Invited as a special guest, I was dressed up for the Banquet Honoring the Chinese Ambassador, His
Excellency Ambassador MEI Ping, on Saturday (June 5) evening in Sai Woo (West Lake) Restaurant,
downtown Toronto.
When I got there, many people were in the banquet hall already, including Consul General ZHOU
Xingbao and his wife, our Jilin folk, as well some commercial sponsors and media persons. While
chatting and exchanging cards with those people, a lot of memories came into my mind...
Exactly 20 years ago, Mr. MEI Ping and I were studying together (though he was about ten years
senior) in Toronto funded by Canada Council of Humanitarian and Social Sciences. He was in U of T and
I was at York. When we finished our studies here in 1981, he went back to work as a senior
administrator in Beijing Institute of Foreign Affairs and I was teaching at the English Faculty of
Jilin University. Three years later I was promoted as an associate professor of English and he was
promoted as executive Vice Dean of the Institute. ...
Just as I was having the reminiscence of our past, the elevator doors opened and a group of
people came out. People whispered that he has come. It was more natural for the Consul General and
his wife to greet the Ambassador first. But at the time they were engaging in a heated conversation
on the other side while I was well positioned not far from the doorway. So I stepped forward and
shook hands with him.
"Your Excellency, Mr. MEI Ping, do you still remember me?" I asked.
He moved up his thick lensed glasses a bit and tried his concentration, "Let me think, let me
think, ah you're XU, from Jilin, right?"
"Yes, I am XU Xiangwu from Jilin University. You're plump. How are you?"
"Ah, almost 20 years. When did you come?" he asked.
"Ten years ago." I said.
"You're still so young." he said.
At this juncture, the Consul General ran over and greeted him and his wife. I knew I couldn't
have a lot of time to talk with him. I seized this opportunity to have a picture taken with him and
retired from this centre of attention. The greetings and chatting lasted for another ten minutes
before Linda Zhu, the Master of Ceremonies, proclaimed the commencement of the banquet. The co-host
of this banquet and organizer of the Toronto Lion Dance Festival Kevin LEE gave welcome remarks first.
Then Ambassador MEI Ping gave a brief speech. While he was speaking with his excellent English, I was
thinking to myself: although we both have the same kind of bald heads and I am one or two inches
taller (be careful, I am short in our northeastern standard), but now he is addressed as Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary, I will address myself as quite ordinary; he is saluted as His Excellency, and I
as my humble self; he represents China and 13 billion Chinese people, and I represent myself and half
of my son .... What a difference!
After his speech, he was asked to "Open the Eyes" for the lion. Then there was a North & South
Lion Dance. You might know that southern lion is larger and it often dances singly, and northern
lions are smaller in size, they often dance in pairs, one male and one female. So three lions, one
southern, and two northern, danced about ten minutes before we started eating and drinking. I was at
table 3, of the 18 tables, quite an honor. During the banquet, Shaolin monks gave demonstrations of
their Qi Gong.
Oh I almost forgot to mention, before the banquet, I had my business cards made, in salutation,
in addition to my position at the law firm I work, I also have "President, Jilin University Alumni
Association (Canada)" on the cards. I gave out about thirty cards to the attendees, including the
Ambassador himself. This is propaganda work for JUAAC.
The banquet came to a successful close at 10:30 p.m. that night, and I walked Mr. MEI Ping and
his wife to his car outside of the restaurant.
XU Xiangwu (Andy)