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Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 1
Australia China
Friendship Society
Western Australia
西澳澳中友好协会
Address: AAA House 275 Stirling Street, Perth WA 6000 PO Box 318 South Perth WA 6951
Web: www.acfswa.org.au (WA) www.acfs.org (National)
Email: [email protected]
To promote friendship and understanding between the peoples of Australia and the People’s Republic of China.
To support and assist visitors from the People’s Republic of China.
To provide assistance to educational and social welfare projects in the People's Republic of China.
● PRESIDENT’S REPORT
● ACFS NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
● REPORT OF THE 14TH SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL YOUTH INTERACTIVE FRIENDSHIP CAMP
● FRIENDSHIP NIGHT
● MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL AND CHINA'S NATIONAL DAY DINNER
● CHINA'S MOST EPIC HIGH-SPEED RAIL JOURNEYS
● ACFS PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR TO CHINA
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 2
President’s Report to Members
July – Sep 2018
Firstly, I would note that we have a great committee and I am very proud of it! Without saying
who has done what but to mention that what we have achieved is a result of work done by our
team:
Student Award: Information been updated and followed through: Prizes have been specially
designed and ordered with negotiated price; everything is under control and award ceremony is
going to be held this month.
Annual Award is under way: Except for waiting for the responses from the WA societies, we will
have to make more effort in this regard. We need to spread the information more widely to
locate more nominations.
Table Tennis Friendly with CCG: A great event with great fun! Both our members and the CCG
staff have enjoyed this event greatly. Chance had brought a wonderful idea – as you can see
from the photo, that our team players wear the T-shirt with our ACFS logo! Simple, easy, cheap
but great outcome! The Chinese Consulate General also provide a good meal to support this
event.
We have shared some photos with our committee members but just realised that we did not
share the photos with our ACFS members.
Our website is working well! It required a huge amount of work and it is done now with the
information up to date. Although there is still space to improve, members are enjoying the
updated information from the website.
Our newsletter: Another fresh new look with constant improvements. Our young committee
member Henry is getting on top of it!
Membership Card and Business Card: Simon Wei – our new member, has volunteered to help
and have the card produced in China. All the cards have been delivered and members will
receive a newly designed card in 2019.
We have also participated in some great events organised by our associate members:
The Chinese Bridge (Hanyu Qiao) Chinese Proficiency Competition 2018, held at the Confucius
Institute of Western Australia .
CLTAWA State Mandarin Speaking Competition;
We also supported the art exhibition organized by WAZBCA;
And lots of others… …
I am glad that we have Andre here as our secretary. Since his return from his business trip he
has spent a lot of time not only working on his “own duties” but working with others to make sure
everything is going well. Where needed he is there to help. Thank you very much Andre!
Dear members, the efforts you have contributed have resulted in a great confidence that we will
make a very bright future for ACFSWA!
Nancy Chen
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 3
ACFS NATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Since our July newsletter, National ACFS has completed 2 successful activities :
● Shanghai Youth Friendship Camp
Four youth delegates from Mt Lawley Senior High School have completed their reports after their participation at this year’s Shanghai Camp. A report by Amelia Higgins has given us an impressive report about her once in a life time experience in China and homestay was the highlight of her Shanghai experience.
● Photography Tour
The photography tour to the Guilin region has been successfully conducted and Susan Moss, tour leader has provided a report about the group’s time in China. Enjoy the amazing photos taken on the tour!
Current activities
Discussions have commenced to plan a September tour to include next year’s International Horticultural Expo in Beijing.
Information about a 13 member ACFS delegation attending a Friendship Forum in Hainan in November has been sent to the hosting organisation in China.
ACFS National has provided a donation and given permission for the publishers of the Comprehensive Chinese Australian History book to use images from the Harvest of Endurance Scroll, to which the Society has copyright. The Chinese history images will be used to produce scrolls which will be gifted to the Overseas Chinese Museum in Beijing. This project and the scrolls donation commemorates the 200th Anniversary of Chinese migrants to Australia.
Organising tours is part of the Society’s friendship work and I would be very happy to receive input from members regarding ideas for tours to China.
Tour news from Easy Tour China, our partner in China
Guizhou is still largely unknown to most international travellers and CNN has listed 9 reasons to visit Guizhou as China’s next big travel destination.
(https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/guizhou-china-what-to-see/index.html).
Approx. 37% of the province’s population consists of more than 18 ethnic minorities. Flitting around the Miao and Dong villages in the SE of the province is like an anthropological dream sequence, especially during their traditional festivals.Refer to a report in the July ACFS newsletter by Prof. Colin Mackerras, tour leader of an ACFS Minority Tour.
A tour we are planning for May 2019 is a birdwatching tour, led by Brian Boyd, an active member of BirdLife Australia.The tour guides in China do volunteer work as surveyors for the China Coastal Waterbird Census Team and a percentage of the tour cost is donated to the operation of this work. The booking deadline for this tour is 31 January 2019. Report by Roz Hanley, ACFS
National Tours Organiser
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 4
14th Shanghai International Youth Interactive
Friendship Camp, 17 to 26 July 2018.
Report by Amelia Higgins
I can honestly say that my trip to Shanghai was one of
the best 10 days of my life. The food was good, the
people were amazing and overall, it was an incredible
experience.
At first, I didn’t know what to expect, however the warm
welcomes and friendly faces made us all feel right at
home. We were all greeted with blue skies and perfect
scenery. This, as well as all the well thought out activities
resulted in a life changing experience.
On the first day, we met all the other
campers and formed solid friendships
almost instantly. I met some amazing
people from all over the word, including
people from Turkey, Romania, America,
New Zealand, and of course, the Chinese
campers.
The next few days consisted of even more
amazing experiences. Such as, sight-
seeing around Shanghai, immersing
ourselves into Chinese culture, exploring
museums and viewing the Shanghai Zoo.
We were then introduced to our homestay. This was one of the highlights of the entire trip.
My homestay family was so nice and enabled me to see Shanghai from a whole new
perspective. I was able to try different foods, learn Chinese calligraphy and overall make
some amazing friends with the family. They took me to the Shanghai Museum and showed
me the Oriental Pearl TV tower in the evening. I wish the homestay lasted longer.
Once the homestay had finished, we returned to
the Oriental Land Villas and shared our last few
days in Shanghai with the rest of the campers.
The last few days again consisted of many
amazing activities. Such as a river cruise, visiting
the Oriental Pearl TV tower and exploring the city
of Shanghai. As the trip came to its end, it
became very clear that I never wanted to leave.
Even though we had only been in Shanghai for
10 days, it really felt like home.
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 5
On the last day, we had the closing
ceremony. This allowed everyone to
show off their individual cultures and
traditions. Everyone’s performances
were incredible, this was a very good
conclusion to a once in a life time
experience.
I am beyond grateful to have been
given this amazing opportunity.
Without the Shanghai People’s
Association for Friendship with Foreign
Countries and the Shanghai Youth Federation, none of these experiences would
have been possible. It was truly a life changing experience that I will never forget. I
wish I could go back.
The ACFSWA in association with the Confucius Institute and Chinese Language
Teachers Association WA will be hosting a Friendship Night Dinner with
entertainment . Friends ,family and Non Members are welcome .
Date : 9th November 2018
Time : 6:40 for 7:00pm
Venue: Mom Dumpling House , 1 Yampi Way, Willertton
Cost: Members $30 per person
Non Members $40 per person
Drinks : Wine included. BYO also welcome
PLEASE RSVP by the 1 November 2018
Email : [email protected] or [email protected]
Enquiries: Nancy 0433 316 106
Friendship Night
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 6
Members Celebrate Mid-autumn Festival and China's National Day
Our Activities Committee under Vice President Chance Zhang organised a most en-joyable round table dinner at the popular Shanghai Tearooms in William Street Northbridge on 2nd October.
The occasion was a joint celebration of China's National Day (1st October) and the Chinese Mid-autumn Festival with 33 members and friends attending. The principal guest was the Chinese Consul General for Western Australia, Mr Lei Kezhong.
The toasts were marked with Kings Lake wines provided by company part-ner Mr. Henry Lin. Investigation has shown that there are stocks in Perth at 0410 255 770. Another highlight was the still-warm Moon cake offerings pre-pared by the restaurant especially for the Festival.
Susan Moss sharing her photography trip
Consul General Mr LEI raising a
toast
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 7
China's most epic high-speed rail journeys
Tess Humphrys
Lonely Planet Writer
It was once Japan that was famous for its high-speed train network, introducing the world to its Shinkansen, or bullet trains, way back in 1964. But while the Land of the Rising Sun is still a leader in rail technology, it is now China that holds the crown of high-speed train capital of the world.
In the decade or so since China put into operation its first high-speed passenger trains, the country has constructed more than 22,000 kilometres of high-speed rail track to create the longest network on Earth. In 2017, the country launched the world's fastest high-speed train, known as 'Fuxing' or 'Harmony', which travels at up to 350 kilometres per hour, reducing travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to four and a half hours.
Now, China’s high-speed trains – officially
defined as passenger trains that travel at speeds
of 250–350 kilometres per hour – take travellers
to almost all of the country’s provinces.
With Inner Mongolia’s first high-speed line
opening in July 2017, only Tibetand
tiny Ningxia currently lack high-speed trains. But
with plans for the continued expansion of the
network it won’t be long until they too are
serviced by high-speed lines.
● The Shangri-La Train
Currently the longest high-speed rail route in the
world and taking less than 11 hours to travel
more than 2700km on the quickest service,
the Beijing to Kunming train is a truly epic high-
speed train journey.
Travelling from China’s imperious capital, Beijing,
the train wends its way south through heavily
industrial Hebei province into harsh,
dusty Henan, sliced in two by the mighty Yellow
River, before pushing on west through Hunan,
birthplace of Mao Zedong, into the karst
landscapes of Guizhou and on to Kunming,
capital of China’s most south-westerly
province, Yunnan. The train is named in honour
of one of Yunnan’s most famous cities,
mythical Shangri-La, nestled high up in the
province’s mountainous north and due to get its
own connecting high-speed line soon.
To break up the journey, be sure to stop off
at Zhengzhou, which is within easy reach
of Luoyang city and the nearby Longmen
Grottoes,one of China’s three major ancient
Buddhist rock art galleries. Also near Zhengzhou
is the Shaolin Temple, where Chinese kung fu is
said to have originated.
Shangri-la: home to Ganden Sumtseling Gompa
© Suttipong Sutiratanachai / Getty
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 8
● The Panda Train
Taking between 12 and 13 hours to travel
1690km, this train zips along from an ancient
Chinese capital to the panda capital of the world.
Beginning at Nanjing, a city of both proud and
tragic history, it hurtles through the Yangzi basin,
into the megacity region of Chongqing, gateway
between eastern and southwestern China. From
here, it pushes on into the mountainous heartland
of Sichuan to arrive at Chengdu, home to the
world-famous Giant Panda Breeding and
Research Base.
En route, the train passes through Yichang. It's
here you can stop off for a glimpse of the massive
Three Gorges Dam, or hop on a cruise boat up
the Yangzi River to Chongqing.
● The Silk Road Train
The first high-speed train to extend out into
China’s vast western regions connects the 1776
kilometres between Ürümqi, capital
of Xinjiang province, and Lanzhou, capital
of Gansu, in a little under 12 hours. The train
follows the ancient Silk Road via the oasis town
of Turpan, geographically the lowest place in
China at 154m below sea level. From here, it
travels through some of the harshest terrain in all
of the country to Jiayuguan, home of the western
end of the Great Wall, symbolically and
historically marking the end of the ancient
Chinese empire.
It then races southwest through the Hexi
Corridor at Zhangye, worth a stop to view the
otherworldly rainbow rocks at Danxia National
Geopark, and across the Qilian Mountains, where
the track soars to 3607 metres above sea level,
making it the highest high-speed rail track in the
world.
After slurping down some of Lanzhou’s famous
hand-pulled lamian noodles, hop back on the train
and travel on the newly opened Lanzhou
to Xi’an line to complete your Silk Road journey
by visiting the famed Army of the Terracotta
Warriors.
● The Coastal Train
Covering the journey through China’s southern
seaboard
through Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinc
es, the 1623km-long Shanghai to Hong Kong line
takes around 12 hours to connect two of Asia's
most electric megacities.
Heading south from colossal Shanghai,
via Hangzhou and its beautiful West Lake, the
train passes through the lush, semitropical
coastal stretches of southern Zhejiang into Fujian
province. Here, it stops at provincial
capital Fuzhou before travelling onwards to the
old port town of Xiamen, home to some of China’s
nicest city beaches and within reach of the Fujian
Tulou (Hakka earthen roundhouses).
A giant panda chomps on bamboo at the panda
breeding base in Chengdu © kiszon pascal / Getty
A high-speed train stopped for boarding at
Turpan along the Silk Road in Xinjiang province ©
Zhang Peng / Getty
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 9
The train then passes through the hilly
southwestern border with Guangdong to China’s
technology capital, Shenzhen, from where it’s an
easy ride across to vibrant Hong Kong on the
MTR. There are even plans to extend high-speed
rail lines directly into the city itself.
● The Ice Festival Train
China’s high-speed rail network continues to
stretch up into the country’s economically and
politically important northeast, or dongbei as it’s
known in China, connecting this rugged
mountainous region with the rest of the country.
This train takes around 12 hours to travel the
2400km between Shanghai and Harbin, making it
one of the longest rail journeys in China. It travels
up through the eastern seaboard provinces
of Jiangsu – home to gentile Suzhou and its
imperial gardens and canals – and Shandong,
birthplace of Confucius. On route, it stops
at Tai’an, the jumping-off point for Tai Shan, the
holiest of China’s five sacred Taoist mountains.
It then snakes its way along the Bohai Gulf coast,
stopping at Beidaihe, a popular resort with one of
China’s few beaches, before running
through Liaoning and Jilinprovinces, terminating
in Harbin. The city's psychedelic ice sculpture
festival, Harbin Ice & Snow World, is held each
year in the sub-zero temperatures of
a dongbei January.
● The Island Train
When it opened in 2015, this was the world’s first
circular high-speed railway line, whirling around
south China’s tropical Hainan island, floating
between Guangdong province and northern
Vietnam. Some of the line runs parallel with the
island’s coastline, giving passengers wonderful
views of the South China Sea.
From the island’s steamy capital Haikou, the train
runs 650km around the island in about five hours,
connecting all the airports on the island. The train
also passes through towns such as Wanning, on
the island’s east coast, that offer access to some
of China’s few surfable beaches. For the best
beaches, however, hop off at the resort city
of Sanya, at the island’s southern-most tip.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/travel-tips-and-
articles/chinas-most-epic-high-speed-rail-
journeys/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d2768596
Stop off from the 'coastal train' in Fujian for a
stay at a tulou (roundhouse) © JTB Photo /
Getty
All aboard the ice train: catch the high-speed line
to Harbin for the annual ice festival in January ©
Anita Isalska / Lonely Planet
The 'island train' circles Hainan, offering access
to tropical beaches © luxizeng / Getty
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 10
ACFS Photographic Tour to China
Susan Moss
During the last two weeks of September 2018 I was privileged to host the first Australia China
Friendship Society Photographic Tour to the Guilin region.
Seven participants came from Perth and two from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. There
were two camera club members Frank from the Workshop Camera Club and Bob the Frankston
Photographic Club, one professional photographer Nigel from Fremantle and three enthusiasts
Hilary, brothers Gabor and Daniel came through the U3A website. Not to forget Frank’s wife
Christine and Bob’s wife Shirley.
A party of 9 plus me, we started our tour in Guangzhou where we were met by Rick Yang
Deputy General Manager of Easy Tour China Travel Co Ltd who stayed with us and guided us
so capably during our entire trip. Mr He a Guilin photographer joined us at Long Sheng,. We
all enjoyed seeing his style of photography at a seminar arranged by Rick on one night.
Rick and I had spent quite some time refining the itinerary to get the best opportunities for our
photographers. We were not disappointed in the reality. There were many early starts to
capture the sunrise, hundreds of stairs to climb, up and down the sides of mountains, but oh the
view when we got there was just stunning. We gladly set up our tripods and set about capturing
the best images we could. Bob would say to me ‘I am in my seventh heaven Susan’ with a great
big smile on his face. The group got on famously and enjoyed each other’s company,
networking and sharing their knowledge. Nigel shared his many years of experience willingly
and it was gratefully received by us all.
Golden Rice Terraces
Susan Moss WA Camera Club
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 11
The weather was quite warm and humid and we
were always so pleased to have a cold beer with
our meals that were included in our itinerary.
Rick would take us to a restaurant and then order
the banquet style meal. The food was delicious
and always new things to try each day. It was a
good thing we were getting plenty of exercise!
The accommodation was in the main smaller
hotels and very comfortable the standard was
very good.
Everyday there was something new to shoot right up to the last day. We have all come home with a swag of images to process and so many wonderful memories of the beautiful part of China and the friendly people. You can view the groups images here -
http://www.susanmossartandphotography.com/the-tour-.html
Li River Fisherman
Robert (Bob) Williamson
Frankston Photographic Club
The recent ACFS photographers’ tour in China was facilitated by Mr Yi (Ricky) Yang the deputy general manager of Easy Tour China Travel Co Ltd based in Guilin. He contributed significantly in the planning stage and because of an injury to a staff member we were fortunate in having him guide the tour throughout the entire time in the Mainland from landing in Guangzhou to departure in Guilin. And he even had his representative meet the rail in Guangzhou and effect the transfer to the airport in that city. These are no simple tasks when the size of these facilities are observed.
His company specialises in serving groups from overseas as distinct from citizens of China travelling in their own country. He can be contacted at [email protected] and www.easytourchina.com
Australia China Friendship Society WA ISSUE FOUR October 2018 Page 12
P
● Student Award 2018 27 October
● ACFSWA: Friendship Award 9 November
● ACFS 2018 Christmas Picnic December
COMING EVENTS
MEMBERSHIP 2018
Membership forms for new and renewing members can be downloaded from
the website. Please contact us for any membership enquiries on 0411 166 964 or
NEWS ITEMS INVITED
The ACFS WA Newsletter is published every three months and the next deadline for submissions is 31 December. Just send contact details and articles to The Editorial Working Group at [email protected]
Welcome to New Members
Timothy Zheng
