Letter, V. Akshinskii, Deputy Secretary at the Soviet Embassy to China, Regarding the Behavior of Soviet and Czech Specialists in China

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TO THE USSR AMBASSADOR IN THE CHINESE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC

Cde. P.F. YUDIN

In the city of Shanghai Soviet and Czech specialists live in a hotel on Huahailu (formerly “Goskoniia”).  The contrast in the behavior of these two groups of specialists makes quite an impression.  While our Soviet specialists conduct themselves in a highly restrained and respectful fashion in relation to the Chinese comrades, the Czech comrades conduct themselves, in my opinion, extraordinarily freely [vol’nosti, or “willfully”].  They ride around on Chinese rickshaws (pedal bikes), relate to Chinese service personnel in an impolite, ordering tone, expect free tickets at movie theaters, loudly and even in a debauched way conduct themselves at dancing evenings arranged for them, pay little attention to the misbehavior of their own children, who insult the Chinese comrades, and so on.

The contrast in the behavior of the Soviet people with that of the other representatives of the European people’s democracies makes quite an impression in Beijing.  This especially pertains to the widespread habit of riding in rickshaws on the part of the representatives of the European democratic countries (the Czechs, [East] Germans, and others).

I consider it necessary to communicate this information to the CC of the CPSU, so the behavior of the representatives of the fraternal countries can be addressed in regard to our inter-party relations.

Deputy secretary of the party committee of the party organization in the embassy of the USSR in the PRC

-V. Akshinskii

17 January 1956