It has been some time since we had this day out but I have just found the photos and thought I would put them up. Ron works very closely with Henry (He) Congpei and he is the most delightful man and ever so helpful. Henry has been responsible for much of our happiness in Nanjing. He has acted as Ron's right hand man, translator, interpreter, advocate and friend and all the while has also been the communication anchor between Ron and the Chinese staff and NFLS. Henry is a gem beyond being able to measure in value.
One day last year we went to the zoo with Henry and his family - his wife Amanda and his son Qian Yi (who has since decided his English name will be Thomas - ala Thomas the Tank Engine!) Zoos in China are not really very pleasant places when you compare them with modern zoos and I struggled with the conditions the animals are kept in. The Pandas seemed to have a nice enough home but most of the other animals, although looking healthy enough, were in very poor containment and many were obviously emotionally stressed. Also the visitors to the zoo were not very careful about where they threw their rubbish and many of the cages had plastic waste and food wrappers strewn around.
Qian Yi was the saving grace of the day. At the time he was still 2 and full of fun and excitement. He has defintely inherited Henry's good nature and sense of humour and mischief. Amanda was kept on her toes racing around after him and playing with a bubble gun that really was more fun than the zoo!
We had a delightful afternoon and I just love the pic of Ron with Henry and family - one of the happiest moments in Nanjing.
No comments:
Post a Comment