Chaplin is a world comedy master, but his works are not just comedy. He was born in a poor family and suffered a lot in his early years. Therefore, after he became famous, he has filmed many satirical films that satirize capitalists.
Such behaviors are obviously not favored by American capitalists. Moreover, based on his own experience, Chaplin yearns for communism. He also said in an interview with reporters , "I may be called a fellow Communist Party. I think in the early stages of the war, the Soviet Union defended the front line for us, and I am grateful for this. I think we all owe the Soviet Union a favor."
So under the persecution of McCarthyism , he was deported by the US Department of Justice in 1952, and after traveling around various countries, he settled in Switzerland. It is also here that Chaplin has a special fate with New China, another great power in the world, which is ruled by the Communist Party in the world. He also met with Premier Zhou intimately and left a classic photo.
1953, Chaplin received the "International Peace Prize" issued by the World Peace Council . At the award ceremony, a Chinese reporter interviewed him. During this process, Chaplin repeatedly praised China's cultural and social progress.
This news quickly reached Premier Zhou's ears. Chaplin is a master with great influence around the world. Premier Zhou was very happy that he had such an attitude towards our country and soon asked Wang Zhuoru, director of the Communication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to greet Chaplin on his behalf.
also brought Qi Baishi , Xu Beihong Chinese painting and the costume film "History of Liang Zhu'ai" as gifts. "The History of Liang Zhu'an" is " Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai ", starring the famous Yue Opera actors Fan Ruijuan and Yuan Xuefen . It is one of the earliest films in New China, which is exactly in line with the field that Chaplin is good at.
Chaplin was also very grateful for Premier Zhou's enthusiasm. Not long after, he replied a letter, which not only praised the artistic achievements of "Leung Zhu", but also expressed his admiration for Premier Zhou. Two people who have never met have become friends from all over the world.
July 18, 1954, the Geneva conference in Switzerland was coming to an end. The work on that day ended relatively early. Prime Minister Zhou often breathed a sigh of relief when he walked out of the ,000 Palace , and his expression became visible and relaxed, because he would meet with his "old friend" Chaplin later.
Around 5 pm, Premier Zhou walked out of the Huashan Villa where he temporarily lived, preparing to welcome the Chaplins and his wife who were invited. Chaplin was a little surprised when he was about to arrive at the location. He didn't expect that Zhou Enlai, as the Prime Minister, gave himself such a high courtesy, so he stretched out his hands to show respect when he was a few steps away.
When the two hands were tightly held together, Chaplin said excitedly: Mr. Zhou Enlai, hello for the first time. Prime Minister smiled and shook his head: I have seen you decades ago.
Chaplin was a little puzzled. Premier Zhou continued: I have watched your works when I studied in Europe, and I often watch them after returning to China, especially the film " City Light " that criticizes the disadvantages of capitalism . I have watched it many times but still haven't finished it! Premier Zhou studied in Europe from 1920 to the autumn of 1924 and developed the revolution. During that period, Chaplin's videos were already sold overseas.
Humor is the best weapon to resolve embarrassment. Chaplin laughed after hearing this. "City Light" is also a work that he was particularly satisfied with. He immediately felt a close friend to Premier Zhou, and the distance between the two sides quickly narrowed.
The two chatted in the yard for a while. As soon as the meal arrived, Premier Zhou invited Chaplin to enter the dinner hall. Seeing that the Prime Minister was so easy-going, Chaplin tentatively asked whether the North Korean issue and the Indochina Peninsula issue can be peacefully resolved. As a peace guard, Chaplin is very concerned about these hot areas.
The meeting was coming to an end at that time, and many media had already released news, so Premier Zhou did not hide it and said bluntly that these problems were expected to be resolved peacefully. Chaplin was very excited after hearing this and quickly paid tribute to Premier Zhou.
Prime Minister was very modest and in turn praised Chaplin as a great warrior who opposed aggression and war.
The chef found the right time to push a dining cart over. Under the eyes of everyone, the chef lifted the lid to reveal the amber duck inside, and then the chef began the "slicing duck" skill.
It was the first time Chaplin saw such a scene, and his eyes didn't look away. When he saw that the duck was left with only a skeleton, meat and duck skin were neatly placed, he couldn't help but exclaim. Premier Zhou introduced to him at the right time that this was a traditional Chinese dish called " Beijing Roast Duck ", and then the Prime Minister personally rolled a duck roll for Chaplin.
Seeing the duck meat on my plate, Chaplin said with some embarrassment: I have a special relationship with ducks, because I created the character of Charlotte, and I am imitating ducks when I walk with a squishy look. It gave me great success. To show my gratitude, I have stopped eating ducks since then. The staff next to
was a little embarrassed. Such an important dinner did not investigate Mr. Chaplin's hobbies first. How should we solve it?
Fortunately, Chaplin's words made everyone smile again: , but it doesn't matter, this time it is an exception because it is a Chinese duck and has nothing to do with American ducks. Then he picked up the duck roll and ate it. His humor made everyone laugh.
After tasting the duck meat, Chaplin praised it all the time, and also regretfully said that his son was not here and he could not eat such a delicious duck. After hearing this, Premier Zhou immediately calmly ordered the staff around him to prepare another one. At the
banquet, Chaplin also liked China's Moutai wine very much. He arrived in China briefly in 1936 and also had some understanding of some things in China. So during the meal, he picked up Moutai instead of drinking red wine and sipped it slowly, but saw the bottom directly. After drinking a glass, he immediately praised "This is the wine that men drink"!
Premier Zhou himself also has a huge amount of money. The Prime Minister accompanied him as much as Chaplin drank. Seeing that Chaplin couldn't drink, he didn't force himself. Unexpectedly, Chaplin was a little drunk and pointed at Moutai and joked playfully: Can you give me a bottle of ? Prime Minister laughed and agreed.
The banquet ended, and Premier Zhou invited Chaplin to watch the Chinese movie "People on the Grassland". After the movie ended, Chaplin was touched by the simple patriotic feelings of the Chinese people. He did not make a sound for a long time, and he spoke again that his topic was inseparable from China.
The two met for more than 7 hours, and both sides were reluctant to part ways. Premier Zhou asked the staff to pack ducks and two bottles of Moutai, which moved Chaplin very much. Unexpectedly, all the casual words he said were remembered by Premier Zhou.
walked to the gate, and the two shook hands tightly again. Premier Zhou invited Chaplin to visit China, and Chaplin agreed. Finally, he said "China has a civilization for thousands of years. I sincerely hope that China can get better and better under your leadership." the two said goodbye.
Unfortunately, Chaplin was unable to fulfill his promise due to various reasons. However, this time, the gathering of Geneva gave him a deeper understanding of China. Since then, he often talked about his "Chinese complex" to his friends.
Premier Zhou and Chaplin, although these two people seem to have no relationship, they all have a common identity - the great anti-war and anti-aggression fighter. The key to people is to communicate with each other. Even if you only meet once, it will be enough to reminisce for the rest of your life!
