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introduction

emperor akihito of japan was the first emperor to visit china in history. although the visit in 1992 lasted only five days, something happened before the state banquet in shanghai. the japanese delegation made a request, which was directly rejected by the chinese side.

the first visit of a japanese emperor to china

when it comes to japan, every passionate chinese will have mixed feelings. after experiencing japan's invasion of china and the protracted war of resistance against japan, there was almost no diplomatic relations between china and japan for many years after the founding of new china. several generations of us cannot forgive japan's atrocities until now.

but times are changing, and peaceful development and win-win cooperation among countries have become the general direction. china, which has always had a great mind, is also trying to accept japan, provided that japan's actions are correct and positive. therefore, china and japan ushered in the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, which is in line with the development trend of the world pattern.

in 1989, after the death of emperor hirohito of japan, his son akihito succeeded to the throne and became the new 125th emperor of japan. emperor akihito has a completely different style from his father emperor hirohito. he is the first japanese emperor to visit china and the first emperor to marry a commoner.

after ascending the throne, emperor akihito's most important task was to improve the relationship between china and japan. in order to express his utmost sincerity, he decided to visit china in person. after discussing and confirming with the japanese cabinet at the time, emperor akihito obtained the consent of all cabinet members and planned to pay an official visit to china in 1992.

with the sino-japanese relations so tense, emperor akihito's first visit to china is of great significance. not only china and japan, but even the whole world is paying attention to emperor akihito's visit to china, with reporters from various countries following and releasing relevant reports at any time.

the biggest difference between emperor akihito and previous japanese emperors is that he has a unique way of thinking, is not influenced by tradition, and does not worship the yasukuni shrine. in his view, these things have no practical significance and will only increase hatred for no reason.

although the japanese side has confirmed that the japanese emperor will visit china in 1992, the post-world war ii militarism in japan still has its legacy, and there are many right-wing elements in japan who are eyeing the regime. emperor akihito will visit china to improve sino-japanese relations, which is something these people do not want to see.

right-wing elements have also sent a number of spies to lurk in major television stations and news media organizations, with the aim of capturing negative news about emperor akihito, deliberately undermining sino-japanese relations, intensifying sino-japanese conflicts, and creating confrontational sentiments.

in fact, japan and china have an inextricable connection in history.

in 630 ad, during the reign of emperor jomei of japan, the first group of envoys to the tang dynasty came to china for cultural exchange. japan sent a total of 19 missions to china to learn advanced technology at different times. it was during those periods that many of china's civilization and customs were introduced to japan, allowing japan to have revolutionary development.

although sino-japanese relations later became tense and delicate, emperor akihito's decision to visit china on october 23, 1992, 20 years after the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between china and japan, became a hot international topic at the time.

after all, there is no precedent for a japanese emperor to visit china, and emperor akihito's visit to china is a decision that subverts history.

as we all know, the japanese emperor holds a high status in the hearts of the japanese people. especially during the reign of emperor akihito, when the japanese economy was in a turbulent period, emperor akihito shared the joys and sorrows with the general public and visited other countries 39 times for the sake of japan's national economy to help japan overcome difficulties.

however, the visit to china was a decision jointly discussed and approved by emperor akihito and the japanese cabinet. emperor akihito also attached great importance to his personal visit to china. before the visit, he carefully studied books in order to have a deeper understanding of chinese customs and habits.

china puts aside past grudges and gives high-level reception

emperor akihito himself attached great importance to this visit to china. he and his wife invited chinese ambassador to japan yang zhenya and his wife to have lunch together ten days before departure. during the lunch, the two talked about many topics related to china, such as the weather in china, the living customs of ordinary chinese people, and the major differences between chinese and japanese habits.

emperor akihito also told yang zhenya that he was looking forward to visiting the scenic spots and historical sites during his visit to china. through this opportunity, he could deeply understand china's long history and culture. after all, japanese culture and chinese culture are inextricably linked. empress akihito michiko quietly told mrs. yang zhenya that if there were any taboos or things that needed special attention during the visit to china, she hoped that mrs. yang could remind them at any time, and she would not mind such a kind reminder.

in this way, emperor akihito and his wife finally started their visit to china on october 23, 1992. their first stop was beijing. as the first japanese emperor to set foot on chinese soil, beijing naturally set up a grand welcome ceremony.

chairman yang shangkun delivered a welcome speech that day. he said that although china and japan had a very unfortunate period in modern times, later through the joint efforts of both sides, the diplomatic relations between the two countries are on the road to normalization.

chairman yang shangkun also mentioned that the friendship between the chinese and japanese people can be maintained from generation to generation. the prerequisite for realizing this wish is that china and japan abide by the sino-japanese joint statement and the sino-japanese treaty of peace and friendship.

emperor akihito also delivered a speech afterwards, expressing regret for the suffering that japan had brought to china and that japan had reflected deeply on it. he also said that the friendly neighborly relations between the chinese and japanese peoples were of great significance.

emperor akihito and his wife visited badaling mountain in beijing, climbed the great wall, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of beijing. they also visited the palace museum and walked into the forbidden city, witnessing the rise and fall of successive chinese dynasties.

the next stop was the ancient capital of xi'an, where 13 dynasties had their capitals. especially during the heyday of the tang dynasty, xi'an, as the ancient capital of chang'an, had close and friendly exchanges between china and japan, and the envoys to the tang dynasty also made great contributions to the cultural and historical exchanges between the two countries.

emperor akihito specifically mentioned that the xi'an beilin museum was a must-visit place. with the warm reception of the staff of the xi'an beilin museum, emperor akihito found the origin of his reign title among more than 650,000 characters: diping tiancheng. emperor akihito was very excited and very happy!

in xi'an, the shaanxi history museum, the terracotta warriors and horses of qin, the tang dynasty tomb murals and the preserved west city gate from the ming dynasty were cultural relics that opened the eyes of emperor akihito and his wife and amazed them.

the next destination of the xi'an trip is shanghai. as a legendary city, the old shanghai in the republic of china period was famous for its spectacular "ten miles of foreign lands". now, after the reform and opening up, the "ten miles of foreign lands" has made a new appearance, attracting the attention of the world and winning the praise of emperor akihito.

in shanghai, emperor akihito and empress michiko visited the nanpu bridge, went to the pudong new area, and strolled hand in hand on the campus path of shanghai jiao tong university, taking the opportunity to feel the vigor and vitality of chinese students.

the incident before the state banquet was cleverly resolved

this is the first time in history that the japanese emperor has visited china, which is a huge challenge for both china and japan. both countries cannot afford to make any mistakes in handling some details. of course, this highly anticipated first visit of the japanese emperor to china has also attracted the attention of the international media. not only reporters from china and japan, but also friends from news media from other countries, all followed the whole process and reported in real time, fearing to miss every wonderful moment.

china has always been a country of etiquette. according to our traditional customs of more than 5,000 years, isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? as the saying goes, "everyone who comes is a guest." especially when some foreign leaders visit, china will definitely prepare a state banquet to entertain them. this time, the reception of the japanese emperor is of course an exception. as both asian countries, china and japan naturally have many common preferences in food.

in fact, various political parties in japan held their own opinions and attitudes about emperor akihito's visit to china, and had heated discussions and deliberations over this visit to china. however, emperor akihito overcame all difficulties and insisted on his own opinion, which eventually led to this visit to china.

some ill-intentioned members of the opposition party are unwilling to accept this and hope that emperor akihito will make mistakes or behave disrespectfully during this trip.

after all, the japanese emperor holds a high position in the eyes of the japanese people and is worshipped as a god. if something goes wrong or a joke happens during emperor akihito's visit to china, it will be exactly what the opposition parties want. they will surely exaggerate the incident to prove that they were right in opposing the emperor's visit to china.

the opposition party with ulterior motives deliberately placed some japanese reporters among the media team to closely monitor emperor akihito's every move during his visit to china. as long as they find any problems, they may take pictures of some scenes at any time to discredit emperor akihito's image.

however, emperor akihito and his wife showed great manners and politeness during the trip, making people feel comfortable. therefore, the japanese reporters with ulterior motives began to get anxious. seeing that the trip was coming to an end, they put their last chance at the shanghai state guest dinner.

state banquets are the highest level of treatment for foreign leaders in my country. therefore, the menus for state banquets have strict and standardized processes. for example, the responsible protocol officer must study and know the eating habits of foreign leaders and foreign delegation members in advance. then, the chefs involved in the cooking will be notified to hold a meeting and arrange the corresponding state banquet menu according to the tastes of foreign guests.

determining the menu is only one of the tasks. chefs also need to understand the different living habits, dietary taboos, taste preferences and all information related to the age and physical condition of foreign guests. at the same time, state banquets must also take into account the season, local specialties and the nutrition of ingredients.

in general, the state banquet menu should not only leave a deep impression on foreign guests, but also let them taste chinese specialties, so that they can appreciate the essence of chinese food culture. emperor akihito and his wife visited china in 1992, which was the golden autumn of october, when the harvest was plentiful. in this season, shanghai was also plump for shrimps and crabs, and hairy crabs were the best of the season. therefore, the shanghai government specially arranged a dish for this banquet: steamed hairy crabs.

from our chinese perspective, this state banquet was not held in beijing, but in the international metropolis of shanghai. as the host, shanghai served this dish with local characteristics to entertain the japanese emperor and empress. first of all, it fulfilled the hospitality of the host, and at the same time, it let them understand the traditional local food culture. it can be said to be full of sincerity and good intentions.

but the japanese delegation may have another concern. they are worried that emperor akihito and his wife will peel the crab with their bare hands in public, and then have to bend down to eat it with their mouths. this operation is not only complicated, but also unsightly. if some reactionary media cameras capture this, they will definitely use this incident to discredit emperor akihito.

in order not to bring negative impact to the japanese emperor, the japanese delegation, after internal discussion, requested the chinese side to remove the hairy crab dish. but a state banquet is a solemn event, unlike a dinner party at home, where if there are too many dishes, you can reduce them, and if there are too few dishes, you can add more. there are certain standardized procedures for state banquets, so how can they be changed at will?

we expressed great understanding for the concerns of the japanese delegation, but at the same time we also reassured the japanese representatives: the menu remains unchanged, so the emperor can just enjoy the food with confidence!

as guests from afar, the japanese delegation could not make excessive demands and could only choose to trust china. they were still worried, but they also wanted to know what china would do.

finally, on the night of the state banquet in shanghai, the japanese emperor and empress ate happily under the cameras of reporters from all over the world, showing satisfaction with every dish. when the "steamed hairy crab" that the japanese delegation was extremely worried about was served on the table, everyone's eyes were on the japanese emperor and the hairy crab on the plate.

just as those reactionary reporters picked up their cameras and were about to take indecent photos of the japanese emperor eating hairy crabs, the japanese emperor slowly and easily opened the crab shell, revealing the delicious crab meat. the crab meat and the crab shell were separated, and the japanese emperor and empress put the delicious crab meat into their mouths with a spoon, while praising the delicious hairy crabs.

it turned out that after learning about the concerns of the japanese delegation, the chinese person in charge quickly communicated with the chinese chefs. in response to the questions of the foreign guests, they were particularly careful when making this dish, carefully peeling the crab meat piece by piece and putting it back into the crab's belly, but retaining the integrity of the original crab shell. whether it is steamed or served on a plate, it looks like a whole hairy crab. it is through this ingenious idea that emperor akihito and his wife can eat the delicious crab meat directly and quickly.

the japanese journalists and officials of the japanese delegation standing by were all stunned. this cooking method that is both beautiful and easy to eat is really wonderful. this skill of the chinese chefs successfully resolved a storm. even emperor akihito, who was involved, gave a thumbs up: "the chinese are so smart and resourceful!" in this way, after the shanghai state banquet, japan expressed its heartfelt gratitude to china for its sincerity and wit, and expressed its intention to maintain a long-term friendly cooperative partnership with china in the future.

conclusion

in state visits between countries, state banquets are an indispensable item. as a bond of friendly exchanges between two countries, it looks like just a meal, but it contains all political and diplomatic factors.

no matter which country's leaders come to visit china, no matter which country has had unpleasant history with china, we chinese will not be indifferent, because this is the minimum respect for other countries and the ultimate embodiment of our great power style.

references

[1] emperor akihito is the only emperor to visit china[j]. global people, 2014(24):34-36.

[2] guangxiang. the whole story of the japanese emperor’s visit to china[j]. party history, 2008(01):48-51.

[3] tan lu. decoding the mysterious state banquet[j]. lantai inside and outside, 2011(02):48-49.