Chapter 27 5. Long Anzhi looking for the way to Shangri-La

There have been some very special moments in human history when events that seemed momentous at the time occurred.People think that they have accurately analyzed and deconstructed this, but when they look at 10 or 20 years, and connect to a longer historical depth, they suddenly find that they still underestimated the explosive power and penetrating power of these events.They are like magical batons, not only instigating the vicissitudes of world politics, but also deeply affecting the destiny of individuals, whether they are politicians or ordinary people. In 1972, China and the United States reopened the door to exchanges, which was a far-reaching event.A new era has begun, and the development of history has quietly changed.This not only means the profound changes in the world's political structure that have begun since then—it has not ended to this day, but in a sense, it also means new exchanges and contacts between China and the West, just like two giants with very different personalities and many misunderstandings Cautiously started a new conversation.In fact, in an era when spaceships were used to explore the universe, and planes and cables communicated with ease, the earth was already so small that it could be described as a "village". It was impossible to imagine the most powerful developed country and the most populous The Chinese countries have never been in contact with each other. This is an unacceptable tragedy for the two countries and the whole world.

In 1972, it was like a stone thrown into calm water, causing ripples, which caused some fluctuations in the fate of many people, and even embarked on a different path.Among the people who make up the ripples are Chinese and foreigners. They are undoubtedly the splashes that make up the big history, the difference is only in the size of these splashes.Some of these people are famous for a while, and some are not famous, but they all witnessed and contributed to the 30-year torrent of history.If we are familiar with the Chinese characters in the past 30 years, then from another dimension, look at the foreigners who have been in harmony with the 30-year history of China's reform and opening up, look at their stories with China, and read about their lives in China. It is also quite interesting to understand the changes in China in their eyes.

When Nixon shook hands with Zhou Enlai, the legendary World War II hero George Bush was still reeling from defeat, after four months as US ambassador to the United Nations, he had failed to prevent China from restoring its seat in the United Nations.His emotions are very complicated. On the one hand, "I feel not only extremely sad, but also extremely disgusted with everything that happened on the scene."But on the other hand, "regardless of my personal feelings about the expulsion of Taiwan, in the long run, it is an obvious wise move for the People's Republic of China to enter the United Nations and engage with it diplomatically."The handshake between Nixon and Zhou Enlai undoubtedly had a profound impact on Bush.Two years later, he chose to go to China as the second representative of the Liaison Office in China.The family had a great time in China, including their son Bush Jr.It is conceivable that when the two Bushes and the three US presidents considered Sino-US relations and even global affairs, they might think of Beijing's hutongs and courtyard houses.

At this time, Schmidt, the Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany, was also paying close attention to this historic moment. He was proud of his foresight, because "In 1971, I urged Willy Brandt to establish a bridge between Bonn and Beijing. Diplomatic relations. Established in the fall of 1972, long before the United States took this step".Schmidt will visit China three years later, when he is Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. At this time, Schroeder, a young German who had just entered the political arena, also showed a keen interest in this scene of Sino-US relations.He had read some works of Marx, and he was an active participant and organizer in the era when the student movement in Western Europe was surging. After 26 years, he will become the seventh chancellor of Germany.

At this time, a 28-year-old British youth Patten became the personal assistant and political secretary of the chairman of the British Conservative Party.The news from China also caught his attention, but he only used it as a very general material for studying the international situation.He did not realize that one day he would become the last governor of Hong Kong, and he did some unflattering things in order to "make Britain withdraw from Hong Kong with as much dignity and dignity as possible under the circumstances at that time". At this time, an American writer had passed away for 6 days. The last "inside news" he published was about Mao Zedong's talk on Sino-US relations in 1970. The core content was: China and the United States will always establish diplomatic relations.Will China and the United States not establish diplomatic relations for a hundred years?

This piece of news, which can be called a work, played an active role in the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. There is the tomb of this American writer by the Weiming Lake of Peking University. Chinese Marshal Ye Jianying inscribed the tombstone - "Tomb of Edgar Snow, an American friend of the Chinese people". Snow wrote during his lifetime: I love China, and I would like to leave half of me there after my death, just like when I was alive.The United States raised and raised me, and I would like to bury a part of me on the banks of the Hudson River. In the future, my ashes will seep into the Atlantic Ocean and connect with Europe and all the coasts of mankind. I feel that I am a part of humanity, because in almost every piece On the land, there are kind people who know me well.

In accordance with Snow's last wish, his wife brought half of his ashes to China, and the other half was buried on the banks of the Hudson River in the United States.Regardless of the past, present, or future, Snow is one of the rare people with great sentiments. He has true emotion and tolerance for the world. The US government forced Snow to leave because of his sympathy and love for the Chinese people. Even in the end, he still has a deep love for his motherland.Moreover, he did realize what he said was his good wish to connect Chinese and foreign people. He was once the most well-known American in China, and he was also a key for the Western world to understand China.His works have influenced many Westerners, including some politicians and many people who are interested in China, such as the 11-year-old American boy we mentioned at the beginning.

The boy was an only child, and because of his mischievousness, the parents thought that one child was enough and there could be no more.This is a family with an artistic atmosphere, and both parents were born in the American show business circle.The literary and artistic environment cultivated the child's literary and artistic temperament. He loves painting and Chinese cuisine. Parents often take him to New York Chinatown for Chinese food.The bright red lanterns, the mysterious Chinese general (Guan Gong) in the altar, the portrait of an unknown Chinese emperor hanging on the wall, two extremely simple chopsticks that can pick up any food, and the bulging Chinese dumplings, the aftertaste is long Chinese folk music, friendly Chinese waiters in Tang suits, all these make this American boy full of curiosity about the country thousands of miles away, a man who can use the simplest things (chopsticks) to perform the most complex activities in the world (food for Western meals) What does a country with few but complicated utensils, Chinese cuisine with complicated content but simple utensils) look like?

However, what puzzled him was that the China portrayed by the American media seemed to be completely different from what he imagined. Those well-dressed show hosts or columnists tried their best to convince the audience in an expert tone: an evil dragon (in In the cultural traditions of Westerners, the dragon is evil) as a totem nation, could it be a kind nation?Could it be that a country that adheres to the socialist road is some kind of peace-loving country? Is it really as the "experts" who have never been to China say?Nixon's visit to China cleared away the thick fog in the Pacific Ocean, allowing the little boy to see a wonderful scene:

Nixon was invited to watch the ballet "The Red Detachment of Women". This wonderful combination of Western performing arts and Chinese stories made Nixon feel novel.He asked his entourage who the director, screenwriter and producer of the play were, and he got an interesting answer: "the collective of the people."Nixon was stunned for a moment, and then kept talking to himself: Very interesting, very interesting. It is indeed very interesting. In a country that emphasizes personal interests, highlights personal strength, and worships individual heroes, people cannot understand the Chinese people's promotion and cherishment of collectivism. This is the difference between the two values, which stems from two very different cultural genes . The Chinese nation, which has gone through vicissitudes and endured all the sufferings in the world for 5,000 years, has a deep-seated belief in collective strength.In contrast, the unique American nation, which has inherited European civilization, has only a history of more than 300 years. Its life is going smoothly, so it is confident that the sun is shining, as if everyone is an apostle of God, with infinite power.

But this little boy didn't have such a deep comprehension yet, he just instinctively felt that a new world that was unknown before was beckoning to him.He plunged into the sea of ​​books, and among the pitifully few books on China, Snow's "A Journey to the West" was very eye-catching. Nine years later, he started his exploration and formed a permanent relationship with China. He has a Chinese name: Long Anzhi. In the mid-1970s, that little American boy, Long Anzhi, was looking for an impression of China in his book. China sparked his interest in a series of special characters.He reads Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Che Guevara. He thinks: "They are real heroes and leaders. They use their ideas to change people's bad lives." He especially likes Mao Zedong, It is a pleasure to collect Mao Zedong's English works.In his view, Mao Zedong understood the way of thinking of the Chinese people, and many of his thoughts still have guiding significance to the present, including views on the problems and advantages of Chinese society, the relationship between international issues and domestic issues, especially the theory of the three worlds had a huge impact on the world. Long Anzhi is very interested in the socialist system because he feels that American society has many ills.This view was actually very popular among young people in Europe and the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. The Cold War and hegemony, war and blood were especially difficult for young people born after World War II to accept.When China was undergoing the "Cultural Revolution", young people in Europe and the United States were questioning Western values ​​and opposing hegemony and war.While China's "Cultural Revolution" was nothing like theirs, they romanticized the "Cultural Revolution".Young people in Europe and the United States rushed to the streets holding little red books to vent their dissatisfaction and rebellion, which became a very classic historical scene at that time. Long Anzhi began to understand China from Snow's "A Journey to the West". He liked Yan'an described by Snow: a group of idealists with rich spirit fought in a place of material hardship. We are working tirelessly to build a fair and just heaven on earth. Snow's description reminded Long Anzhi of the description of the mysterious Shangri-La in the work "Lost Horizon" by British writer James Hilton.It is also a pure land, but people are not isolated from the world and understand modern science and technology and civilization; Is Shangri-La in China?This question has been entangled with Long Anzhi, and may accompany him throughout his life.