Foreign Affairs Memoirs | Accompanying the Charge d'Affaires to Kathmandu to Establish the Chinese Embassy in Nepal
Zhang Zhenggang, first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.
Nepal is a friendly neighbor of our country and is connected to our border with Tibet. In the years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal in 1955, my country had not set up an embassy in Nepal, and the Chinese ambassador to India was temporarily appointed as the ambassador to Nepal. In 1959, Prime Minister Koirala of Nepal visited China, and in 1960, Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier Chen Yi paid a return visit. The relations between the two countries were further developed. After Premier Zhou returned from his visit to Nepal, he instructed that an embassy should be set up in Nepal as soon as possible and a full-time ambassador should be dispatched.
Departure to Nepal in 10 days
One day in early June 1960, the Department of Cadres of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified me that I will be sent to Nepal to establish an embassy with Charge d'affaires Liu Yamin, and I had to make preparations immediately and leave within ten days. On the same day, Zhang Shijie, my country's new ambassador to Nepal, and Charge d'Affaires Liu talked to me about the various tasks of establishing the embassy. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a notice is an order, and I express my firm obedience to the decision. After simple preparations, I left my family in mid-June and set off for Nepal with Charge d'Affaires Liu and another comrade.
Nepal’s capital: Kathmandu
At that time, air traffic was very inconvenient, and there were no direct flights from Beijing to Kathmandu. We could only take the train to Hong Kong via Guangzhou, then take British Airways to Kolkata, India, then change to Air India to New Delhi, and finally fly to Kathmandu, changing planes thrice on the way. We stayed in Hong Kong for a few days to wait for the flight. We used this time to pre-purchase large items such as cars, sofas, filing cabinets, etc for the new embassy. We requested the relevant company to ship it to Kolkata as soon as possible and then to Kathmandu by land.
We stayed for two more days each in Kolkata and New Delhi. The Nepal flight from New Delhi to Kathmandu was a small Dakoda aircraft built by the United States during World War II, which can only take more than 20 people. At this time, we invited a comrade from the Chinese embassy in India to go to Nepal to establish the embassy. The comrade had been to Nepal many times, and he was very familiar with the local conditions and Nepali officials and helped a lot in the establishment process.
Our arrival in Nepal attracted international attention
The route from New Delhi to Kathmandu had just started and there weren’t many weekly flights. The weather was fine the day we flew and the plane went west to northeast. After entering the Nepali border, I saw the continuous high mountains, all the peaks in the panoramic view, and a snow line halfway up the mountain that looked very beautiful under the sunlight.
From the mountainside to the top of the mountain was full of white snow, and below the mountainside, the raw beauty of the green mountains spread beneath us, which is a rare beauty.
At about 11 am, as the plane was approaching Kathmandu Valley, there were terraces and farmhouses dotted under the plane. After many tossing and turning, we finally arrived in this beautiful and friendly country. After the plane landed, many people came to welcome us, including officials from the Protocol Department of the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese aid workers. They were technicians who helped Nepal build roads, brick factories, and other projects and had been there for more than half a year.
Unexpectedly, China's dispatch of diplomatic personnel to Nepal to establish the Embassy also attracted international attention. On the day we arrived, reporters from several Western news agencies issued brief but important news, saying, "Charge d'Affaires Liu Yamin of China, leading three diplomatic officials to establish the Chinese Embassy, have arrived in Kathmandu. It is eye-catching and marks the further development of China-Nepal relations."
Few of us were assigned to build the embassy. This is a very normal thing between countries, but it caught the attention of Western journalists. It may have something to do with the delicate relationship between China, India, and Nepal at that time. It may also be related to Premier Zhou's recent visit to Nepal. After we arrived, we only saw reports in Nepali newspapers. We did not know about the reports of Western reporters at the time. We only learned about it later through letters from family members. The letter said that only when foreign news reports were published on domestic reference news did they know that we had arrived safely in Kathmandu.
Raising the Chinese flag in Kathmandu
After leaving the airport, we drove to Coronation Hotel that we had booked. This was a three-story building on the way to the airport and was relatively close to the city. It was one of only two high-end hotels in the capital of Nepal at that time. The boss was a middle-aged man. He is very polite and friendly to us. He has repeatedly expressed that he is very honored to receive Chinese diplomats.
After the accommodation was arranged, Charge d'Affaires Liu drove to the Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit Mr. Thapa, the foreign affairs secretary and handed him a letter of appointment from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign affairs secretary and Charge d'Affaires Liu had a friendly and cordial conversation. He said that shortly after the Chinese Prime Minister visited Nepal, the Chinese government sent personnel to set up an embassy in Nepal. He was very happy and said that the Nepalese government expected and welcomed Charge d'Affaires Liu to Kathmandu, and the Nepali side assured that they would strongly assist the Chinese side in the establishment of the embassy.
The Chinese flag was raised on the roof of the Coronation Hotel in Kathmandu, where the Chinese diplomats stayed. Source: " Wàijiāo guān Vol. 4"
After sending the letter of appointment, Charge d'Affaires Liu received the right to set up a temporary office in the hotel and communicate with the outside world. In the early morning of the third day, Charge d'Affaires Liu led the three of us to the platform on the roof of the hotel and solemnly raised the first Chinese flag in Kathmandu. The hotel owner initially had no objection to raising the Chinese flag on the roof of the hotel and appeared very happy. But one morning, he suddenly asked us to lower the national flag and said that there would be a Nepali royal family member returning from a foreign visit in the afternoon, and the motorcade would pass by the hotel door. He feared that the royal family would convict him if they saw a foreign flag on the roof.
Charge d'affaires Liu explained to him that according to international law and international practice, foreign embassies, including temporary offices, can raise their own national flags. Charge d'affaires Liu assured the hotel owner to not worry, and believe that the royal family will not blame him. Although he no longer insisted on lowering the flag after hearing this, he still felt uneasy. After the afternoon and even a few days later, the royal family did not question him. Only then did he feel at ease. When he saw us he expressed that he made an unreasonable request because he didn’t have an understanding of international law and requested forgiveness.
Choosing a location and more purchasing
The first thing to do when establishing an embassy is to choose the location of the embassy.
Introduced by a friend from Nepal, Charge d'Affaires Liu took the three of us to various places in Kathmandu for several days to choose the location. According to the instructions from home and the request of the ambassador, a building with a suitable location, not too outdated, and not too expensive to rent would be ideal. Staff office and living room. The building should have living rooms and banquet halls that can be used externally, as well as rooms for more than ten staff to work and live.
In 1960, the author took a photo in the newly built compound of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. Source: " Wàijiāo guān Vol. 4"
Although the city of Kathmandu is not very big, it is not easy to find a building that meets these requirements. In the end, out of four or five locations, we settled on a house not far from the Royal Palace and the city center. It was originally the residence of Mr. Shamsher, a retired general, a white three-story building with a grassy yard in front of the building, which met our requirements.
After the location and premises were finalized, the next step was to find someone for the interior design, and head to the street to buy office and dormitory furniture, kitchen supplies, and so on. During this period, Charge d'Affaires and the translator visited Nepali government officials and other friends, and I was in charge of the decoration of the building and the purchase of items on the street.
The renovation project was required to be completed within 20 days (or more days). The focus was on the renovation of reception rooms, banquet halls, and small banquet rooms. I almost went to all the wood furniture shops in Kathmandu and couldn't find any ready-made desks and furniture. In addition, we had to buy a lot, so we could only order to make them. When the interior design was about to be completed, the custom-made furniture was also delivered to the embassy one after another. At this time, the furniture and cars for foreign use that had been pre-purchased in Hong Kong were also shipped to Kathmandu, and I hurriedly went to Nepal Customs to go through customs formalities. The Nepali customs officials were very friendly to me. From their expeditious handling and reception, I can feel their great assistance in the establishment of the Chinese Embassy. So far, the task of establishing the embassy had been completed, and the official opening of the embassy wait till the arrival of the ambassador.
Ambassador flies to Kathmandu, warmly received by the Nepali side
In late July of the same year, Ambassador Zhang Shijie led the embassy personnel to the capital of Nepal, and officials such as the Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, our personnel who built the embassy and those who aided in the establishment of the embassy greeted him at the airport. To express friendship, the Nepali side took the ambassador and his delegation to Qīngliáng gong[2] (Sheetal Niwas) by special car and received them warmly. The three of us also moved from the Coronation Hotel to the Sheetal Niwas.
It is a famous palace-style hotel specially designed by the Nepalese government to entertain foreign dignitaries. It consists of a group of two-story courtyard buildings. There is a large garden and fountain in the courtyard, and the environment is beautiful and quiet. Living here in summer will feel very cool and refreshing, so it has the reputation of being a “cool palace".
On the third day when Ambassador Zhang and others stayed in Sheetal Niwas, the Nepali government arranged for the ambassador to present his credentials to King Mahendra. That morning, the Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal came to Sheetal Niwas to greet Ambassador Zhang. The ambassador and he got into a luxurious open-top carriage. In front of the carriage, cavalry guards were clearing the way. After passing through the city, they went to Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square to present their credentials to the King. Secretary Liu Yamin and the translator were accompanied by the Nepali government car, and many citizens stopped to watch along the way.
The ambassador officially took office after submitting his credentials. Nepal has established diplomatic relations with many countries in the world, but other countries are all part-time ambassadors, and there is no permanent embassy in Nepal. Therefore, there were only three permanent foreign embassies in Nepal at that time, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and India, and now we become the fourth.
On the opening day, Ambassador Zhang Shijie led all staff members and experts to hold a flag-raising ceremony in front of the Embassy building. Photo source: Wàijiāo guān No. 4
The next day, Ambassador Zhang led all the staff to move into the newly-built Chinese Embassy. In the early morning of the second day of staying in the embassy, Ambassador Zhang led all the diplomats and staff to raise the Chinese flag in front of the embassy building, indicating that the Chinese embassy in Nepal was officially opened.
First reception full of guests
A few days later, on August 1st, Army Day was celebrated. Ambassador Zhang and Military Attaché Gan Mai held the first reception after the opening of the Embassy, which was attended by nearly 100 guests. Among them are senior officials such as the Nepali foreign affairs secretary and director of protocol; the commander of the Nepali army, the king's bodyguard, the chairman of the Nepal-China Friendship Association, some members and celebrities in Nepali society, education, and business; the military attaches of the British and Indian embassies, etc. The living room was crowded. The host and guests raised their glasses together for the August 1st Army Day and the opening of the Embassy in a friendly and warm atmosphere.
The chef of the embassy was Cantonese and was very good at making dim sum. That night, all kinds of dim sum, especially small bāozi (called momocha[1] in Nepali) and Maotai wine, were very popular with the guests at the reception. Shortly after the reception, the fame of Chinese Moutai and momocha spread in Kathmandu, and many people came to know that these are two Chinese wines and delicacies.
In the few weeks after the opening of the embassy, the embassy held many important diplomatic activities, such as banquets for Prince Himalaya, Prime Minister Koirala, and the president of the Nepal-China Friendship Association. Although we were all busy at the beginning, there was only one belief in everyone's heart, that is, to demonstrate the friendly sentiments of the Chinese people to the Nepali people, so that the Chinese embassy and diplomats will have a good impression on the minds of the Nepali government and people.
The link to the original article can be found here.
[1]毛毛渣 (máomao zhā) as written in the original text
[2]清凉宫(Qīngliáng gōng)= 清凉(Qīngliáng) means cool and refreshing, 宫（gōng）means palace