In 1971, the twenty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly was held in New York, United States.
For Chinese, it was an unforgettable meeting: resolution 2758 was adopted and the legitimate seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations was restored.
At such an important moment, a woman in the translation seat of the Chinese delegation was very bright and moving, which was particularly eye-catching.
She was Tang Wensheng, the only woman who had entered the CCP Central Committee at that time.
Tang Wensheng's "highlight moment" has many more in the history of Chinese diplomacy. In the early 1970s, Tang Wensheng came to Zhou Enlai's side and worked as an interpreter for the great man.
She not only has excellent work ability, but she was praised by Kissinger, who visited China for the first time: "can run for the president of the United States", and she is outstanding in appearance and is a beautiful child of Peugeot. But what is surprising is that such a beautiful and talented woman has not entered into marriage all her life.
Why?
(Tang Wensheng and Zhou Enlai)
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In the spring of 1943, in New York, usa, Zhang Xixian, who was about to be in the basin, received a call from her husband, Tang Mingzhao.
Tang Mingzhao had just gotten off the plane, his heart was concerned about his wife and children, and he rushed home without stopping.
Not long after the call, the child fell to the ground and came to a maternity hospital in Brooklyn, New York, with a loud cry.
(Tang Mingzhao)
This is a healthy baby girl.
Her parents named her Tang Wensheng to commemorate the extraordinary phone call, which means "smelling the father and returning to life".
Little Tang Wensheng could not foresee at that time how important her parents would have on her life.
Both of her parents were born into a family of overseas Chinese. In 1920, Tang Mingzhao moved to San Francisco with his family, and in 1927, he returned to China with Zhang Boling, president of Nankai University. Another young girl who accompanied him later became his wife, and she was Zhang Xixian.
After returning to China, the lovers of the two young plum bamboo horses were admitted to Tsinghua University and Yenching University respectively. In addition to further education, they did not forget to actively participate in the patriotic student movement.
After the two married in New York in 1938, they transported supplies and founded a weekly newspaper in solidarity with the anti-Japanese resistance.
(Tang Mingzhao and Zhang Xixian supported the anti-Japanese resistance)
It is precisely because of such an outstanding pair of parents that Tang Wensheng has heard about it since childhood. Although she is on the other side of the ocean, she also has a patriotic heart brewing in her heart.
Tang Wensheng spent an unforgettable childhood in the United States. The small building in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, where she lived as a child, is full of stories.
(Tang Wensheng's childhood photo)
The building looks unremarkable, but in fact it hides a dragon and a crouching tiger, and even Oppenheimer's students live here. It was a brilliant female physicist who was the first female president of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Not only that, but there are social revolutionaries who are constantly fighting for racial equality and women's liberation, as well as interesting engineers who are proficient in video and can wash and print photos.
The lively and lovely Tang Wensheng is the only child in this small building, so he has been cared for and loved by everyone.
Xiaolou is like a harmonious and warm big family, crossing the barriers of nationality, gender and race, and diverse cultures grow here. Tang Wensheng's neighbors often told her stories, bought books for her, and took her out to play.
These kind and upright people planted seeds in the young hearts of girls, waiting for the future to take root and sprout.
The 9-year-old Tang Wensheng followed his parents back to his homeland in 1952.
She was transferred to the third grade of the private Mingming Elementary School. With the help of those around her, her Chinese grew by leaps and bounds.
After graduating from primary school, Tang Wensheng entered the Girls' High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University. She spent extraordinary years of her youth here.
(Tang Wensheng primary school graduation photo)
After graduating from high school, at the suggestion of his teacher, Tang Wensheng applied for the English Department of Beijing Foreign Chinese College.
Here, her past experiences play a huge role. A fluent English coupled with her own unremitting efforts allowed her to skip grades continuously.
The course that originally took five years to complete, Tang Wensheng only took two and a half years.
(Today's Beijing University of Foreign Chinese)
From the moment he entered the school, Tang Wensheng dreamed of joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs one day.
Therefore, while her peers enjoyed the throbbing of youth and the sweetness of love, she was preoccupied with the study of translation. In today's words, "engaging in a career" is Tang Wensheng's goal in life.
In the early 1960s, Zhou Enlai began to find and train a new generation of diplomatic talents for New China. Therefore, he commissioned his fifth English translator, Ji Chaozhu, to go to the Beijing Foreign Chinese College to select translators.
(Ji Dynasty Casting)
It was in this recruitment that Ji Chaozhu had a simple dialogue with Tang Wensheng. He was pleasantly surprised to find that Tang Wensheng was a rare diplomatic talent with quick thinking and fluent spoken language.
Therefore, Ji Chaozhu recommended Tang Wensheng, who was 22 years old at the time, to Zhou Enlai.
In April 1965, Tang Wensheng entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as she wished, and began her thirteen-year career as a diplomatic translator.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="16" > second, the changing diplomatic field</h1>
Initially, Tang Wensheng was assigned to the English Group of the Translation Department of the Department of Education. Here, she starts by practicing English typing.
Today, we may think that this is a very simple thing, but in fact, there were no computers at that time, so we could only use English typewriters.
The modification of the English typewriter is very troublesome. Every time a letter is wrong, it must be wiped clean with an eraser and re-typed in place, and the correction solution cannot be used.
Tang Wensheng needs to train his typing speed, requiring 10 minutes to type a page, and there can only be one eraser print in this page!
Not only that, typing is only the foundation of the foundation, she also needs to master a variety of skills such as translation, interpretation, simultaneous interpretation and so on.
Soon after entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tang Wensheng met Zhou Enlai.
(Zhou Enlai)
At that time, the Finnish ambassador to China was about to leave office. He invited Zhou Enlai to the embassy for a banquet, and Tang Wensheng also attended the banquet.
As soon as he saw her, Zhou Enlai said playful words kindly. He said, "You are new here, so you have to work hard to catch up with your master in two years." ”
Zhou Enlai's master, Tang Wensheng, was the Ji Chaozhu who introduced her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zhou Enlai's short words of encouragement instantly made her feel a heavy burden on her shoulders. This is both pressure and encouragement, but also trust and expectation.
In July 1965, Tang Wensheng ushered in the first "big test".
At that time, new China's diplomacy entered a crucial new stage. The Chinese delegation went to Algiers to participate in the Second Asian-African Conference after the Bandung Conference.
But what no one expected was that on the way to Algiers, the delegation suddenly received news of a coup in Algeria and had to return to Cairo.
(Second Asian-African Conference)
After discussion, Zhou Enlai decided to let Vice President Chen Yi go to Algiers according to the original plan, and Tang Wensheng also followed the accompanying translator.
This was the first time she had been exposed to such an important international conference.
Remembering this incident many years later, Tang Wensheng can still remember the scene where Chen Yi deliberately slowed down his speech speed and cordially encouraged her.
(Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi)
Soon after, Tang Wensheng ushered in an even more severe test: to act as an interpreter for Chairman Mao.
It was the summer of 1966, in the sweltering heat of July, and the Emergency Conference of Asian and African Writers closed in Beijing.
The delegates attending the meeting after the closing ceremony were informed to travel to Wuhan for more in-depth talks with Mao Zedong.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assigned three translators to french, Arabic and English. Tang Wensheng is one of them.
(Invitation letter to the closing ceremony of the emergency meeting of Asian and African writers)
Hearing this news, Tang Wensheng's first reaction was not joy, but nervousness!
Compared to the other two experienced translators, she has only been in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a year and is a complete "newborn calf"!
She was even nervous to the point that her hands and feet were cold, and her eyes were black, afraid that she would betray the trust of the organization. Tang Wensheng was worried a lot, worried that he would break a big thing because he couldn't understand Chairman Mao's Hunan accent.
Fortunately, at this time, Qi Zonghua, who was in charge of French translation, patiently enlightened her, saying: "You have a certain foundation, and after training, you must believe that you have the ability to translate well, as long as you are calm and calm, you can succeed." ”
Meetings are battlefields, and translators have a heavy responsibility.
Tang Wensheng was in a nervous mood, and stepped into the venue step by step with the pride of the expedition.
Her face was a little pale, but she still tried her best to control her mind. Qi Zonghua whispered to her, "Tang Wensheng, you can't faint, otherwise no one will replace you..."
Hearing this, Tang Wensheng forced himself to raise his spirits. However, a dramatic scene appeared.
When she was finally ready, Director Liao Chengzhi hurried to tell everyone: the chairman's speech was temporarily cancelled, and the translation work could be dispensed with!
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief, although this time she could not make Chairman Mao's translation, the chairman's brilliance at the meeting left a deep impression on her.
(Commemorative stamp of the Emergency Meeting of Asian and African Writers)
After a few more years, Tang Wensheng grew up at a rapid pace.
She eventually became Chairman Mao's accompanying interpreter, witnessing and promoting countless important events in the history of New China's diplomacy.
Among them, her translation contributions in the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States are particularly eye-catching.
In the summer of 1971, US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger made a secret visit to China, opening up a new situation for the peaceful interconnection between the Chinese and American high levels.
The Chinese side attached great importance to it and sent a talks team, with Tang Wensheng acting as an interpreter.
in Kissinger
This was a secret mission, and Tang Wensheng's outstanding performance left a deep impression on the US side.
Soon, in the spring of 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon decided to visit China, and a key point in history emerged.
In this world-class negotiation, Ji Chaozhu, then director of the Translation Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his apprentice Tang Wensheng undertook the main translation work of the talks.
The tension and hardship can be imagined, but Tang Wensheng's growth is also obvious to all.
She calmly conveyed China's voice, and since then she has emerged in the diplomatic world as a real rookie.
Between Tang Wensheng and Nixon, there is another story.
Nixon and his wife visited China again in February 1976.
At that time, although he stepped down as president due to the Watergate incident, he still paid attention to the exchanges and contacts between China and the United States, and the Chinese side still treated him with state guest etiquette and set up a banquet in the Great Hall of the People to entertain Nixon.
At this banquet, Nixon was inspired to give a fifteen-minute speech that stunned everyone!
Many of the reporters who attended the banquet were dumbfounded, because the speech was too long to record.
However, Tang Wensheng, who served as the main interpreter of this scene, was precisely the one who was the most calm and relaxed.
She did not hesitate to translate Nixon's words one by one, not only to the correct effect, but also to take into account the details, and the tone of her voice was depressed and frustrated, which moved everyone present.
The diplomacy of a big country and the strength of a big country have been vividly reflected in Tang Wensheng's excellent translation.
(Nixon's visit to China)
In addition to a variety of serious translations, Tang Wensheng also has a lot of interesting stories in the process of diplomatic translation.
Among them, her "love and hate" in classical Chinese literature is particularly interesting.
You know, although Tang Wensheng speaks fluent American English, due to the growing environment and other reasons, when she first came into contact with translation work, she was not familiar with ancient Chinese books.
However, both Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai often had the habit of quoting scriptures in conversations, which became a big challenge.
For example, Mao Zedong once met with the famous American scholar Edgar Snow, and in order to illustrate his bold personality, he quoted a saying: Monks wear umbrellas, lawlessness.
Tang Wensheng did not understand for a moment, translating that Mao Zedong was a lone monk with an umbrella!
After figuring out the misunderstanding, everyone laughed and the originally serious atmosphere was eased.
(Edgar Snow and Mao Zedong)
However, Tang Wensheng knew his cultural deficiencies and actively "made up lessons" with the people around him, making rapid progress. Soon, these allusions will not overwhelm her.
Years later, when we re-read the memoirs of foreign guests, we can easily recreate Tang Wensheng's style.
Kissinger once wrote: "Don Wensheng, the difficult Nancy Don, she was born in Brooklyn, so she can speak very beautiful American English, I often joke with her, because she was born in the United States, she will not be as constitutionally restricted as I am not to be president." 」 This prospect seems to have little appeal to her, she is both lively and intelligent..."
The deputy editor-in-chief of The New York Times also praised her: "Her translators are so skilled and agile that I can hardly feel that the two sides are speaking two different languages." ”
In the autumn of 1973, at the Tenth Congress of the Communist Party of China, Tang Wensheng was elected as an alternate member of the Communist Party of China, and she was the only woman at that time.
The following year, Tang Wensheng was promoted to deputy director general of the Americas Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was praised as a bright golden flower in China's diplomatic circles.
She infects the world with her talents. And behind her stands an increasingly powerful China.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="29" > third, absolute sincerity and love for overseas Chinese</h1>
In addition to diplomatic work, Tang Wensheng also made extraordinary achievements in many other fields.
She became deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily in March 1984 and two years later joined the Ministry of Railways.
She has served as director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, director of the Department of International Cooperation, director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and was elected vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese in July 1999.
Tang Wensheng's whole life was closely linked to the word "overseas Chinese."
When she first arrived at the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the first thing she did was to go down to the grassroots level.
In her visits to the grassroots, she had a more practical understanding of the weight of the word "overseas Chinese."
Tang Wensheng is responsible for overseas contact work. She followed the path her parents had taken, visited the United States, and saw again the "Clothing Federation" and the "American Overseas Chinese Daily" founded by her father and others in New York.
(American Overseas Chinese Daily)
History goes around, forming a complete closed loop here, and then extending from it, inheritance takes place, and continues to move towards the future.
The work Tang Wensheng did in the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese was often very "grounded."
For example, "how to spend the Spring Festival" is often one of the topics that overseas Chinese people pay attention to.
In the past, the overseas Spring Festival was always cold and cold, and I couldn't find half a hint of The New Year's flavor. Tang Wensheng made a bold decision during the Spring Festival in 2000.
She accepted the proposal of The Crown Prince charles of the United Kingdom, led a team of people and horses to form the "China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Art Troupe", and set foot on british soil with gongs and drums.
In this way, that year of the dragon became particularly lively.
In addition to the Chinese who rejoiced in the New Year, there were also many foreigners who came to see it, and even Crown Prince Charles was enjoying it in Chinatown!
The two simple teachings of "do not forget the original" and "to find the roots" seem to be inscribed in Tang Wensheng's bones.
In 2002, she made a special trip to her ancestors' hometown of Enping City, Guangdong Province, to visit her hometown.
Although she was born in the United States and had never seen her real hometown before, the traces of her hometown were in the mouths of her fathers and would never fade.
She still said that she was an Enping person, and even learned her hometown dialect.
All these things made the fathers and fellow villagers present feel a lot of emotions.
Tang Wensheng's life is undoubtedly a legendary life, and many people are concerned about her emotional life: why does such an excellent woman not marry for life?
In the early years, Tang Wensheng was busy with his career and did not have leisure time to talk about love.
With the continuous development of New China's diplomatic cause, she has devoted most of her energy to this end.
This also proves that whether married or not, women have their own unique and irreplaceable light.
It was the love of translation and her country that made her a legend of her life.
Edit: Ice cream
Editor-in-Charge: Thalia