Everything you need to know about how to make the most of St. Valentine’s Day in Beijing.
The Spring Festival Supplement will answer your every need, desire or question during the lunar New Year celebration.
Pages 21-24
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8/15, 2002
Pages 9-20
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CN11-0120
NO. 40
Austria Afghanistan
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Season’s
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Greetings
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Spring Festival, the Chinese people’s most important celebration, will be here in four days. Ambassadors and chief representatives of 32 countries extend warm greetings to our readers through Beijing Today. For their messages, see page 12.
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Foreigners Erect Friendly Holiday Banner Student group sends defiant ‘lao wai’ pride message to city By Sun Ming / Su Wei “Foreigners wish Beijingers a happy new year,” declares the red banner atop a CCTV transmission tower in Beijing Yuetan Park. This 8-meter-long, 9-meter-wide message in white characters was posted to the city on Sunday by a group of 32 foreigners, mainly students, from 11 countries including the USA, Germany, Poland, Canada, Italy and New Zealand. Banner designer and organizer of the activity Gido Rosler said the group wants to extend its blessings to the Chinese for the upcoming traditional holiday. “I hope to call on more people to devote themselves to cultural communication among different nations,” said Rosler, a German student of Capital University of Economics and Business. “We [foreigners] are cultural ambassadors,” he said. The Chinese characters “ ” (“old outsider”, perhaps most literally) are written on a bridge in the banner. Rosler delights in being a “lao wai”, a label sometimes said to be demeaning to foreigners. “Eighty percent of foreigners don’t think ‘lao wai’ is a good phrase because many Chinese would not say this word in front of them. They think that word does not show respect to them.
“People should neutralize this word,” he said. “In addition, in terms of Chinese civilization or Chinese people’s habits, I think foreigners should see China through the eyes of the Chinese instead of their own eyes.” Rosler said that was why he had adopted the title
The banner in Yuetan Park
in the banner. “I hope more foreigners in Beijing will grow to accept it.” The two ends of the bridge stand for western and eastern culture, he explained. Sunday’s activity is the first of several planned to strengthen communication and culture exchange between foreigners and Chinese organized by Rosler
Photo by Guo Tieliu
and his friends. Last year, they initiated “Foreigners Support Beijing’s Bid” and collected 12,008 signatures from more than 100 countries. The group has also sent 10,000 New Year cards to ordinary Beijingers. The cards, also designed by Rosler, have the same content as the banner, except that an extra line of Chinese characters appears above the bridge: “ ” (international friends). Rosler said he regrets they can’t send New Year cards to every Beijinger. He and his friends waded through Chinese telephone books choosing the places that they believe best represent ordinary people: universities, government departments, companies and hospitals. “We are grateful to the many Chinese friends that helped us write and send so many cards,” said Rosler. “Without their help, it would be impossible for us to do the big job.” Asked how much it all cost, Rosler refused to answer. “I don’t want you to write that,” he said. Rosler stressed all money involved was raised by themselves. “I don’t want people to think we are for money. We are non-political and non-corporate. “All we have done comes from the heart.” Beijing Today will not publish on February 15. The next issue will be on February 22. EDITOR: LIU FENG
DESIGNER: PANG LEI
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