Boogie Boy China Tour 2025

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

 

Boogie Boy is back

Boogie Boy China Tour 2025 stopped in Beijing.
We had already met Boogie Boy last year, we went to his concert in a small bar in the hutongs on 6 May 2024. We were a very small audience. Boogie Boy is an old friend of Renaat Morel, they go back 60 years!. Before the concert we had dinner in a traditional local restaurant nearby.

On 7 May 2024 he had lunch in Morel’s along with Tobias.

Concert in the Belgian embassy in Beijing

Boogie Boy is on a major China Tour, going from city to city:

On 7 April 2025 the Belgian embassy opened its doors to near 100 people for an evening of food, Belgian beers, wine and yes a concert by Boogie Boy that was a success.
The food was sponsored by Renaat Morel, I helped Renaat for the food.

It was a great evening, thanks go to the Belgian ambassador and Max from the embassy who took care of the logistics.
See on Vimeo a short clip of his performance.

Embassy report

See the full report here.

At the heart of the band is Boogie Boy, a Belgian music legend whose dynamic presence and boundless energy have captivated audiences around the world. With a lifetime dedicated to performance, he transforms every stage into a celebration of music, inviting listeners to be part of an electrifying, joyful atmosphere.
Carrying forward this legacy is N8N, an acclaimed Belgian singer, and DJ, whose work bridges classic influences with fresh, modern sounds. His international career spans collaborations with music icons and performances at prestigious venues, making him a leading figure in Belgium’s vibrant music scene.
Joining them are two outstanding musicians: Sherry Xie, a gifted bassist and vocalist from Shanghai; and Tobias Le Compte, a talented Belgian multi-instrumentalist and industry professional.
Together, Boogie Boy & N8N embody the spirit of artistic collaboration and cultural connection — a meeting of generations, styles, and international talent.
Guests were treated to a taste of Belgium with delicious bites curated by Morel’s, paired with a selection of authentic Belgian beers, and even Belgian chocolates. Good vibes, great weather, and even better company, it is safe to say the night hit all the right notes.

 

Old China Hands Lunch 4 April

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Qingming holiday

Our Old China Hands Lunch 4 April was on the first day of the Qingming holiday, so the attendance of 24 was still pretty good.
The menu:

  • tomato stuffed with North Sea fish salad OR poached eggs with Delirium beer sauce OR fresh daily soup
  • chicken schnitzel with mixed salad and potato salad OR spaghetti bolognaise OR waterzooi of fish with boiled potatoes
  • daily desert

The following lunch will be on Friday 9 May, due to the May 1 holidays, as the restaurant expects another overbooking…

The restaurant was totally overbooked and we asked to leave by 2 pm, for the next round of guests. Thanks to all for cooperating! Some decided to continue their chats outside,! While we lose members leaving Beijing, new members receive a warm welcome.

Our star: Peter Ritzen

Peter Ritzen is a Flemish pianist composer and conductor. He is a close friend and attends our lunches regularly.
Peter studied piano and chamber music at the Royal Conservatory of his native city Ghent. He continued his training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He graduated with the Diplôme Supérieure d’Exécution for Piano from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris ‘Alfred Cortot’. As a concert pianist, Ritzen has played throughout Europe, Asia and the US. He cooperated as a soloist with many well-known orchestras and ensembles. He is an acclaimed interpreter of Franz Liszt & Theodor Leschetizky. His contact with the Chinese Culture resulted in a whole repertoire of own China related compositions.
He has conducted all over China, while residing In Beijing and Chongqing.
He also performed in the Belgian embassy during the visit of Belgian PM De Croo,

240111 PeterRitzen_anthem

He is also a foreign member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Some pictures from 2023, 2024 and 2025 showing his concerts and more.:

Peter Ritzen ON YOUTUBE: Chinese Rhapsody
Peter Ritzen: Chinese Rhapsody Love for the Motherland, Chongqing Festival Orchestra, Fan Jingma, tenor, Peter Ritzen, conductor.
More about Peter: see Wikipedia. The article needs updates.

Beijing Rotary Gala 15 March 2025

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Great attendance

Beijing Rotary Gala 15 March 2025: the Kempinski ballroom hosted over 200 guests who were served a delicious dinner with champagne, wines and more. It was also to celebrate the 101 anniversary of the Rotary Club of Beijing.
Ambassadors of Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Philippines attended along with officials of embassies –  Slovakia, Colombia,. Honduras, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Kenia and more. And besides our Chinese guests, foreign participants from many countries. Rotarians from other clubs joined the members of the Beijing Club.

The Gala is organized to promote the projects of our Rotary Club. See a short overview. Proceeds were collected by the Chinese Hebei Hospital, our partner for the hypospadias project, see details here.

UWEE was a major sponsor and also contributed ten children’s paintings for the silent auction, paintings from the annual exhibition in the Louvre, Paris. See a short introduction of the UWEE Group. The group also contributed to the entertainment.
UWEE issued a short article about the event, see here the Chinese version with a Google translation: 250315 UWEEreport.

Pictures shown are a selection of the many pictures taken during the event, all downsized.

Highlights of the program

  • Reception in Ballroom Foyer started at 6pm; guests were welcomed and some were interviewed by UWEE; the ballroom doors opened at 6:45pm,
  • Rtn Daniel acted as the MC.
  • Speaker: Rene Schmitt, President of Rotary Club of Beijing introduces Hypospadias Partners, President Cao of Hebei Charitable and Deputy Director Cui of Hebei Hospital; film showing the Rotarians Visit to Hebei Hospital on March 1.
  • Performance by Alina, Piano Recital followed by Alina and twin boys, 6 hands piano (UWEE).. The twin boys are the sons of Mr. Yan Fei.
  • Performance – Xinjiang Dance Show (UWEE) – Dongzhimenwai Angran Dance Group (12 ladies aged 65 to 74) – group picture with embassy guests.
  • Group picture of Rotary Members
  • Brian and Kevin playing our favorite tunes.
  • Greg Lutrell and Band – Dancing opened with performance of Cuban dancers (UWEE).

See a small video clip “Rotary Club of Beijing Gala 15 March 2025”

UWEE tables

UWEE Group took four tables, bringing together ambassadors, officials and Chinese friends..

Gilbert as Rotating Chairman of the UWEE Group was the host of the ambassadors table, together with Mr. Yan Fei, President of the Group. The ambassadors of Belgium, Philippines, Luxembourg and Switzerland all enjoyed the evening.

Old China Hands Lunch 7 March

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

 

Animated lunch

The Old China Hands Lunch 7 March was attended by 26 friends in total. I even had the pleasure of having an old friend attending who had just arrived from Belgium in the early morning.

The menu, see the pictures:

  • Russian egg salad OR salade Niçoise
  • pork piccata provençal style served with grilled tomato and pan-fried potatoes OR thin sliced beef tenderloin with wine merchant sauce served with market vegetables and Belgian fries OR pan-fried snapper with mustard sauce served with daily vegetables and mashed potatoes
  • daily desert

Lively discussions as always. Even outside on their bikes – seems this picture has been making the rounds on local media…

At the end we had a mix-up with backpacks. After a frantic search we found the one who had grabbed the wrong one… he was having a nap! They ended up exchanging the backpacks later in the evening.

Next lunch is planned for Friday 4 April 2025.

 

Gilbert on CGTN Dialogue

CGTN Dialogue, interview in my Julong office done on 24 February 2025, first on air on 6 March 19:30.

250224 CGTNweb

The interview is on a couple of platforms. Best is on Youtube by myself.

The original from CGTN is also on Youtube. We added the subtitles.

 

Old China Hands Lunch 7 February

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Nice turnout

The Old China Hands Lunch 7 February 2025 saw a nice turnout of over 30 participants, despite some calling of sick, family issues, mixing up lunch/dinner and more. And icy weather! Otherwise we would have been close to 40!

Gilbert became an Eskimo! Fully equipped for the freezing weather.

Food was great as usual, see some in the pictures:

  • chicken curry salad OR Morel’s chef salad (ham, blue cheese and pan-fried chicken, beef on lettuce) OR f fresh daily soup
  • farmer’s pork sausage with onion sauce served with red cabbage and hotchpotch potatoes OR mini steak minute with blue cheese sauce served with daily vegetables and french fries OR pan-fried snapper with mustard sauce served with daily vegetables and mashed potatoes
  • daily desert

Very lively discussions and the speech by our Chinese Dutch friend Phoa.

Drinkable Rivers with Li An Phoa

See on Spotify

“The sign of a healthy economy should be a drinkable river,” these are the words of Li An Phoa, an environmental activist and our guest for this episode. In 2005, Li An Phoa canoed the full length of the Rupert, a river in Canada. All along the way, she was able to drink water straight from the river. When she returned three years later, this was no longer the case. The river had been poisoned from dams, mining, and industry. Fish died, people got ill, and the delicate balance in the ecosystem was destroyed. Realizing that drinkable rivers are not just a key indicator of ecological health, but community vitality and resilience as well, and that rivers can only be drinkable when economic systems are post-growth, truly democratic, place-based, and respectful of the commons and Indigenous peoples, Li An decided to dedicate her life to re-cultivating drinkable rivers.
Since then, Li An founded the Drinkable Rivers organization and Spring College  and has walked many rivers, using citizen science to test the water quality, training others to do the same, and intervening when a river has been contaminated or is off-balance. Her 1,000-kilometer walk along the river Meuse in Europe was the subject of the documentary Long Walk for Drinkable Rivers. Most recently, she and her partner Maarten van der Schaaf wrote the book Drinkable Rivers: How the river became my teacher.
In this conversation, Li An goes upstream to explain why rivers are no longer drinkable, she offers her vision of a world with drinkable rivers, shares her process for galvanizing communities to care for their watersheds, and suggests invitations for how all of us could contribute to healthier rivers and healthier eco- and economic systems around the world.

Introducing Li An Phoa

Our friend Phoa gave an emotional speech, also introducing his daughter and her book. Proud father!
Happy to receive a copy, In return I gave a copy of my book Toxic Capitalism, about environmental issues.

Our Chinese Dutch friend telling his personal story and introducing his daughter and her book, see the video clip on VIMEO.