New China’s First Time In the United Nations

As an ordinary entrepreneur， I think that nobody is luckier than me. This September， I had the honor to be part of a group of Chinese entrepreneurs visiting the United States along with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the 70th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the United Nations.

After the function， I was the last to leave the venue because I wanted to take this opportunity to trace back the Chinese seat of Qiao Guanhua， who headed New China’s first delegation to the UN’s General Assembly in November 1971 during his tenure as China’s vice foreign minister.

China resumed its lawful seat in the UN against all odds after more than two decades of painstaking efforts since the founding of New China in 1949 due to the blockade by some Western countries. I learned about Qiao’s demeanor in the UN through a book by his wife， Zhang Hanzhi： “…Extremely talented， outstandingly witty and profoundly knowledgeable， （Qiao） Guanhua impressed the UN with his unique style marked by a sense of casual humor. He thus became the spotlight of American media each time he attended the General Assembly. His extraordinary temperament became more impressive with those reports and photos， one of which was awarded in a World Press Photo Contest for stifling a laugh after he was asked about how he felt on taking a seat in the UN for the first time representing China. It was not about Qiao himself； it was about the momentum， self-confidence and pride of New China.”

Thanks to some help from others， I identified the position， approximately， of Qiao’s seat and took a photo there， as if I were with him decades ago.

Most other members of my delegation were born during the 1970s， yet to come to this world at the time Vice Foreign Minister Qiao “l(fā)aughed” in the photo. “Why are you so interested in where Qiao was seated？” one of them wondered. “Because I was deeply impressed by his unforgettable spirit， his demeanor and his natural and unrestrained wit， setting an everlasting example for us all，” I replied.

Entrepreneurs are bestowed with a mission of developing their business. To run their business well， they can never forget their motherland. The visit to Qiao’s position in the UN inspired me to tell myself： As an entrepreneur， I should try my best to run my own business， brave danger， and strive to scale new heights. The scale of the business does not matter too much， nor does its life. What matters most to me is my passion for my country and sentiment of being frank and forthright.