Wang Hua in France
One day in early 1964, Wang Hua, who was teaching French at Peking University, suddenly welcomed two special guests. The two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who were born and raised in France, asked the "French expert" about French grammar in an important document.
Wang Hua's father is Wang Dezhao, a famous physicist in mainland China and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During Wang Dezhao's study in France, Wang Hua was born in Paris on April 25, 1937. Until returning to China with his parents in 1956, Wang Hua spent his childhood and adolescence in France.
After receiving a satisfactory reply from the "French expert," an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who visited Peking University quietly told Wang Hua: Just yesterday, the Chinese Government and the French Government had signed an agreement in Switzerland to formally establish diplomatic relations and to exchange ambassadors within three months. And the important document they asked Wang Hua about his French grammar was the Sino-French Joint Communiqué.
At that time, New China had been isolated by the United States and other Western countries for a long time, and Sino-Soviet relations had gradually deteriorated, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with France was undoubtedly a major breakthrough in New China's diplomacy. Hearing the news in person, Wang Hua, who has special feelings for France, was extremely excited. Unexpectedly, the other party's words surprised Wang Hua even more.
"You were born and raised in France, and your French is so good, would you like to go to France with us to build a museum?"
On the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, Wang Hua took a group photo with Ambassador Lu Shaye at the Spring Festival reception of the Chinese Embassy in France.
Wang Hua readily agreed. "I'm willing to accept the organization's arrangement, so that I can continue to teach at the school and work in France, no problem," he said. ”
In this way, because of a question about French grammar, the young Wang Hua was transferred from Peking University to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became one of the first batch of diplomats in France after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.
As a young man, Wang Hua was in front of the residence of the Chinese ambassador to France.
On January 27, 1964, China and France established diplomatic relations. On February 23, the Chinese Embassy in France team led by Song Zhiguang arrived at Paris Gare de Lyon by train from Geneva, Switzerland. As soon as he got off the train, Wang Hua was shocked by the crowd of people in front of him, and there were three or four hundred people on the platform, all of whom wanted to see what the diplomats of New China looked like. After 60 years, that warm scene still makes Wang Hua unforgettable.
Upon arrival in Paris, the team needed to select the residence of Huang Zhen, China's first ambassador to France. This somewhat urgent task naturally fell on Wang Hua. At that time, there was no online property viewing software, Wang Hua and his colleagues quickly went to see two or three houses a day, and at most six houses a day, and it took nearly two months to see the 101st building, and finally found a suitable building in the Nou area in the northwest suburbs of Paris, which became the official residence of a total of 12 Chinese ambassadors to France so far.
At that time, an art troupe sent from China was performing in France. The museum building team and the art troupe agreed to hold a special performance for friends from all walks of life in France. Since it was the first time such an event was organized since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the guest list was more than 2,000 people. At that time, the phone had to be made to the switchboard and then transferred to the callee, Wang Hua and his colleagues made phone calls for three days and three nights, sleeping only two or three hours a day, and finally successfully completed the guest invitation. The performance was a great success and became the first important event held by the Chinese Embassy in France after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.
On October 1 of that year, Ambassador Huang Zhen presided over the first National Day reception after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France at the embassy. As the guests entered the venue before the reception, an old overseas Chinese caught the attention of Huang Zhen and other Chinese diplomats who were greeting them. Walking into the courtyard of the embassy, the old overseas Chinese suddenly stopped under the flagpole of the five-star red flag. I saw that he first saluted the five-star red flag, and then bowed three times. Seeing this situation, Wang Hua and his colleagues stepped forward to ask.
"You don't know, before you came, we Chinese walked outside, and the French looked down on us and asked if we were Japanese. "Now that you are here, we can finally raise our heads." As he spoke, the old overseas Chinese burst into tears.
Wang Hua said that he has always kept this scene in his heart, and even though he has been away from the diplomatic front for many years, every time he sees the picture of the five-star red flag fluttering in the wind, his mood is irrepressibly excited.
Wang Hua in front of the residence of the Chinese ambassador to France.
For decades, Wang Hua has always been active in the front line of promoting Sino-French friendship. In 2004, in recognition of Wang Hua's contribution to Sino-French relations, then French President Jacques Chirac awarded him the Chevalier de l'Legion of Honor. In 2019, the French government upgraded the honor to the rank of Legion of Honor.
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in January this year, Wang Hua once again embarked on a trip to France to participate in a series of celebrations throughout the year. The day of the interview with the Beijing Daily client reporter was April 25, which was also the 87th birthday of the person who witnessed the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. Before the interview, he specifically reminded the reporter to contact him later, because he had to watch the live broadcast of the launch of the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft at his residence in Paris that day.
"Seeing the rocket take off and ascend, my mood is indescribable, there is no word to describe my feeling. Wang Hua said that at that time, he used his tablet to make a post with only four words: Long live the motherland.
Source: Beijing Daily client reporter Bai Bo
Process Editor: U032