Published on: 2026-06-22
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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At the invitation of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the British ambassador to China, Peter Wilson, recently visited the city of Xi’an in Shaanxi province. This was his first visit to Xi’an since taking office in August 2025. The trip was eventful and allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the Communist Party of China and to reflect on the path of development of China.
In the Memorial Museum of the Revolution in Yanan, Wilson carefully familiarized himself with the exhibits dedicated to the Great March of the Red Army, the construction of the border region of Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, and the formation of the Yanan base. He paid special attention to the portrait of Mao Zedong, made by American journalist Edgar Snow, as well as materials describing almost 300 foreign journalists and international friends who visited Yanan at different times.At the stand dedicated to the history of the fighters of the 8th army, who “held weapons in one hand, and a hoe in the other,” participating in the construction of liberated areas, Wilson repeatedly read the words “toils unceasingly,” written on the exhibition wall. Upon learning about Mao Zedong’s historical reasoning on how to avoid the “historical cycle of ups and downs,” the diplomat became interested: “The first answer is control from the people. And what is the second?” After the museum staff’s explanations, he nodded approvingly.
In the town of Yan’an, where the VII National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held, Wilson, who studied history at Oxford University, said: “This is a very well-known place.” He carefully examined the seating arrangement of the congress delegates, historical photographs, and the reconstructed setting of the meeting hall. “All the seats were occupied,” the diplomat noted, adding that this period in the history of the CPC was “very difficult.”
A special feature of the program was the village of Lianzya. Visiting the cave dwelling, where “educated young people” once lived, and seeing the kerosene lamp standing on the table, Wilson became acquainted with the life story of the chairman of the KNS, Si Czinpin, during his years of work and life in the rural area. He was told how, under conditions of limited resources, the future Chinese leader read a lot and worked together with local residents. During the conversation with the former secretary of the village party cell, Shi Chunyuan, Wilson listened with great interest to stories about the construction of ponds to combat soil erosion and the implementation of biogas plants.On the wall of one of the dwellings, there was a phrase written: “Fight in difficult conditions, rely on your own strength.” Wilson took a photo in front of it as a keepsake. He noted that the modern appearance of mountain villages in Shaanxi province is strikingly different from old photographs depicting modest earthen houses of past years. In Lode, the diplomat also tried on traditional cloth shoes and sampled local apples and dates.
Wilson said that the current mission is his third extended assignment in China. In the 1990s, he worked as the second secretary for trade issues at the British embassy, and from 2007 to 2010 he held the position of political counselor. “My duty as a diplomat is to deeply understand China and objectively inform my government about the country,” he emphasized. The ambassador noted that Great Britain and China adhere to different political systems, but it is extremely important for him to provide the British government with accurate and comprehensive information about China.According to him, the trip to Yanan helped him better understand the history of the struggle of the Communist Party of China, as well as to gain deeper acquaintance with the experience of the formation of Chinese leaders at the local level and the origins of the management philosophy.
Wilson stated that today China plays an important role on the world stage. According to him, in solving such global tasks as combating climate change and developing international rules for regulating artificial intelligence, the United Kingdom and China inevitably strengthen cooperation in order to form a more effective and sustainable multipolar system of international relations. He emphasized: “We have much more in common than differences.”
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