送交者: cornbug 于 2005-2-21, 12:27:35:
The phrase Nixon in China is a historical reference to US President Richard Nixon's visit to see Chairman Mao Zedong, leader of the People's Republic of China in 1972. This visit was of particular significance because it marked a period of renormalization of Sino-American relations. Nixon had a strongly anti-Communist reputation, and so was largely immune from criticism about being "soft on Communism" (from a largely anti-Communist American public) because of his friendliness toward China, an ardently Communist country at the time. The phrase "like Nixon in China" is thus an analogy which refers to the special ability of a hardliner to accomplish something moderate in nature that a moderate figure could not.