Since the first banquet in the founding of the People's Republic of China, the changes of state banquets have attracted attention, and the reform of state banquets has kept pace with the times. The standard of state banquet is four dishes and one soup, which is decided by Premier Zhou.
Standard of State Banquet-Four Dishes and One Soup Yan Ge: Leading the "Protocol Revolution" was the principle of State Banquet formulated by Zhou Enlai himself. In the 1960s, there were usually more than 50 tables at the banquet to welcome visiting state guests in China. In addition to inviting the visiting state guests and their party to attend, more than 20 tables were occupied by foreign diplomatic envoys and diplomatic missions, and the Chinese side accompanied the guests. At that time, 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 were 3 large, medium and small cups, Maotai liquor and other famous wines, and the cups were full. Plus orange water, mineral water and other drinks. At each banquet, both the host and the guest made speeches, and the speeches were translated into English, French and Russian.
At that time, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union was in a state of sharp opposition. If any of the visiting guests and the host talked about "Su Xiu" and "minor repairs", their envoys walked out in protest, and suddenly the banquet hall was empty. Later, the leader instructed that after they had finished four courses, both the host and the guest would speak again, so that they all went away with great joy. Then, referring to the practice of most countries, a few years later, the state banquet was reformed, and the diplomatic corps was no longer invited to attend the banquet to welcome state guests, and the scale of the banquet was almost reduced by half. Later, it was adjusted several times to welcome the scale of the state banquet to be reduced to today's specifications.
At present, the banquet of state banquet is still four dishes and one soup or three dishes and one soup. Leaders entertain state guests, and 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 manpower. The time of state banquet has been 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 according to the instructions of the relevant leaders of the Central Committee and the State Council. The standard of state banquets is: the banquet hosted by General Secretary, president, Chairman, Premier, Chairman of the Military Commission and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, each guest is 50 to 60 yuan. If a few important foreign guests are invited, the expenses will be controlled within 80 yuan. Generally, the standard of each guest is 30 to 40 yuan. After that, it was confirmed once again that the number of banquets for visiting foreign guests should not be too much. At the banquet, Chinese food is four dishes and one soup, while western food is generally two dishes and one soup, at most three dishes and one soup, and each person does not exceed 200 yuan. At the same time, it is stipulated that strong liquor, such as Maotai and Fenjiu, will no longer be used in state banquets, and drinks, such as beer, wine or other drinks, will be served according to guests' habits. The said regulations were implemented for many years until the implementation of the new standards.
State banquet etiquette operating procedures: State banquet etiquette is particularly important. Hospitality, courtesy, supercilious, thoughtful and decent manners make guests feel cordial. For example, before and after the banquet, the host and guest canceled playing the national anthems of the two countries when they were seated; The host and guest do not make formal speeches, or make speeches or toasts during the dinner; The China People's Liberation Army Military Orchestra played banquet music, and the repertoire included famous music from visiting countries; Arrange songs, dances and cultural programs for entertainment during or after the banquet; The menu and repertoire embedded with the national emblem are carefully made by the Chinese protocol officer in advance to make the guests happy.
The seats in the state banquet are arranged in strict accordance with the protocol order list provided by the other party, and the attendees are 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 do not always arrange round table dining. Carefully made seat cards, written in two languages, are convenient for guests to sit down; The name on the seat card is in Chinese and in foreign languages; If the foreign guest's name is too long, only the surname and position are written in Chinese, and the full name and honorific title are 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, the state banquet was divided into meals. However, at that time, after the dishes were served on the table, the waiter gave them to each guest, and the rest was put in the middle of the table, and whoever ate them would get it. /kloc-after 0/987, the chef always divided the dishes according to the number of people at the banquet and 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 is no more than 50, and a long table or horseshoe table will be arranged for the banquet. This arrangement is common in foreign countries. The reduction of banquets comes from the strict control of the invitees. Today's state banquets usually only invite 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, the Chinese side 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 effectively saves foreign financial expenses without ostentation and extravagance.
On August 8, 2008, when President Hu hosted a banquet for the distinguished guests from five continents attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, the main meal included a cold dish, a soup and three hot dishes, and the dessert was also a snack and a fruit ice cream. At that time, the three hot dishes were Dutch steak, bird's nest fresh vegetables specially designed for the Olympics in the Great Hall of the People and cod in sauce. Beijing roast duck is served as an extra snack to the guests.
2009 1 1 month 17 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 food. The dinner includes a cold dish, a soup and three hot dishes: chicken bean curd soup with green sauce, Chinese steak, stir-fried asparagus with water bamboo, and roasted red star grouper. The dessert is a snack and a fruit ice cream. The red wine and white wine served at the banquet are the national wine Great Wall, which is the Great Wall five-star dry red and the Great Wall five-star dry white produced in Shacheng, Hebei, China in 2002.
Description of the state banquet: In the golden hall of the Great Hall of the People with melodious music, a simple and exquisite "four dishes and one soup" state banquet was hosted by US President Barack Obama and his party who were on a state visit to Beijing. After the cold dishes, the waiters dressed in moon white and rose red cheongsam presented the VIPs with four delicacies in turn: Cuizhi Chicken Bean Flower Soup, Chinese Steak, Stir-fried Water Bamboo Asparagus and Roasted Red Star Grouper, followed by dessert and fruit ice cream. The wine used at the dinner is pure domestic Great Wall five-star dry red and five-star dry white. There are 13 tables and 12 tables in the hall with gold as the main color, surrounded by a giant round table where the heads of state of the two countries and other senior officials are seated.