（2020.7.18 Stockholm）
Honorable President of the Jan Myrdal Society Mr. Andersson,
Dear Swedish friends,
Today we gather for the Jan Myrdal Remembrance Day. It is with profound sadness that Mr. Myrdal, an old friend of the Chinese people, is dearly missed.
Throughout his life, Mr. Myrdal was devoted to China, and committed to support China’s development. For 32 years, China’s Liulin village has been close to his heart. He made seven visits to the rural village, where he conducted field researches and talked to every family in the village. Based on the research in Liulin, he wrote the book Report from a Chinese Village, which earned him international success. The book objectively presented the profound changes and progress of a Chinese rural village after the People’s Republic was born, which gave the world a rare opportunity to learn about the country back then. Besides Shaanxi where the Liulin village is, Mr. Myrdal also has travelled all around China, including Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Gansu, Sichuan, Chongqing, Zhejiang and my hometown Anhui.
He also authored a number of other books including The Chinese Journey and The Silk Road which helped the world to understand the country. These books are part of the precious history of China-Sweden friendship. Mr. Myrdal is a symbol of China-Sweden friendship and a bridge connecting the two countries. For that, he is always in our hearts.
It has been almost 30 years since Mr. Myrdal’s last visit to his beloved Liulin village. Over the past 30 years, China has been developing rapidly, and has now entered a new era. The Liulin village also shook off poverty and became well-known for its apple agricultures. China needs to get to know the world better, and likewise the world needs to understand today’s China better. I am eager to see more Jan Myrdals in Sweden today, who carry forward the spirit of being fair, objective and precise, present today’s China and the Chinese people to Sweden and the world in a balanced, objective and fair manner, and make the bond of friendship between our two countries stronger. I would like to promise to my Swedish friends again, China is always open to you. Welcome to China!
I firmly believe, with efforts by people from both our countries, the chapter of friendly cooperation between our two countries and peoples will continue and on!