Romanian Impressions

by Chu Jiwang

During my first visit to Roma- nia this June， I attended an exhibition on mechanical and electrical products held in Bucharest， the countrys capital.

Before my visit， everything came back to me about my first encounter with a Ro- manian. In 1964， during my service with navy transportation in the Nanjing Military Region， I was ordered to escort the Romanian Defense Minister and his wife across the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River Bridge was still under construction， so every important leader or military officer was ferried across in our ship. I was lucky to be at the helm that day when we welcomed our distinguished guests from Romania. It still seems like only yesterday. A half century later， I never expected that one day I would actually set foot in this beautiful country –never mind display my products there at an international fair.

Seeing is believing. Both during and after the exhibition， I didnt waste any chance to explore the exotic land， and I felt at home wherever I went because everyone I met was so friendly. A couple of times when we got lost， locals greeted us with“hi” in Chinese and pointed us in the right direction with a smile.

Once， we failed to notice our cars license plate fall off in front of a hotel on the beach of the Black Sea. As we were about to leave， a taxi driver approached me and muttered something in Romanian. Upon seeing the confusion in my eyes， he motioned me to the fallen plate. He even picked it up and tried to put it back on， but the car was too old and the screws were severely rusted. He couldnt get it to stay no matter how hard he tried. Another taxi driver showed up armed with a nylon rope. They worked together and attached the plate with the rope. We were deeply impressed by their immediate help.

Constantsa is the largest port city in Romania. It serves as a terminal for the canal connecting the Black Sea and the Danube， the second largest river in Europe， and a holiday destination as well. During our stay there， we took a boat along the river， enjoying the city sights and fascinating greenery such as white poplars， sequoias， and olive trees， as well as reflections of blossoming flowers in the blue waters of the Danube. We strolled the spotless streets， greeted polite passersby， and window-shopped a wide variety of commodities in the spacious shopping malls.

The scenery along our trip back to the capital was equally stunning： billowing wheat fields， vast expanses of vineyards， green fields of corn， and gigantic olive trees.

After only a few days there， we were deeply impressed – most so by the hospitality of the local people.

The bridge of friendship between China and Romania is the product of efforts spanning several generations of state leaders. Since China opened its door wider to the outside world， Chinese state leaders， including former presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao， have paid visits to Romania. The friendship between the two peoples will be further strengthened by the continuing boosting of economic exchange and trade between the two countries.