Everyone's impression of the embassy is not all grand and dignified, style and grandeur, the various facilities inside are readily available, and the staff are all suited and shoes. But there was such an embassy, which turned out to be a small thatched house, and there was only one ambassador in it, and all the work was concentrated in him. This is our embassy in Kiribati, where there is only diplomat Wu Zhonghua. He held several hats, and in addition to his job as a diplomat, he also had to work as a cook, driver, and repairman. In distant Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua stayed for 3 years, defending China's diplomatic power with his sincerity.
Let's start with the country of Kiribati, which many of our friends may never have heard of, and which is indeed too unknown and too far away from us. In fact, it is far away from all countries, 2500 nautical miles from the nearest continent, Australia, and it takes 10 hours by plane. The country is located almost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is made up of 33 small islands, all of which together have a land area of only 811 square kilometers, less than half the area of Shenzhen.
Located near the International Date Line, Kiribati is the first place in the world to see the sun rise, so some say it was the starting point of the world. Kiribati is also recognized by the United Nations as the least developed country in the world, and because it is too far away from other countries, the island has few resources, and the country is unable to develop its economy. The people there lived almost like primitive people, relying on fish caught in the sea for food. There are also no recreational facilities on the island, which is truly a return to basics.
It was on such a poor island far away that Chinese diplomat Wu Zhonghua stayed alone for 3 years. If nothing else, just to fulfill the duty of a diplomat, just so that the bright five-star red flag can be raised on that land.
In 1939, Wu Zhonghua was born in Hebei, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wu Zhonghua's mother named him "Zhong Hua" and "Zhonghua", hoping that he would become a useful person for the motherland in the future and contribute to the rise of China. Wu Zhonghua really lived up to his mother's expectations, he was intelligent from an early age, and he loved to learn. In 1958, he was successfully admitted to Nankai University. Wu Zhonghua chose to major in foreign languages during his college years, because he aspired to become a diplomat from an early age, and learning foreign languages well was the first step to becoming a diplomat. During his time in school, in addition to learning his own major, Wu Zhonghua also actively studied relevant diplomatic knowledge, often browsed international current politics, and he knew all the major events in the world.
After graduating from university, Wu Zhonghua entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as he wished. In the post he loves, Wu Zhonghua is conscientious and conscientious, starting from small things step by step, and does not miss any opportunity to learn and exercise himself. Slowly, Wu Zhonghua's diplomat temperament began to appear, he was calm and calm, talked freely, and had excellent psychological quality. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wu Zhonghua has gone through the experience of the Protocol Department, the International Department, the Taiwan Affairs Office and other departments, and has become a qualified diplomat.
In 1975, Wu Zhonghua finally ushered in the opportunity, he was sent to work in our Consulate General in Karachi, Pakistan, in Pakistan, Wu Zhonghua stayed for 5 years, his work ability was deeply appreciated by the leadership. In 1983, Wu Zhonghua joined the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, which can be called the Whampoa Military Academy for Chinese diplomats, and many outstanding diplomats have worked in the United Nations Mission. Wu Zhonghua did an excellent job at the United Nations and was subsequently sent to Fiji in May 1989 as our ambassador to Fiji.
Fiji's neighbor was Kiribati, and at the time the Taiwan authorities were trying to establish diplomatic relations with Kiribati through money. As we all know, some small countries cannot withstand the financial temptation of the Taiwan authorities and choose to establish so-called "diplomatic relations" with them, and Taiwan wants to gain certain recognition in the international community in this way.
In February 1990, after receiving a notice from his superiors, Wu Zhonghua immediately left for Kiribati. Although Kiribati and Fiji are neighbors, they are not close, and there are thousands of miles of ocean in between. Wu Zhonghua packed his bags, walked alone, and embarked on a lonely journey to Kiribati. After a journey of more than 10 hours, Wu Zhonghua finally arrived in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, and the scene in front of him was shocking. It was completely invisible that it was the capital of a country, with rudimentary houses scattered along the streets, mostly disheveled locals, and only one road in the entire Tarawa with a few cars sporadically on it. It's so pristine, except for the few houses in the "city center", there are randomly growing weeds and coconut trees, and through the coconut groves you can see the vast Pacific Ocean.
When he arrived in Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua's first step was the embassy. The local conditions are very limited, and Wu Zhonghua can only temporarily rent a thatched house as a building, which is a thatched house. Life is very hard for the locals, and the houses are basically supported by a frame with tree trunks and then covered with local thatch on top.
After the building was implemented, Wu Zhonghua began to install communication equipment, install safes, nail signs outside the building, and erect flagpoles. Wu Zhonghua also printed hundreds of invitations to invite local government officials in Kiribati to attend the reception. This series of work was completed in 3 days, and he was the only one before and after. It is hard to imagine that a dignified diplomatic ambassador would personally do so much tedious daily work, but due to the limited conditions, Wu Zhonghua did not complain at all, he only hoped that he could do a good job and show the best aspects in front of international friends on the day of the reception. When Wu Zhonghua personally raised the five-star red flag next to the embassy, he burst into tears, not because of hard work, but because he personally contributed to all this and made the Chinese embassy successfully set up in Kiribati.
At 6 p.m. on February 28, 1990, the embassy hosted Hu for its official opening. The President and his wife of Kiribati led all the cabinet members to the scene, and the High Commissioners of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in Kiribati also came to congratulate them. In order to let the visiting international friends eat as well as possible, Wu Zhonghua in addition to preparing local characteristics of raw fish and shrimp, but also specially opened the Chinese canned food carried from Fiji for everyone to taste, and the guests praised the good taste after eating. It was only bitter for Wu Zhonghua, because Kiribati was so far away that the usual supply ships only came once a month to bring some fresh fruits, vegetables and other supplies to the island. Wu Zhonghua brought canned food to entertain guests, and for the next month he could only eat local raw fish and shrimp and wild vegetables. But all this Wu Zhonghua does not matter, as long as it can make the guests feel the enthusiasm of Chinese.
The whole reception that night was attended by Wu Zhonghua alone, and it was not until 11 p.m. that the last group of guests left. Wu Zhonghua was already too tired to walk, his legs were stiff, and it was difficult to even sit down. But he could not rest immediately, and he immediately sent out the news of the establishment of the Chinese Embassy in Kiribati and told the world.
The work of the reception was only the beginning, and the diplomatic work in the future also fell on Wu Zhonghua alone. Wu Zhonghua is responsible for daily exchanges with the local government of Kiribati and exchanges with personnel stationed in Kiribati. He didn't usually rest much, and whenever he had time, he began to upgrade the embassy. In his view, Chinese embassies abroad are equivalent to Chinese territory, and no matter how difficult the conditions, he must try to make China's embassies look better. He went around looking for building materials, had local workers build a gate for the embassy, and planted some flowers and plants in the embassy himself.
Wu Zhonghua alone has encountered many dangerous moments in Kiribati. One day he went out to a reception, and when he came back in the middle of the night, he heard someone running away through the window, and he picked up a stick and chased after him, but the man was long gone. Wu Zhonghua checked the safe for the first time, which contained the embassy's expenses and some confidential documents. Fortunately, the safe was intact, but the dozens of Australian dollars in the drawer were taken by thieves.
Another time, when Wu Zhonghua was walking by the beach, he suddenly felt that the sky was spinning, and then he fainted. It turned out that he had been hit by a drunken young man on a motorcycle. Fortunately, being rescued by the local enthusiastic people did not cause any major trouble. After this incident, Wu Zhonghua recorded all the property and belongings in the embassy into a book in case he suffered an accident, which the domestic people could refer to when dealing with the aftermath. For the sake of the motherland's diplomatic cause, he has put life and death aside.
In the three years of Kiribati, Wu Zhonghua once faced a crisis of food shortages. The local products were so poor that supply ships came only once a month, and sometimes they could not buy food with money in hand. Wu Zhonghua even ate edible leaves under the guidance of locals, and he also dried moss to make vegetables to eat. The local drug supply is also a big problem, sometimes Wu Zhonghua is sick and can't buy the right medicine, so he can only support himself and rely on willpower to survive. These physical pains were nothing to Wu Zhonghua. Wu Zhonghua's father passed away in March 1990, but because Kiribati was too far away from his homeland, he did not receive a letter from his family until April when he received news of his father's death. Wu Zhonghua was grief-stricken in his heart, and not being able to see the last side of his father was the greatest regret in this life.
In this way, Wu Zhonghua persevered in Kiribati for 3 years and completed the tasks entrusted to him by the motherland. In 1992, Wu Zhonghua received orders to return to China. Before leaving Kiribati, he watched the five-star red flag rise for the last time and stepped on the plane back to China with great emotion.