"It's snowing in the Forbidden City, but what about Canberra?"
"The rain in Canberra has stopped... I didn't go home during the Spring Festival for two years, and I wanted to eat the rock sugar gourd in Nanluoguxiang. ”
As long as you have been to Beijing, you will definitely feel the human touch that pervades here. The Spring Festival is presumably dumplings, firecrackers, snow and temple fairs for old Beijingers, and for foreigners like me who have worked in Beijing, the Spring Festival in Beijing is before catching a train, and the taxi driver's beijing-like phrase "Yo, girl, go home~"
The New Year in China is the early autumn of the Southern Hemisphere, and Canberra has gradually awakened from the slow pace of the epidemic and returned to its former vitality. As the result of the friendship between Canberra and Beijing, the Beijing garden in the Australian capital is also enriched with colors. Some say that Canberra may be the only developing capital city in the developed world, and for me who chooses to stay in Canberra, Canberra always brings unexpected surprises.
Jenny Chen, Chair of the Capital Territory of the China Council of Commerce and Industry in Australia, told Region Media: "We are looking forward to the arrival of the New Year, and the effort and unity will allow us to reunite with family and friends again. ”
I still remember that in the Spring Festival of 20 years, when the epidemic first began, 30,000 Chinese in Canberra contributed to their compatriots in their own way, and in 2021, the Chinese in Canberra used their own strength to help overseas Chinese, including several important fundraising activities, showing the unity of Canberra people.
"Right now, there are still a lot of international students still in China," she said. Some friends, we may not have seen each other for almost two years. While helping the local community, we are still supporting each other in different ways. ”
On September 14, 2020, beijing and Canberra celebrated their 20th anniversary as sister cities, and Jenny said it was important to know that this friendly connection was not just taken literally.
"Some people may think that the sister cities are just welcome signs on the highway when entering Canberra, but with the presence of the Beijing Garden , which commemorates the friendly relations between the two cities, we have more attachments to these two cities in our daily lives."
"Last year, we also had a language exchange. Some schools in Canberra learned Chinese and produced a video that was sent to schools in Beijing. In return, students in Beijing also learned English and recorded a video to send back to Canberra. ”
"It was a great cultural exchange, and although people in the two cities can't meet yet, we can feel each other."
Jenny said: "Through some surveys, we can understand the way of life in these two cities. I hope that after the epidemic, friends from the two cities can go to each other's cities to experience local hospitality and feel different customs and customs. ”
Brendan Smyth, a former Liberal leader now the new local commercial commissioner for COVID-19, said the sister cities agreement signed 20 years ago made the two cities mutually beneficial.
"When Canberra Chief Minister Andrew Barr met with the mayor of Beijing, both sides said more cooperation would be reached in the future," Smith said. One of the biggest visions this year is that we will sign a new Memorandum of Cooperation on Sister Cities Agreements to bring us closer together in education, research, tourism, urban management, transport and other areas, and to work together to effectively address some important issues. ”
Mr Smith said that after the restart of international travel, the direct flight from Beijing and Canberra to Canberra is also on the agenda. We want to see closer educational ties, and we want to see closer cultural ties.
For Region Media, this new year is also the second anniversary of the launch of our Chinese edition.
Breaking down the barriers of Culture and Information between China and Australia, building a bridge for Chinese in Canberra to communicate with locals, and enabling new residents in Canberra to quickly integrate into local life is the original intention of The original intention of The Chinese section of Region Media. In the new year, I hope to bring more surprises to everyone, introduce the local lifestyle and information to the Chinese in Canberra, and let more Canberra locals see and hear the culture and voice of our Chinese community.
From the Forbidden City, to the Parliament Building; from Shichahai to Griffin Lake.
I hope that in the near future, friends in Canberra can face to face with Beijing and say: "Hello, Beijing!" Friends in Beijing can also come to Canberra and say loudly, "Hello, Canberra!" ”
Whether you are in Canberra in the southern hemisphere, or reunited with your family in China; whether your family is with you at this moment, or thousands of miles away from each other, today, remember to report peace to our loved ones, say good wishes, and feel each other's warmth at this time.
I wish friends in Beijing and Canberra a happy Spring Festival, continue to move forward hand in hand, and embrace a new future together. Bless Beijing, bless Canberra, and bless all the overseas Chinese in Australia and China, the end of the world is at hand, and the friendship will last forever.
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