“To hold a menu signed by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai is to hold a piece of the past..."
ADVERTISEMENTAn official menu for a state banquet held in Beijing on 19 October 1956 has been auctioned for $275,000 (€255,500) at Boston-based RR Auction.
The banquet commemorated the first state visit of Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy of Pakistan to China.
The menu bears the fountain pen signature of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, as well as six influential Chinese statesmen, including Premier Zhou Enlai, Huang Yanpei (Vice Premier of the State Council and Minister of Industry), and Zhu De (Vice Chairman of the Communist Party and the PRC, renowned as Mao's military advisor).
The banquet featured foods from both nations and included delicacies such as “Consommé of Swallow Nest and White Agaric,” “Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce,” and “Roast Peking Duck.”
“To hold a menu signed by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai is to hold a piece of the past – a piece that tells a story of diplomatic engagement, cultural exchange, and the forging of friendships that have endured through the decades,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, said in a statement.
Other highlights from the sale included:
- A fully operational World War II-era Enigma cipher machine sold for $206,253 (€191,600).
- Steve Jobs signed check to RadioShack sold for $46,063 (€42,000).
- A Thomas Edison signed document for the Light Bulb patent sold for $22,154 (€20,500).
- Joseph Stalin signed letter to his children, published in his daughter's autobiography sold for $22,134 (€20,500).
- Benjamin Franklin signed endorsement as President of Pennsylvania sold for $21,889 (€20,335).
