Life in the city

Old China Hands 3 November

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Our members are busy!

Our Old China Hands 3 November lunch had a moderate attendance of 26 people, we had many last-minute cancellations with many stuck in meetings, trips or simply too busy. Or with the flu…
With COVID restrictions gone our members are more back on the road and catching up with business.

Anyway, all had a good time as always, chatting and enjoying the food. The tongue in madeira sauce reminds me of my Mum’s great cooking.
Next lunch: Friday 1 December.

Bonne Maman

Our friend Quentin had a surprise for all, giving away the home-made jam he makes from fruit he collects from his garden near the Great Wall. See some of his samples. Very professional and really good – I have been the lucky guy enjoying his jam since quite some time. Thank you, and now I can continue to call you “Monsieur Confiture”!

As you can see, his jam reminds us all of the famous Confiture Bonne Maman, see here the background and more pictures.

In the footsteps of Ferdinand Verbiest

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

400 years

The Provincial Governor and the Mayor of Pittem organized a commemorative event entitled ‘In the footsteps of Ferdinand Verbiest’ on Friday 20 October 2023 in Beijing.
This event is an initiative of the Province of West Flanders and the Municipality of Pittem, with the support of the Howest Confucius Institute and the Embassy of Belgium.

On 9th October 2023, it was exactly 400 years since Jesuit Father Ferdinand Verbiest was born in the West Flemish municipality of Pittem, Belgium. Starting out in Pittem, he eventually became an advisor to Emperor Kangxi in the 17th century. Ferdinand Verbiest did more than practice astronomy, he also managed to surprise with numerous new and revolutionary instruments.

A large delegation from Flanders visited Hangzhou and Shanghai before the event in Beijing, with delegates from the Province of West Flanders,  the Municipality of Pittem, the University of Ghent and others.
Governor Carl Decaluwé became a Douyin sensation with his clip about Hangzhou!

The program

Prior to the visit the Belgian Ambassador Bruno Angelet visited the Beijing Ancient Observatory. The Director of the Observatory, Mr. Qi Rui, gave the ambassador a tour of the premises and recounted the observatory’s history and the development of Chinese astrology. See here the report of the visit with the background of Ferdinand Verbiest: 231016 Verbiest

October 9 marked the 400th of Ferdinand Verbiest’s birth. On this significant day, an international symposium took place in Beijing, where the Belgian Ambassador Bruno Angelet, esteemed sinology experts and scholars from various fields came together to honor the extraordinary legacy of Verbiest. See here the report of the symposium: 230921 FerdinandVerbiest.

The memorial event was organized in the afternoon of 20 October in the garden next to the Ancient Observatory. The delegates first visited the Observatory.

Morel’s Restaurant provided canapés and drinks before the speeches:

  • Welcome address ‘In the footsteps of Ferdinand Verbiest’ by H.E. Carl Decaluwé, Governor of West-Flanders
  • Opening remarks by H.E. Bruno Angelet, Ambassador for Belgium in China
  • ‘Flanders-China relations in the fields of science, research and trade’ by Koen De Ridder, Economic Representative of Flanders in Beijing
  • Music by the Chinese Orchestra of the Zhejiang Provincial Government
  • Monologue ‘The Discovery of Heaven’ by Kurt Defrancq, actor
  • ‘Ferdinand Verbiest, son of Pittem’ by H.E. Denis Fraeyman, Mayor of the Municipality of Pittem
  • ‘Imperial observatory, landmark of Beijing’ by H.E. Tang Li, Vice-Mayor of the Dongcheng district Beijing
  • ‘Ferdinand Verbiest’, by Dr. Huang Luqi, Vice President of CAST
  • ‘The image of Ferdinand Verbiest in China’ by Prof. Dr. Stephan Rothlin, Director of the Macau Ricci Institute at the University of St. Joseph, Macau
  • ‘The involvement of Verbiest at the Old Observatory’ by WANG Xiaofeng, Director of the Observatory
  • Unveiling ceremony of the commemorative plaque by Belgian and Chinese officials
  • Closing speech by H.E. Carl Decaluwé, Governor of West-Flanders

A great dinner

Later in the evening the delegation and invited guests were treated to a real Belgian dinner in Morel’s Restaurant.

Lively discussion! I also had the pleasure of meeting the delegates from the University of Ghent, where I received my Master in Engineering.

More details

I will soon publish the report of my visit to the Observatory on 14 April 2019 with many pictures of the instruments and the museum.
See here an earlier article about Verbiest,:
25 July 2019 – Belgian Father Ferdinand Verbiest
In 1659, Belgian Jesuit missionary Father Ferdinand Verbiest departed to China, initially to increase the pool of Chinese Christians. He however ended up taking a public test ordered by Emperor Kangxi to compare the merits of European and Chinese astronomy. Unlike his Chinese adversary, Father Verbiest succeeded in all the related tests, and was immediately installed as Director of the Beijing Observatory.
Read all: 190725 FerdinandVerbiest

See above details about the Verbiest Foundation in Leuven, Belgium. They publish a regular newsletter “Courier Verbiest”.

Old China Hands 6 October

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Last day of holidays

We had our Old China Hands 6 October 2023 lunch in Morel’s Restaurant with a more modest attendance of 24. Reasons: holiday travel, some COVID cases, some with injuries, unplanned other meeting and yes Matthew who forgot to set his alarm (again). But he was kind enough to leave a big tip to the staff as compensation. Thank you!

Renaat finally put the frame up of our Anniversary event!

Again all loved the food and the lively chat. One of the dishes is from my hometown, “Waterzooi of fish, Ghent’s way”. See more about waterzooi here.

Our stars of the month

Kevin is a part of the “Brian & Kevin DUO”, along with following of bears. They have been performing in several locations in Beijing.
I personally love their songs, most I (try to) sing in the KTV.

Brian is a US citizen, currently self employed as a communications consultant with a primary focus on enhancing public speaking skills, international communications, and brand recognition; married to a Chinese lady.
Brian has been entertaining crowds with his music in the USA for more than 20 years. He continues his musical journey here in China and loves connecting with many musicians from around the world. Playing as a duo with Kevin has been one of those great connections and pleasures. Styles of music include – Rock, Country, Jazz, Blues, R & B, and much more.

Kevin Paul is also US citizen with a Chinese wife. He is a German-trained Master Piano maker (Klavierbaumeister) by profession, and has been working as a consultant in this field the past several years. Previously, he lived and worked for many years in both Germany and Denmark, and is fluent in both languages. He can also speak and read Chinese on a basic level.
Kevin studied music composition and guitar in his younger years, and played in numerous bands in America , Germany, and Denmark. He came to Beijing in 2014, working as a master piano maker. He has been working together with Brian, complimenting Brian’s stage presence with solid musical underpinnings.

MAHA Beijing Mid-Autumn Party

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

MAHA

We were invited for the “2023 MAHA Beijing Mid-Autumn Party” in MAHA Beijing Park on 28 September 2023 by the general manager Ms. May Fu, all through Ms. Lydia Long (Moldova wines and more). I was invited to promote the Art Exhibition in the Louvre, the UWEE-WFP initiative.
Hong Kong-listed Hopson Development Holdings Ltd. created the brand MAHA in Beijing, in a 400,000 square meters of native forest (originally part of Chaoyang Park). MAHA Residential Park in 8 Xiaoyun Road won the 2022 Architizer A+ Popular Choice Award in the Private Garden category.
There are several serviced apartment blocks with units of 450m²; rent is in the range of ¥220,000 /month (up to about US$ 30,000), among other. There is also the Hopson Club with the Man Fu Yan Restaurant where Elon Musk had dinner on 30 May 2023 after he arrived in Beijing on his private jet.

I had the pleasure of meeting the general manager and the lady ambassador of the Bahamas, as well as the well-known influencer Chen Wei.
There was also a market with a stand of the Belgian chocolate Pierre Marcolini.
Some nice performances and disk jockeys – music through individual headphones.
Some 400 guests enjoyed a nice lamb dinner.
I did my speech about our painting exhibition in the Louvre, see below, after showing the promotion video of the Exhibition.
Clip supplied by MAHA with my small clips added about the Launching Ceremony of MAHA a Flow Club in the MAHA Park on 28 September 2023, including my speech. (needs VPN)

5th consecutive annual exhibition in the Louvre

Every January, UWEE collaborates with the World Food Program to organize an international art exhibition at the Louvre Museum. This coming January will mark our 5th consecutive annual exhibition. I am currently the Chairman of the Exhibition.
This year more than 10,000 works were exhibited on the online exhibition platform. About 870 children’s works from 36 countries were exhibited in the Louvre.

Our art exhibition serves multiple purposes.
Firstly, we celebrate artworks created by talented young artists from across the globe.
Secondly, it is a charitable endeavor. Every penny goes to World Food Program “School Meals Feed Futures”, a noble cause.
Finally, we aim to create a community of global citizens through the exhibition. Our motto, “One World, One Future”, is a vision that aspires to bring people together in this world.

Background of the Art Exhibition

Based on The State of School Feeding Worldwide 2022 from the UNWFP, 345 million people worldwide, including 153 million children and young people face starvation. Presently, 87 countries have joined the School Meals Coalition, to ensure that, by 2030, every child receives a healthy, nutritious daily meal in school. School meal programs have benefitted 420 million children worldwide and become the world’s most extensive safety net.
Since 2018, WFP China has implemented the Preschool Nutrition Improvement Program in Xiangxi (Hunan Province), Jingxi (Guangxi Province), Linxia (Gansu Province), and Wangcang (Sichuan Province), by providing nutritious school meals, conducting nutrition and health advocacy and education, upgrading kitchen facilities, and empowering smallholder farmers.
In 2023, the Union of Western and Eastern Education (UWEE) is joining forces with the UN WFP China Office to gather artwork from school-age children benefiting from the national nutrition improvement program and young art enthusiasts worldwide.
Noteworthy submissions will have the opportunity to be showcased at the prestigious Louvre Museum. Through these initiatives, we hope to raise awareness about child nutrition improvement and invest in the future of children.

Old China Hands 1 September

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Good numbers

Yes, we are back to good attendance with the lunch of Old China Hands 1 September. We were 30! I wonder when we could have again around 40…
I was happy to welcome old friends from Australia visiting China, William from Xian, and of course the usual regular members.
Greg organized a surprise cake with a speech and a song for his Chinese friend who is leaving for London to study. She was really impressed and emotional. And we all had two deserts this time!

For once I am in the pictures! Food was great as usual, thanks Renaat Morel and his team.
Next lunch planned for Friday 6 October.

Our “famous OCH of the month”

Dr. David Feng or as we known him “Mr. Railways”.
David is Chinese by birth, Swiss by passport, and has spent many years in London, as well as in many other cities, notably those with developed public transport.
With over 530,000 kilometers by rail, metro, tram, monorail, and other forms rail transport across Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, he is, we can say, “well-travelled”. He is particularly knowledgeable about the rail systems in China, Switzerland, and the UK.
He has been to over 2,500 rail, metro, and tram stations, including every single station on the world’s busiest and (by route) longest metro network (the Beijing Subway), and the oldest such network, the London Underground.
He acts like the journalist-on-the train, taking notes, pictures, shooting video clips and talking on his podcasts and other media.
His travels made him a detail-oriented specialist in concepts of railway station design, operations, and usability. He is a famous rail media personality, through many years of social media postings about the railways of China.
He helped the rail network in the UK translate signs from English to Chinese. He firmly remains in this field, as through his published book, the “Everyday Rail English” series by the China Railway Publishing House. Many signs were improved with his active participation. He has also trained thousands of Beijing Subway staff with similar bilingual publications and talks.

He is regularly featured on Chinese and worldwide media. I collected some of the latest articles, see here: