"The car was slowly driving in the dawn of the morning, and I felt that everything was so bleak—the darkness, the shadows of the trees, the silent streets. I think this day will be regarded as a tragic day that will remain in Chinese history. ”
This is a passage in Gu Weijun's memoirs, and the "day" mentioned in the article is June 28, 1919. On this day, Gu Weijun was driving on the streets of Paris, in a depressed mood, while the signing ceremony of the Paris Peace Treaty was being held in the Palace of Versailles, and the Chinese representative's seat was empty.
The Chinese delegation originally proposed to the Paris Peace Conference to reclaim Shandong's rights, but it was crushed by the Western powers. The international conference, which began in January, has been pinned high hopes on china as a "victorious power."
As one of China's five plenipotentiaries, Gu Weijun is also ambitious to take this as an opportunity to cancel a series of unequal treaties between the great powers in China.
At the January 28 conference, Gu Weijun gave full play to his oratorical talents and expounded China's position in fluent English, concisely and concisely expounding the importance of the Shandong and Jiaoji railways for China, starting from the history of Shandong, especially the phrase "China cannot lose Shandong just like the West cannot lose Jerusalem", which was widely recited, which caused a sensation in the audience.
Figure | Gu Weijun stills
The next day, newspapers in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom all reported on Gu Weijun's wonderful speech in prominent positions. Gu Weijun, 31, became a news figure in Paris for a while, and the Chinese delegation became the focus of discussion.
At that time, US Secretary of State Lan Xin commented: "Gu Shi's upright speech really made the Japanese committee members hang their heads and be dumbfounded. ”
But unfortunately, diplomacy depends on strength, and only a few words cannot change The fate of China's arbitrary slaughter. In the end, the Western powers, for their own interests, curry favor with Japan and transfer all of Germany's rights in Shandong to Japan.
As a result, the indignant Chinese delegation was determined to refuse to accept this humiliating peace treaty, especially Gu Weijun, who was a resolute refusal to sign.
Figure | Chinese delegate to the Paris Peace Conference
The refusal to sign the Paris Peace Conference was the first time in modern China's diplomatic history that it said "no" to the great powers, and although China failed to win any rights and interests this time, it changed the image of China since the late Qing Dynasty that It has always been obedient to the West. Although the country is weak and weak, it cannot be bullied by others, and it is still necessary to rise up and fight.
His brilliant performance at the Paris Peace Conference also brought Gu Weijun to the forefront of the world diplomatic stage, thus beginning his diplomatic career as bright as the stars.
Figure | Gu Weijun
One
In 1912, the 24-year-old Gu Weijun returned to China after a seven-year study abroad career. Gu Weijun, who majored in politics and international diplomacy at Columbia University in the United States, returned to China at the invitation of Tang Shaoyi, then prime minister of the Republic of China.
Gu Weijun, who returned to China, was appointed english secretary of Yuan Shikai's presidential palace and also served as Tang Shaoyi's secretary. At a time when many young people are still worried about their jobs, Gu Weijun has entered the highest power core in China. In front of the young Gu Weijun, it is already a kangzhuang road to the peak of life.
As early as 1908, as a special envoy of the Qing government, Tang Shaoyi visited the United States and invited more than 40 international students to Washington for exchanges. At this exchange meeting, Gu Weijun spoke as a student representative, and his extraordinary conversation attracted tang Shaoyi's attention.
Three years later, Tang Shaoyi became the first premier of the Republic of China, the country was first established, and it was on the occasion of employment that he thought of Gu Weijun in the United States.
Yuan Shikai has always left the impression of being a "traitor to the country", but Gu Weijun was able to enter the presidential palace to work thanks to the implementation of Yuan Shikai's policy of rejuvenating the country through talent. As early as the Qing Dynasty, when he was an official, Yuan Shikai advocated abolishing the imperial examination, running a new-style school, and hiring new-style talents.
As soon as the talented Gu Weijun entered the presidential palace, he quickly won the admiration of Yuan Shikai. While working at Yuan Shikai's side, Gu Weijun experienced a series of major diplomatic events, such as the Sino-British negotiations on tibet in 1913, the Sino-Russian negotiations in 1912-1915, and the famous "Twenty-One Articles" negotiations later.
During the "Twenty-One Articles" negotiations, although the Chinese government said within itself that it should refuse to sign, it fought the Japanese with a delaying war. However, in the end, the disparity in national strength was too great, and in the face of the Japanese pressing forward step by step, Yuan Shikai had no choice but to think of a way to use the Western powers to exert pressure on Japan, so he instructed Gu Weijun to disclose the news of the negotiations to the Westerners.
So Gu Weijun revealed the news to the US Embassy through his own network, and soon the news of sino-Japanese negotiations flew all over the sky, which greatly annoyed Japan.
Figure | Young Gu Weijun
Although the British and American countries did not tear their faces with Japan out of self-interest considerations, Japan still made concessions to the treaty under pressure from all sides, and the benefits they received were much less than they expected. And some of the terms signed were later destroyed by Yuan Shikai.
Gu Weijun, who was deeply ashamed of the signing of the treaty, suggested that a statement be issued on the whole process of Sino-Japanese negotiations to clarify China's position and also leave a true record for future generations of historians to warn the chinese people not to forget the national shame. At the same time, Gu Weijun, who was hospitalized due to illness, personally drafted this English statement that night.
In view of Gu Weijun's outstanding performance, in July 1915, the 27-year-old Gu Weijun was appointed Chinese Minister to Mexico, and three months later, Gu Weijun was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary in the United States. Gu Weijun became the youngest minister plenipotentiary in China's modern history.
It can be said that the promotion speed of Gu Weijun's rocket class is due to the "nobleman" in his life- Yuan Shikai.
The young Gu Weijun officially stepped onto the diplomatic stage and began his career of more than half a century of diplomatic fronts.
During his tenure in the United States, Gu Weijun relied on his outstanding social talents to attract investment and provide advice on the country's political policy. Especially after the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, Gu Weijun, who always paid attention to the development of the war situation, urged China to participate in the "First World War", hoping to enhance the national image.
At home, because Yuan Shikai claimed to be emperor and died of a violent illness, the various political forces in the country fell into a fierce struggle for power. There are different opinions on whether to participate in the war, and the southern regime led by Sun Yat-sen and the beiyang foreign minister Wu Tingfang opposed joining the war, and they blamed Gu Weijun wantonly.
In this regard, Gu Weijun said with emotion: "Judging from China's international status, this proposal to let China participate in the war is entirely for China's interests in the world, and I do not understand why it is opposed." ”
In the end, to Gu Weijun's relief, Duan Qirui, who advocated participating in the war, regained control of the situation, and on August 14, 1917, China declared war on Germany and Austria, finally catching the last train of "World War I".
Later, people also generally recognized that China's participation in the First World War was a major event that was beneficial and far-reaching to China, which also marked that China broke the image of a closed country and began to participate in international affairs.
Two
At the Paris Peace Conference held after the end of World War I, China did not win its due rights and interests, but it was of landmark significance in the history of modern Chinese diplomacy.
First of all, this meeting enabled China to change the inertia of "always fighting and ending" in diplomacy, and secondly, it prompted the awakening of China's national consciousness, which in turn formed the magnificent "May Fourth" movement.
The diplomatic achievements left by the Qing government to the Beiyang government were a large number of humiliating unequal treaties. In the face of the open and secret struggle between the various political forces in the country, in order to consolidate the political power and quickly establish the prestige of the government, the Beiyang government in the chaotic situation was the first shot of "amending the treaty" - liquidating these unequal treaties.
Gu Weijun, who became famous at the Paris Peace Conference, naturally became the backbone of the revision of the treaty. Although there were frequent regime changes during the Beiyang government, no matter which faction came to power, except for Feng Yuxiang, almost all of them treated Gu Weijun with courtesy.
Gu Weijun, who has excellent diplomatic skills, once said: "Since I am interested in China's foreign policy and foreign relations, my long-cherished wish is to realize the revision of China's unequal treaties, and I have no intention of getting involved in political activities and political struggles." ”
Gu Weijun has always positioned himself outside the transcendent partisan political struggle. Gu Weijun has gone through the governments of Yuan Shikai, Li Yuanhong, Feng Guozhang, Duan Qirui, Cao Kun, Xu Shichang, and Zhang Zuolin, and in addition to Feng Yuxiang's idleness during his administration, he has served as cabinet chief seven times, finance chief twice, and acting cabinet premier twice.
On the one hand, during the Beiyang government period, there was a shortage of diplomatic talents, and Gu Weijun's diplomatic talents were needed by all parties; on the other hand, Gu Weijun did not participate in factional struggles, did not take sides, and put the interests of the country and the nation first in all activities. As Gu Weijun himself said: "Whatever is beneficial to the country, I will do my best." On the contrary, harmful things, I would rather hang up the crown and go. ”
After the Paris Peace Conference, Gu Weijun used every opportunity to try to drive Japan out of Shandong. Finally, the opportunity came.
On November 12, 1921, in order to solve the legacy of World War I, the United States initiated the Washington Conference, and due to China's strong demands, the Shandong issue was listed as one of the important issues.
Gu Weijun, then minister to the United Kingdom, went to the United States as one of the plenipotentiaries to attend the Washington Conference. On the day he arrived in Washington, Gu Weijun used the media to publicly state the Chinese government's position: "China must gain political independence and ensure territorial integrity." ”
The sino-Japanese negotiations held directly outside the conference were held 36 times, and Gu Weijun and The Chinese representatives engaged in repeated contests with the Japanese side, and the negotiations were extremely difficult and often reached an impasse. Gu Weijun refuted one by one the various pretexts created by the Japanese deputies for aggression and never compromised.
In the end, under the mediation of Britain and the United States, China and Japan finally reached an agreement, japan surrendered all rights and interests in Shandong, and announced that it would abandon the fifth article of the "twenty-one articles".
For this diplomatic victory, domestic public opinion praised it like a tidal wave, and the Beiyang government also awarded Gu Weijun and three other plenipotentiarys the first-class Jiahe Medal.
Gu Weijun thus became the most feared negotiating opponent for the Japanese. Therefore, Japan also has a grudge against Gu Weijun.
What is ridiculous is that in 1923, the new Japanese minister to China, Kenkichi Yoshizawa, after arriving in Beijing, went so far as to visit Foreign Minister Gu Weijun and submit his credentials in accordance with international diplomatic practice. Gu Weijun was reluctant to give up, so he ordered the relevant departments to refuse to recognize Fangze Qianji's status as a minister. As a result, Yoshinori Kenkichi ran into walls.
In the end, Fangze Qianji, who was in charge of the loss, had to visit Gu Weijun according to the regulations and make up the procedures.
Three
Another famous diplomatic victory of Gu Weijun in the "amendment" of the treaty was to preside over the abrogation of the Sino-Belgian Treaty of Commerce.
On June 24, 1925, the Beiyang government officially sent a note to the embassies of various countries in China requesting "amendment of the treaty." However, after several rounds of meetings, it is difficult to reach consensus due to the intertwined interests of various countries, and the effect is not obvious.
Therefore, the diplomats of the Beiyang government thought that instead of "one pot" with various countries, it would be better to negotiate separately with a certain country first, and concentrate on solving the problem of the revision of the treaty in a certain country first.
So, after some screening, Belgium was selected.
The Sino-Belgian Treaty of Commerce was signed on 2 November 1865 and will expire on 27 October 1926. As early as April 1926, the Beiyang government sent a note to the Belgian minister, stating that the Chinese government was ready to terminate the Old Treaty and renegotiate and sign a new treaty.
However, before the negotiations had entered a substantive stage, the Belgian minister to China expressed dissatisfaction, saying that if the Chinese side insisted on abrogating the Old Treaty, it would for example submit it to the International Court of Justice for adjudication, and would also send a note to britain, the United States and other major powers to exert pressure on the Chinese side.
In October 1926, Gu Weijun returned to the Beiyang diplomatic and political arena as chief of foreign affairs and prime minister of the cabinet. In the face of the arrogant Belgians, Gu Weijun did not budge at all.
On November 5, Belgium formally submitted a memorandum to the Beiyang government rejecting China's final amendment. The next day, Gu Weijun issued a categorical statement announcing the unilateral repeal of the Sino-Belgian Treaty of Commerce and Commerce, and at the same time instructing the Ministry of the Interior to take over the Belgian concession in Tianjin.
The move shocked the Western powers, the first time China had decided to unilaterally repeal an unequal treaty despite all threats. The Government of Belgium protested and filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
But the Beiyang government, chaired by Gu Weijun, ignored the notice from the Hague court. In the end, the Belgian government was forced to reopen negotiations with the Chinese side in Beijing, and finally said that it would return to China all the rights granted to the Tianjin Concession in the "Xinugu Treaty", and also took the initiative to withdraw the case against China from the Hague court.
This diplomatic victory was another peak for Gu Weijun after the Paris Peace Conference, and his prestige at home reached a new peak.
As for the victory of the Beiyang government's first victory on the road of "revising the treaty," the domestic public opinion circles were extremely excited. People from the industrial and commercial circles jointly sent a telegram to the All-China Chamber of Commerce with a statement: "Our people unanimously believe that Gu Weijun is the representative of the people of the whole country, and it is the responsibility to abolish all unequal old covenants and replace them with the new covenants of equality between the two sides." Regardless of the treaty of any country, Gu delegates have full power to abolish the old and make new ones. ”
Gu Weijun used his courage and wisdom to set a successful precedent for China in the road of abolishing the Old Testament, and greatly enhanced the self-confidence of the Chinese people.
Gu Weijun, who is well versed in international law and diplomatic law, has brought a new look to China's diplomatic and political arena, unlike the former dynasty officials who stood still, refused to learn and knew nothing about diplomacy.
Under the effect of the successful demonstration of Sino-Belgian diplomacy, the Beiyang government chaired by Gu Weijun has successively negotiated with relevant countries on some unequal treaties, and due to their different circumstances, the diplomatic results achieved have also been different.
Later, it was mentioned that the Beiyang government always had a negative evaluation, especially for the Beiyang government's diplomatic "amendment" campaign lacking due affirmation and attention. When it comes to the Beiyang period, it is mostly summarized as "weak countries have no diplomacy". As a result, the diplomatic achievements of diplomats like Gu Weijun are often overlooked.
In fact, diplomats like Gu Weijun in the Beiyang period, when the country's strength was far behind, still used their talents and courage to give full play to their diplomatic talents to the extreme, and made wonderful "remedies" for the country's diplomatic struggle again and again.
Gu Weijun, who has a good systematic education in the West, is very proficient in Western diplomatic jurisprudence and rules of the game, and he always relies on his skillful knowledge of international legal science and the other side's wit in diplomacy, and his outstanding talent and personality charm have conquered many people, and even his opponents have to admire him.
Gu Weijun also won the reputation of "the first diplomat of the Republic of China".
As diplomat Wen Yuanning said: "Whenever I think of Dr. Gu Weijun, people can't help but think of the radiant stars... His friends and enemies would admit that there could never be a better Chinese diplomat abroad who represented China's interests than Dr. Gu. ”
Four
In June 1928, with Zhang Zuolin's withdrawal from Beijing, the National Revolutionary Army announced the completion of the Northern Expedition, and the Beiyang regime came to an end.
Gu Weijun, a former national hero, was listed as a wanted criminal by the Nationalist government. Forced to help, Gu Weijun, who was regarded by the Northern Expeditionary Army as an "accomplice" of the Beiyang government, went to Europe to temporarily take shelter.
Fortunately, later, through the mediation of the young marshal Zhang Xueliang, the Nationalist government revoked the arrest warrant.
After the outbreak of the "918" incident in 1931, in order to deal with the Japanese, Chiang Kai-shek thought of Gu Weijun, an experienced "anti-Japanese diplomacy expert". Therefore, Jiang asked Zhang Xueliang to persuade Gu Weijun to go south to serve the country.
For the sake of national righteousness, Gu Weijun accepted Chiang's invitation regardless of his previous suspicions and once again went to the forefront of anti-Japanese diplomacy. "The reason why I continue to participate in politics is simply to maintain a government for the sake of China's international reputation," Gu said. ”
Later, Gu Weijun joined the Lytton investigation team organized by the League of Nations, risked being assassinated by the Japanese, went to the northeast to participate in the investigation of Japan's occupation and aggression against Manchukuo's illegal acts, and then fought against the famous Japanese diplomat Matsuoka Yoshitomo at the League of Nations Congress, ruthlessly exposing the atrocities committed by the Japanese side.
After that, Gu Weijun did not give up every opportunity to expose Japan's aggression and atrocities, and called on all countries to provide assistance to China.
After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, Gu Weijun spoke at the headquarters of the League of Nations in Geneva, denouncing Japan's acts of aggression and demanding that Japan be declared an aggressor.
During his accession to the National Government, Gu Weijun served as an envoy abroad for a long time and never entered the core power level of the government, unlike he who often held important positions during the Beiyang Government and had decision-making power.
However, Gu Weijun, who is fighting on the diplomatic front, still makes unremitting efforts to safeguard the rights and interests of the country.
Living overseas, Gu Weijun not only purchased urgently needed materials for the War of Resistance and recruited pilots through his own connections, but also used various rallies and diplomatic occasions to call on Western countries to form an anti-fascist united front and win international support for China.
Throughout the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Gu Weijun also participated in and presided over most of the negotiations on China's cooperation with the anti-fascist allies, and many of the funds for aid to China by Britain and the United States were also the result of gu Weijun and other diplomats' extensive lobbying.
In March 1945, Gu Weijun represented China at the United Nations Conference of International Organizations held in San Francisco and participated in the drafting of the Charter of the United Nations. Moreover, when deciding on the selection of the Chinese delegation, Gu Weijun proceeded from the national righteousness of the country and suggested that the Chiang authorities should let the CHINESE Communists send representatives to participate.
Later, Chiang Kai-shek accepted Gu Weijun's suggestion and agreed to send Dong Biwu, a representative of the Cpc, to join the Chinese delegation. On June 26, the signing ceremony of the Charter of the United Nations was held in San Francisco, and Gu Weijun was the first to sign as a representative of China, making China the first of the four initiating countries to sign the Charter. Dong Biwu, as a representative of the CPC, also signed the charter.
At this meeting, Gu Weijun and Dong Biwu cooperated tacitly, and they both had a high evaluation of each other.
Figure | Gu Weijun signed the Charter of the United Nations
As the War of Liberation drew to a close, In 1948, Gu Weijun's name appeared on a list of Chinese communist war criminals, ranking 22nd. Mainly because during the Liberation War, Gu Weijun vigorously fought for American assistance for the Chiang kai-shek authorities.
Gu Weijun, who has repeatedly said that he will not participate in partisanship, inevitably falls into the political whirlpool. In the jianghu, it is difficult to be completely detached.
What Gu Weijun did not expect was that because of his outstanding performance at the San Francisco conference, Zhang Hanzhi, who went to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, came to visit him in October 1972. Zhang Hanzhi came this time at the behest of Chairman Mao, and also invited Gu Weijun to visit Beijing at a convenient time, which made Gu Weijun very moved.
Gu Weijun has undergone many regime changes in his life, and has been wanted by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party respectively, but in the end he has won the respect and recognition of both parties, which is a great legend.
From this, we can see that Gu Weijun's talent and personality charm have a great influence, and the key reason is still like Gu Weijun said - his heart will always belong to China.
This diplomat, who has received a Western-style education since the age of 11, has been constantly shouting and fighting all his life to make the Chinese nation stand tall in the forest of the world, and has brought a glimmer of hope to his compatriots in difficulty with his own strength.
On November 14, 1985, Gu Weijun died peacefully at his home in New York at the age of 97. Major newspapers and periodicals in the United States have published articles expressing condolences, and Gu Weijun's alma mater, Columbia University, has set up a Gu Scholarship to express mourning.
The Chinese representative to the United Nations went to the scene of Gu Weijun's memorial service to offer condolences. At the same time, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations sent a message of condolence to Gu Weijun's family: "Elder Gu is an outstanding diplomat in our country, with remarkable achievements. ”
The Taiwan side also praised Gu Weijun's life. It is rare for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to have such unanimous evaluations of a politician of the Republic of China.
Text | Rain falls in the south