An unforgettable experience

Attending the annual Spring Festival symposium for foreign experts with Premier Li Keqiang was an experience which I would never have dreamt of when I arrived in China in 2002.

I remember that every year at this time, just before the Spring Festival, I would see the news clip on Xinwen Lianbo, China Central Television's flagship news bulletin, featuring veteran foreign experts, including many who made a direct contribution to the Chinese revolution and the building of New China - such as Israel Epstein, Joan Hinton, Isabel Crook and Sydney Shapiro - meeting the premier, but I never dreamt that one day I would be following in their footsteps.

The event was more than purely ceremonial, this was no mere Spring Festival party.