By Kevin Watkins
Ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” My connection with China began in just this way.
Kevin Watkins stands in a garden near Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province. (Photo provided by Kevin Watkins)
On March 4, 1981, my hometown Hastings, New Zealand, and Guilin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, became the first New Zealand-China sister cities. In early 2003, I attended a reception held for a visiting delegation from Guilin and became friends with many Chinese people. The following year, I visited China with a delegation from Hastings District Council, taking my first step on the “thousand-mile journey” to understanding the country.
We visited Shanghai, Beijing, Guilin and other places. I was pleasantly surprised and enchanted by Guilin’s stunning natural landscapes and diverse ethnic cultures. On my last evening in the city, I went to a cultural performance at the Children’s Palace, where I was deeply attracted by the gorgeous costumes and movements of the Chinese dancers.
After several routes, a dancer came down from the stage to interact with the audience of over 200 individuals. Later, she slowly approached me and asked, “Would you like to dance?” I accepted the invitation though I was not skilled at dancing. As the music kicked in, we started the bamboo pole dance, gracefully moving slender bamboo poles in sync with the rhythm. Once the dance was over, the dancer who brought me on stage placed a beautiful garland around my neck, and we took a photo together after the show.
Two girls from Guilin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, ride a float in Hastings, New Zealand, 2005. (Photo: Kevin Watkins)
As I made my way back home, I could not stop thinking about the performance and was filled with regret for not expressing my gratitude to the dancer who gave me the garland. Upon my return to Hastings, I bought a New Zealand jade bangle for the young lady, even though I did not know her name. Therefore, I decided to send a letter to Guilin with the photo attached.
Maybe it was a fateful coincidence, or what the Chinese people often refer to as yuanfen, that led my letter and gift to reach the dancer, building a bridge of friendship between us. To this day, we still treat each other as brother and sister, often swapping stories about our lives.
In 2005, I went back to Guilin to re-encounter its unique charm. By Ronghu Lake, I came across two young Chinese women and we exchanged email addresses. Through our correspondence, I learned that they came from rural areas, and their parents had made every effort to provide them with educational opportunities. This stirred deep emotions within me and sparked a bold idea: I had once connected with the woman who invited me to dance through a photo; could there be more instances of such yuanfen?
I asked for a picture of the two women in their traditional costumes. Then, I initiated a “challenge,” asking students in Hastings to find and identify them with only the photo as a clue. The first to accomplish the “challenge” would win a free trip to Guilin. This garnered significant attention from Hastings media and the public. Students flocked to libraries and computers, searching for any information about Guilin. During their search, they gained a deeper understanding of China’s history, geography, culture and our sister city. Eventually, two students managed to find the women just a week later, despite the distance and language barrier.
Later, they went to Guilin and met the two women, who were also given the chance to visit New Zealand. They toured some local attractions and schools in Hastings and other cities, and even participated in the annual Hastings Blossom Parade, riding on the float I specially designed for them. I was pleasantly surprised by how well we did in this “challenge” and felt extremely accomplished.
Thereafter, I became more enthusiastic about the activities that facilitate friendly exchanges between Hastings and Guilin, and other parts of China. For instance, I led a small singing group from New Zealand to perform in Guilin, participated in expos held in Guilin and Nanning, and the Shanghai World Expo, and was invited to deliver a speech in Hengshui, North China’s Hebei province. I also invited an equestrian team from Beijing and monks from the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan province to perform in New Zealand, and gave speeches about China in multiple Hastings communities.
To celebrate the anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Hastings and Guilin, we designed window displays and exhibitions in the central business district, the council building, and other venues in Hastings to showcase images of China and decorative Chinese lanterns.
The belief in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples has been driving me to move forward, and I was delighted to see the burgeoning relationships between the people of both countries.
In my view, the best way to understand a country is to go and see it for oneself, as a long journey always starts with a single step. For me, my connection with China has changed the trajectory of my life and enriched my experience. I hope that more people in New Zealand will see China’s remarkable development for themselves and feel the warmth and hospitality of the Chinese people. (Kevin Watkins QSM is a councilor of the Hastings District Council)
