-- October 31, 2007

It was a lovely day in Washington D.C. -- warm and sunny, fresh air, with white clouds floating lazily in the blue sky. We three people, Huang Youyi, president of CIIC and also vice president of the China International Publishing Group, Li Yafang, deputy editor-in-chief of CIIC, and I, arrived at Development Gateway Foundation headquarters in the city.

The Development Gateway Foundation (DGF) was first set up by the World Bank in 2001 and is now an independent non-profit organization. China Development Gateway, also known as CnDG, is a division of DGF. We entered the building where the foundation is located at 10:00 AM for an appointment. Ushered in by a pleasant lady, we went up to the second floor. In a big and bright conference room, we met with Gerhard Pohl, Senior Director of Operations. Unexpectedly, Mark Fleeton, the foundation's CEO, also showed up. Earlier we had been told that he would be away on a business trip.

When the meeting first began I presented a powerpoint show and introduced the work we have been doing in recent years, the history of the CnDG, the main contents, services and projects we have, and our contributions to the foundation and to the staff information base.

Mr. Fleeton spoke highly of the work that we have been doing and the efforts we have made toward poverty relief. He also noted China's fast development, the country's great achievements in reducing poverty, and the rising status of China in the world.

The foundation then introduced their new initiatives. A new country gateway is going to be set up in France, making the development gateway family larger and stronger. They also stressed the importance of ICT for poverty relief, e-government and Open Source Software, which are as well the main fields they focus on.

Later in the meeting, Mr. Huang, Mrs. Li and I, with Mr. Pohl, gave a summary of the long-term cooperation between the two parties, especially the soft launch of the China Poverty Relief Forum (the localization of dgCommunities), and more potentially viable joint projects that we may have in the future.

A piece of great news is that the foundation held two annual conferences recently, last year in Africa and this year in Latin America, and it plans to hold another annual meeting in the Asia-Pacific Region next year. We were very happy to hear this news and expressed our intention to host next year's conference. The foundation appreciated our offer, and said that they will continue discussing the feasibility and the details of the conference with us.

Finally, the meeting ended with group photos. The entire meeting was successful and fruitful. Both sides gained a better understanding of the other's work and situation, exchanged views on the past and on-going projects, and discussed future development projects and cooperation.

(China Development Gateway by Xu Lin)

--October 25, 2007

October 22, 2007 was a memorable day for me, because it was the first time I have ever attended this kind of special event -- "Stand Up for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)". The United Nations department in China and the United Nations Association of China sponsored the event to mark the 62nd anniversary of the UN and the midpoint for the MDGs.

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 Member States adopted the Millennium Declaration and pledged to reach eight MDGs by 2015: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; develop a global partnership for development.

Our China Development Gateway (CnDG) is also dedicating itself toward poverty reduction and other developmental causes. Our daily work generates attention at both international and national levels and is directed at promoting ways to alleviate poverty in China. As a CnDG member, I feel extremely proud to shoulder this great responsibility.

The event I attended took place at the Zhongshan Concert Hall, inside the Zhongshan Park. Excitedly, I entered the splendid hall with other guests from the government, diplomatic corps, media and other types of people.

The UN Resident Coordinator in China, Mr. Malik Khalid, attended the event. He praised China's achievements in realizing the MDGs, saying that China was leading the way in achieving the MDGs and that China has achieved the fundamental goal of reducing poverty by half ahead of schedule.

The event included a welcome reception and a special performance of Naxi ancient music. After an enjoyable and delicious buffet including Chinese and western food, the Naxi music concert began.

Since long age, I have had a special interest in China's ethnic minority groups, so it was really a perfect chance for me to appreciate Naxi music. Nestled in the northwest of Yunnan Province, Lijiang, the Naxi people's homeland, attracts thousands of tourists with its beautiful landscapes and a highly developed culture. The value of Naxi ancient music lies partly in their miraculous preservation of several original poems of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Although most of the orchestra members were over 70 and without sophisticated musical instruments, their music deeply impressed me. I believe that this kind of music comes from heaven. All the orchestra members wore the traditional Naxi costumes and showed great respect toward the audience. While watching the performance I could sense their eagerness to promote this endangered music and protect their unique culture.

During the program, a folk song titled At the Eastern Top of the Hill touched me the most. The girl sang this song without a microphone, yet everyone in the hall could clearly hear her wonderful voice. It was a voice from an isolated mountaintop, from the small countryside, from pure nature.

Naxi ancient music is one of China's priceless treasures that must be protected and cherished. Cultural heritage cannot be copied. Unique cultural heritages are priceless. These special national treasures also have great international appeal. By educating the world about their culture the self-reliant way Naxi people have found a way to shake off poverty and enrich their lives at the same time.

(China Development Gateway by Sun Wan)

--September 10, 2007

After 15 days of participating in new staff-training program held by the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) -- the higher authority of the China Development Gateway(CnDG), I am back at my daily work. Something fresh has filled in my mind and heart. I have realized my responsibility as a CIPG member and as an English editor in the CnDG.

My training consisted of two parts. The first was a series of lectures presented by executives and leaders in the CIPG. The second half consisted of an outdoor experiential training aiming at promoting teamwork and enhancing strong wills and characters.

I listened to more than 10 lectures and learned a lot. Now I understand the mission and importance of my work. "To introduce China to the rest of the world, share development experiences with other countries and contribute to international cooperation, poverty alleviation and development promotion." -- these ideas actually contain profound significance.

The outdoor experiential training greatly moved me and gave me a memorable life lesson. During this training all new staff member were dividend into four groups. I was on the "green team"; we represented positive attitudes and optimism. After a simple self-introduction, we all began the outdoor experiential training projects.

The first project was a "trust fall", consisting of a person falling backwards from table height into the arms and hands of the group. When I stood on the table backwards and the instructor tied up my hands, tremendous nervousness caught me off guard. Since I couldn't see my teammates prepare, the only thing I could do was to encourage myself and murmur "Calm down, calm down." "Are you ready?" I asked. "Ready!" they firmly replied. At that instant, I felt boundless strength and courage. I fell without any hesitation and lay comfortably in the arms of my teammates. I deeply understood the power of trust from this falling.

The most exciting project was labeled "survival". All members of the group must jump over a 4-meter-tall wall without any exterior support tools in the given 40 minutes. Oh, how I thank all the members in my group, especially the boys! They formed a human ladder on the ground. Climbing on their legs and shoulders, and being pulled forward by my teammates who had already "survived" allowed me to finally surmount that high wall. When I landed smoothly on the safe area, my heart filled with a strong sensation. It was the first time that I experienced such an amazing adventure and the absolute power of solidarity.

The new staff-training program has finished, yet my career has barely begun. The CIPG and the CnDG has warmly welcomed me and opened a bright window. I know that to be a qualified English editor, I need to learn more and practice more. I believe that I can become well-rounded employee because my future is shining here.

(China Development Gateway by Sun Wan)

-- June 15, 2007

It was a special day today, because I had a live webcast interview with Michael Pereira, the director of the Global Online Communities with the Development Gateway Foundation, in the studio of the China Internet Information Center based in Beijing.

It was the first time for both CnDG and I to conduct such a live webcast interview—a milestone for us. Although I had been a host at the campus broadcasting station when I was in university and did a news report program once on a TV show, it was still a big challenge for me to interview a top official in English in front of the horrible video camera lens.

In the morning, Mike arrived later than I expected, but his appearance cheered me up. He looked very energetic and confident, wearing a smile on his face. He said that he was supposed to arrive earlier but he was held up by a terrible traffic jam.

The whole process of the interview focused on the localization of dgCommunities in China, a new project between the Development Gateway Foundations and CnDG, named "China Poverty-relief Forum." The forum is expected to be launched at the beginning of July, as a platform for people to publish ideas, share knowledge and exchange views with each other, with an aim of contributing to the poverty-relief and development in China.

In front of the video camera, Mike seemed calm and experienced, and his talking must have impressed a lot of our audience. I was a little nervous at the beginning since this was the first time I interviewed someone in English since I joined CnDG project's team. There happened to be a tour of a big delegation visiting our company when we were doing the program, which made me even more nervous. But I was then inspired by Mike's fluent talk and beautiful accent, gradually being "melted" into the conversation with him. Relaxation made me more confident, and I also became quick in response.

The interview was a success, as commented by some of my colleagues. But I know my mode today was not perfect enough. However, like a Chinese saying goes, "A thousand-li journey begins with the first step," I believe that I can do better next time with this precious experience.

Video interviews are becoming more popular as the Internet technology develops and audiences' tastes change. We plan to continue developing in this direction. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Please enjoy the interview at: http://en.chinagate.com.cn/archives/2007-06/22/content_8429133.htm

Photos can be found at: http://en.chinagate.com.cn/blog/2007-06/22/content_8425947.htm

(China Development Gateway by Xu Lin)