Cui Zengqi: The Sixth Journey of Returning Home: Revisiting the Garden of National Humiliation

Cui Zengqi: The Sixth Journey of Returning Home: Revisiting the Garden of National Humiliation When I walked into the Old Summer Palace and the Summer Palace, I saw no changes as when I came here 10 years ago. The wide circle...

When I walked into the Old Summer Palace and the Summer Palace, I saw the same as when I came here 10 years ago. I didn’t see much change. The vast Old Summer Palace was empty, and people were walking among the clear lakes and green trees. I seemed to see the majestic palace, with its pavilions disappearing and appearing in the air, but that was just an illusion. The last thing that came directly into view was the swaying stone pillars and broken walls of the Western-style building. Although the Wanshou Mountain in the Summer Palace and the stone boats by the lake were kept intact, a senseless displeasure surged into my heart when I thought that Empress Dowager Cixi had misappropriated the defense funds for the development of the navy to build this garden for her own enjoyment. These two parks located in the western suburbs of Beijing have left to future generations a record of China’s national humiliation.

The painful history of China more than a hundred years ago came to mind. A huge Chinese empire has developed from hundreds of officials from various countries paying tribute during the Tang Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty when foreigners invaded the capital with foreign guns and cannons, plundered national treasures, cultural relics, gold and silver treasures, burned down the royal palaces, signed treasonous treaties that humiliated the country, and had to cede territory and pay compensation. The amount of compensation was actually calculated at one or two taels for each of the 450 million compatriots. Every Chinese must remember this humiliation. All of what happened in China was caused by the long-term isolation of the country, the stupidity of the imperial court, and the ignorance and greed of the people. I added the ignorance and greed of the people to refer to the irrational behavior of the Boxers who blindly opposed foreigners and killed foreigners and burned churches, and the secondary raids carried out by some Chinese people who were greedy for petty gains after the British and French allied forces robbed and burned the Old Summer Palace. Unfortunately, such ignorance and greedy habits still exist in the blood of some Chinese people.

Foreign invasion has awakened the Chinese people from their sleep. The emergence of the Kangliang Reform Party, and then Mr. Sun Yat-sen led the revolution to overthrow the Manchu government. Over the past 100 years, how many people with lofty ideals have sacrificed their lives and blood for China's independence, democracy and freedom; how many people have devoted themselves to national construction and scientific development for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It should be said that when China achieved great victory in the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, most of its national humiliation had been averted, and China had restored and established its status as a great power in the world. All unequal treaties between world powers against China were abolished. When the United Nations was founded in 1945, China, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France were permanent members of the United Nations. It's a pity that we were not strong enough at the time, and coupled with internal disunity, a large piece of land that belonged to China and was called Outer Mongolia was separated from the victorious country. After that, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait each sought development in a state of separation. Taiwan once achieved the crown of the Four Asian Economic Tigers, while the mainland ushered in 30 consecutive years of rapid economic development since the reform and opening up. The two leased areas of Hong Kong and Macau were also returned to China one after another, averting the national humiliation of a hundred years ago. Today, China has become the world's second largest economy. China plays a pivotal role in global affairs. China has undergone earth-shaking changes. From the perspective of the entire history of development, as national leaders of this era, Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, and Deng Xiaoping all made contributions, and they were promoters in the advancement of Chinese history. Although some mistakes were made during their respective administrations, some were even big mistakes, which caused great harm to the people. But they have made contributions in safeguarding national independence, developing and improving the country's reality, and improving people's lives. Otherwise, China would not be where it is today.

As I was writing this article, news came on TV that leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait were meeting in Singapore. The two sides who used to call each other "bandits" now call each other "sir" and shake hands to make peace and have dinner together. All Chinese people in the world clapped their hands and cheered. I think it's like two brothers in a family. They don't give in to each other when they quarrel, and they curse each other, but in the end they are still a family. In fact, let's put aside those distant doctrines. The programs proposed by the leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait all focus on the goal of revitalizing the Chinese nation, and they all focus on the efforts of the nation, civil rights, and people's livelihood proposed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. As a son and daughter of China, I feel extremely excited and excited about the handshakes and meetings and conversations between the leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait after 66 years. Although cross-strait reunification still has a long way to go, the cornerstone of peace has been laid. When the family is united and everything prospers, the Chinese nation will take this handshake as an opportunity to work together toward greater prosperity. The ideal of realizing the century-old dream of a powerful country has become more realistic and closer.

Chinese people are very disgusted with fighting among themselves. Wherever there are Chinese people, there are always incongruities of one kind or another. From the handshake of leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, we can think of the situation of the local Chinese and overseas Chinese. If the overseas Chinese leaders can follow the example of the Xi Jinping Club, put the interests of overseas Chinese first, form a consensus to jointly serve the overseas Chinese, respect each other more, and seek more opportunities for joint cooperation activities, it will also be a blessing for the overseas Chinese community. If necessary, the "Wang-Ku Talks" can also be started first. Can we start by raising the national flag together on National Day?

Some people have suggested restoring the Old Summer Palace to recreate the royal splendor of the past, which also proves the prosperity of our country. I think it is better to keep the status quo than to rebuild. Named the Garden of National Humiliation. Let our descendants never forget the national humiliation, and never forget the truth that "if you fall behind, you will be beaten" and "only when you have a country can you have a family." You can also organize those corrupt officials to see what China will be like if Xi Jinping doesn't arrest them again.