Enjoying Chinese Culture and Tasting Peking Cuisine: Liangmaqiao DRC Hosted Chinese Cultural and Culinary Event for Customers from the Embassy of the United States
2016-07-25

  On the evening of May 20, 2016, a Chinese cultural and culinary event themed on "Enjoying Chinese Culture and Tasting Peking Cuisine" was successfully held for the tenants from the Embassy of the United States in Section C of the Liangmaqiao DRC . The event was aimed at spreading the traditional Chinese culture, promoting the DRC brand, consolidating the friendship between the Liangmaqiao Property Management Department and the United States Embassy tenants, and strengthening communication and exchanges in all respects.

  Jiang Qi, Executive Deputy Director General of the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions (BDS), Liu Yong, Deputy General Manager of the Housing Service Corporation (HSC), Li Bing, Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Division of the BDS, as well as the Minister, the Administrative Counselor, the Housing Officer and other diplomats and their families of the Embassy of the United States together with managers of the Department of Public Relations and Sales, the Department of Fire Prevention, the Department of Information and Research and the Department of the Corporate Culture of the HSC were invited to attend the party.

  On that evening, everyone in the Section C of the Liangmaoqiao DRC got dressed up to welcome guests with the background banner themed on the Forbidden City and an improvised red colored stage imbued with rich traditional Chinese culture and offering a happy and peaceful environment.

  At 18:00, the presenter announced the official start of the event, and Jiang Qi, Executive Deputy Director General of the BDS, delivered a welcoming speech. When Jiang Qi began to speak in fluent English, she was instantly acclaimed by rounds of enthusiastic applause from the audience. In her speech, Jiang said the event was composed of traditional Chinese cultural performances and Beijing cuisine, prepared by the DRC for the guests of the Embassy of the United States, wishing that everyone could enjoy the joy and happiness on that evening. She added that May 20 has a special meaning in Chinese culture because in Chinese "520" is pronounced almost like "I love you" and that this unforgettable evening symbolized the deep friendship between the Embassy of the United States and the DRC. These words drew a new wave of cheers immediately from the audience.

  Then, the Minister of the Embassy began his speech, in Chinese, saying, "Thanks to Deputy Director General Jiang for organizing this wonderful event which very much impressed me. The DRC loves us, and I like the DRC and the DRC services. Though far away from the United States, you feel happy as if you were at home when being welcomed in such a way. Without the DRC services, tenants from the Embassy of the United States would not have such a wonderful and comfortable life. Also, let me thank Deputy Director General Jiang and the Liangmaqiao DRC staff, from the bottom of my heart,  for their excellent service”. The high praise and the full approval from the Minister of the US Embassy were very much appreciated by the Department of Property Management of the Liangmaqiao DRC, and all the DRC staff felt very happy and proud.

  Then a youth group performed "Eternal Songs". The group chanted Chinese poems and sang centuries-old songs. Dressed in ancient Chinese costumes, they presented the true beauty of these ancient songs, with the reverberating drumbeats, deep and elegant voices, charming melodies and a visual spectacle, which allowed the guests of the Embassy of the United States to have a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture and enjoy a refreshing and contented audio and visual experience.

  When the powerful drumbeat and the recitation of an ancient poem which was entitled "The Call of the Deer in A Good Year" began, expressing all the gratitude to ancestors and friendliness of China, all the guests were particularly moved. This performance expressed spontaneously the national pride, self-confidence and heroic feelings of the Chinese people. What a beautiful country our youthful China is!

  The event lasted over two hours. In addition to the recitation of poems, the wonderful Chinese zither musical piece "Mountains and Flowing Waters" gave the guests the feeling of being in the middle of a garden where the sky and water merge into one color and made them feel relaxed and happy. Finally, the show of the diabolo delighted the eyes of customers, who gave enthusiastic applauses.

  During this magnificent event, diplomats of the Embassy of the United States were deeply attracted by the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture and used cameras and mobile phones to capture these scenes, while children, feeling extremely happy, were plunged into the festive atmosphere.

  In this atmosphere, the  Counselor of the Embassy of the United States got on the stage and sang "Rainbow", a song of the Chinese singer Jay Chou, and Liu Yong, Deputy  General Manager of the HSC, sang the English song "Say you, say me”. The perfect fusion of Eastern and Western cultures and the friendly interaction pushed the party to a climax and won once more the applause of the guests.

  The interactive activities also included in particular Chinese ink painting, Chinese knots and many other things, and attracted guests and children who gathered to watch and learn. There were also Pekinese specialties such as Peking ducks, sausages, lamb kebabs or sweets from Daoxiangcun, a real treat for the guest’s taste buds and once more won their approval.

   May 20, the day which means "I love you", passed in a pleasant and cheerful atmosphere for customers from the US Embassy. It was an unforgettable evening themed on Chinese culture. Through communication and exchanges between the DRC and the US Embassy, mutual friendship has been further deepened and consolidated.

  The DRC has always been committed to the active promotion and dissemination of traditional Chinese culture, and has been organizing for many years various forms of activities themed on traditional culture for its customers. This has become the normal component of DRC's effort of building its corporate culture. This event has played a great role in perpetuating and disseminating traditional Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and has also a positive impact on expanding cooperation of the Department of Property Management in other areas.

  The Liangmaqiao Department of Property Management would like to take this opportunity to actively encourage the dissemination of the traditional Chinese culture all over the world, and lift the development of the DRC to a higher level.