Visiting Hangzhou West Lake State Guesthouse in early spring: China and the United States "break the ice" here half a century ago

　　China News Agency, Hangzhou, February 24th, title: Visiting Hangzhou West Lake State Guesthouse in early spring: China and the United States "break the ice" here half a century ago

　　Author Strict Tong Xiaoyu

　　In Hangzhou in early spring, the snow and ice are melting.

A tree of red plums dots the quiet landscape of the West Lake State Guesthouse.

　　In February 1972, in order to improve Sino-US relations, then US President Nixon visited China and began an "ice-breaking journey".

On the 26th, he visited Hangzhou and stayed here for 21 hours.

Today, 50 years later, the reporter visited the West Lake State Guesthouse again.

　　West Lake State Guest House is located in the west of West Lake, facing West Lake on three sides, backed by Dingjia Mountain, with small bridges and winding paths in the courtyard. more than 40 foreign heads of state and dignitaries.

　　At noon on February 26, 1972, Nixon arrived in Hangzhou and started his 21 Hours of Hangzhou.

　　Nixon wrote pleasantly in his memoirs: "Hangzhou was built around a large lake and gardens. In the distance there were smoky mountains, and the lake was full of lotus flowers. The hotel was like a pagoda with a steep green tile roof. It sits on a small island in the lake called 'Three Pools Yinyue'. The hotel has a musty smell but is extremely clean."

　　The hotel by the West Lake in his memoirs is the West Lake State Guest House, and he stayed in Building No. 1 at that time.

　　When the reporter walked into the current Building No. 1, a warm current rushed to his face, and the coldness of early spring was thrown out the door.

　　What followed was a long aisle.

The movie hall on the right, where Nixon met with reporters, Zhang Jiansong, manager of the room affairs department of the State Guest House, told reporters that although it has been renovated several times, the style of the year is still preserved. The green rug...especially the period.

　　Opposite the movie hall is now a leisure bar, where Nixon took pictures with reporters.

In the photo Nixon stood in the middle, with reporters standing in front and back, all smiling.

According to records, Nixon announced here on the afternoon of February 26 that everyone will soon hear good news about the Sino-US talks.

　　Fifty years have passed, and people are not only things, but the hollowed-out wall in the photo is still there.

　　Outside the wall is an open-air waterside pavilion, where you can see the fish in the West Lake Flower Harbor, the sunset at Leifeng, the spring dawn on the Su Causeway, the evening bell in Nanping, the wind and lotus in Quyuan, and five of the ten scenic spots in the West Lake.

Leaning out, you can see a pavilion facing the water surrounded by green trees, which is the octagonal pavilion.

　　According to historical records, in the early morning of February 27, the Sino-US Joint Communiqué was initialed at the Octagonal Pavilion.

　　According to "Zhejiang Foreign Affairs Records": "After the banquet until the early morning of the next day, Vice Minister Qiao Guanhua and Kissinger continued to make a final agreement on the text of the Sino-US Joint Communiqué."

　　The reporter visited the octagonal pavilion before. The area is very small, only about 15 square meters. It can only accommodate 6 single sofas, but there are several large glass windows facing the West Lake and Su Causeway.

　　West Lake State Guest House has a photo in its collection.

On September 9, 1982, Nixon returned to the West Lake State Guesthouse in Hangzhou.

In the photo, he seems to be thinking in the octagonal pavilion, and outside the window is the West Lake under the night.

　　According to Zhejiang Daily, Nixon said at the time that the historic document, the Sino-US Shanghai Communiqué, was born in Hangzhou on February 26, 1972 and announced to the world in Shanghai on February 28.

　　Walking out of Building 1, in front of the door are two centuries-old camphor trees that can only be embraced by two people. Going further along the West Lake, you can see a pavilion facing the water - Qingyi Qingyu. During the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit, the two The heads of state have met here.

　　Zhang Jiansong told reporters that after receiving Nixon in 1972, the West Lake State Guesthouse welcomed guests from all over the world.

Now due to the impact of the epidemic, although the rental of rooms has been greatly affected, the catering is still hot.

　　Strolling on the lakeside trail, the red plum blossoms with the fragrance of magnolia, the guest house is green and the willows are new, and after the wind and rain, the style of the century-old garden remains the same.

(over)