Boy, 14, tells prince he dreams to sing opera in his palace
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping received an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to visit the UK this year when he met Prince William in Beijing yesterday.
William, second in line to the British throne, received a warm welcome from Xi as he embarked on the highest-profile visit to China by a member of the royal family since the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1986.
Xi congratulated the 32-year-old prince on the much anticipated birth of his second child — his wife Kate is not accompanying him on the journey as the couple’s next child is due sometime next month.
The royal visitor handed a large envelope containing the official invitation from the Queen for his trip. Xi is expected to go to London later this year for a visit that could include a stay at Buckingham Palace.
Xi told the prince that he thanked the Queen for the invitation.
“I look forward to meeting her majesty and other British leaders during the visit and to jointly plan out the future of Sino-British relations,” Xi said during the meeting in the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital.
“The British royal family has great influence, not just in Britain but across the world,” Xi said.
William said he was looking forward to the remainder of his visit to China, which took him to the commercial hub of Shanghai before heading to an elephant sanctuary in the southwestern province of Yunnan.
“It’s been a long interest of mine for many years to come and visit China,” he said.
William told Xi that he was looking forward to strengthening relations between the two countries. “I’m particularly interested in the young people and seeing how the next generation develops and is aware of the world as it is,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Prince William told a boy that he might be able to make his dream of singing opera in a palace come true as he met with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The prince made the comment as he toured a traditional Beijing courtyard residence dating from the 1890s that has been restored and turned into a museum with help from charities related to his father Prince Charles — the Prince of Wales’s China Foundation and The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities.
William spent most of his time chatting with representatives of charities helping children with hearing and visual impairments, whose parents are migrant workers or in prison, and some of the young people they work with.
Zhao Chen, 14, who is visually impaired and has undergone six operations to his eyes, wants to be a tenor and he told the prince: “My dream is to go to your palace to sing opera.”
The prince replied: “Well, you have met the right man. We might be able to arrange something.”
Before he left, William was presented with a picture drawn by a 10-year-old of crops, lush vegetation and bright pink, red and blue buildings.
“That will look nice in George’s bedroom,” he said, referring to his 1-year-old son.
He also took a stroll in Beijing’s Forbidden City, where emperors once resided, and had a meeting with Vice President Li Yuanchao, after which culture officials from both countries signed an agreement marking the start of a year of cultural exchange between Britain and China.
To mark the start of the exchange, the prince dotted the eyes of a sculpture of British cartoon character Shaun the Sheep.
Last night, the prince opened an exhibition in Shanghai showcasing British innovation in entertainment, design, health care and fashion.
He met Chinese business leaders in the city, including Jack Ma, an English teacher-turned-founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, which raised US$25 billion in its initial public offering last year.
William’s final stop in China will be Xishuangbanna in Yunnan tomorrow where he will visit an elephant sanctuary and a nature reserve.
His visit is being seen as a bid by Britain to improve top-level diplomatic ties with China.
Buckingham Palace has been on a charm offensive toward China, with William issuing a Lunar New Year message in Mandarin ahead of his visit.
He was asked how his Chinese skills were developing as he walked through the ancient Forbidden City.
“Ni hao — that’s as far as I got,” he told reporters with a smile, standing in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where coronations were carried out before the Chinese imperial regime was overthrown.
Relations between Britain and China got back on track after Beijing suspended high-level diplomatic contacts for 14 months after Prime Minister David Cameron met with the Dalai Lama in May 2012.
In June last year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Britain was marked with pomp and ceremony, involving a meeting with the Queen and the announcement of 14 billion pounds (US$24 billion) worth of business deals.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
