1959 is a very important year for New China, because October 1st of this year is an important day for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In order to welcome this great moment, the Chinese government decided to hold a grand state banquet in the Great Hall of the People, which has just been completed.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, distinguished guests from more than 80 countries and regions all over the world came to Beijing. Among them were Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, and Kim, Chairman and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Nik Sung, and Ho Chi Minh, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Labor Party, Chairman of the State, and Prime Minister.
In addition to the heads of state and politicians of these countries or regions, more than 4,000 people's representatives from all over the country participated in this state banquet, a total of 5,000 people.
Great Hall of the People Banquet Hall
Before this, our country had never held such a grand state banquet. This state banquet also became a symbol of new China's national strength at that time. However, what is less known is that when the state banquet was held, there were actually 50 people in black hidden on the ceiling of the banquet hall.
So, what are the identities of these people? What are they doing hiding in the ceiling?
About this story, we must start with a person named Zheng Lianfu.
From waiter to "State Banquet Manager"
Zheng Lianfu is a native of Sanyizhuang, Tianjin. He was born in 1918. His father was a waiter in Liuguo Hotel, Beijing. There are several brothers and sisters in the family, and his father earns a meager salary. Feed these people in the family. As the so-called poor children headed home early, Zheng Lianfu went out to pick coal nuclei when he was 7 years old, to do small jobs for others, and barely support himself.
Tianjin in the old society was not a suitable place for young Zheng Lianfu to discuss life. At the age of 13, he fled Tianjin and went to Beijing. Zheng Lianfu's father didn't say anything when he saw his blue and purple son, and asked someone to introduce him to the "Beijing Ball Room" ( Taijichang International Club ) to do chores.
At that time, the guests in the "Beijing Ball Room" were basically foreigners.Zheng Lianfu's daily work is cleaning, helping foreigners pick up balls, and being a waiter in the hall.
The guests are here, Zheng Lianfu should help the other party to take off the coat, hat, gloves, and scarf in order for proper storage. When the guests leave, they will be returned to the guests in the reverse order.
Once there is something wrong, the foreigners who claim to be gentlemen will put away the disguised benevolent faces, furiously pick up the stick and beat Zheng Lianfu, beating and scolding, and there is no tip at all.
If the number of times is too high, the ball room supervisor will warn Zheng Lianfu, and if there is any mistake, he will be kicked out. Zheng Lianfu was more cautious after that, and in the following three years of working experience in the ball room, he never made a mistake.
These three years of experience have also allowed Zheng Lianfu to develop a set of ability to observe words and colors. When he left the "Beijing Ball Room" and was introduced to work in Beijing Hotel, he was praised by many guests, and he was smart. She was studious, got promoted one after another, and began to work as a banquet manager in the Beijing Hotel.
Beijing Hotel
Beijing Hotel is located at the intersection of East Chang'an Avenue and Wangfujing Commercial Street. It was originally a bistro opened by two French people. In 1907, it was taken over by the Sino-French Industrial Bank. When the bank took over the hotel, it also brought the rules and regulations of foreign high-end hotels and advanced concepts. Therefore, the Beijing Hotel became the premier high-end hotel in Beijing at that time.
For this reason, the Central People’s Government chose the Beijing Hotel for the state banquet on the night of the founding of New China on October 1, 1949. The chief of the state banquet was Zheng Lianfu, and he was therefore known as the “No. A banquet designer.”
The First Banquet of the Founding of the State
This state banquet on October 1 is undoubtedly of very important significance and can be called the “First Banquet of the Founding of the State”, so the central government attaches great importance to it.
The VIPs participating in this banquet included more than 600 people including the head of the CPC Central Committee, senior generals of the People’s Liberation Army, various democratic parties, non-party democrats, people from all walks of life, representatives of workers, peasants, and soldiers. This week, the Prime Minister personally gave instructions that the dishes at this state banquet "mainly based on Huaiyang dishes that are moderately salty and sweet, and suitable for both north and south."
Premier Zhou
The problem is that there were not so many master chefs in Beijing restaurants who could cook Huaiyang cuisine. For this reason, we specially invited the famous Huaiyang restaurant "Yuhuatai" in Beijing. "Zhu Dianrong, Sun Jiufu, Wang Dukun, Yang Qirong and other nine Huaiyang cuisine masters are in charge.
Zheng Lianfu, as the "state banquet manager", is mainly responsible for arranging the table setting for the state banquet, the service staff's serving route and other meticulous work.
You should know that a banquet with more than 600 people is not a "small project", and the issue of table placement has important political significance. The main table where the leaders of the central government are located should not only stand out, but also echo each other with the guests, so that the leaders and the guests at the meeting can have conversations.
In a blink of an eye, October 1 has arrived. In the afternoon of the same day, more than 600 representatives from all walks of life and foreign guests, led by the leadership of the central government, arrived at the Beijing Hotel in a grand manner.
For Zheng Lianfu, the experience of the first banquet of the founding of the country was "unforgettable". Especially when he and all the staff in the hotel saw Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Commander-in-Chief Zhu and other leaders outside the banquet hall enter the banquet hall and greet them, all of them were even more excited and tearful.
Beijing Hotel
For the "first banquet of the founding of the country", the guests who attended the banquet were basically very satisfied. The government was also very satisfied with the work of the "state banquet director" Zheng Lianfu. After that, most important state banquets were He is responsible for design and arrangement. It is said that Zheng Lianfu has designed and arranged thousands of high-level banquets and state banquets in his lifetime.
However, for Zheng Lianfu, among the thousands of banquets, only two that impressed him the most, one was the "First Founding Banquet" mentioned above, and the other was the 10th anniversary of the National Day in 1959. , Held the grandest and most solemn state banquet in Chinese history.
Race against time
After the time entered the second half of the 1950s, China at this time has undergone earth-shaking changes compared to when the nation was founded in 1949.
In 1956, my country completed its first five-year plan ahead of schedule.The country’s industrial and agricultural situation has been improving all the way, and the people’s living standards have also been improving. As the ruling party, the Communist Party of China has gained extremely high prestige in the hearts of the people across the country.
As the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, 1959 naturally had an extraordinary meaning. The National Day reception in 1959 was also “unusual”. The problem is that every time since the founding of New China, the State Council has arranged in the Beijing Hotel, and the scale is usually only 20 to 30 tables, with hundreds of people participating.
In the state banquet in 1959, the central government planned to invite thousands of people to participate. It was obvious that the Beijing Hotel couldn't hold it on this scale. So, where should the address of the National Day reception be arranged? The leaders cast their sights on the Great Hall of the People, which is about to be completed.
In order to show the world a new face of China, the central government decided in 1958 to build a group of public buildings in Beijing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China. This is also known as the "Ten National Day Projects", which includes famous people. Great Hall.
The Great Hall of the People, located on the west side of Tiananmen Square, started on October 28, 1958 and was completed on August 31, 1959. According to the design plan, the banquet hall is 102 meters long from east to west and 76 meters wide from north to south. It covers an area of more than 7,000 square meters, and can hold a banquet for 5,000 people or a cocktail party for 10,000 people.
Great Hall of the People
At this time, it was only one month before the National Day. In order to make the state banquet held smoothly, the workers worked overtime to decorate the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People until September 24, 1959. It was officially put into use only on Japan.
When the leaders heard the news, they were very happy and decided immediately: Since 1959, the annual National Day reception will be moved from the Beijing Hotel to the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People.
On September 28, Zheng Lianfu was informed that he was still in charge of the state banquet on the evening of September 30. This matter was only more than 30 hours before the state banquet was officially held.
For Zheng Lianfu, the task of the state banquet in 1959 can be called a time-critical task. This state banquet includes more than 4,000 guests from all over the country, in addition to the heads of state from more than 80 countries. And dignitaries,There are 500 tables on the table alone.
Banquet hall
Although 500 tables in a 7000 square meter banquet hall are more than enough, but this is a state banquet. It is not something that can be done by simply placing it. In addition to 500 tables, it must be specially set up. The main guest seat for 30 people.
Not only that, military bands, orchestras, and folk bands must also be arranged in the venue. At the same time, special serving passages, fixed counters, safe corridors and other spaces must be set up, so 500 tables are installed far away. Not less.
In order to plan the venue space, Zheng Lianfu ran to the banquet hall in the middle of the night barefoot and pulling a ruler to calculate how to set the table, but no matter what he did, he couldn't fit 500 tables. Obviously, the number of guests has been set, and it is absolutely impossible to reduce them, but how can the task be successfully completed without reducing the number of guests?
Zheng Lianfu thought for a whole night. When it was dark the next day, Zheng Lianfu's dizzy mind suddenly flashed a ray of light: Why do you have to set up 500 tables?
Zheng Lianfu, who had almost fallen asleep, immediately came to his mind, and devised a plan: 30 people on the main guest table would not move, 30 of the 500 tables would be removed, and then one person would be added to each of the 300 guests. , The problem will not be solved!
Great Hall of the People Banquet Hall
Zheng Lianfu’s proposal was quickly approved by his superiors. After the key issue of the layout of the banquet hall was resolved, Zheng Lianfu encountered a new problem: the arrangement of waiters at the state banquet .
To serve more than 5,000 guests requires more than 1,200 waiters. Although the waiters who can participate in the state banquet are strictly trained, the state banquet is extraordinary after all. Nearly 7000 people stay in the same venue. How to ensure that the waiters will be there. Don't get lost and serve the wrong food? What if the waiter collides with the guests while serving?
In the solemn and sacred occasion of the state banquet, even a little risk cannot exist.
Zheng Lianfu specially organized the waiters to conduct several exercises in advance for this purpose. As a result, various errors appeared every time.At this moment, Zheng Lianfu suddenly thought of a good idea: install red, yellow and green indicator lights in the kitchen of the Great Hall and the entrances and exits on the east and west sides.
When the yellow light is on, the waiters in each position are ready to work, and the green lights are on, the waiters follow the established procedures to the predetermined goal, and the red lights are on, the waiters immediately stop their actions.
At that time, Beijing already had traffic lights, so the waiters understood the indicator lights very quickly, and there were no more errors in the following drills.
Great Hall of the People Banquet Hall
Men in Black at the State Banquet
On September 30, 1959, most of the foreign guests and overseas Chinese who participated in the National Day arrived in Beijing. At 10 am, the Soviet leader He Lu Xiaov also arrived in Beijing by plane after attending the United Nations General Assembly in the United States. Just as Zheng Lianfu was expecting and nervously waiting for the arrival of the evening, he suddenly received an order from his superiors to let him go to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
After Zheng Lianfu arrived at the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the police comrade said: "Can the state banquet be held in another place?" Too much is not good for fire prevention, and there are too many wires on the ceiling, which can easily cause a fire. If there is a slight omission at that time, the consequences will be disastrous.
Zheng Lianfu was stunned when he heard that there was only one afternoon left before the banquet. Where can he go to find a new venue? So I had to bite the bullet and said to the police comrades that I did not understand the internal situation of the Great Hall of the People. Please comrades to get in touch with the comrades responsible for the construction of the Great Hall.
Liu Ren
The public security organ quickly reported the matter to the municipal party committee. It didn’t take long before Shen Bo, the dean of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, who originally ate in the work hall, was called by Liu Ren, the second secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee. To the municipal party committee.
After seeing Shen Bo knocking on the door, Liu Ren asked directly: "Shen Bo, why is the Great Hall of the People unsafe?"
Shen Bo subconsciously asked: "Where is unsafe? Why is it unsafe?"
When Liu Ren told him that the comrades of the Public Security Bureau thought the banquet hall was at risk of fire,Shen Bo directly preached: "Because of the tight time, we did use wooden suspended ceilings when we suspended the banquet halls and auditoriums. However, the wires on the suspended ceilings were all covered by iron pipes, and fire-fighting measures were taken around them. This They were all confirmed with the comrades of the Fire Department of the Public Security Bureau.”
Liu Ren said directly after hearing this: “But the comrades of the Public Security Bureau think it is still not very safe. Those safety measures cannot guarantee that tonight’s state banquet will be foolproof.” After thinking about it, Liu Ren went on to say: "It's really not possible. I only have to ask the Prime Minister to arrange another venue."
After Shen Bo heard this, he immediately remembered the comrades who had made great efforts for this state banquet, and immediately settled down with Liu Ren. After the military order, it is guaranteed that there will be no problems during the state banquet, because they have been strictly tested. If there are any problems in the banquet hall when the state banquet is held, I am willing to take responsibility.
Great Hall of the People
After leaving the Municipal Party Committee, Shen Bo rushed to the Great Hall of the People and saw Zheng Lianfu waiting there. It turned out that after leaving the police station, Zheng Lianfu had been thinking about what to do if he really wanted to change the place to hold the state banquet, so he has been waiting in front of the hall for the comrade in charge of security work to return.
After Zheng Lianfu saw Shen Bo, he immediately greeted him. Shen Bo smiled and seemed not to panic. Before Zheng Lianfu spoke, Shen Bo knew what he was coming from and patted him on the shoulder to relieve him. There will be no accidents tonight, so feel at ease to do a good job of scheduling the banquet.
After Shen Bo entered the Great Hall of the People, he found Zhang Hongshun, the deputy director of the Construction Engineering Bureau, and narrated the matter completely. Zhang Hongshun attached great importance to this and asked him what should he do? After Shen Bo left the municipal party committee, he knew in his heart that all the facilities in the banquet hall had been tested and there would be no problems with safety.
Great Hall of the People Banquet Hall
The only thing that needs to be concerned is the connection of the wires. Once sparks appear, it will cause a fire. He thinks he can organize 50 experienced old workers, ask each of them to carry a quilted jacket, and deploy them in the ceiling of the banquet hall in pieces. As long as the fire of the electric wire is found, it will be covered immediately, and at the same time, quickly turn off the power. In this way, even if something happens, it can be stopped.
In order to avoid attracting the attention of guests,Therefore, workers and friends are asked to wear black clothes.
Zhang Hongshun was full of praise for his proposal. As soon as he looked at his watch, it was already 2:30 in the afternoon, and it was getting closer and closer to the banquet. He immediately arranged for someone to deal with the matter.
At 6 o'clock that evening, 50 workers with cotton jackets arrived at the banquet hall. After learning about the situation, they climbed to the ceiling without eating dinner and began to be on guard. Zhang Hongshun and Shen Bo sat in the northwest corner of the banquet hall to monitor.
All normal state banquet
At 7 pm, when the lights were on, Chairman Mao and other national leaders, VIPs from various countries, and democrats from all walks of life arrived at the banquet hall one after another. Although Shen Bo had comforted Zheng Lianfu that there was nothing tonight, Zheng Lianfu still felt in his heart. I was very nervous and uneasy. Before the leaders formally entered the venue, a service staff accidentally fell and the porcelain in his hand broke all over the floor. Fortunately, the broken porcelain was immediately cleaned up before the guests entered the venue.
Chairman Mao, Khrushchev, and Ho Chi Minh
Zheng Lianfu was almost touching his throat at the time, and his shirt was wet.
After the start of the state banquet, Zheng Lianfu served the VIPs in the main guest seat while controlling the progress of the banquet and the time when the serving staff served the dishes. Occasionally, he quietly looked up at the roof, for fear of accidents.
However, the accident happened, but it did not come from the roof. It turned out that when Premier Zhou made a speech, there was a loud noise from the back kitchen. The security personnel thought it was a bomb attack. They hurried over to check the situation and found that a chef made a mistake. The coking gas exploded while cooking. The pot is flying.
Fortunately, the guests were attracted by Premier Zhou's speech, and they kept applauding. The applause overwhelmed the explosion. Even Zheng Lianfu learned about it later.
In the state banquet that lasted more than three hours, there was no accident after that.
For this state banquet that made guests seem "business as usual", many people have put a lot of effort into it. All of this is worthwhile. In the eyes of the guests who participated in the state banquet, this state banquet was a very successful one. They praised the organization and design of the banquet for its amazing organization and design, which embodies a high level of organizational art.
However,Zheng Lianfu himself did not hear these comments. He hadn't closed his eyes for more than 30 hours and went home and fell asleep after the banquet.
Reference materials: "Records on the Construction of the Great Hall of the People" Shen Bo; Huang Huaqing; Pan Xi
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