Rotaract East elections and party at The Tree

On 9 May a different location to do the elections of the new board for Rotaract East (Sanlitun): The Tree in Sanlitun, a well-known Belgian bar and restaurant.
The new team was elected, different nationalities, different faces. They will start their Rotaract year 1 July.
We were happily surprised by the invasion from many members of the Rotaract West (Wudaokou) who joined us for a pretty intense party.

Indeed our Birthday Boy Frederik paid us all a drink and they then switched to Tequila at some point. Somehow all Rotaractors made it home safely, if not the same evening…

Anniversary of the Old China Hands Lunch

On Friday 6 May 2016 our third anniversary lunch!
Our Belgian ambassador did the honor of joining us (again)(and yes he IS an approved Old China Hand!).

Location of course Morel’s Restaurant. Great conversation as usual!
Next lunch is Friday 3 June.

Beijing Rotary lunch 3 May

A quiet lunch this time, just after the (short) 1 May holidays, no speaker.
Sven H., one more new German member of our club was inducted.

Gilbert received his new Paul Harris Foundation pin, the PHF+7, see his collection, PHF+7 (2016) and PHF+6 (2016), plus the first one and all others together! Received for his work with Rotaract.

Rtn Daniel R. also got a PHF pin and brought the banner and news of the new Rotary Club of Tianjin.
Daniel Ralph, who runs URBRAU (König Ludwig Beer!) kindly gave free tickets for a beer festival in Shanghai.

We had a French visitor from the loverly region of Monaco, Rtn Yann G. from the Rotary Club of Beausoleil.
Rtn Jens H. tried a new role as Sergeant-at-Arms!

Exploring new food in De Refter (Sanlitun)

I was already a couple of times in De Refter, the new Belgian Café in Sanlitun (close to The Bookworm). The first De Refter is in operation since several years in Shanghai (in the former French Concession).
See: Belgian Beer Culture Week in China

Belgian Beer Culture Week in China

The bar has an extensive choice of Belgian beers.
On 22 April I was invited to try the new business lunch, a tasty experience! Also, value for money.
Thanks to Steve Devos of Vandergeeten (right) and the chef (Dutch) Jorin de Hoon (left).

The weather was nice so we could enjoy sitting outside. We were pretty spoiled with the food. For me… pretty large lunch plus the nice beer (Keizerrijk Van Bree).
Experience successfully repeated on Friday 29 April!.