Taiwan compatriot Zhang Qizheng: "It is a great honor to participate in the Winter Olympics Flame Relay"

The picture shows Zhang Qi in the torch relay. (Courtesy of the interviewee)

"I am very honored to participate in the Torch Relay at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and although I am not an athlete, I still have a surging heart!" As the only Taiwan compatriot to participate in the torch relay at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhang Qizheng, honorary president of the Beijing Association of Taiwan-funded Enterprises and president of Beijing Juntai Department Store, excitedly said that Taiwan compatriots and Yourong yan were honored to participate in the grand event.

Originally from Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, Zhang Qizheng was born in 1958 in Taipei, Taiwan. In 1992, Zhang Qizheng returned to Chinese mainland with his father to develop a department store business, and has been developing and living in the mainland for 30 years. After Beijing's successful bid to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2001, Zhang Qizheng was optimistic about Beijing's development opportunities and opened up his career map to Beijing. "In 2008, I watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games live, and the scene was grand and the effect was shocking! A friend who participated in the torch relay presented me with an Olympic torch, and since then, I have dreamed of becoming an Olympic torchbearer one day. ”

In 2015, Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. In 2021, Zhang Qizheng received a notice from the relevant departments and was selected as the torchbearer of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The news excited him. However, the time of the Winter Olympic torch relay coincides with the Spring Festival, which means that they must stay in Beijing for the New Year and cannot return to Taiwan to reunite with their families. "Unexpectedly, after I explained the situation to my family, they were very supportive of my decision. Because beijing's hosting of the Winter Olympics is a national event and the pride of the sons and daughters of China!"

In Zhang Qizheng's view, participating in the torch relay is a sacred, ritualistic work, and it is not careless. "The first thing that comes to my mind is that the torch relay is going to run, so reserve your physical strength. For quite some time since I learned to be a torchbearer, I've been running several kilometers a day to build my endurance. Later, I heard that the distance of the torch relay running is not very long, but because it is winter, it may be necessary to wait for a while in the outdoor cold wind, so I began to practice my standing posture in the outdoor low temperature environment to adjust the best state for the activity. ”

Zhang Qizheng told reporters that before officially participating in the torch relay, participants will concentrate on isolation and watch the notice film. Through the film, Zhang Qizheng learned that the torch relay has high requirements for details. "For example, the torch should be lifted over the head, the direction of the torch should be exquisite, the running speed should not be too fast, and how the two runners greeted each other and passed the holy fire during the torch relay process, these aspects are exquisite and must be taken seriously."

On the morning of February 2, Zhang Qizheng participated in the torch relay at beijing Olympic Park as the No. 107 torchbearer. Although the distance of running is only 100 meters, Zhang Qi is surging in the process of passing the torch, and he cannot calm down for a long time. "The temperature outside was below zero degrees Celsius that day, but every torchbearer felt hot and excited!"

Since the successful bid for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the majority of Taiwanese businesses and taiwan enterprises in Beijing have actively supported the preparation of the Winter Olympic Games and participated in the series of sports events in Beijing. Beijing Juntai Department Store, where Zhang Qizheng works, sponsored 50 million yuan and became a diamond-level partner of the Beijing series of winter sports events.

"This year marks the 30th anniversary of the '1992 Consensus' between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) and Taiwan's Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF). Over the past 30 years, I have witnessed the vigorous development of the mainland and felt the unlimited opportunities here. Zhang Qizheng said that he is very supportive of Taiwanese youth to the mainland to start a business and develop, and he and many Taiwan enterprises are willing to share entrepreneurial resources with young people in Taiwan, provide guidance and help for these young people, and promote cross-strait integration and development with practical actions.

"I sincerely wish the athletes on both sides of the strait good results on the field!" Zhang Qizheng sent his sincere wishes.