Author: Zhang Guobin Former Consul General of China in Strasbourg, France, the first Consul General in Reunion, France, has successively served in the Africa Department, General Office, Protocol Department, Diaoyutai State Guest House and Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has been based in Africa for 8 years and France for 11 years, visiting more than 140 countries and visiting more than 30 countries with national leaders.
He is the author of "Diplomats Say Etiquette", "Foreign Affairs Etiquette for New Civil Servants", "Win the World with Etiquette", "Show Your Best Self", "Footprints", "The Wizard of Green Island", "Royal Casino" and so on.
The five-star red flag is the symbol of the People's Republic of China, and whenever I think back to the construction of the museum in Reunion and the first five-star red flag, my heart is still surging, just like yesterday.
The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Denis, capital of Reunion, is the fifth consular office established by China in mainland France and overseas departments or territories, and the first Chinese consulate general established in French overseas departments.
• The Chinese spontaneously went to the airport to welcome the arrival of Zhang Guobin, the first Chinese Consul General in Saint-Denis.
In 2009, I was appointed as the first Consul General of China in Réunion, and on August 9, 2009, Xiao Ni and I flew to Reunion via Paris, and as soon as we got off the plane, we were warmly welcomed by the local government and the Chinese people.
As soon as we arrived in Reunion, we began to look for suitable premises, and after several months of traveling, we finally found a suitable place, and within half a year, after seeking domestic approval, we were about to move into the office. Before moving in, we must find a way to raise the five-star red flag at the Consulate General, and for this reason, we have done a lot of preparatory work in the early stage, including some memorable episodes.
Since the first arrival in Reunion, the Consulate General rented the houses of the locals, and in order to smoothly raise the five-star red flag, a small renovation of the yard was required, including the construction of the base of the national flag. But when he consulted with the landlord, he didn't agree at first. After doing the work and promising that if we move and change the address of the Consulate General in the future, we will definitely restore the house to its original state without any damage, and the owner agreed.
Later, when a Chinese heard that we were going to raise the national flag, they donated a flagpole and did not want to disclose his name. This is also an expression of the feelings of the local Chinese for the motherland, a kind of blood connection, I solemnly thank the Chinese friends and use this national flagpole. Later, we accepted two large-size TVs presented to the Consulate General by TCL and installed them in the service hall, which greatly facilitated our subsequent consulate work.
After nearly half a year of preparation, on February 6, 2010, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Saint-Denis, capital of Reunion, France, was officially opened. This not only made the overseas Chinese on the island rejoice, but also blew a Chinese "whirlwind" in the local society.
Reunion is in the southern hemisphere, so during the Ruixue mega year in China, the temperature in Reunion is close to 37 degrees Celsius. However, on the opening day, many guests wore suits or traditional Chinese clothing, and we deeply felt that what was "hot" than the weather was people's excitement.
At 10 a.m. on the 6th, under the attention of Chinese Ambassador to France Kong Quan, Governor of Reunion Magioni and more than 300 people from all walks of life in Reunion, accompanied by the solemn national anthem of the People's Republic of China, the five-star red flag slowly rose in front of the small square of the Consulate General and under the blue sky and white clouds of Reunion. When the national anthem was played and the national flag was raised to the top of the flagpole, there was a brief silence, followed by warm applause and cheers, and I saw many Chinese hugging, cheering and celebrating with tears in their eyes.
"Reunion experiences the Chinese moment" - One of the largest local newspapers, the Daily, reported the opening of the Chinese Consulate General in a prominent page on the 6th and interviewed me. The newspaper also detailed Ambassador Kong Quan, who had traveled from Paris to attend the opening event, and the headline "Welcome, Mr. Ambassador" was full of Reunion enthusiasm for China.
• Kong Quan, Zhang Guobin and guests cut the ribbon (from left: Arnett, Dandall, Marjoni, Kong Quan, Pierre Virges, Zhang Guobin)
Ambassador Kong and Governor Macioni jointly unveiled the Consulate General, and together with the President of the local Assembly, the Mayor of Saint-Denis and I cut the ribbon for the opening of the Consulate General, more than 300 local representatives witnessed this historic moment.
• Ambassador Kong Quan delivered a speech
In his subsequent speech, Ambassador Kong expressed his gratitude to the overseas Chinese and local people who contributed to the preparation of the Consulate General. He said that China and Reunion have maintained a historic and close relationship for a long time, and overseas Chinese have made important contributions to local economic and social development. In addition, the Chinese government attaches great importance to relations with France, and the establishment of the Consulate General reflects the concept of "people-oriented" in China's diplomacy, and the Consulate General will strive to provide various services to local people and more than 30,000 overseas Chinese in the days to come.
The governor of Reunion Province, Marchionyi, also began his speech with Chinese "Mr. Ambassador, Mr. Consul General, welcome to Reunion", and then he congratulated the opening of the Consulate General and reviewed the history of entrepreneurship and development of overseas Chinese in Reunion, believing that they have made important contributions to the development of the local area. Marchioni also said that the establishment of the Consulate General is not only a grand event for the Chinese community, but also a major event for the entire Reunion. It is hoped that this will strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, especially tourism and renewable energy utilization.
He pointed out, "In fact, the establishment of the Consulate General not only provides convenience for the Chinese diaspora here, but also opens the door for all Reunion people who want to know about China." "Marjoni later told me that in order to express his welcome attitude towards the opening of the Chinese Consulate General, he deliberately learned the opening sentence of the Chinese language speech that day." This is my secret, my daughter-in-law is a Chinese, and she taught me this phrase. Marchionny said with a smile, pointing to the pinyin marked on the speech.
In order to express their joy at the establishment of the Chinese Consulate General, many Chinese representatives also made unconcealed and excited speeches. Mr. Andre THTEN-AN-KOON, former MP and Mayor of Tanphong City, Réunion Province, said excitedly: "For this moment, we have waited for decades, China has opened a consulate general in Reunion, and our long-standing wish has finally become a reality. During his tenure, he arranged five or six important delegations from China every year, witnessing the deepening of exchanges and cooperation between the French province of Reunion and the Chinese side over the years.
"We have been looking forward to this day for too long," lamented Liu Ruizhen, vice president of the Sino-French Cultural Association of Reunion, "In the past, if you wanted to return to China, you had to take a 40-minute flight to Mauritius to apply for a visa, not including the time to enter and exit the airport and complete the formalities. Now, it takes half an hour to get from my house to the Consulate General (for visas), but it's a walk. ”
Xiao Tiansheng, secretary general of the Reunion Overseas Chinese Friendship Association, whose ancestral home is in Meixian, Guangdong, has lived here for more than 30 years. On that day, he ran before and after the celebration site, and he was very excited. "Today is our big day. I miss my hometown, I miss my parents, and I can go home often in the future. "My generation was born locally or came here with their parents at a young age. Today, three generations of Chinese live here and are fully integrated into the local society, but China's roots will always be in our hearts. ”
• Lin Yuanxiang
From the preparation to the construction of the Consulate General, Lin Yuanxiang, chairman of the Reunion Overseas Chinese Friendship Association, has put in a lot of effort. Exhausted, he was relieved that he felt that he seemed to be one step closer to China, thousands of miles away. "I was born in Reunion and received a French education from an early age, and I began to identify with my Chinese identity little by little. For me, China is far away and close at hand. We will make every effort to get to know her and get to know her, which is what the Reunion Overseas Chinese Friendship Association is doing right now. ”
Although Lin Yuanxiang can't say Chinese, he is full of attachment to his hometown. "I first returned to my ancestral hometown of Meixian, Guangdong, in 2004, when a relative in Belgium acted as an interpreter for me. For the first few days, I couldn't understand a word of Hakka. But suddenly one day, childhood memories came back to my mind. I remembered the words my father had told me, and I began to understand what people were talking about, but I couldn't express myself in the same language. There are also Chinese doctors in Reunion, Huo Mingxiang, Chinese president Li Kangle, Qiu Haihua, Wang Xianfeng, Zhang Yongke, etc. also expressed their hearts in response to reporters' questions.
After that, more than ten Chinese on the island spontaneously organized a lion dance team, and they danced the red, blue, yellow and orange lions to the sound of cheerful gongs and drums.
• Ambassador Kong Quan issued a visa to Governor Macionyi
After the opening ceremony, Ambassador Kong first issued the first visas to Governor Macionyoni, and two more issued the first visas to China to five Reunions. Julian Marel, who was in the golf equipment business in Reunion, became the first to receive a visa. Facing the media reporters who surrounded him, Marel couldn't help but smile and couldn't help but say: "I'm so happy, next I have to plan my trip to China, I really don't know whether I should travel first, or look for business opportunities first." ”
• Taiyuan Acrobatic Troupe performed brilliantly
Fortunately, on the occasion of the opening of the Consulate General, the celebration of the Chinese New Year has once again set off a climax. In addition to the usual Spring Festival celebrations in São Paulo, Saint-Pierre and Saint-André, there are also cultural groups from China who come to participate in the event, as well as the Taiyuan Acrobatic Troupe, which is specially set up for the Consulate General, and the Hubei Art Troupe, which is touring the Indian Ocean region. The artistic performances from the Chinese team were intertwined with the wonderful performances of the local Chinese in Reunion, and everyone seemed to have crossed the limitations of time and space to come to China and feel the rich culture and enthusiasm of this historic country.
In order to express the welcome of the domestic art team and the support of all sectors of the Réunion community for the work of the Consulate General, we also invited 10 professional chefs from Beijing to prepare several sumptuous Chinese banquets for more than 800 local guests. These messengers of Chinese culture and the taste of China immersed all the cities of Reunion from south to north in the festive atmosphere of the Year of the Tiger for three weeks.
• The five-star red flag is raised in Saint-Denis
Many years have passed, but the scene of the establishment of the museum at that time has always been vividly remembered, especially the moment when the five-star red flag rose in the land of Reunion, through the fluttering flag, every heart with a hot yellow bloodline felt the call from the other side of the ocean, "Rivers and mountains only linger in my dreams, the motherland has not been close for many years, but no matter what, it can't change, my Chinese heart!" ”
-End-
Graphic | Zhang Guobin
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