Even today, diplomats in old China are definitely an enviable and fertile position. However, is this really the case? Recently, the author looked through the diary of Jiang Zuobin, a famous diplomat of the Republic of China, and realized how "shabby" diplomats were at that time.

Asking for wages on Chiang Kai-shek

Jiang Zuobin served as the Deputy Secretary of the Army Department of the Provisional *** of the Republic of China. In October 1928, he served as Minister Plenipotentiary to Germany and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Austria. In his diary, he repeatedly wrote about the difficult situation of Chinese diplomats in Germany, Austria and other European and American countries, and repeatedly wrote about their embarrassment. A diplomat from a great country was destitute and depressed abroad and had no way to express his feelings, so he had no choice but to vent his feelings in his diary. This can be called a strange incident in the history of diplomacy.

During the Nanjing Kuomintang, it was common for diplomats to be owed salary arrears, and the authorities never took it seriously. Chiang wrote in his diary on January 18, 1930: The salaries of Chinese embassy and consulate staff are “extremely thin and 70% off, and often go without payment for months, which is extremely painful.”

Out of helplessness, Jiang Zuobin had no choice but to go to China in person to demand unpaid wages. He once wrote: "He also sent a message to the central government to request funds on behalf of European and American embassies and consulates." It is quite sad that a prestigious diplomat has to play the role of debt collector.

On January 29, Jiang Zuobin received a call from China saying that 100% of the funds for embassies and consulates abroad would be paid. However, within a few months, the Nanjing Kuomintang again owed wages to the staff of embassies and consulates abroad. Jiang Zuobin was so angry that he asked Chiang Kai-shek to return to the country and was ready to "throw away his hat". But it was not approved and the issue of unpaid wages was not resolved. The embassies and consulates were so poor that they could not even pay the rent, and were kicked out and humiliated by their landlords. Jiang Zuobin wrote in his diary: "I received letters and telegrams from various embassies and consulates to report poverty, and the landlord published a newspaper to evict me. It can be said that the country has completely lost its dignity."

Until February 1931, the Nationalist *** Diplomacy The Ministry of Foreign Affairs only paid back wages to the embassies and consulates stationed abroad for October last year. At this time, the currency had greatly depreciated, and the personnel stationed abroad suffered considerable losses. For example, "October money can still be exchanged for one mark (gram) and two and thirty cents per dollar in October last year, but now it can only be exchanged for seventy and eighty cents. Staff of embassies and consulates abroad suspect that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has misappropriated the salaries of staff stationed abroad and engaged in Speculative activities."

By June 1931, the Nanjing Kuomintang owed more than 60,000 yuan to the embassies in Germany and Austria. Jiang Zuobin took the opportunity to return to China and submitted a report to Chiang Kai-shek, demanding that the debt be paid off. The diplomats' debt collection actually ended up on Chiang Kai-shek's stone.

On February 16, 1931, Chiang Zuobin received a call from Nanjing, saying that after Chiang Kai-shek negotiated with Wang Zhengting, he would call to allow him to return to China and promise to remit travel expenses. Jiang Zuobin asked for leave twice, but was granted leave four months later. Jiang could not help but sigh. He wrote in his diary on February 16: "Well, it is regrettable that diplomats are forced to be exiled to the army. Unless they can be cleared in many ways, they will hardly be able to return."

Equating diplomats with prisoners who were exiled from the army. , perhaps Jiang Zuobin was not deliberately self-deprecating.

In August 1931, Jiang Zuobin was appointed as Minister to Japan, but his situation remained unchanged, so that he had to raise funds by himself and advance the salaries of his subordinates. Personnel stationed abroad often do not have enough food and clothing, and are sometimes in danger of freezing or starving. Speaking of this, Jiang Zuobin couldn't help but feel sad. He wrote in his diary: "Today, I called the central government to ask the National People's Congress to provide funds for the embassies and consulates. Due to the drop in silver prices, the embassies and consulates abroad have become discouraged. They have to find ways to provide relief." The staff of the embassy and consulates have reached the embarrassing situation of being "cold and discouraged" and unable to survive without relief.

The promising floor was bought by the Japanese Embassy

data-filtered="filtered" Jiang Zuobin

The staff of the embassy and consulates are shabby, and the embassy and consulates are also shabby. Chiang recorded the following three seemingly small things in his diary.

Because the embassy in Germany is too small and the surrounding environment is extremely poor, it cannot even hold a party. The embassy also held tea parties in two sessions and could not accommodate the guests at one time, which was really rare. The diary on December 10, 1930 said: "Today's big tea party was held over two days because the building was too small. There were about 600 people from the diplomatic community, political circles, gentry, businessmen, academics and workers. It was quite a big event for a while. However, most of the equipment in the museum was from thirty years ago and was in a state of decay. All the curtains, electric lights, etc. had to be reorganized, and the tea party cost about 4,000 marks. . ”

The new Japanese Embassy in Germany was completed and a dance was held, and Jiang Zuobin was invited to attend. The floors of the Japanese Embassy were originally intended to be purchased by the Chinese Embassy, ??but they gave up due to lack of funds. Jiang Zuobin also expressed emotion about this: "I went to the Japanese Embassy night party at night. Because the embassy was completed, there was a big dance party. I wanted to buy this new building when I first came to Berlin, but I couldn't because I didn't have the money. It is a pity that it is a good thing. Japan strives for first-class status everywhere in the world. This embassy is always competing with Britain and France, and it is always eager to be generous in South American diplomacy. Above the United States, Japan's prosperity and strength are praised everywhere. The Chinese embassy is inferior to the seventh or eighth-class countries.

"

After Chiang returned to Nanjing from Europe, he saw the extravagance of dignitaries and the contrast between the situation of the staff in embassies and consulates abroad, so he made a comment in his diary on May 19: “Since I returned to China, I have felt that everything in the country is wasted, and I don’t cherish my time, energy, and materials. This is also the way of being poor and weak. It's hard to get rid of the accumulation, and you don't know how to improve. You don't know where to stop in the future. "Chiang seems to also think that the corruption in official circles is out of control, and he has an ominous premonition.

When Chiang wrote the above content, he must have wanted to cry without tears. A weak country has no diplomacy. A country that is poor and weak has no dignity to speak of as a diplomat. If the country is not strong and prosperous at home, it will be difficult for diplomats to stand up abroad. Fortunately, this is an unforgivable mistake in China's diplomatic history. A page of national respectability is long gone.

(Source: "Beijing Evening News", Zhang Senfeng)