by Wu Runmei
Each year, milions of foreigners come to
Beijing. Local residents have become accustomed to the presence of these visitors, but
twenty years ago any "big noses" wandering through the city would be stared at
wherever they went. Few ordinary Beijingers had any contact with foreigners at that time,
but one group in an unknown hutong had already begun to forge friendships with these
overseas guests of the capital. Below, two of these early participants in China's opening
process, later nicknamed the "hutong Ambassadors," share their memories of those
times.
We perfumed the toilets...
"Ayi Hao, Shu Shu Hao, (Hello, auntie, hello uncle)." Groups of kids greeted foreign visitors with smiling faces. Music was put on and the small yard was turned into a dance floor. Kids came up and invited their new friends to dance with them. Nodding heads, shaking hands and turning around... Simple gestures soon became the best way of communication. Differences of age, nationality and language disappeared in peels of innocent laughter.
This has been a common activity of the Beixinhuajie Kindergarten. Since 1972, it became one of the first places in Beijing to be opened to the outside world. Nearly every day this kindergarten receives one or two foreign tourist groups.
"The situation was quite different then, far more formal," said Tian Qingxia, a 46-year old teacher who has worked at the kindergarten since 1971.
"I played an old organ and the kids sung "I Love Beijing Tian'anmen" the first time I was put in charge of the reception. Kids would perform for the visitors every time. The repertoire was set beforehand. There were several obligatory pieces, and sometimes the kids had to learn certain new dances to perform for visitors from certain countries.
"The visitors were mostly
government officials. Many Chinese people accompanied them: cadres from municipal and
district foreign affairs offices, sub-district offices and neighborhood committees.
Policemen were also here for the sake of security. Teachers all stood at the front gate in
line to welcome them.
"I was quite nervous during the first several times. We got up around five in the morning to clean all the rooms. Even the toilets were perfumed. The kids were dressed up by the teachers. The kindergarten had clothes specially made for performances. I remember we had the kids standing in line to put on make-up. Everything was done very fast. I was using a big powder brush. Within a minute or two, the kids were all red-faced." Tian couldn't help laughing at this memory. The teachers all got changed as well. We all have some neat clothes kept here for such occasions.
"This kind of situation lasted until the mid '80s. We don't have special preparation nowadays. We carry out our daily activities when the visitors come. If kids are playing in the yard, the visitors are welcome to join them. If the kids are having lessons indoors, we will show them around the room and answer their questions."
Years of such experiences have left Tian with many unforgettable memories. "One reception gave me a life-long impression," she recalled. "It was just one or two days after the death of Premier Zhou Enlai. We were told some foreigners wanted to visit our kindergarten. We could not sing or dance. What should we do? Finally, we had a solution.
"I spent the whole night
reciting the biography of Premier Zhou. The next day we hung his pictures all over the
yard and I recited his biography in front of the visitors."
He said "NO!"
Shan Chengjun, 86, is a veteran "Hutong ambassador." However, he said "NO" when people from the local police station first came to persuade him to open his house to foreign visitors.
"They came to my home and asked me 'Grandpa Shan, what are you afraid of?" I said ' I don't want to have foreign visitors. That was called Li Tong Wai Guo (having illicit relations with foreign countries) in the Cultural Revolutionary period.' Then they said to me 'You are really dumb. Do you think the interpreter will translate any improper sayings? You needn't to be afraid at all.'
"The first visitor I received was an American senator. I was really nervous. I felt I should answer his questions promptly and correctly. If I said something wrong, it would affect the country rather than myself.
"Now I am quite at ease. I tell you, I have received two first ladies, more than 30 foreign journalists and thousands of foreign visitors," said Shan with a proud smile on his face. Shan has made friends with people from many places. Among them, four have forged a long-term friendship with Shan which has lasted for more than ten years.
"One of them is a general from the United States. We wrote to each other. He then started to learn to write in Chinese. He sent me letters written in Chinese and asked for my opinion. I wrote back and told him everything was OK except one character. He missed one stroke of the adverb zhen (real) and made it looked really like the character chou (stinking)."