Honorable Speaker Calvin Say of the State House of Representatives,
Honorable Vice Minister Xu Yousheng of Chinese Overseas Affairs Office of the State Council,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining us today for the opening of the Photo Exhibition"the 100th Anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 and Great Changes in Beijing". On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to Speaker Say and all distinguished Hawaiian guests present today. My welcome also goes to Vice Minister Xu Yousheng, who has come a long way from China for this event. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to the co-organizers of the Exhibition, the government of Beijing Municipality, House of Assembly of Hawaii, Hawaii Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Hawaii Foundation and many others. Without your help, we could not make this great Exhibition possible. Thank you.

One hundred years ago, the Revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen not only overthrew the Qing Dynasty, but eventually put an end to the decaying feudal system in existence for over 2000 years in China, and opened a new chapter of a Democratic Republic in the country's history. Since the year of 1911 is Xinhai according to Chinese Lunar Calendar, the revolution was known in China as Xinhai Revolution.

Xinhai Revolution is a great milestone in Chinese history with remarkable significance in promoting social progress of the country. The unswerving pursuit of national liberalization and state prosperity has been characterized as the spirit of Xinhai Revolution. It was this spirit that has inspired generations of Chinese, both from mainland and overseas, to stand up to all challenges by relying on themselves and never subsedes. That is why China, after all the twists and turns, never lost it vitality and is now able to stand proudly among nations of the world.

As the forerunner of the Chinese revolution, Dr. Sun Yat-sen had strong links with Hawaii. He spent his formative years in Hawaii a place he visited seven times in all. He was exposed to western culture, was strongly influenced by it, and in his young mind, the seeds of saving the Chinese people and empowering the Chinese nation were planted. Dr. Sun Yat-sen's grand ambition and his lasting pursuit to its realization is something that we should all and always learn from. It is for this reason, we are putting together today's photo exhibition. By way of doing so, we want to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 revolution, and express our admiration and pay our respect to Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen once said, overseas Chinese are mothers of Chinese revolution. Had it not been for the overseas Chinese, there would have been no Chinese revolution. From democratic revolution to China's reform and opening up, each and every step China strides can not be achieved without support from the vast numbers of overseas Chinese, including those from Hawaii. Your hard work, courage and dedication have won acclaim from your community. By the same token, you are also contributing to the progress of China, one way or another. It is fare to say, overseas Chinese in America are serving as the best bridge to connect peoples of our two great nations. You deserve our highest regards.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

How fast time flies! What happened 100 years ago seems to have happened yesterday. I am convinced, so long as we join hands to pass the flame of Xinhai spirit from generation to generation, so long as we endeavor to cultivate and work hard for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we will harvest a beautiful tomorrow, when the nation will flourish and prosper, and its people live in peace and harmony.

Thank you.