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The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand and the Consulate General in Christchurch Co-hosted a Symposium to Commemorate Rewi Alley’s Spirit and Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between China and New Zealand
2022-10-27 15:40

On October 20, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand and the Consulate General in Christchurch co-hosted a symposium to commemorate Rewi Alley’s spirit and celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand in Christchurch, the hometown of Rewi Alley. The opening speeches of the event were broadcast live over the Internet and received wide attention from all walks of life in China and New Zealand.

In his opening remarks, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong recalled the touching story of Rewi Alley’s 60 years of working in China with the Chinese people through thick and thin, weal and woe. Ambassador Wang acknowledged Rewi’s outstanding contributions to China’s revolution and development, and to building the friendship between China and New Zealand. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 125th anniversary of Rewi Alley’s birth, a golden opportunity for us to celebrate the rich legacy he left behind, build on his spirit, and promote further development of our mutually beneficial bilateral relations.

Ambassador Wang pointed out that Rewi Alley has led a noble and selfless life. His decades of dedication won him not only love and acclamation from the Chinese people but also respect worldwide. Outstanding are a few of his attributes. First, his deep love for the people. Rewi Alley had a heartfelt attachment to the toiling masses in China and devoted everything to them. Second, his belief in the choice of the Chinese people and his unwavering support for the cause of China’s liberation and development. Third, his tireless pursuit of world peace and harmony. Seeing the imperative and the possibility for different cultures to coexist, and the contribution that could be made thereby to peace and friendly relations between countries, Rewi Alley was committed to promoting intercultural exchanges and mutual appreciation and mutual learning.

Expounding the significance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Ambassador Wang said that General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his report to the Congress, thanked all the international friends for their valuable support over the years for the cause of China’s reform, opening up and development. Rewi Alley is one of them. Should he be still with us today, he would definitely be gratified by and proud of the dramatic transformations that have taken place in China, particularly the lifting of hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and the improvement in ordinary people’s lives. General Secretary Xi Jinping also reaffirmed China’s commitment to the independent foreign policy of peace. The Congress will bring new opportunities not only for China’s own development, but also for China’s cooperation with partners like New Zealand, adding new impetus to peace and prosperity across the world.

Ambassador Wang stressed that what we have achieved in our bilateral relations is not possible without the joint efforts of generations of Chinese and Kiwis, and especially the contribution made by friends like Rewi Alley. Looking back, China-New Zealand relations have created many “firsts,” standing at the forefront of China’s relations with developed countries, generating huge tangible benefits to both of our peoples, and making our relationship exemplary of win-win cooperation between countries that differ in social system, history, culture, and stage of development.

Despite the profound and complex changes taking place in the international environment and the significant progress both countries have made in their own causes of national development, China’s expectation for the development of China-New Zealand relations has not, and will not change; China’s firm commitment to deepening friendship between our two countries has not, and will not change; and China’s sincere aspiration to work with New Zealand to promote peace, stability, and development in the world has not, and will not change.

Going forward, we need to bear in mind that the development of our bilateral relations is not a matter of course but the result of painstaking efforts across generations from both sides. Looking ahead, we should draw inspiration from Rewi Alley’s legacy and his spirit, implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and comply with the aspirations of the two peoples, to deepen the friendship between the two countries for a common brighter future for both of us. 

Mr Lin Songtian, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, elaborated on the special significance of cherishing the memory of Rewi Alley on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand and the 125th anniversary of Rewi Alley’s birth. He expressed his gratitude to Rewi Alley for his selfless contribution to China’s revolution, construction, and development. He conveyed that no matter how well-developed, China will never forget those international friends who have helped China. He paid high tribute to Rewi’s internationalism spirit of sharing weal and woe together with the Chinese people. He confirmed that Rewi Alley made the right choice, as the CPC he supported has led more than 1.4 billion people to live a moderately prosperous life in all respects and move toward the Second Centenary Goal of building a modern socialist country to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He encouraged people to carry forward the spirit of Rewi Alley and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind. He invited people to follow Rewi Alley’s footsteps to find ways to actively overcome difficulties and eliminate disturbances, and jointly build more bridges of friendship, cooperation, and development to advance China-New Zealand relations and regional peace and prosperity.

In their speeches, HE Clare Fearnley, New Zealand Ambassador to China, HE John Mckinnon, Chair of New Zealand China Council, Mr Duncan Sandeman, Head of Civic & International relations at Christchurch City Council (on behalf of Phil Mauger, Mayor of Christchurch), and Mr Chris Lipscombe, National President of New Zealand China Friendship Society, warmly congratulated the convening of the symposium, saying that Rewi Alley had made important contribution to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, and had forged an unbreakable bond between the two countries, laid an important foundation both for the formal establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of bilateral relations. Over the past 50 years, people-to-people exchanges have always played a pivotal role in building bridges between the two countries and have become an important part of bilateral relations. The New Zealand-China relationship is increasingly rich and diverse in content. New Zealand looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in the fields such as trade, culture, education, science and technology, and tourism, and pushing forward the continuous development of bilateral relations.

Ms Jocelyn Alley-Watkin, Rewi Alley's niece, Mr Deng Bangzhen, his foster son, Mr Li Jianping, his former secretary, Mr Yang Cheng, Secretary of Bailie Vocational College and Shandan Bailie School CPC Committee, and Dr. Bruce Harding, former archivist of Christchurch Boy's High School where Rewi Alley studied fondly recalled the story of Alley’s friendship and acquaintance with the Chinese people. Ms Alley-Watkin shared the story that she and other relatives of Alley visited China to retrace Rewi’s path. The trip gave them a deeper understanding of his original aspiration and the profound friendship between the Chinese people and him. Mr Deng fondly recalled his time with Rewi Alley, especially mentioning Rewi’s encouragement and support for him to pursue his career in oil painting and to promote cultural exchanges between China and New Zealand. Secretary Yang Cheng introduced the development of Bailie Vocational College and Shandan Bailie School since its inception. He highly commended Rewi as a man sharing weal and woe with the Chinese people, and being respected and loved by the people of China and New Zealand. Li Jianping told the story of Rewi’s adoption and care for many poor children in China and funded them for education, indicating that Rewi has a big and kind heart.

Ms Michelle MacWilliam, Chair of Christchurch China Sister Cities Committee, Mark Oldershaw, CEO of Whitireia and Weltec, Sylvia Yang and Laura Carter, youth delegates from New Zealand China Friendship Society, and Mr Andy England, Principal of Darfield High School, all delivered speeches on the topic of “forging ahead to carry forward the Rewi Alley spirit and promote China New Zealand friendship.” They shared their thoughts and ideas on how to help the younger generation learn about and carry forward the Rewi Alley spirit, how to promote youth exchanges and education cooperation between the two countries, and how to view China objectively and rationally. After their speeches, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong and Principal England co-launched the “Carry forward the Spirit of Rewi Alley in NZ Campus” activity.

The panel of Ambassador Wang Xiaolong, Sir David Carter, former speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, patron of the NZCFA, HE Anthony Browne, former New Zealand Ambassador to China, Mr Alistair Crozier, Executive Director of New Zealand China Council, and Associate Professor Jason Young, Director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Center in Victoria University of Wellington, discussed the approaches to promote the healthy development of bilateral cooperation by way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand. They all believe that great achievements have been made in the past 50 years of China-New Zealand relations. The two countries should put their differences in perspective, respect each other, promote people-to-people exchanges, enhance youth exchanges, expand and deepen cooperation in various fields, and work together to promote better development of bilateral relations.

The symposium was held in tandem with a photo exhibition on the life of Rewi Alley, supported by the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand and co-organized by the New Zealand Friendship for Peace Association, New Zealand Culture and Arts Foundation, and New Zealand China Friendship Society. The exhibition displayed dozens of precious photos and paintings reflecting Rewi’s work and life in China, as well as his interaction with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Xi Zhongxun, and other leaders of the CPC Central Committee. It attracted many viewers from among the participants and the local people.

On October 21, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong and Consul General He Ying visited Rewi Alley Memorial Park in Springfield Town, where Alley was born, and Amberley School in Hurunui District, where he studied. During the visit, they unveiled the new plaque of Rewi Alley Memorial Park and introduced Rewi’s important contribution to China's revolution, construction, and development to the local primary and secondary school students, as well as his profound friendship with the Chinese people and the rich connotation and epochal significance of his precious spiritual heritage. They encouraged the students to carry forward the spirit of Rewi Alley and act as messengers of China-New Zealand friendship. Ambassador Wang Xiaolong, Consul General He Ying, and Mayor of Hurunui Marie Black jointly planted the tree of China-New Zealand friendship.


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