Chapter 88 The friendship between China and Japan has a long history

In the season when Japanese cherry blossoms are in full bloom and spring is as deep as the sea, the China-Japan Friendship Association delegation headed by Liao Chengzhi visited Japan from April 16 to May 18. It has two thousand years of friendly relations with China. The closest neighbor - Japan.The joyful experience immersed in the friendship and enthusiasm of the Japanese people during the thirty-three days will never be erased in the hearts of our fifty-five members! Our delegation is the first large-scale friendly visiting group to Japan after the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.The enthusiasm of the people of Japan towards us is like flowing water that has opened a sluice, pouring in.Letters and telegrams of invitations from all over the country came like snowflakes.

We were overjoyed and grateful, so we had to divide into four groups and visited thirty-eight of the forty-seven capitals, provinces, prefectures, and counties in Japan.We conducted no less than 500 visits, visits, meetings, symposiums and rallies.We reached tens of thousands of workers, farmers, fishermen, youth, women, and people in culture, art, science, education, journalism, sports, religion, politics, and business.This number does not include the vast crowd who waved flags and raised arms to cheer us at the train station, along the highway and on both sides of the street.As for the welcoming executive committee that received us, it is also composed of 22 political parties, groups, and individuals. Jointly formed by the Speakers of the City Council.Such unanimous welcome by the whole country proves the long-standing friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples.We have reaped the rich fruits cultivated by our ancestors for two thousand years, and we must sow more new seeds of friendship in this fertile and friendly land.

In a poem given to us by the Japanese women’s community, they said: "Sakura is the flower of Japan, the flower of the people." Because of this, the Chinese people regard the cherry blossom as a flower that symbolizes the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people.The mountain cherry saplings donated to China by Japan after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan have grown vigorously on the land of Beijing, the capital of China.At the tea party where Prime Minister Tanaka of Japan received all members of the visiting delegation of the China-Japan Friendship Association, the head of the delegation, Liao Chengzhi, specially delivered three young leaves picked from a small cherry tree in Beijing to Prime Minister Tanaka.At this time, there was a burst of jubilant applause in the hall of the mansion.

It is during the cherry blossom season that we can enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom everywhere in Japan, which are as brilliant as the friendship between China and Japan.First of all, at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo, we were invited to attend the Cherry Blossom Viewing Party held by Prime Minister Tanaka.Friends from China and Japan walked hand in hand side by side under clusters of cherry blossoms like clouds and snow. Our hearts were filled with enthusiasm for communication. The melody is surging and boiling.Since then, during my visits, I saw cherry blossoms from time to time, and the members of the group all learned to sing the Japanese folk song "Sakura, Sakura".When I visited northern Japan, I saw the latest cherry blossoms in Hokkaido.

Because the whole group was divided into four visits, there were many warm and memorable scenes, which I did not personally experience, but just our experience from Osaka to Okinawa is already colorful and colorful, too many to write about! On May 2, we set off from Osaka to Yamaguchi Prefecture, passing Hiroshima and other stations all the way, without getting off the train, but at each station, many Japanese friends waved flags and cheered outside the window, or shook hands with us from the window, stuffed in Bunches of beautiful flowers. In the glimpse of the car like flowing water, we feel infinite joy and endless regret!

A writer friend got on the train at the previous stop in Yamaguchi Prefecture and brought me a box of fragrant snacks, with a small piece of paper attached to the box, saying: "This is made of traditional Japanese cherry tree leaves. The glutinous rice dumpling, called cherry cake, is very fragrant, please try it.” I thanked him with great joy.I immediately opened the box and shared it with my companions. It was really fragrant and well-deserved.This makes our appreciation of the color, aroma and taste of cherry blossoms deepened! On May 4th, in Hakata City, Fukuoka Prefecture, we participated in the grand folk dance of "Dong Tai Drum".This is a traditional festival in Hakata City. On this day, thousands of citizens put on flower crowns and costumes, rushed to the streets, walked among the floats decorated as temples, and knocked on wooden rice spoons. While dancing, sing your heart's desire.And this year's floats are specially replaced with panda models.The wishing red letter written on the rice spoon is "China-Japan Friendship".We were also dressed up by the host, walked into this joyful flow of people, sang and danced with them, and chanted "Long live China-Japan friendship!"

In Nagasaki, before attending a grand welcome reception, I watched a dragon dance specially performed to welcome us.Japanese friends said that this dragon dance was brought to Nagasaki from China in ancient times, and the costumes, gongs and drums are all in Chinese style.The most unique thing is that in the dragon dance, there is not only a big dragon, but also a small dragon, following the big dragon, soaring and spinning out!Those who hold the poles are all children under ten years old. The child holding the dragon tail is only over three years old. He is also wearing colorful clothes. His arms are supported by adults. He ran around and won the laughter and thunderous applause from the audience.

The hospitable host used this program to welcome Chinese guests, which shows that Nagasaki has a long history of friendly exchanges with China. At the end of our journey, it was Naba City in Okinawa Island. At the welcome reception, we watched the ancient costume song and dance. The content of the performance was the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Rare!Most of the actors are girls, and their "Qian Xi"'s "clever smile" and "Pan Xi"'s "beautiful eyes" are still lingering in my mind! A Japanese friend told me that this Okinawa costume song and dance is the song and dance performance handed down from the ancient Ryukyu to welcome the envoys of the Tang Dynasty. The Antiquity Integration Museum in Jiyuan Garden, Naba County Museum... When I see the cultural relics and artworks in these museums, I always feel deeply about these songs and dances, as well as various works of art, whether it is calligraphy and painting, embroidery, lacquerware, porcelain, etc. ...It all shows that they are the crystallization of cultural exchanges between China and Japan over the past two thousand years. They are the great working people of China and Japan. To enrich the fruitful results of development.As for how to carry forward the achievements of our ancestors and make our due contribution to world culture, it is up to us and our descendants to work hard!

That's why I say that the "source" of our friendship is very far away, and the "flow" of our friendship is also very, very long. I am so happy to see that our work of people-friendliness and cultural exchange is being continued by our children and grandchildren, and they will certainly continue forever!Now young people from China and Japan are shuttled back and forth between the strip of water. Every day I see their work and activities on the land of the two countries in newspapers and on TV!Whether it is a friendly visit, a sports competition, an art and science exhibition, or a music and dance performance, they are all working happily and vigorously for the sake of the friendship between the two peoples from generation to generation.

During this visit, I re-meeted many Japanese friends who have worked hard and made great contributions over the years to promote Sino-Japanese friendship and realize the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations.As we reflect on the present and reflect on the past, our joy and gratitude at the fact that the long-held aspiration of our two peoples has finally been realized cannot be expressed in words. Looking to the future, we feel even more that "successors have a long way to go".My old Japanese friends are doing the work of bridging and guiding the youth of China and Japan on the Japanese side. I also want to follow my old Japanese friends and spend my lifetime working with our young people to promote The friendship between the people of China and Japan has made its due positive contribution. July 31, 1973