On February 21, 1972, then-US President Richard Nixon embarked on an "ice-breaking journey" that attracted worldwide attention. During his visit to China, China and the United States issued the "Shanghai Communiqué" to push Sino-US relations to take an important step toward normalization.
In January 1972, Haig, then deputy assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs, took the lead in sending a team to China to "lay a front station" for President Nixon's visit. At that time, when Haig and Nixon visited, they both watched acrobatic performances in Shanghai. Zhou Liangtie, 72, a former shanghai acrobatic troupe actor, twice performed traditional Chinese acrobatic "Little Martial Arts" for American guests that year.
Recently, Zhou Liangtie recalled in an interview with Nandu and N video that in order to present a perfect performance to American guests, they trained half a year in advance, and at the end of the performance, he heard the thunderous applause of the audience. It is reported that the then US President's national security adviser Kissinger praised the acrobatic performance at that time, and told the Chinese receptionist that "if you can go to the United States to perform, it will definitely be sensational."
Zhou Liangtie.
"Half a year in advance of intensive training, in addition to eating and sleeping are practicing"
Zhou Liangtie was born in 1949, and at the age of 11, he entered the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe Academy to learn art, performing opponents, stacking luohan and churning, etc. He was good at it, and in the 1970s, he also practiced the "one-arm handstand test level lifting Han Shui" and "three neck pinches" that were regarded as extremely difficult moves at that time.
In July 1971, the then US President's National Security Adviser Kissinger paid a secret visit to China, and China and the United States simultaneously issued a proclamation announcing nixon's visit to China that month. From then on, Zhou Liangtie, who was in his early twenties at the time, was called back to Shanghai for training to prepare for Nixon's performance during his visit to China.
Zhou Liangtie recalled that the place of the training at that time was in shanghai cultural square. "We started the training camp six months in advance, when everyone worked very hard, did not go home on weekends, except to eat and sleep in practice, in order to complete the tasks entrusted to us by the party and the state, to present a wonderful performance to American guests."
During Nixon's visit to China in 1972, Zhou Liangtie, as a member of the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, performed the traditional Chinese acrobatic "Little Martial Arts" for the American delegation to China. Zhou Liangtie said that the whole performance lasted about an hour and a half, and they appeared as the first show, and he was responsible for a lot of difficult moves, performing for about 10 minutes. Since he had previously performed when Haig came to China, Zhou Liangtie said bluntly that he was not afraid of the stage at that time, but full of confidence.
When asked about the reaction of the audience, Zhou Liangtie laughed and said that he was fully engrossed in every action, completely ignoring the reaction of the American audience, "But I remember that after the performance, there was thunderous applause from the stage." He said.
"Kissinger praised the acrobatic show"
It is reported that kissinger praised the acrobatic performance at that time, and told the Chinese receptionist, "If you can go to the United States to perform, it will definitely be sensational."
"To be able to witness and participate in this history is truly unforgettable." Looking back 50 years later, Zhou Liangtie sighed to the Nandu reporter.
Zhou Liangtie introduced that since Nixon's visit to China, traditional Chinese acrobatics have had more opportunities to perform abroad. In 1973, the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe visited and performed in 23 cities in 9 countries, including Albania, Romania, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Turkey.
On July 20, 2021, the photo exhibition "Chinese Acrobatics and Diplomacy" opened in Beijing, telling the story of New China's acrobatics and diplomacy with 425 selected photos. China's acrobatic artists have given full play to their own advantages, actively participated in cultural diplomacy, and enhanced the friendship between Chinese and foreign peoples.
In 1980, the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe went to New York, Washington and other cities in the United States to perform, creating a precedent for the Chinese Acrobatic Art Troupe to perform for foreign businessmen. At the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter watched the show and received the actors. Photo credit: Photo exhibition of "Chinese Acrobatics and Diplomacy"
Nandu reporter learned that there is a photo in the exhibition showing the scene of the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe going to New York and other cities in the United States in 1980. Zhou Liangtie recalled that during the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe's first visit to the United States in 1980, when U.S. President Jimmy Carter watched a performance at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., and received them.
Since the 1980s, Zhou Liangtie has decided to move from traditional acrobatics to another acrobatic category, magic. Subsequently, he led the creation and performance of "The Magician's Date", "Changing Face", "Birds and Phoenix" and other works, which won many awards at the International Magic Festival. In June 2010, he was awarded the title of "Representative Inheritor of Haipai Magic" by the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Project.
"Constantly showing the beauty of Chinese acrobatics to the world"
"Over the past many years, Chinese acrobatics have gone abroad, allowing many foreign friends to see the wonderful chinese acrobatics. In recent years, I have also seen a trend, more and more foreign friends come to China to enjoy the style of acrobatics. Such a pace will not stop, I hope that Chinese acrobatics will also continue to innovate and continue to show the world the beauty of Chinese acrobatics. Zhou Liangtie said to the Nandu reporter.
This is a vivid microcosm of the 50 years of People-to-People Exchanges between China and the United States.
On April 26, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang attended and delivered a speech online at the 50th anniversary of the first visit of the U.S. congressional delegation to China in Beijing. He pointed out that 1972, 50 years ago, was the year that opened the door to Sino-US relations. In that year, the delegations of the US Senate and the House of Representatives visited China for the first time after President Nixon's historic visit to China, which also entered the annals of Sino-US relations. Like 50 years ago, today's Sino-US relations have once again come to an important historical node, in a new round of mutual discovery, cognition, debugging, and balance.
Qin Gang said that the current Sino-US relations are severe and complex, "we must not only focus on each other's differences, but also keep in mind the common interests of both sides, and show strategic foresight, political courage and diplomatic wisdom." We should learn from history and push China-US relations today to overcome difficulties, overcome challenges, rebuild trust, and get back on track."
He mentioned that China and the United States should promote cooperation in various fields and expand common interests. "Recently, I have visited the western and midwest of the United States, and attended a series of forums on energy, environment, sustainable development, agriculture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, and my deepest feeling is that the local and social circles in the United States are committed to cooperating with China in the fields of economic and trade development, humanities, and climate change, and all support China's investment in the local areas, welcome Chinese students, and look forward to exporting more agricultural products to China."
In conclusion, Qin Gang said that mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation are the ways to get along with Sino-US relations, which was applied 50 years ago and will remain the basic norm of Sino-US relations today and in the future. "When we commemorate the historic visit 50 years ago, we hope to learn from history and promote Sino-US relations to maintain the correct course and move steadily and farther in the next 50 years."
Producer: Nandu Instant
Written by: Nandu reporter Yu Yijing