History is like a long history book, recording countless legends. In the vast world of diplomacy, Wu Zhonghua, known as China's "loneliest" ambassador, seems to be a miracle in history, engraved with the mark of fearless dedication.
In 1939, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Wu Zhonghua was born in Hebei. The name "Zhong Hua" pinned on his parents' expectations for him to serve the motherland in the future. That era full of suffering and tenacity was deeply imprinted in the depths of Wu Zhonghua's youth.
The Department of Foreign Languages of Nankai University has become Wu Zhonghua's new battlefield. Here he not only honed his fluent foreign language eloquence, but also studied world history more deeply, and cultivated excellent psychological qualities. Because he knows that to be a good diplomat, you need more comprehensive talents.
After graduating, Wu Zhonghua stepped into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. However, diplomacy is not as simple as he imagined. He came to realize that diplomats needed more than just fluency in foreign languages, but also humility and hard work. So, he simulated the posture of his predecessors, and even went home to simulate various diplomatic occasions in front of the mirror.
Wu Zhonghua's efforts were not in vain. In 1975, he began his journey abroad as an envoy abroad. Pakistan and other places have left his footprints of tenacity. Over the course of more than 20 years, he gradually developed into a diplomat who was transferred to the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations.
In 1990, Wu Zhonghua's life ushered in a huge turning point, and he was sent to Fiji to serve as ambassador to Kiribati. Kiribati, a country known as the "least developed country in the world", Wu Zhonghua has experienced unprecedented hardships in this barren land. Communication is inconvenient, the land is barren, and Wu Zhonghua's embassy is a thatched house, and he needs to clean and arrange it himself.
Life in Kiribati is lonely, but Wu Zhonghua writes his history with tenacity and dedication. He personally chased away the thieves who invaded the embassy and kept a dog as a guard for this. In this barren land, Wu Zhonghua's perseverance and optimism have become his greatest support in a foreign land.
Despite the hardships of life in Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua has no regrets. By the time he left office, the embassy was no longer a thatched hut, but a solid building that he had built himself. In 1992, he was transferred to the Consulate General in Los Angeles, where he remained until his retirement in 1998. His legend, like a shining star in the long river of history, illuminates the journey of diplomacy.
Wu Zhonghua's life is the epitome of China's diplomatic legend. On this battlefield without gunpowder, he is like a soldier who works silently, and has won honor for the motherland with practical actions. He may be China's "loneliest" ambassador, but with the most tenacious will and the most optimistic attitude, he has written an extraordinary diplomatic legend.
Note: This article is based on the contribution of Mr. Wu Zhonghua, rewriting historical facts and paying the highest respect.
During his days in Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua faced the loneliness of being a neighbor with the ocean every day. This "least developed country in the world" is actually an island nation of 33 coral islands. The local people live by fishing, and live in poverty and simplicity.
It is no coincidence that Wu Zhonghua has experienced communication inconvenience. Kiribati is a sporadic coral island nation where people can only store rainwater as a source of drinking water when it rains. And diplomat Wu Zhonghua, in order to maintain ties with the motherland, has to face this way of survival that is incompatible with modern civilization.
In this barren land, Wu Zhonghua was not content to wait for the periodic passage of merchant ships. He experimented with eating local leaves, finding new sources of food, and adapting and integrating into local life with his own actions.
In 1992, Wu Zhonghua's father passed away. This news, through the slowness of communication, made him feel a deeper loneliness. At the moment of leaving Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua looked back at the embassy he had built with his own hands, and his heart was full of reluctance to this barren land.
He has worked hard here, and he has also tasted loneliness. And the people of Kiribati, because of Wu Zhonghua's perseverance, have seen the unique style of China's diplomacy. They may still be savoring the delicious taste of canned Chinese food at the reception, the intentions of a Chinese diplomat in the most difficult moments.
Wu Zhonghua's story is a chapter in China's diplomatic saga. With his perseverance and efforts, he has written an extraordinary history. In this history of China's diplomacy, Wu Zhonghua is the firm and dazzling star.
Wu Zhonghua's years were both lonely and tenacious. He sowed the seeds of friendship in the barren land of Kiribati. He is a witness to the legend of China's diplomacy and a witness of that era. And when we listen to this history, will we remember how many untold stories are hidden in the field of diplomacy?
This is a historical story about a diplomatic legend, but have we ever wondered how many lonely defenders there are in this vast international arena that cannot be recorded?