Families and friends,

I will soon be heading home as my diplomatic assignment in Canada concludes. My farewell is tinged with no choice since the lingering COVID-19 is holding me back from saying goodbye to you in person.

Time flies in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t believe it has been almost five years and my first day of taking office always felt like yesterday. 

This is the longest assignment in my diplomatic career. My team and I worked hard to promote positive interactions between China and my consular districts, which has never been easy but we accomplished it. We got through these years with you together, experiencing the ups and downs of China-Canada relations and weathering the COVID storm. We couldn’t have achieved so much without your trust, goodwill, and support that have become valuable assets in my career.

As I bid farewell, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all my compatriots and friends who have cared for and supported me constantly.

As I look back, all great things remain.

In September 2017 when we celebrated the 68th birthday of the People’s Republic of China, I was overwhelmed with pride holding my Huawei cell phone up in the air when making a remarks, while most of the audience nodding and smiling. At the promotion events for the Year of Tourism, my guests burst into laughter when I made a comparison between Chinese and Canadian cultural and social differences, which reminded us the need to strengthen people to people exchanges to better understand each other. On the Children’s Day of that year, we invited little friends to a special breakfast with a family of furry from China after they settled in Calgary. The event showcased the joint efforts to protect and conserve endangered wildlife including giant pandas by China and Canada. The Chinese New Year was imprinted on people’s minds because of the “Lighting Up Calgary in China Red” celebration across the city at local landmarks like Calgary Tower, Glenbow Museum and more. I believe many of you can still visualize the exquisite Chinese costumes and their delicate accessories being gracefully brought back to life at the 2019 Spring Festival gala at the Gasoline Museum in Heritage Park, where everyone was charmed by Chinese traditional culture -- its sophistication, profundity, and self-confidence. 

Music fans could hardly forget our impressive 2019 National Day concert put on by world-class Erhu master Guogan and the Calgary Civic Symphony, where a 1000-year-old Chinese musical instrument comes across western piano and guitar. In collaboration with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, we presented a one-of-a-kind Chinese New Year concert in 2020, featuring Chinese conductor QIAN Junping and Chinese violinist YU Xiang. For the first time, classic Chinese masterpieces like “Horse Racing” and “Butterfly Lovers” reverberated through Jack Singer Concert Hall. 

We co-hosted the “China Day” event with the University of Calgary, where the next generation of Chinese showcased their talents and visions. We promoted bilateral academic exchanges with the University of Alberta, the University of Regina, and the University of Saskatoon to make knowledge a shared asset of mankind. Our friendly interactions with the First Nations of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories taught us the meaning of giving back to local communities. The Chinese communities and Chinese companies’ participation in the Calgary Stampede, the GlobalFest, the Edmonton K-day, Canada's Farm Show at Regina, and Mosaic: A Festival of Cultures was weaving a great chapter of overseas Chinese making tireless contributions to Canada.

The heartless COVID-19 could never prevent us from working together for a bright future. During the unexpected public health emergency, we all stood up for each other. The Consulate was devoted to being the hub of information, courage, and hope. We have issued nearly 100 consular reminders across social media to keep everyone informed of health guidelines, distributed all best wishes in countless “Health Kits” to our students, held online mental health seminars and encouraged to set up “self-help support groups” among Chinese and local communities. 

As I look ahead, confidence is shining out there.

China has embarked on a new journey to rejuvenation and will continue to be the powerhouse of development for the whole world. However, a concerted effort is still necessary from you and me to shape a favourable condition to achieve the ultimate goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind. I trust that you will keep on supporting the Chinese Consulate General in Calgary in the mission to bring out a better future for China-Canada relations.

On leaving, I sincerely wish all of you excellent health, happy families, and all of life’s wonders as you wish!                

Mme. LU Xu

Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary

July 20th, 2022