January 29， 1979 was China’s Spring Festival. On the early morning of that day Beijing Time， Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping， a statesman who had just made the last of his three legendary comebacks to power from demotions， headed a governmental delegation to pay an official goodwill visit to the USA at the invitation of the US President Jimmy Carter. It was the first ever visit by a Chinese leader to the US after the founding of the People’s Republic of China and it was the first ever visit by a Chinese communist leader to the USA since the party set up relations with America since China’s war of resistance against Japan.

After a 10-odd-hour flight， the Chinese delegation touched down at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington. The US Vice President Mondale and about 300 congressmen were at the airport to receive the Chinese guests. At 10 o’clock on the morning of January 29， an official welcome ceremony was held. After the ceremony， President Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping began the first round of meeting. The second round ensued in the afternoon.

A banquet was held in the evening in honor of Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese guests. About American 100 guests attended， including cabinet ministers， congressmen， business people， and celebrities. The banquet hall was decorated with 1，500 red and pink camellias from Georgia， the home state of President Jimmy Carter. The menu was a product of much thought and worry and study and discussion and consultation. When asked what Deng Xiaoping preferred， Chai Zemin， director of China’s liaison office in Washington DC， knew the food preference of Deng， a man from Sichuan Province of spicy cuisine. But Chai also wondered how chefs at the White House could possibly create anything close to the spicy taste that Deng preferred. So the liaison director compromised， “You may not be able to cook things that please his taste buds. We Chinese also have a saying that goes like “eat what Romans eat”. So I suggest you just give him the best on your menu.” The suggestion was taken seriously. So Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese guests were offered stakes and veal every day.

During his visit to the USA， Deng held talks with President Jimmy Carter， attended a variety show at the Kennedy Center and attended a home party held at a house of George H. W. Bush in Virginia. George H. W. Bush had worked as USA liaison chief in Beijing from 1974 to 1976 before he went on to be vice American President from 1981-1989 and President from 1983 to 1993.

During his visit， Deng Xiaoping also met with former USA president Nixon， King Sihanouk of Cambodia， and Helen Foster Snow， the first wife of Edgar Snow who wrote the famous Red Star over China in 1937. Helen was an old friend of Chinese people. She met with 40 top Chinese Communist leaders during her visit to Yan’an in 1937. But she failed to see Ren Bishi and Deng Xiaoping because the two leaders had left for the front. Helen was not going to give up. With a letter of recommendation from Mao Zedong， she went to the front but Ren and Deng had just moved again. When Helen learned that Deng was to visit the United States， she applied to the State Department for arranging a meeting with Deng. Her application was approved. Helen went to Washington and met Deng after 42 years.

Deng Xiaoping met with Armand Hammer， an American oil tycoon. Deng Xiaoping said to his interpreter that he did not need to brief him on who Dr. Hammer was. Deng knew. Hammer later become one of the first Americans who flew to China by a private Boeing 727 and set up ventures with China in oil prospecting， mining， hybrid rice and chemical fertilizer. Deng met with six non-government organizations and people from all walks of life during his visit to the US. Deng visited the NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Boeing in Seattle.

The visiting Chinese top leader was compared to a tornado. American mainstream television companies assigned special programs to cover Deng’s visit. He enjoyed great popularity.

Deng flew by Air Force 1 to Atlanta， capital of Georgia on February 1. In presence at the welcome banquet that night were 17 state governors of the south. They toasted to Deng and introduced their states to the visiting Chinese leader. After the banquet， Deng attended a rodeo. The next day， a photo in which Deng wears a white cowboy hat appeared in newspapers across America.

The 75-year-old Deng’s visit to USA lasted eight days. It was a meaningful prelude to China’s national modernization drive which was to transform the ancient central kingdom.□