Diplomatic pouch | Mike Peters

About 100 cyclists flashed through one of Beijing's embassy districts on April 22 as the Danish Embassy celebrated Earth Day by hosting a "climate race" . Actor Liu Ye joined Danish Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen and three other European ambassadors Markus Ederer of the European Union, Theodore Georgakelos of Greece and Ante Simonic of Croatia for the three-kilometer ride. Fortune smiled on them by providing sunshine and a blue sky. After lunch, another group of 100 cyclists convened near the Ming Tombs for a more ambitious bike trek in the hills.

Petersen said such cycling is a key part of sustainable living for the future one of the goals Denmark has promoted during its presidency of the European Union. The ambassador noted that people in all walks of life including Denmark's future king, Crown Prince Frederik cycle to work and around the capital city, Copenhagen.

Several weeks before the Climate Race, the Danish embassy raised 30,000 yuan ($4,756) for local organizations advocating environmentalism in an online auction of Petersen's personal racing bike. The envoy handed over the first portion of the charity donation to representatives of the NGO Smarter than Cars on Sunday.

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The Dutch embassy in Beijing is celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations with China in a series of events this month. The Nanjing Museum hosted the opening of the Appreciate Van Gogh exhibition featuring more than 100 items related to Van Gogh and his contemporaries that runs until May 31. The highlight of the show is Van Gogh's painting A Peasant Woman Digging in Front of Her Cottage. Sponsored by sister provinces Jiangsu and North Brabant, the exhibition was opened by North Brabant Governor Wim van de Donk, Vice-Governor of Jiangsu Cao Weixing, Dutch Consul General for Shanghai Peter Potman and Mayor of Nanjing Ji Jianye.

The consulate general in Shanghai organized seminars on topics such as social responsibility, sustainable urban development and Chinese environmental law, and hosted screenings of Dutch films.

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French Ambassador to China Sylvie Bermann hosted a farewell reception on April 18 for Yo-Jung Chen, the embassy's retiring deputy officer for press and communications. Chen, a cheerful man from Taiwan who began his career as a translator in Tokyo in 1974, was honored with the French Order of Merit last year. Chen and his Japanese wife, Michiko, are in the process of moving back to Japan.

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Peru's Ambassador Gonzalo Gutirrez Reinel recently hosted an exhibition of 800 Peruvian stamps. The event in the historic Cathay Pacific House launched the Chinese Society for the Studies of Peruvian Postage Stamps in Beijing. Co-sponsored by the Organizer Committee of China for the Annual Election of the Best Stamps Issued in the World and other philatelic organizations in the country, the event included stamp experts, diplomats and academics, who also enjoyed Peruvian finger foods and the country's signature cocktail, the pisco sour.

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Chinese Ambassador Shen Zhifei to Croatia recently met with Croatian Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic in Zagreb, and applauded "the loose visa policy towards Chinese tourists adopted by the Croatian government in the past two years", which has resulted in a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Croatia. Shen also invited more Croatians to visit China.

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The Romanian embassy hosted a wine seminar and tasting by several producers who are working to enter the Chinese market soon: F&J Internationa, Jidvei, Senator Wine, Stand Up Nazarcea and Viti-Pomicola Samburesti. The seminar was co-sponsored by the China's Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, the embassy said.

Send embassy news to michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 04/29/2012 page5)