In the previous episode of the “Ambassador’s China Story” launched by CGTN Global Stringer, 81-year-old South Korean former ambassador Kwon Byong-hyon took us back to his remarkable experiences in China. In the second episode, the legendary account of a 76-year-old former Spanish ambassador awaits us...

Drinking Longjing Tea (i.e. Dragon Well tea, a variety of green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China), listening to The Butterfly Lovers (a Chinese legend of the tragic love between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai), reading the collection of poems by Li Bai (a Chinese Tang-Dynasty poet) and studying Deng Xiaoping Theory… Obviously, this Spanish elder has perfectly integrated into Chinese society. But the beginning of his story dates back to the 1980s.

Before he took up his first diplomatic tenure in China, Bregolat spent a month traveling this country. “I remember in that tour group, there were mostly Americans. And there were few foreigners in China,” he recalled.

They crossed the Yangtze River and visited cities like Xi’an and Shanghai. The vast expanse of the landscape, the changing topography, as well as the colorful culture greatly impressed Bregolat. But it was the people that warmed his heart.

“Once, I was on the Nanshan scenic spot of Chongqing, I saw a group of Chinese dancing. And one of them invited me to dance with them. Such a scene is still alive in my memory. From then on, I fell in love with China.”

Before long, Eugenio took up the position as the ambassador to China in 1986. He later returned for two more tenures, which allowed him to witness the biggest change in this country. He wrote down everything he observed in his notebook.

“I always said that when I was in China, I could even feel the biggest change from the place I lived.”

“During my first tenure, cars were rarely seen. Instead, bicycles, carriages and donkeys were very common.”

“But ten years later, when I came back to China, I could see a 30-floor building when I walked out of the embassy and crossed Liangmaqiao. In the evening, neon lights, traveling cars, skyscrapers and cabs were everywhere (only the high-class hotels had cabs before). And restaurants were dotted on the street lines. Modernity was very much in the air. After another ten years, all the narrow streets turned to city malls. How fast that change was. Unbelievable!”

The following figures might well symbolize the changes China underwent.

The world’s longest bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is in China.

The world’s highest bridge, the First Beipan River Bridge, is also located in China.

The world’s most complex flyover, Huangjuewan flyover, is located in China.

One of the world’s most difficult road-construction projects, Yaxi Expressway, sits in China.

According to one report released in 2017 by Chinanews, the overall mileage of China’s highway covers 131,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world.

According to Xinhua, by 2017, China has become the country with the fastest operating speed of the high-speed railway.

...

“The economic development of China is beyond imagination. Thirty years ago, how could those generations imagine what their descendants could have 30 years later?” Bregolat said.

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For the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China,

CGTN Global Stringer has launched “Ambassador’s China Story", focusing on the Chinese stories of the former ambassadors to China, to see China and Chinese people in their eyes, through their memories.

Click the button to view the previous story

Ambassadors' China Story ⁠- I helped build the 'Green Great Wall' of China

Supervisor: Pang Xinhua

Executive Producer: Li Xiangyang

Chief Editor: Xu Jian, Wang Dewei

Director of Photography: Luis Carballo

Original Screenplay: Sun Da

Editor: Luis Carballo, Sun Da, Gao Xingzi

Copy Editor: Liane Ferreira, Oscar Margain

Cover image: Jia Jieqiong