Belgium

Belgium King’s Day in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

A full house

Belgium King’s Day in Beijing was celebrated on 17 November 2023. the official date is actually 15 November.
It was full house with over 400 guests. For the first time part of the new embassy was used. See further.
Always a great opportunity to meet Belgian and other friends. In my case, meeting Peter Ritzen, Jim Nobles, the team of (Belgian) Dewit Lawyers Office and many more.
Our host, the Belgian ambassador, was joined by the EU ambassador in China and Chinese VIP. The embassy did a great job.
Also the opportunity to showcase some of our Belgian products, of course beers, waffles, Belgian fries.

Food was done by chef Renaat Morel of Morel’s Restaurant. Corinne and Hongjie serving drinks. Yes I enjoyed my plate of the delicious food!
We were lucky with the weather, it was chilly outside but still pretty nice.
See here the report by the embassy.

The new embassy

Belgium King’s Day in Beijing also gave us a glimpse of the new embassy. I had mentioned the project in an earlier post.
See again the link to the architect and to the embassy project. Do not use VPN…

The Embassy and Consulate General will be closed and the consular services will be temporarily suspended from 11 until 15 December included, due to the move into the new premises. We are advised to apply for documents one might need (e.g. passports, eID, …) on time and preferably before 8 December to avoid problems during the Christmas holidays.
I hope (not really) the new embassy will be more “visitor friendly”. I miss the old embassy of the time when we had direct contact with the staff. Now, forget it. I have NEVER been invited into the temporary embassy, just into the lobby. Sadly times have changed, everywhere. Also in Belgium public services, banks and other have become very remote from the public.

Top beer exporters

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Dutch ahead in Europe

In 2021, the top Beer exporters were Mexico ($5.49B), Netherlands ($2.11B), Belgium ($1.98B), Germany ($1.38B), and United Kingdom ($513M).
According to figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Netherlands is still Europe’s biggest exporter of beer, and globally is second only to Mexico.
In 2020, Dutch breweries exported more than two billion euros worth of (non-alcoholic) beer. According to CBS, Heineken is, unsurprisingly, the largest exporter.

In Europe, Belgium comes in a close second; while the Netherlands has been the largest European exporter since 2000, Belgium is quickly closing the gap between the two countries. The Dutch neighbor exported 1,8 billion euros worth of (non-alcoholic) beer last year, climbing ahead of Germany and France who occupy third and fourth place respectively.

Top beer exporters, other source

Below are the countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of beer during 2020.

  •     Mexico: US$4.3 billion (28.4% of total beer exports)
  •     Netherlands: $2.1 billion (14.1%)
  •     Belgium: $2 billion (13.3%)
  •     Germany: $1.3 billion (8.4%)
  •     United States: $645.6 million (4.3%)
  •     United Kingdom: $525.5 million (3.5%)
  •     France: $386.4 million (2.6%)
  •     Czech Republic: $297 million (2%)

Source: Beer exports by Country

Belgian beer for everyone

Abbey beers, Trappists, doubles, triples, brown, blonde, or white Belgian beers are known worldwide for their variety. We estimate there are around 3000 different beers in our country spread out over more than 200 breweries. With so much variety, there’s bound to be a type of beer for everyone, whether you like sour, bitter, or sweet. If a traditional blonde “pilsner” doesn’t do it for you, check out which unique beers Belgium makes, maybe there will be one for you!

International Beer Day – 4 August 2023

Or Journée Internationale de la bière – Internationale dag van het bier.
Belgian beer is an excellent cultural export for Belgium and plays an essential role in our economy. Every year, Belgium exports over 6 billion pints! What’s more, our country brews at least 1,500 different beers in over 400 breweries. Internationally, we’re best known for the excellent flavor of our beer. In short, we can be proud of our Belgian beer!Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium

 

Belgian beers in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

More discoveries

My list of Belgian beers in Beijing that I bought and tasted is growing.
See here some of the new ones in the list:

This now the latest list: Beer bottles.pdf
See also: Belgian beer

Bob’s Wine shop

The small shop on Xindong lu has several Belgian beers. In summer it’s nice to sit outside.

There I did make some new discoveries.

Other interesting locations to find Belgian beers

Actually you can find Belgian beers in many bars and restaurants.
Here some.

I found the Bloembier in a Japanese restaurant on Xindong lu, very near the Greek Freak that also has a few different Belgian beers.
Then we have the famous “Heaven Supermarket”: a vast underground beer, disco and music hall under Shimao Gongsan (corner Gongti bei lu and Xindong lu). There are vast fridges where you find an enormous variety of beers and alcohol. Self-service, pay at the checkout and take to a table. Life bands and disco in separate sections.

Comparing Sint-Bernardus and Westvleteren

I had received several Westvleteren bottles from a Belgian diplomat leaving, the ones without a sticker.
A few days later we did a tasting in Morel’s Restaurant to compare it with a St. Bernardus Abt 12, that we feel is the closest in taste.

Later on I bought online in Beijing the 3 different Westvleteren beers for a bit less than 50 euro.
Westvleteren and Sint-Bernardus are said to be the same but there are some differences. The water used is different and that has an influence. For Westvleteren the monks use a Westmalle yeast while for Sint-Bernardus they use the old Westvleteren yeast. This according to this source.
Other articles such as this one still tell another brewing story:

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”.

Belgian media dubious tricks

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Trends and Knack

I receive daily newsletters from Trends and Knack, discovering their Belgian media dubious tricks. Dubious but also misleading the least to say.
It’s sad because they were supposed to be reputable media.
So, what’s the problem? In the emailed newsletters the articles intended for paying subscribers are supposed to be marked with a lock or + sign. The other ones are supposed to be accessible to everybody.
I am a registered user but not a subscriber.

See above some examples:

– Flashen voor gratis drank: no lock – but no access
– KBC-baas: no + – but no access
– Chinese groeimodel: no lock – but no access
– Jonathan Holslag: no lock – but no access

Their explanation

I contacted the two several times. First they answered their technical team would look into it. Finally they admitted it was a trick to convince readers to subscribe: you click thinking it’s free, damn, it’s not. I should subscribe. Should I?
A Dutch friend commented that this practice in The Netherlands could be deemed against the consumer law and one could file a complaint.
In Belgium, I don’t see this possibility.

Other media do it correctly.

See Gazet Van Antwerpen:

As far as I can see they do it correctly.
In conclusion, I would rather subscribe to GVA than to Knack-Trends. It’s a matter of honesty. And the newsletter of GVA is clear and well done.