Dear friends,
Shalom, My name is Gadi Harpaz and I am the new Consul General of Israel in Chengdu, which represents Israel in four provinces in south-west China (Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing).
My first connection to China is from my early childhood. My neighbor and good family friend Lily told me about her own childhood in China. she was born in shanghai and is of Jewish-Russian descent. Her family fled from Russia in the early 20th century and found a sanctuary in China. Her stories filled my mind as a child with a sense of wonder for this beautiful and unique country.
This year, the year we celebrate our 30th year of relations between our countries, I feel honored and privileged to be able to come to the heart of China and to promote our relations to an even higher level.
China and Israel have much in common. Both countries and ancient civilizations have had profound influence on their surrounding countries and the world in many fields, from philosophy to science too much, much more. But, there are also some differences between us.
We each have different strengths in different fields and our goal is to learn from each other and promote our growth and development for the benefits of our people and future.
I would like to conclude this introduction with an old Jewish proverb (one more similarity between our cultures):
"איזהו החכם הלומד מכל אדם"
“he who is wise is one who learns from every man”
Your new friend, Gadi Harpaz
Consul General of Israel in Chengdu