Since the first banquet of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the changes of state banquets have attracted attention, and the reform of state banquets has also kept pace with the times. The standard of state banquet is four dishes and one soup, which was set by Premier Zhou.
Standard of State Banquet-Four Dishes and One Soup Yan Ge: Leading the "Etiquette Revolution" is the principle of state banquet formulated by Zhou Enlai himself. In the 1960s, in China, there were usually more than 50 tables to welcome visiting state guests. In addition to inviting the visiting state guests and their party to attend, more than 20 tables were occupied by foreign envoys and diplomatic missions, and the Chinese side accompanied the guests. Under normal circumstances, there were 6 kinds of cold dishes and 4 kinds of hot dishes at the banquet. In front of each guest, there are three cups, such as large, medium and small cups, Moutai and other famous wines, and the cups are full. Add orange water, mineral water and other drinks. At every banquet, the host and guests made speeches, which were translated into English, French and Russian.
At that time, Sino-Soviet relations were in a state of sharp opposition. If any visiting guest talks about "Su Xiu" and "minor repairs" with the host, their special envoy goes out to protest, and suddenly the banquet hall is empty. Later, the leader instructed that when they finished serving four courses, the host and guests should tell them again, so they all left happily. Then, referring to the practice of most countries, a few years later, the state banquet was reformed and diplomatic missions were no longer invited to attend the banquet to welcome state guests, and the scale of the banquet was almost reduced by half. Later, in order to meet the scale of the state banquet reduced to today's specifications, it was adjusted several times.
At present, the banquet of the state banquet is still four dishes and one soup or three dishes and one soup. * * * banquets for state guests, some only use three dishes and one soup or two dishes and one soup. This practice not only saves money and materials, but also saves time and effort. The time of state banquet was shortened from two or three hours in the past to 1 hour 15 minutes. After 1984, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made specific and clear provisions on the reform of state banquets in accordance with the instructions of relevant leaders of the Central Committee and the State Council. Standard of State Banquet: General Secretary, president, Chairman, Premier, Chairman of the Military Commission and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, with 50 guests to 60 yuan. If you entertain a few important foreign guests, the expenses should be controlled within 80 yuan. Generally, the standard for each guest is to arrive in 40 yuan at 30. After that, I reconfirmed that the number of banquets for visiting foreign guests should not be too many. At the banquet, Chinese food is four dishes and one soup, while western food is generally two dishes and one soup, with a maximum of three dishes and one soup, and each person does not exceed 200 yuan. At the same time, it is stipulated that Moutai, Fenjiu and other spirits will no longer be used at state banquets, and drinks, such as beer, wine or other drinks, will be provided according to guests' habits. Before the implementation of the new standard, the above provisions have been implemented for many years.
State banquet etiquette operating procedures: State banquet etiquette is particularly important. Hospitality, courtesy, supercilious, thoughtful and decent manners make guests feel more cordial. For example, before and after the banquet, the national anthems of the two countries are cancelled when the guest and the host are seated; Host and guests do not make formal speeches, or make speeches or toasts at dinner parties; The China People's Liberation Army Military Orchestra played banquet music, including the famous songs of visiting countries; Arrange songs, dances, cultural programs and entertainment during or after the banquet; The menus and tracks embedded with the national emblem are carefully made by the Chinese protocol officer in advance to make the guests happy.
Seats for the state banquet shall be arranged in strict accordance with the protocol sequence provided by the other party, and the attendees shall be informed in advance; According to the custom of the visiting country, arrange a long table or a horseshoe table, especially pay attention to the main table, and don't always arrange a round table for dinner. Carefully made seat cards, written in two languages, are convenient for guests to sit down; The names on the seat cards are in Chinese and foreign languages; If the foreign guests' names are too long, only their surnames and titles should be written, and their full names and honorifics should be written in foreign languages.
The state banquet is divided into meals, one for each person. In the early days of the founding of New China, state banquets were divided into meals. But at that time, after the dishes were served, the waiter gave them to each guest, and the rest was placed in the middle of the table, and whoever ate them took them. After 1987, the chef divided the dishes according to the number of people at the banquet, and then served them.
Today, the state banquet is still not about ostentation and extravagance: at present, the state banquet is usually 7 or 8 tables, and the standard of each person's meal should not exceed that of 200 yuan (excluding drinks). If there are few state guests, the number of guests and hosts present shall not exceed 50, and a long table or horseshoe table shall be arranged for the banquet. This arrangement is very common abroad. The reduction of banquets comes from strict control over the invited people. Today's state banquet usually only invites 30 to 50 people from the entourage of state guests to attend. In addition to inviting the diplomatic envoys of the visiting countries to China, a few major diplomats of the embassy were also invited to attend. Unless it is particularly necessary, China will not invite guests who may or may not be invited. This reform not only conforms to the diplomatic practice of most countries in the world today, but also saves foreign financial expenditure effectively.
On August 8, 2008, President Hu hosted a banquet for the distinguished guests from five continents attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. The main course included a cold dish, a soup and three hot dishes, and dessert was also snacks and fruit ice cream. The three hot dishes at that time were Dutch steak, bird's nest fresh vegetables specially prepared for the Olympics in the Great Hall of the People and cod in sauce. Beijing roast duck is an extra snack to entertain guests.
President Hu welcomed visiting US President Barack Obama and held a grand banquet that evening. The banquet menu is a combination of Chinese and western. Dinner includes a cold dish, a soup and three hot dishes: chicken soup with green sauce and bean curd, Chinese steak, fried asparagus with water bamboo, and roasted red star grouper. Desserts are snacks and fruit ice cream. The red wine and white wine served at the banquet are the national wine Great Wall, which was produced in Shacheng, Hebei Province, China in 2002.
Description of State Banquet: In the golden hall of the Great Hall of the People with melodious music, US President Barack Obama and his party, who are on a state visit to Beijing, held a simple and exquisite "four dishes and one soup" state banquet. After the cold dishes, the waiters dressed in moon white and rose red cheongsam presented four dishes to the distinguished guests in turn: Cui Zhi Chicken Bean Flower Soup, Chinese Steak, Fried Water Bamboo and Roasted Red Star Grouper, followed by dessert and fruit ice cream. The wine used in the dinner is pure domestic Great Wall five-star dry red and five-star dry white. There are 13 tables in the hall, with gold as the main color, and about 12 round tables surround a giant round table for the heads of state and other senior officials of the two countries to sit.