In order to show the style of a great country and our warm hospitality, after the founding of New China, the central government will hold a grand state banquet at the end of each National Day ceremony.
Not only that, with the improvement of my country's international status, foreign heads of state, ambassador to China, foreign friends, etc. have often visited China. In order to show our enthusiasm for our guests, we will also invite them and entourage to attend the state banquet, with a large number of people and a very lively one.
Chairman Mao
As a world power, our state banquet shows luxurious dishes and high-end reception etiquette, but such luxurious scenes formed a huge contrast with the living standards of the people in our country at that time.
At this time, the founding of New China is not long ago, and all walks of life are in a state of chaos, and people are still struggling on the line of food and clothing. Chairman Mao also realized this problem. He was very concerned about the lives of the people. Whenever he saw the wasted dishes at the state banquet, he would feel heartbroken when he thought of the real life of the people.
When the Party Central Committee entered Beijing, Chairman Mao once compared himself to "Going to Beijing to take the exam" . He asked party members and cadres not to learn Li Zicheng and to continue to maintain the excellent style of hard work of the Communists. Chairman Mao advocated saving and continued to maintain the hard and simple style of Communists and not wasteful things. That's what he said and did.
Chairman Mao
As early as the revolutionary period, Chairman Mao took the lead in breaking the bad habit of "official soldiers and soldiers" . He poured the white porridge prepared by the staff for him into the wild vegetable porridge that the soldiers ate and had a pot of rice with the soldiers.
After the founding of New China, Chairman Mao did not forget his original aspiration and always adhered to a thrifty lifestyle. I don’t know how many times he has sewn one of his pajamas, so I still can’t bear to throw it away. When Mao Anying and Liu Siqi got married, he only gave him a used military coat he wore as a wedding gift for his son and daughter-in-law.
Once, he wanted to receive foreign guests. The staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw that the leather shoes on Chairman Mao’s feet were seriously worn, so he bought a pair of new leather shoes for Chairman Mao. The staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were worried that wearing old leather shoes would damage the country's image, but Chairman Mao refused and said: The foreign guests came to see me, not the leather boots they came to see. Even Chairman Mao sometimes wore handmade cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole when meeting foreign guests.
Chairman Mao
So Chairman Mao is also worried about the increasing pomp and more dishes. He made severe criticism of this formalistic behavior and made clear requirements for the dishes of state banquets: reduces the specifications of state banquets, reduces the number of accompanying personnel, reduces the number of gifts given, and all gifts received are given to the public.
1966, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a report on the reception of foreign guests to the Central Committee in accordance with Chairman Mao’s instructions. The report pointed out that it is not necessary to hold banquets when receiving foreign guests. If necessary, it is enough to hold them once. In addition, the dishes at the banquet also made no more than , four dishes and one soup .
At the same time, corresponding regulations have been made on meal time and number of accompanying people. For foreign guests with different flavors, try to specify the recipes in a targeted manner to avoid extravagance and waste.
Chairman Mao
From then on, thrift has become the new standard for state banquets.
In the early days of the founding of New China, Chairman Mao denounced the extravagance and waste of state banquets. So what are the arrangements for the first banquet in the founding of the country?
The first banquet in the founding of the country was arranged by Premier Zhou himself, and the cuisine of the state banquet was designated as Huaiyang cuisine.
Huaiyang cuisine is different from other cuisines. It takes into account the tastes of northern and southern cuisines and can meet the requirements of people with different tastes. Eight of them are hot, eight cold, and one soup. abalone , shark fin, braised lion head , etc. There are also carefully prepared fruits and wine after the meal.
Chairman Mao
In fact, from the current perspective, there is nothing particularly outstanding about these, but it is very difficult for the newly established New China.This is not only reflected in the richness of the dishes, but more importantly, the cooking process and the consideration of the details of the entire state banquet.
The chefs at the state banquet were all the famous chefs at that time, and they had very high requirements for dishes. These chefs each had unique skills. The whole process is exquisite and moderate taste must be taken into account.
From the placement of each table to the route of serving the service staff, to the staff’s position, etc., these are all repeated considerations. From the time the dishes are served to the serving time, it has been carefully calculated, and is used to ensure that each dish maintains the best taste when it comes to the guests.
Chairman Mao
Chairman Mao was very interested in the banquet and was always welcomed by the guests who toasted him. He must drink a cup. Premier Zhou also delivered a warm speech at the banquet and welcomed every guest. Whether they attended the banquet, whether they were representatives or staff from all over the country, the first banquet in the founding of the country became the most unforgettable memory in their lives.
In November 1953, the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea had just won, and Chairman Kim Il-sung and the North Korean delegation visited China. Chairman Mao held a banquet to entertain the North Korean delegation, which not only welcomed guests from afar, but also celebrated the victory of the war against the U.S. aggression.
This is the first time that the state banquet has received foreign heads of state, and Moutai has been on the table of the state banquet for the first time.
Chairman Mao
1959, the Great Hall of the People was built, and the state banquet of that year was also held here. There are more than 5,000 representatives from all over the country, foreign heads of state, envoys to China and international friends. This is the first time for a state banquet with so many people, so the preparations for the state banquet started a month ago, and more than 100 famous chefs from all over the world were transferred.
Premier Zhou personally reviewed the dishes for this state banquet. In order to take care of the tastes and eating habits of foreign friends, many details have been adjusted. There were thousands of staff serving on-site alone, but with careful arrangements, thousands of service personnel were serving dishes and changing dishes in a consistent manner, without any panic.
This state banquet shocked more than 5,000 people present, and also set a precedent for large-scale and high-standard state banquets in the future. The scale of the later state banquets became larger and larger, and the number of people in the was the largest.
Chairman Mao
Each state banquet not only promotes exchanges between my country and other countries around the world, but also enhances the friendship between the two sides. The large-scale and high-standard state banquet not only saw China's hospitality at foreign friends, but also united the Chinese people and inspired the morale of the Chinese people.
The standards for state banquets are reduced, and the standards for banquets are quantified. With the implementation of reform and opening up in our country, state banquets are also undergoing reforms in keeping with the times. So what are the specifications of state banquets today?
Chairman Mao and other older generation proletarian revolutionaries have always adhered to the arduous and simple lifestyle. They have made severe criticisms of the wide variety of dishes served in state banquets and the formalism is greater than realism, and have also put forward their own requirements for the subsequent banquets. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also submitted a new report on the standard for receiving foreign guests, and the report was quickly approved by the Party Central Committee's instructions.
Chairman Mao
From then on, thrift and elimination of extravagance and waste have become the new tone of state banquets.
1969, after attending a banquet by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador to China had a traffic accident due to drunk driving. Premier Zhou was furious after hearing this. He asked to remove Moutai from the table of the state banquet and replace all the wines at the state banquet with wine with lower alcohol. It is also stipulated that drinking too much at state banquets is prohibited and driving is prohibited.
Whether it is the new reception standards of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the reform measures at other banquets, they have won unanimous praise from the general public and veteran cadres. However, many foreign guests expressed their discomfort in the reduction of the standards for state banquets and even put forward some special requirements.
Chairman Mao
For the requirements of such foreign guests, Premier Zhou instructed the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to add the visit to Dazhai, Shanxi.During the visit to Dazhai, Shanxi, Premier Zhou and foreign guests drank millet porridge and ate steamed buns with pickles. This allows foreign guests to see the living conditions of the Chinese people and also allows them to understand China's good intentions.
Later, my country's standard for receiving foreign guests has always been using four dishes and one soup.
Of course, what is reduced is only the standard of the quantity of dishes, but there is no relaxation in the selection of ingredients and food safety. Moreover, the details are the same as the previous standards, with very strict requirements and still pay attention to personal taste and eating habits.
Chairman Mao
Entering the new century, with the continuous development of reform and opening up, the continuous improvement of economic strength, the continuous improvement of people's living standards, more and more exchanges with the outside world, and the state banquet is also undergoing reforms bit by bit with the progress of the times.
In September 1978, the state banquet only invited some personnel from the Embassy in China, while other foreign guests who were not related to the visitors were no longer within the scope of invitation.
In 1984, the standard for Chinese food in state banquets was still four dishes and one soup, and the standard for Western food was changed to no more than three dishes and one soup. At the same time, new regulations have been made on the number of invited escorts, generally no more than thirty to fifty people. The meal time regulations are also controlled within 75 minutes. And the serving procedure has been simplified and the self-service format has been introduced.
Chairman Mao
Not only did new regulations on time and number of people, but also made specific quantifications in the expenses of banquets. invites particularly important foreign guests, and the expenses of each guest attending the banquet shall not exceed 80 yuan; the expenses of each guest shall not exceed 60 yuan for banquets attended by the President, the President and the Prime Minister; the general standard for banquet expenses is 30 to 40 yuan per person.
Of course, with the rise of prices, this standard is also constantly improving, and so far, it has not exceeded the expenditure of 200 yuan per person.
The Olympic state banquet after the end of the 2008 Olympics is the standard of three dishes and one soup.
Chairman Mao
Whether it is a visit to a foreign political leaders or a large-scale meeting, a state banquet is an indispensable link. From eight colds and eight heats to three dishes and one soup, from the big scene of thousands of people eating together, to regulations limiting the number of people, from Chairman Mao’s anger to the CD-ROM campaign advocated now, is a step-by-step reform of the state banquet and is also a reflection of my country’s increasingly pragmatic style of reception guests.
Frugality has always been a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and such behavior will surely be passed down from generation to generation.
