Beijing Rotary in April 2022

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Kempinski lunch

Beijing Rotary in April 2022 was still active before one more COVID scare hit Beijing, shutting down all activities.
On Tuesday 19 April 2022 we had our lunch in Kempinski Hotel with Lucia Zhou, Program Manager of HOPE as our guest speaker. Lucia is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor recognized by PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship).
Topic: Update about HOPE and the Benefits of the Equine Therapy.

HOPE (Horses Offering People Enrichment) offers equine assisted activities and therapy (EAAT) for children with special needs. Founded by a Californian woman, HOPE was brought to Beijing to provide equine assisted therapy for children with sensory disorder, physical/visual, emotional/social disabilities, and autism. RC Beijing has in the past year sponsored an Instructor Training for one equine therapist through the Instructor Educational Course. Lucia Zhou, the program director at HOPE and a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor recognized by PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), brought to the meeting the instructor trainer who has recently completed her trainer training program, and a young adult who has received the equine therapy from HOPE. Lucia thanked the club for the support and sponsorship. With her training completed, the trainer is now equipped with skills to design and create tailored-made programs to benefit the children in need and is qualified to train other equine therapists to further their service in the community. Lucia and her colleagues expressed their wish that the club could continue to provide financial aid toward their instructor training this year.

Haochuan Tom Zhang also shared his experience at HOPE. While receiving therapy from HOPE, Tom also helps with working around the stable, looking after the horse he had ridden, and assisting with equine therapy.

More about HOPE

I had the chance to meet the HOPE team earlier and I also saw several of the videos showing the remarkable effect of the treatment.On 25 March 2018 Rotaract invited the HOPE people to give an introduction to their program, in the former Restaurant Red Rose.
The effect on kids with mental disabilities can be impressive. We saw kids that refused all communication with adults, they started riding the horses and created a bond with them. Then suddenly they spoke words never heard before…

See also: HOPE 2021 Annual Report Final with Photos

Online China District Conference

I joined the Tencent (Voov) meeting on Saturday afternoon on 23 April.
It was chaired by SR Richard Zi who also introduced the incoming SR Andrew Hill (1 July 2022). I found that part to be the most interesting.
See here the details:
The announced program: 220423 conference1
The updated program: 220423 conference2
The guest speaker: 220423 Conference Speaker

See some screenshots of the online meeting. I only saw myself appearing “life” from our club. And yes we even had a “group picture”, try to find me…
I had hoped to see more updates of all our China clubs as some of the clubs are struggling or even closing. While the guest speaker did a good job. I thought it was not relevant to what we really wanted to learn.
And we never got the slides that were shown…

Rotary lunch 8 March

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Kempinski Hotel

For our Rotary lunch 8 March 2022 we had as speaker Sjoerd den Daas, Correspondent of the Dutch Broadcast Corporation NOS who reflected upon his recent experience of the Winter Olympics from a journalist perspective.

We also concluded the auction of the Winter Olympic tea set I donated for the following Rotary Disaster Fund:
The United Nations estimates that number of Ukraine refugees could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Inter-country Committees and Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.
Rotary International has established a special Committee that will coordinate the provision of assistance from around the world to Ukraine, funds will be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing.
See here to donate directly: https://my.rotary.org/en/disaster-response-fund

Times a changing

As things become more and more complicated in China, Rotary is not allowed to operate normally, so many restrictions.
How times change. See here an announcement I did in March 2005 for the Rotary Charity Ball.

This today would not be allowed anymore.
Oh well…

Gilbert on Youtube, Introducing Rotary in Beijing

3 August 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKd6pKr_VQ8

Rotary eClub 3170 Guest Speaker Gilbert Van Kerckhove
Rotary Club of Beijing, China
I also talk about my origins, what I did in China…

CCTV4 in Morel

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Never-ending

For several days invasion of CCTV4 in Morel ’s Restaurant and Café.
They are preparing a documentary about Renaat and his restaurant, to be shown worldwide. Not a surprise as Renaat has an impressive track record, see my previous post.
There were interviews with Renaat, Susan, with Renaat and myself. Then shooting in the kitchen, Renaat eating his famous fish soup, Willem eating mussels (poor guy, they were cold in the end), Renaat going to the market, Renaat in video call with Belgium, plus shooting pictures of some of the dishes… Several days to shoot, it seemed like never to end.

The crew seemed to think the restaurant was theirs, for once we were lucky as no customers were flooding in. And no any noise please!

Sometimes frustrating

I found the CCTV team not to be as professional as the BTV team I worked with recently, see earlier post.
Constant program changes, new questions, and again new questions, failure to be allowed to shoot in the market…
Annoying also: I had my CHIMAY polo shirt with a small logo, I thought cool because it’s a famous Belgian beer and we are in a Belgian place. No no no, no any logos allowed. No showing of beer brands. Not even to mention the concerns of self-censorship and related.
Working with Chinese media can be a real pain and frustration. And nothing we can do about it.

Old China Hands 1 April lunch

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Is it a joke?

Not an April Fool’s Day but a real Old China Hands 1 April lunch with a nice attendance of 33 people, of course in Morel’s Restaurant.
Again everybody happy to chat and enjoy the great food, see some of the dishes.

All were too busy to come up with some April 1 joke. We had special Flemish and French-speaking tables, leaving the others to chat in English and German.

Hutong man

Our friend and regular participant Terry Crossman is famous for his hutong volunteering, being interviewed by Chinese and foreign media.
Even the very official China Daily published an article, see:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202201/16/WS61e351a6a310cdd39bc81475.html

See the PDF here: 220116 TerryCrossman
Click the link to China Daily to view the video clip.
Another short documentary came out with a nice video.

The video is on WeChat (Weixin) Channels, no link available. But Terry sent the file and you can view it here (VPN required): https://vimeo.com/695594973
Terry will make sure you find your way in the hutongs near Houhai!

And more Terry

I was nearly posting and then, another interview with the Hutong Man.
He is the darling of the media! Mark Levine and Terry arecompeting for the most media articles. I stand no chance!
See: http://www.bjreview.com/World/202204/t20220407_800281475.html
See the article here: 220407 TerryCrossman

International Women’s Day in Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Hosted in the Italian Cultural Institute

In order to mark the International Women’s Day in Beijing on March 8, the Embassy of Belgium, together with the Embassy of Italy, co-organized the projection of the documentary Addio Addio Amore, by Belgian Director Jean-Michel Dehon. Duration: 01:03:54.
The Ambassador of Italy H.E. Luca Ferrari and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium H.E. Jan Hoogmartens presided the screening.

A reception followed with Belgian beer, Belgian Beef Stew and fries by Renaat Morel and several Italian dishes.
Newsletter of the Belgian Embassy:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DdgQYiYbfysuvtfUhNDO6w

I found the documentary very interesting and very well done. It reminded me of my own “immigrant experience”, in Brazil and in China.

Addio Addio Amore

The documentary tells the story of courageous Italian women who migrated to Belgium after the Second World War.

These women were following their husbands who came to work in Belgian coal mines. Coal miners were working in very harsh conditions. Some lost their lives, notably on August 8th, 1956 during the biggest Belgian mining disaster at the “Bois du Casier” in the town of Marcinelle, where 262 men died, among which 136 Italians. The sacrifice of these men is still commemorated by Belgian and Italian authorities every year. The coal miners are remembered but the story of their wives and children is too little known, and too little told. This is precisely the aim of the movie Addio Addio Amore: to put some light on these women, who were also wives and mothers who played a central role, not only in their families but also on their own involvement in several industrial sectors in Belgium.

Today, more than 300,000 persons of Italian origin live in Belgium (for a population of 11 million inhabitants), creating countless ties and friendships. Belgium is grateful to these men and women from Italy who contributed so much to its development and society.
See the leaflet distributed in the room.

Synopsis of the movie

https://www.iotaproduction.be/en/film/addio-addio-amore/
75 years ago, Italy, then ruined by war, and Belgium signed an agreement to exchange labor for coal. Then began an unprecedented wave of immigration in Belgium in which women and girls played an essential role in the success of Italian integration. They tell us their story, the stories of women who one day came to join their husbands, without ever having denied their roots and their culture.

In French:
Great link with pictures: https://www.grignoux.be/fr/film/1284/addio-addio-amore
En prenant le parti de n’interroger que des femmes dans ce documentaire retraçant l’immigration italienne en Belgique, Jean-Michel Dehon rend hommage à ces héroïnes de l’ombre, rarement entendues, qui ont pourtant eu un rôle essentiel dans la réussite de l’intégration italienne.
Il y a 75 ans, l’Italie, alors ruinée par la guerre, et la Belgique signaient un accord d’échange de main d’œuvre contre du charbon. Commença alors chez nous une vague d’immigration sans précédent. Cette histoire a été maintes fois racontées dans de nombreux ouvrages, mais rarement du point de vue des femmes.
Dans ce documentaire, ce sont elles, les fiancées, les épouses, les mamans, les sœurs qui vont raconter cette immigration, leur immigration, l’aventure de leur mari mineur et de toute leur famille en Belgique. Alternant les images d’hier et d’aujourd’hui tournées dans la région des charbonnages en Belgique et en Italie, ce film donne la place à des témoignages émouvants qui résonnent particulièrement avec la réalité migratoire d’aujourd’hui

Also in French:
https://www.rtbf.be/tv/guide-tv/detail_addio-addio-amore?uid=2530008374668&idschedule=4dec5e57c9ce5cdb98be4570ec548c18