In Brunei, 'small is beautiful'

By Zhang Jin (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-14 09:30

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: Four days in Brunei gave Chinese navy soldiers an experience different from that in their home country.

Some of the 300 officers and soldiers, upon their arrival onboard destroyer Guangzhou on Aug 11, were surprised at Brunei's small size but they soon found "small is beautiful".

Zhang Wendan (left), deputy chief of staff of South China Sea Fleet,proposes to a toast to Brunei's deputy minister of defense (center) and Royal Brunei Armed Forces commander onboard Guangzhou destroyer at Muara Port in Brunei on Thursday. [Courtesy of Zhou Jijun and Mo Xiaoliang]

A soldier, surnamed Zhang, said: "Everything here looks miniature. The largest supermarket in the country is only half size of a hypermarket in my hometown." His hometown is Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

"But you don't feel crowded in the supermarket here. It gives you a shopping experience you can only enjoy in China's upscale shopping malls," he said on Thursday evening, when the ship held a reception to local visitors.

Others said they were impressed by the country's mosque.

"The mosque gives me a brand-new experience," said a solider, who only gave his surname as Sun. He was referring to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque, a landmark tourist destination in Brunei.

Sun and Zhang had never been to the country before. The warship left Brunei Friday morning for Indonesia for an international fleet review to mark Indonesia's 64th anniversary of independence on Aug 17.

The ship, with a full-load replacement of 5,850 tons, has joined vessels from around the world to attend the Brunei International Defense Exhibition, a four-day event that will conclude on Saturday. The missile destroyer was named after a major southern Chinese city.