Keep Our Friendship Forever Ablaze

Chen Yang

On July 28, 2007, the Beijing Foreign Languages School Class of 1976 enjoyed a memorable and exciting reunion celebrating our 30th Anniversary of graduation.

Seeing everybody's faces really created a wave of nostalgia within my heart.  The memories of the past and the stories of our young adulthood came alive before my very eyes.  I felt the youthful energy within my spirit recharge.  I again recalled those unforgettable years I spent with all of you and thought how I missed those bygone days when I was a student.

Let us travel thirty years back into the past.  We were students once more after nearly two years of toil and sweat in the country.  Becoming an English teacher might not have been everyone's aspiration, but the chance to receive additional education was undeniably a common dream (even when an educated mind was openly denigrated and knowledge was widely despised).  We were filled with passion and optimism as this meager yet precious opportunity arose.  So despite the fact that we had already reached 21, the age of maturity, we pathetically ended up at a trade school.

1976 was indeed a turbulent year, as Yin Jinghua recounts in his article on this website.  1976 may be gone forever, but we can proudly say today that we had witnessed history in the making.

We belong to a unique generation; we experienced both scarcity in material wealth and social upheaval.  However, our experiences did not hinder our drive or ambition.  We understood that hardship was necessary in becoming self-sufficient.  We were willing to accept any role given to us in life and regarded this as an obligation imposed upon us.  We were expected to be responsible and dependable in order to repay the country.

Fast-forward thirty years—it is now 2007.  It was wonderful to see all of you on this special occasion and see how much everything has changed.  After a three-decade long separation, enthusiastic handshakes, impassioned hugs, emotional recollections and insightful conversations demonstrated the fervor at the reunion.

The reunion kicked off with Yin Jinghua's warm opening speech.  Each classmate then in turn described his or her endeavours over the last thirty years, achievements in various professions as well as loved ones.  We enjoyed one and another's company and renewed our friendship.  It was a truly uplifting experience, encouraging all of us to be proud of our dear classmates and valued teachers.

The main highlight at the party was, of course, just seeing each other once again.

Some of us have the luxury of meeting ever so often, while many see each other merely once in decades.  I missed those of you who were not present at the event and I would love to see you all another time.

If you believe that a reunion is merely about reminiscing over the past, think again; beyond the nostalgia, our class reunion was also filled with emotion, rediscovery and anticipation for the future.

Finally yet importantly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude toward Yang Lixin (Nini), Lin Kan (Zunzhi) and Yin Jinghua.  Nini prepared enough delicious gourmet food and exquisite wines to feed a whole army.  She also offered a beautiful milieu as our rendezvous location which was artfully furnished and tastefully arranged. Zunzhi religiously contacted everyone in our vibrant, engaging and dynamic alumni network. Jinghua created an aesthetic and user-friendly website, which conveniently puts us just a click away from each other.  Without the three of you, we would not have this reunion or the website.

So let us once again revel in the past and look forward to the years to come.  Wherever you may be in the near and distant future, I wish all of you and your loved ones nothing but the very best.

Let us keep our friendship forever ablaze.

Written on September 29, 2007