On November 24, upon the invitation of His Worship Gerald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal, Mr. Xu Bu, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition of "The Adventures of the Unpredictable Dr. Bethune" in the Montreal History Center. Also present at the exhibition were Consular Generals of the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Turkey and Algeria in Montreal along with over 150 representatives from local government, parliament, cultural organizations and Chinese community.

　　　 Mr. Xu said in his speech that this year marks the 70th anniversary of Dr. Bethune's passing. Time does not fade Chinese people's memory and respect for this man. Even today, Dr. Bethune's memorial house in Hebei Province is still frequented by tens of thousands of Chinese visitors who wish to pay tribute to his contribution to the Chinese liberation.

　　　 Mr. Xu noted that Montreal was a quite special place to Dr. Bethune. It was in this very city that he reached a professional highlight. It was also where he left to join the Chinese in the fight against Japanese invasion.

　　　 Mr. Xu expressed his wish that more people would follow the steps of Dr. Bethune to contribute to the growing friendship between the Chinese and Canadian people.

　　　 Mayor of Montreal Gérald Tremblay highly praised Dr. Bethune's important contributions to Canada-China relationship at both civil and national level. His spirit of pursing peace, justice and selflessness is still valued today. He said, by running a series of exhibitions, lectures and special events, not only will people in Montreal know better about Dr. Bethune, but more Chinese will have the channel to know Montreal and Canada better.

　　　 "The Adventures of the Unpredictable Dr. Bethune" is part of the year-long Tribute to Norman Bethune to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Dr. Bethune's passing and the 80th anniversary of his commencement of working in Montreal. The Exhibition presents with abundant pictures and objects the adventures throughout Dr. Bethune's entire life, especially his experience in McGill University and Royal Victoria Hospital from 1928 to 1936.

 

Attachment: Full text of Mr. Xu's speech

Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires Mr. Xu Bu

Of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada

At the Inauguration of "The Adventures of the Unpredictable Dr. Bethune"

At the Center of History of Montreal

November 24, 2009

Your Worship Mayor Gerald Tremblay,

Mr. Jean-François Leclerc,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me first express, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Canada, our congratulations to you on the success of this exhibition in memory of Dr. Norman Bethune. I wish to thank, in particular, all the people who have made this exhibition possible.

My knowledge of Dr. Bethune began with an article entitled In Memory of Norman Bethune. It was written by Mao Zetung, the late Chinese revolutionary leader in Yan'an, at that time a small northern Chinese village and command center for the war against Japanese aggression. At the news of Dr. Bethune's death in 1939, Mao mourned over the loss of the great doctor and internationalist by saying: This foreigner made light of traveling thousands of miles to help us, selflessly adopted the liberation cause of the Chinese people as his own. No one failed to express admiration for Dr. Bethune whenever his name was mentioned.

After the founding of new China in 1949, this article was included in school textbooks and has since been read by generations upon generations of Chinese students.

This year we commemorate the 70th anniversary of Dr. Bethune's passing. Time does not fade Chinese people's memory and respect for this man. Even today, Dr. Bethune's memorial house in Hebei Province is still frequented by tens of thousands of Chinese visitors who wish to pay tribute to his contribution to the Chinese liberation.

Recently, a 40-day long national poll called "Chinese Connection: Top Ten Foreign Friends Who Have Influenced China" was held on the internet. Dr. Bethune topped all other candidates with around 4.7 million votes. Undoubtedly, he still lives in the heart of the Chinese people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To Dr. Bethune, Montreal is indeed a special place. It was in this very city that he reached a professional highlight. It was also where he left to join the Chinese in the fight against Japanese invasion.

I have noticed with delight that in the past few years, Montreal has been at the forefront of forging closer cooperation and exchanges between Canada and China. Montreal is now the third largest host city to overseas Chinese in Canada. It has also attracted a very large number of Chinese students. Cooperation between Montreal and many Chinese cities are accelerating in fields such as trade, education, culture, science and technology.

Montreal is a Sister City of Shanghai, the biggest and a most dynamic and prosperous city in China. I believe, through Montreal's participation in the 2010 Expo in Shanghai, more Chinese people will get to know your city better.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Life is limited, but true friendship and altruism last forever.

We are glad that two weeks ago, 17 Canadian volunteers followed Dr. Bethune's steps, went to Tang County of Hebei Province, where the Doctor once served, to give free examinations to local residents and donate medication to local clinics.

We need more people like Dr. Bethune and those 17 volunteers. These people are an important stimulus for the growing friendship between the Chinese and Canadian people. So is our commemoration today. Well-organized exhibitions as this will acquaint more people with the unpredictable Doctor and his inspiring stories. I am sure that his passion, bravery and humanitarian spirit will continue to impress many more in the years to come.

Finally, I wish to again express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Norman Bethune and all those who have contributed to the betterment of China-Canada relationship.

Thank you.