Ｃｏｍｍｅｍｏｒａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ １１０ｔｈ Ａｎｎｉｖｅｒｓａｒｙ ｏｆ Ｒｅｗｉ Ａｌｌｅｙ ｉｓ Ｂｉｒｔｈ Ｈｅｌｄ ｉｎ Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ

The year 2007 marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of Rewi Alley， the 80th anniversary of his arrival in China and the 20th anniversary of his passing. The CPAFFC held a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 7 to commemorate this important occasion. Gu Xiulian， vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， Peng Peiyun， president of the China-Oceania Friendship Association， Feng Jianshen， deputy governor of Gansu Province， Li Jianping， vice president of the CPAFFC， Zhang Yuanyuan， Chinese ambassador to New Zealand， Tony Browne， New Zealand ambassador to China， leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， the Soong Ching Ling Foundation， the China Society for People’s Friendship Studies， the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives， Renmin University of China， the China Petroleum Corporation， the China Petroleum Chemical Corporation， the Shandan Beilie School and other relevant organizations， the diplomats of the New Zealand Embassy in China， as well as relatives of Rewi Alley， the delegation of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society (NZCFS) and the delegation of Maori-China Friendship Association， totaling about 300 people， attended the meeting. CPAFFC Vice President Li Jianping， New Zealand Ambassador Browne， NZCFS National President Margaret Cooper and Rewi’s nephew Maurice Alley spoke at the commemoration.

Vice President Li Jianping spoke highly of the life of Rewi Alley in his speech. He pointed out， fighting with the Chinese people side by side， Alley had worked hard for the cause of the Chinese revolution and construction for sixty years. The name Rewi Alley represents a spirit and strength of selfless devotion and universal brotherhood. At present， the Chinese people are applying in depth the scientific outlook on development and building a harmonious socialist society in an all-round way. To inherit and develop Rewi Alley’s spirit is of major practical significance. (See excerpts of the speech on p. 4)

In his speech， Ambassador Browne recalled the extraordinary life of Rewi Alley and his contributions to the Chinese people. The Ambassador pointed out， Rewi is a man that New Zealand and China are proud to claim， and to share as their own. His legacy is something on which the two nations have been able to draw on as we have built our modern relationship over the past 35 years. (See excerpts of the speech on p. 7)

NZCFS National President Margaret Cooper said， Rewi Alley was a great New Zealander who made a difference to many thousands of Chinese people. During his colourful lifetime， Rewi was always able to reach out to people and offered them assistance. Rewi Alley was a founder of our society and he remains an inspiration to us all. It is our commitment to keep his legacy alive and support those institutions that he began so many years ago. (See excerpts of the speech on p. 8)

Maurice Alley spoke on behalf of the Alley family. He recalled the time he spent with Rewi and talked about Rewi’s influence on his family and Rewi in the minds of the family. (See excerpts of the speech on p. 9)

A short documentary about the life of Rewi Alley was shown at the meeting. When the familiar look and voice of Rewi Alley once again appeared before everybody， many old comrades were moved to tears. Two young staffer of the CPAFFC recited the poems of Rewi Alley truly reflecting his profound sentiments for the Chinese people， which brought about waves of warm applause.

In the compound of the CPAFFC， the participants of the meeting visited the former residence of Rewi Alley， before which the CPAFFC held a donation ceremony. A few senior comrades of the CPAFFC and New Zealand friends who had received gifts from Alley specially donated them on the occasion of the commemoration to the former residence of Alley to be appreciated by visitors. The representatives of the NZCFS， the MCFA and Alley’s relatives in China also presented souvenirs at the ceremony.

To commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Birth of Rewi Alley， two books Foreign Friends Gung Ho and In Memory of Rewi Alley were published at the same time.

The NZCFS and the MCFA organized nearly 50 people including six relatives of Rewi Alley to come to China to take part in the commemorative activities. They all expressed their gratitude to the Chinese Government and people for holding the commemoration， which， they said， fully showed the friendship of the Chinese people for the people of New Zealand. They stated， in world history， many personages had made contributions to other nations， but no nation expressed its gratitude and respect so truly and in such a grand manner like what China was doing even 20 years after Alley’s passing. Now they better understood why Rewi Alley had not left China and worked hard for the Chinese people for 60 years on end， even in the years of“cultural revolution”， they added.

The CPAFFC organized activities to commemorate Rewi Alley—old friend of the Chinese people， well-known writer， poet， educationist and social activist—on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand in the hope to further advance the nongovernmental friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.