(August 2002) 

Dear All,

I had a great honor to meet our Aussie alumni on 8/21 in Sydney. The group, consisted of Liang Xiaoqian, Zhong Yong, Huang Hanxuan, Du Ruzhang and Li Kekang, threw me a state dinner filled with imaginary Austalian specialities: crockodile, emu, kangaroo, wambat, penguin, koala....(lucky enough they are not considered as endangered species). Huang Xunwen (Canberra) and Xu Huiling (Melbourne) couldn't come because they live too far away. We had a warm and fun-filled evening with Zhong Yong playing the role of a comedian. He bragged defeating Li Kekang in a court case ("Bu Da Bu Xiang Shi"). Liang Xiaoqian, who lives in Perth, just happened to visit in Sydney after returning from China. And Lao Du is going to Guangzhou next month. Some of them met the first time despite the fact that they co-exist in the same city for many years. Most of them pursuit a career that is related to their learning as English major in Guangwai. We discussed about the re-union. From the practical point of view, they may not be able to attend because August is not their summer vacation time. Otherwise they have enough people to form a basket-ball team representing the greater Antarctic region. I also talked with Xu Huiling on the phone when I went to Melbourne. Our Aussie alumni are all healthy and live well, not a bit of 'under-achieved', as claimed by Zhong Yong whose intension is obvious to avoid levy/tax/payment/donation or whatever you call it despite the virtual reality that he only needs to work 2 minutes to buy a hamburger (calculated by Arthur Anderson)

Australia is a beautiful country, although I once vowed no more visits for the rest of my life. As the Boeing 747 was hovering above Melbourn international airport and ready to land after over 15 hours of flying, I suddenly realized that I understood with "first-hand experience" how Neal Armstrong was feeling the moment he stepped on the moon! My 7-year-old son somehow mentioned the word "the Pluto" during our journey so my first impression was that we landed on the Pluto! That feeling followed me on and off during our entire stay in Australia. One example: our day trip included visiting the Blue Mountain west of Sydney. During the two-hour drive as soon as the bus was out of the city boundry, all could be seen was un-lumbered (I made up the word) forests and uncultivated land with a few herds of cows and sheeps scattered on the green slopes but rarely with human beings or their dwellings. However, with each passing day, I started to like the place where our Aussie friends call it 'the southern bottom of the earth' or 'the downunder'. Australia has long, gorgeous seashores. Everyewhere we visited, be it in Gold Coast, Sydney or Melbourne, the scenic beaches are so natural and the water is so blue. Standing on the Twelve Apostles overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I couldn't help thinking that Guangwai 77 graduates now call every corner of the world their home: on the other side of the Ocean in Johannesburg lives one of our alumni(Chen Jiaji), and near the opposite pole of the earth in Alberta lives another (Qin Ruixin), in China, in north America, in Europe, in Australia, and anybody in Russia(?)

Australian cities are modern and efficient. In Sydney and Melbourne, the public transportaion system is sophiscated but convenient. The Aussies are friendly to their visitors who are willing to shelve coins into their pockets. They also have a strong sense of environmental conservation and protection. There is so much to be said about our journey to what I call 'the other planet'. But I will leave it to you all to see it with your own eyes. It was an exhausted but valuable and unforgetable trip for me and my family. I here particularly express my sincere thanks to our Australian alumni for their hospitality.

Xiaohong Liang