do you know that your uncle has tracheitis? Chen Xiangmei was stunned, "I have the impression that my uncle doesn't seem to have a tracheal problem, right?" ”
Comrade Xiaoping smiled when he saw this, pointed at Jing Puchun and said: "My wife is strictly here, your aunt only gives him three cigarettes a day, but his addiction is the same as mine, and he often steals my cigarettes."
Hearing Comrade Xiaoping say this, everyone laughed, and Liao Chengzhi hurriedly took out a cigarette from Comrade Xiaoping's cigarette box and lit it.
Comrade Xiaoping then said: "I am not afraid of my wife in this aspect of smoking, I can smoke as much as I want", Liao Chengzhi said: "It is difficult for me to leave and right, after heart bypass surgery, the doctor does not allow smoking, and my wife also manages it strictly, but I can't change this addiction to smoking."
A cigarette in his hand burned out, and Liao Chengzhi secretly glanced at Jing Puchun next to him, as if he wanted to take out another one.
Seeing this, Puchun immediately wrapped a piece of smoking cessation candy from his clothes pocket.
Liao Chengzhi smiled at Chen Xiangmei and said, "Look how powerful your aunt is, she is a little stronger than the non-smoking Lin Zexu!" Hearing Liao Chengzhi's humor, the four people present laughed.
He Xiangning (second from left), Jing Puchun (first from left), Liao Chengzhi
After the topic of smoking, Comrade Xiaoping said to Chen Xiangmei: "Your uncle's overseas connections are really good, no wonder he wanted to enter the cowshed back then, this is a 'prison expert'."
In Liao Chengzhi's revolutionary career, he did suffer many prisons, except for the prison of the Kuomintang, the British, Japanese and even the Communist Party, Liao Chengzhi has sat on it.
Although it has been decades since the victory of the revolution, the two revolutionary ancestors began the joke of this experience in such a relaxed tone, but the dangers and storms of the year were all over the place, and I was afraid that one careless person would lose his life.
epilogue
As the two-day visit came to an end, Chen Xiangmei, who was about to leave the land where she lived as a child, stood in front of the window of the State Guest House's residence, looking out the window at the snow, and she picked up a pen and wrote down four verses.
"In the past forty years, the country of the homeland, thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, melancholy on both sides of the sword, what date to agree to the republic"
In just 24 words, it shows this Chinese-American's deep attachment to the motherland and his ardent hope for peace.
Chen Xiangmei
After Chen Xiangmei returned to the United States, American newspapers published this significant trip to China, and pictures of Chen Xiangmei shaking hands with Comrade Xiaoping were prominently published on the front page, and the door between China and the United States seemed to open wider.
The cause of peace is inseparable from the efforts of many revolutionary forefathers, and "the rise and fall of a country is the responsibility of the husband", this is a phrase that Liao Chengzhi often hangs on his lips.
He often said that whether it is the people of Taiwan Province or other mainland provinces, or the vast number of overseas Chinese living abroad, everyone is a family and should work hard for the great cause of the motherland's reunification.
In 1984, President Reagan finally came to China, and the relationship between China and the United States reached a new level.
The world belongs to every nation, and of course peace is.
Today, in the 21st century, as a major country with an important say in the international community, should the United States look back, learn from President Reagan's governing policy decades ago, and work for world peace and common development of mankind?