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...
CGTN Photo
“My diplomatic career began when I was 38.
That’s quite an exception as most start when they are around 50.
I have been the ambassador to China three times,
which is extremely rare in Spain’s or even the world’s diplomatic history.
My friend always jokingly says that
this was history in the making. ”
Eugenio Bregolat, Spain’s former ambassador
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.
Eugenio Bregolat (L) and Li Xiannian (R); Bregolat was the ambassador to China from 1986-1991, 1999-2003 and 2011-2013.
Eugenio Bregolat (L) and Jiang Zemin (R); Bregolat was the ambassador to China from 1986-1991, 1999-2003 and 2011-2013.
Eugenio Bregolat (L) and Hu Jintao (R); Bregolat was the ambassador to China from 1986-1991, 1999-2003 and 2011-2013.
“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.”
CGTN Photo
“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!”
CGTN Photo
The following figures might well symbolize the changes China underwent.
World ranking of the mileage of high-speed railways from 2005-2017 (Source: Wikipedia)
World rank of overall length of bridges in 2006-2022 (Source: Wikipedia)
The world’s longest bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is in China.
Source: The Paper
The world’s highest bridge, the First Beipan River Bridge, is also located in China.
Source: The Paper
Source: The Paper
The world’s most complex flyover, Huangjuewan flyover, is located in China.
Source: The Paper
One of the world’s most difficult road-construction projects, Yaxi Expressway, sits in China.
Source: Souhu
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.
Source: Documentary
According to Xinhua, by 2017, China has become the country with the fastest operating speed of the high-speed railway.
Source: The Paper
...
“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.
Source: The Paper
Please follow us for more on the Ambassador’s China Story.
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