The People’s Republic of Chi- na’s President Hu Jintao’s recent visit to Canada, coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Testablishment of diplomatic rela- tion between Canada and China. We are optimistic that his visit will further enhance the friend-ship and cooperation between these two countries. The future holds tremendous opportunities for both Canada and China and itis with open optimism with which we observe and support President Hu’s visit. As an active and very inter- ested member of the Chinese community in Canada, I have the honour to witness the significant establishment and ongoing devel- opment of the diplomatic relation- ship between our countries over the last 35 years. Given my de- sire and interest in this dynamic country, I sought out the oppor- tunity to undertake a role in en- couraging and fostering friend- ship work between Canadians and Chinese. This work will al- ways represent some of my most treasured memories and achieve- ments. One of the most important initiatives was the formation of the Montreal Canada-China So- ciety in 1973. The first President of the Society, Professor Paul Lin, was able to establish a very good foundation for the Society given his previous working rela- tions with China, along with his vast network of contacts within Canada. With the foundation that Professor Lin was able to pro- vide, the Society was able to prosper and grow over the initial 10 years. The Society established nine branches throughout the province of Quebec, and had a membership of over one thousand people which included many Chinese-Canadians who still held strong ties, both personally and spiritually, to China. However, more surprising than the rapid growth of the Society, was that 90% of the membership was non Chinese. This segment of dedi- cated members was made up of Canadians interested in and in- trigued by the Chinese history, culture and its people. The mem- bership also consisted of schol- ars, intellectuals, physicians, law- yers, journalists, and politicians. In retrospect, perhaps the most important membership segment was a contingent of young adults and students full of energy and imagination. Through their tire- less voluntarism and unselfish contributions, the Society was able to organize a broad range of activities to introduce the history of old China while also taking the opportunity to begin showing the recent social changes and the cultural identity of the new China. An example of these activi- ties is the China Pavilion Exhibi- tion at Montreal Exposition: “Man and His World”. Beginning from 1973, the Society single handed supported the inclusion and pro- motion of the China Pavilion at the Exposition. The Pavilion ran for over ten years and was an- nually thanked by recording the largest number of visitors at the Exposition, as well as glowing reviews by critics and casual visitors alike. The other major activities of the Society during the initial few years were focused on: introduc- ing China to the Canadian public; providing hospitality to Chinese dignitaries, visitors and students; organizing information sessions on China and organization of tours to China in order to pro- vide the opportunity for both Canadians and Chinese to gain a better understanding of each other. In retrospect, this work deeply affected our lives emo- tionally and shaped many of the friendships we still cherish today. Five years ago, I was invited to write an article for Youxie en- titled Unforgettable Days: Build- ing Friendships (Voice of Friend- ship No.105, February 2001) as part of celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relation between Canada and China. In that arti- cle, I expressed my deep respect and wonderful memories of the numerous friends I have had the honour of knowing who dedi- cated so much of their energy to building friendship between the Canadians and Chinese. The energy and initiative of the membership are still alive to- day. For example, one of our for
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