(December 8, 2013)

I am sorry for not being able to join you today due to the sudden cancellation of flight, but I assure you my heart is with you.

Dr. E. Grey Dimond was an old friend of China. He visited China for the first time in August, 1971, six months before the historic China trip by President Nixon. Since then, Dr. Dimond went back to China on many occasions and he made a great number of Chinese friends.

Especially as a leader of the Edgar Snow Foundation for decades, Dr. Dimond has been working very hard to promote the mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. Every Chinese who knows of him has high respect for him.

I, together with several of my colleagues, had the honor of visiting Dr. Dimond at his residence, the famous Diastole, earlier this year. Ms Nancy Hill was also kindly present at the meeting. That's my first and only meeting with him. It was supposed to be a brief courtesy call because of his senior age. But it turned out to be a long talk of about one hour. He was just as energetic and charming as a young man.

My colleagues and I greatly enjoyed listening to him. I remember clearly that he was so generous as to allow everyone of us to ask him one question. He made fun of us and he also shared his secret of living a long life with us. He said to us: "be happy every day and double your happiness".

At the end of the meeting, he asked me to come back. I told him I will. I was so sad to learn of his unfortunate passing away, which is indeed a great loss to all of us. We will remember him forever.

Thank you.