In October 2000, 72-year-old Zhu Rongji appeared in the TV studio of Tokyo Broadcasting Corporation in Japan. Here, he will directly have a dialogue with the Japanese people, so that the Japanese people have a closer understanding of China.
Looking back at the cruel acts of aggression by the Japanese in the past, the common people hated them with gritted teeth. But looking to the future, Japan is a country where our country must strengthen cooperation.
Especially since 1972, the friendly exchanges between the two countries have continued since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. In order to express our friendship, Chairman Mao also voluntarily gave up his huge claim against Japan. Facts have proved that Chairman Mao’s move has been affirmed and praised by the people of the world.
This time, Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to Japan and direct dialogue with the Japanese people are undoubtedly of great significance. In the studio, more than 100 ordinary Japanese people were sitting, and they asked many questions.
Some of these questions are very friendly and some are quite sharp. Premier Zhu responded with humor, calm, and keenness, one by one sincerely. Today, 21 years later, when we look at these issues again, we will still be impressed by the charm of the prime minister.
For example, a friend from Hiroshima said that he knew that Japan did something wrong and cruel in the war, and he felt very guilty about it. But at the same time he also asked: "If China always asks Japan to apologize, when will it end?"
Obviously, this question is very sharp and extremely difficult to answer. Premier Zhu said this very calmly:
The objective fact is that the Japanese side has not apologized to the Chinese people in an official document until now! I think this deserves serious consideration by the Japanese side!
Premier Zhu's reply is too good!
Being friendly does not mean that we will forget that period of history; being friendly does not mean that you can not apologize. We ask you to always apologize for what you say, the truth is that your official approach is chilling.
In this conversation, there are still many questions of this kind, and every reply from Premier Zhu is perfect. And this issue of the soul said that I want to talk to you in detail,It is Premier Zhu's reply to a Japanese housewife's question. The reason why this matter is elaborated is because it relates to the 2008 Olympic Games.
This housewife is from Osaka. At that time, both Osaka and Beijing were striving for the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games. As two well-known Asian cities, they were regarded as the most direct competitors. The housewife said that of course she hoped that Osaka would win, so she asked Premier Zhu if she could give up the opportunity to host the Olympics to Osaka.
Judging from her question, although the result has not yet come out, the housewife should be very clear in her heart that the odds of winning in Beijing this time are very high, so there will be a "let". Facts have proved that her prediction is correct. In the second year after she asked her question, in July 2001, Beijing really won the right to host.
So at the time, how did Premier Zhu Rongji respond to her question? Before analyzing his reply, we must first understand, in the past 100 years, what have the Chinese experienced to realize this Olympic dream?
1: Those two questions in 1908, no one could answer at that time
In 1908, after the 4th Olympic Games was held in London, an article in a Tianjin magazine published two questions:
When can China send athletes to participate in the Olympic Games?
When will China host the Olympic Games?
No one could answer these two questions.
After all, China was already full of defects. Cixi and Emperor Guangxu died of illness one after another this year, and before their deaths, internal and external troubles had caused the people to lose their lives. For people who can’t eat enough, how can they think about a sporting activity more than 8,000 kilometers away from Beijing?
So, except for a very small number of progressive young people, overseas students, and people in sports circles, few people would have noticed these two questions. Even if you notice it, what's the use?
until 1932,The whimsical Japanese proposed to let two young people represent the "pseudo-Manchuria" to participate in the 10th Olympic Games: one of them is Northeastern University student Liu Changchun, the national sprint record holder. Not inferior; another is called Yu Xiwei, also a college student, an 800-meter runner.
If the Japanese tricks really succeed, you can imagine. Fortunately, both young people are good. Liu Changchun risked his death and issued a statement on " Ta Kung Pao":
I am a descendant of the Chinese nation, and I am Chinese. I never represent the pseudo-Manchuria to attend...
At the same time, it has been closely monitored and connected by the Japanese. Yu Xiwei, who was unable to make a statement, chose to pretend to be sick at home and resolutely refused to go. As a sportsman, they would rather not participate in such a sports event, and never lose the backbone of the Chinese people. This is their choice.
After that, Hao Gengsheng, the dean of the Department of Physical Education of Northeastern University, found the principal Zhang Xueliang and asked him to find a way. Finally, Zhang Xueliang, who has always loved sports, paid his own money. Under the control of the Chinese Sports Association, Liu Changchun represented my country in the Olympic Games.
On July 8, 1932, Liu Changchun attended the meeting as the only athlete in my country. He was accompanied by several members of the Chinese Sports Association. Thousands of people from all walks of life saw off on the pier that day.
22 days later, 1,048 athletes and 100,000 spectators from 37 countries participated in the opening ceremony in Los Angeles. At the lively opening ceremony, the lonely figure of "the single seedling athlete" Liu Changchun was so distressing.
He only hurriedly got off the ship the previous afternoon. After more than 20 days of turbulence, he could not get a good rest and pre-match training. In this competition, he missed the medal and even failed to show his true level.
Soon, Liu Changchun returned to the motherland amidst the flames of war. This is the first page of our country’s Olympic history,Vicissitudes, helplessness, but impressive.
History, I remember Liu Changchun, a bloody man who went to the meeting alone and Guanshan Wanli; I remember the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums in Chinatown after Liu Changchun arrived in the United States; I also remember the helplessness of the Chinese people...
The wheels rolled forward. On October 1, 1949, the suffering Chinese people finally stood up. However, Chinese sports at that time was still in depression.
Ordinary people don't know what a "sports business" is. Some people even think that it is about the same as street vaudeville. They are all "inferior" businesses and cannot be used on the stage. The future of Chinese sports is still uncertain.
In this case, Chairman Mao personally appointed Marshal He Long to officially serve as the director of the State Sports Commission in 1953.
The reason why He Long is allowed to do it is because he has always been a member of our army. As early as the Yan'an period, he formed the first basketball team of our army, and he played very well in his own basketball. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, He Long was initially in charge of the Southwest Military Region. Regarding letting him do sports, his answer is: Chairman Mao agrees, I will do it!
Since then, in order to do a good job in sports, He Long, Premier Zhou and other leaders have worked hard. In difficult times, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou took the lead in not eating meat, but table tennis players can basically guarantee the supply of nutrition. At the same time, the success of ping-pong diplomacy and Go diplomacy has also made sports a unique landscape in the history of Chinese diplomacy.
In 1979, China officially restored its legal seat in the International Olympic Committee. In 1984, Xu Haifeng won the men's pistol 60-round slow shot champion and became China's first Olympic champion. His shot ignited the Olympic enthusiasm of countless people.
It turns out that we can. Since then, we are getting closer and closer to answering the second question in 1908.
Two: A question from Deng Xiaoping
China has won more and more medals in the Olympic Games. When will it begin to apply for the right to host the Olympic Games? This question was first raised by Deng Xiaoping.
In 1983, China applied to Asian Olympic Council , hoping to let Beijing host the 11th Asian Games. In September of the following year, this application was approved! During the 1990 Asian Games, Wei Wei and Liu Huan chorused " Asian Heroes", which swept across the country for a while:
In Asia, the mountains are high heads of blood; p
p0 Flow;We are in Asia, and the trees are rooted and rooted;
We are in Asia, and the clouds are also shaking hands...
Today, many years later, when we look at such lyrics again, they are still so familiar. Many young people who have only experienced the 2008 Olympic Games often ask me: It was just an Asian Games, why did people feel so "crazy" at that time. It turned out to be very simple, because: it is the first step for Chinese sports to enter the world.
In this year, 86-year-old Deng Xiaoping came to the Asian Games Village . On that day, he deliberately wore a hat printed with the Chinese flag and the Olympic rings. In July in Beijing, the sun burned people, but Deng Xiaoping was always full of enthusiasm. During the period, he said this sentence:
I am here to see if it is a Chinese moon circle or a foreign moon circle? It seems that the moon in China is also round. Now some young people always think that foreign moons are round, and they need to be educated.
Deng Xiaoping has always been straightforward in his words, and what he said is the truth. At that time, there were indeed some people in China who always felt that the moon in foreign countries was round. They don't believe that the Chinese can also host the Asian Games. They think that it is something that developed countries can do. The new Asian Games venues can only be built by developed countries.
Looking at the Asian Games venues that we built, Deng Xiaoping was very happy. He asked the staff accompanying him: "Is China determined to host the Olympics? Why didn't you dare to do this?"
This is Deng Xiaoping. Asked bluntly. Does China dare? Dare Beijing?
At that time, no one at the scene could answer. After all, it was so difficult to host an Asian Games at that time. It was not until September to October 1990 that the perfect hosting of the Asian Games in China won praise from the world, and everyone had full confidence.
Next, Chinese sportsmen began to answer Deng Gong’s question with practical actions: We, dare!
In May 1991, the Beijing Olympic Bidding Committee was established and officially began bidding for the 2000 Olympic Games.
Regarding how difficult it was for Beijing to bid for the first time, Mr. Sun Daguang, then the head of the general department of the bidding committee, later recalled this:
I got really only a blank sheet of paper with dozens of them on it. Words, that is, the five time nodes stipulated by the International Olympic Committee... I am really a bit dumbfounded...
Yes, we have no information and no experience. We can only explore everything by ourselves. In order to be successful in one fell swoop, the staff have forgotten sleep and food, all government departments actively cooperated.
At this time, some countries are "like a big enemy" when they bid for the Olympic Games. They frequently raised some so-called environmental issues and animal protection issues, making us embarrassed everywhere.
According to Wu Shaozu, executive chairman of the Olympic bidding committee, in the two years from the announcement of Beijing’s bid for the Olympics in 1991 to the results in 1993, the United States has hardly missed any opportunity to cause adverse international influence on China. There are more than 20 incidents in total. It seems that the rise of the oriental lion does scare many people.
In September 1993, the Chinese delegation flew to Monaco . After 20 o'clock in the evening on September 23, Samaranch took out the envelope from his pocket and read: Sydney.
Beijing, only two votes short.
That night, countless people in front of the black and white TV cried. The next day, a foreign media said in a newspaper: China’s bid for the Olympics was the largest face-to-face diplomatic struggle between the United States and Britain for the first time since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Obviously, the Olympic competition at that time was actually a country-to-country competition.
A few days later, Deng Xiaoping met Wu Shaozu and asked him the reason for his failure. Wu Shaozu said without evasiveness: "Someone is making trouble abroad!" Deng Xiaoping was silent for a long time and said: "The bid is not successful, it doesn't matter, sum up the experience!"
To make better preparations for the future. Facts have proved that it is wise to give up this time, because the last 2004 Olympic Games were held by Athens, and the Olympics will "return to their hometown" a hundred years later. This is in line with the wishes of people all over the world.
3: Zhu Rongji's response in Japan
From two questions in Tianjin magazine in 1908, to one question from Deng Xiaoping in 1990, to the failure of the first Olympic bid, the Chinese road to the Olympics was rough but firm.
In 1998, five years after the first failure, the application for the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games was put on the agenda. This time, China is determined to win! Because the powerful new China is no longer what it used to be. At the same time, every appearance of Chinese Olympic athletes on the international stage is a testament to the rise of Chinese sports.
In 2000, when Beijing was actively preparing for the Olympic bid, the same was true in Osaka, Japan. This is why Zhu Rongji encountered questions about the Olympics when he visited Japan. After all, at that time Beijing once again became the focus of discussion in the world sports arena, and even by ordinary people in the world.
At that time, Beijing had 4 competitors: Paris, France, , Istanbul, Turkey , Toronto, Canada, and Osaka, Japan. In order to win the final victory, these four competitors can also be considered "fight."
France has sent its own legendary football superstar Zidane ,The French believe that when Zidane's name appears in the Olympic bidding team, it will surely arouse the football complex of the Olympic Committee. Toronto and Istanbul spare no effort to promote the unique charm of the local area. Two world-renowned cities are very eye-catching.
As for Osaka, this famous commercial and historical city in the minds of Japanese people has even played a cultural and environmental card. At the same time, ordinary people in Osaka are almost "crazy" for the Olympic bid. From officials to ordinary housewives, everyone cares about this matter.
So on this question, how should Zhu Rongji reply to the Osaka housewife?
Zhu Rongji certainly understands that bidding for the Olympic Games is the long-cherished wish of the Chinese people. At this point, we certainly cannot give up the opportunity. Therefore, he thought of such a brilliant idea:
He said that he had served as the mayor of Shanghai, and Shanghai and Osaka had formed sister cities as early as 1974. During Zhu Rongji's tenure as the mayor of Shanghai, he had cordial contacts with all walks of life in Osaka. After that, Zhu Rongji went through all these friendly exchanges. Finally, he said very clearly: hopes that Osaka can support Beijing's bid to host the Olympics.
I have to say that Zhu Rongji is very clever in saying this: mentioning friendship first, and then real competition, will obviously make this housewife more acceptable.
Premier Zhu Rongji personally fought for Beijing's support in Japan, so what were the staff of the Beijing Olympics bid committee up to during that time?
Not to mention, just the carefully prepared "Olympic Bid Report", which took 4 months. This report has a total of 596 pages and a total of more than 200,000 words. There are 683 pictures and tables alone.
There are more than 260 people directly involved in the drafting, and thousands of people have participated in the work. At the same time, from Premier Zhu Rongji to the ordinary staff of relevant units, they have devoted a lot of effort to this report.
The exciting July 13, 2001 finally came, and the five bidding cities will make their final presentations in Moscow. The order of presentation is determined by a lottery,At that time, Osaka ranked first, and Beijing ranked fourth.
After 3 pm, the statement belonging to Beijing begins. Yuan Weimin , Deng Yaping , Yang Lan and others all made different wonderful presentations. The process lasted 45 minutes. For these 45 minutes, everyone has prepared countless days and nights.
After 22:00 Beijing time in the evening, Samaranch finally said those two words: Beijing. Later, everyone knew the result of the voting. There were 105 committee members participating in the voting. Beijing got 44 votes in the first round and 56 votes in the second round.
This kind of votes wins without any suspense. This time, the former Western "troublemakers" can no longer say anything. After all, it is not easy for them to think about "probing" anymore.
China has won! For a time, 400,000 people flocked to Tiananmen Square to celebrate. That summer night, the sky in Beijing was "ignited" by cheers. For some other people who stayed in front of the color TV, it was a sleepless night.
Now, more than ten years have passed since the 2008 Olympic Games, and 20 years have passed since the Moscow night in 2001. But they have become the fond memories of a generation.
The matter of bidding for the Olympics has made many foreigners know more about the Chinese: this is a nation that should fight for it and can stand up even if it has failed. And in 2000, when Premier Zhu Rongji was in Japan, when faced with a variety of sharp or friendly questions, could it not reflect such a national spirit?
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