Sunday, 7 February
Third day of the first lunar month
Got up at 6.30. Wrote to Fanny. We arrived at the airport at 8.30. Chairman Gu and the Commercial representatives of the Soviet Union had already arrived. Took off at 9.45. At 10.30 we passed Wumaoling, which is the lowest part of the Qilian Mountain. Its height is 7,000 feet. At 4.30, we passed through the lakes at Tianshan near Dihua. I hear that the water is crystal clear and the scenery beautiful. In the future when the railway passes through all Xinjiang and transportation is improved, then these mountains and lakes will become sightseeing spots. At 5.00 we arrived at Dihua. Liang Hancao, Li Yingqi (李英奇) of the civic section of the Provincial Government, Li Pulin (李溥霖) of the building section, Cheng Dongbai (程東白) of the education section, Peng Jiyuan(彭吉元), Chief of Staff Wang Hongzao (汪鴻藻), Head of communication section Wang Jingnan (王鏡楠), Head of political section Qiu Yuxiong (邱毓熊), and Bureau Head Sheng Shiying (盛世英)[1] and others were there to welcome me. I then took the car to the Governor’s House. Governer Sheng Shicai was at the door to welcome me, and asked me to stay at its East garden. Everything was very nice. The food served was Soviet style.
In the evening Governer Sheng gave a great big banquet at the big hall to welcome me. The hall was bigger that you could find in Chongqing, and it could accommodate 1,500 people and more than 100 guests had been invited. The banquet music was in western style. Chairman Sheng gave a speech to welcome me, and mentioned everybody. It also copied the Soviet style and took a lot of time. Commander Zhu Zhaoliang (朱紹良)[2] gave a thank you reply on my behalf, and then they asked me to give a speech, so I had no choice but to make one. What I said was that China and the Soviet Union should be friendly towards each other, the policies of Dr Sun Yat-sen and the Generalissimo, as well as the section concerning the diplomacy of the 6 big policies was the same as the Central policy. The Consul General of the Soviet Union also stood up and made a speech saying I was most welcome to go to the Soviet Union.
After dinner we went to Commander Zhu Yimin (朱一民)’s room, talked about Xinjiang diplomacy and I told him about The Generalissimo’s instruction. He and (Wu Zexiang (吳澤湘) thought we should be prudent in handling diplomacy in Xinjiang, and we thought likewise. We talked until 2.30 a.m. then I went back to my room to sleep.
[1] Brother of Sheng Shicai.
[2] Zhu Zhaoliang (1891-1963) was a Senior Military Officer of the Nationalist Government.