“Weiqi Diplomacy” and Sino-Japanese Relations

The year 2004 marks the 45th anniversary of the “weiqi (go) diplomacy” carried out by Comrade Chen Yi, which is worth commemorating.

In April 1971, for the first time an American table tennis team was invited to visit China, thus “opening the door to friendly contacts between the Chinese and American people” (said by the late Premier Zhou Enlai). The “ping-pong diplomacy” achieved the dramatic result of “a small ball moving the globe”, accelerating the process of contacts between the Chinese and American high-level leaders. Since then the “ping-pong diplomacy” has become well known. But the “weiqi diplomacy” which was carried out much earlier is rarely known.

In 1959 when the People’s Republic of China celebrated its 10th anniversary, many foreign heads of state and distinguished guests were invited to China. A dietmen’s delegation of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party headed by its adviser Kenzo Mazumura paid a visit to China in October that year. Mazumura’s visit to China was not accidental. In May 1958 the “Nagasaki national flag incident” happened when two Japanese rightist scoundrels tore up the Chinese national flag in Nagasaki, causing sino-japanese relations to come to a deadlock. In order to break up the deadlock, former Japanese Prime Minister Tanzan Ishibashi led a delegation to China in September 1959 and had a talk with Premier Zhou Enlai.Tanza Ishibashi recommended Kenzo Mazumura, who had influence on the Japanese Cabinet, to visit China.

Kenzo Mazumura, a founding member of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party, had served as minister in the Japanese Cabinet several times. He and Liao Chengzhi were alumni of Japan’s Waseda University. He advocated that in order to improve Japan-China relations and normalize diplomatic relations, various circles of the two countries should make efforts to improve the relations step by step. He said that Asia is Asian people’s Asia and opposed the policy of hostility towards China adopted by the Nobosuke Kishi Cabinet.

On October 19, 1959 Mazumura arrived in Beijing. During his stay there, Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier Chen Yi held many talks with him. Though the contents of these talks were not published,his visit played an important role in improving bilateral relations in the following years, and he became one of the chief “pioneers” and “well diggers” of Sino-Japanese relations.

Mazumura was very fond of weiqi, and Chen Yi was also a master of the game. During his stay in Beijing, several times aftertalks Chen Yi would play weiqi with him. The two became weiqi friends. Chen Yi suggested to Mazumura, “We can exchange views on weiqi, table tennis, calligraphy and orchid. No talk about politics but only friendship.” Mazumura readily agreed. This was the “weiqi diplomacy” that later won widespread approbation.

The game of weiqi originating from ancient China has been liked by celebrities through the ages. Later it was introduced into Japan and developed and popularized rapidly. The Japanese Weiqi Institute was set up, its influence spreading to the people of various social strata. Promoted by Mazumura, the first Japanese delegation of weiqi players visited China in 1960. The Japanese famous weiqi players made extensive contacts with the Chinese weiqi players, playing the game, exchanging skills and making many friends with them. In 1962 the first Chinese delegation of weiqi players with Li Menghua as its head and Sun Pinghua as its deputy head paid a visit to Japan. After the delegation returned home, the Weiqi Association of China with Chen Yi as its honorary president and Li Menghua as its president was founded. In 1963, the Japanese Weiqi Institute conferred upon Chen Yi the title honorary 7th grade player in recognition of his contribution to popularizing the weiqi culture and promoting exchanges between the Japanese and Chinese weiqi circles.

In 1964, 29 famous Japanese weiqi players issued an appeal, calling on 8 million Japanese weiqi fans to take part in the movement of collecting 30 million signitures for normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations. Due to the long sustained efforts made by the people of various circles of China and Japan, on September 29, 1972, the two countries signed a joint communiqué in Beijing, formally announcing that the two countries ended the state of war and normalized diplomatic relations. In this glorious chapter of history, the “weiqi diplomacy” played an indelible contribution, and left a much-told story in the history of friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people.