There were several memorable big events in
September and October.
1 October 2009 was the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the
People's Republic of China. China
celebrated with a massive military pageant on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, while
various celebrations were carried out all over the country. As the world’s third-largest economy with a
population of 1.3 billion, China first showcased the nation’s revival as a
global power with a military parade. Thousands
of troops marched in tight formations. The
parade also displayed 52 new types of military hardware, including fighter
aircrafts, battle tanks, nuclear and conventional missiles, early-warning
aircrafts, attack helicopter and machine guns. Following the military show was a mass
pageant, with tens of thousands marching, dancing and singing in union. There were a total of sixty floats showcasing
themes passing by Tiananmen Square. They
included the goose-stepping troops, squad of pink-clad women volunteers, Olympic
heroes, and children with hand-held cards showing giant portraits of leaders
and slogans.
As one of the Special Administrative Regions of the People's
Republic of China, Hong Kong also had the celebrations early in the day. The flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia
Square attracted thousands of people as early as 8 a.m., when the national
anthem was played. While the carnival at
Victoria Park also drew hundreds of people in the afternoon, the fireworks in
the evening marked the highlights of the celebrations. Over 350,000 people lined up on both sides of
Victoria Harbour to watch the fireworks display. The 23-minute dazzling fireworks came to a
climax when the four Chinese characters “中國六十” were spelled out with a total
of 60 times.
Weeks before the National Day, the medical profession also had a grand
celebration. Jointly organized by the
Hong Kong Medical Association and eleven medical and dental associations, the medical
sector’s celebration of “60th Anniversary of the Founding of the
People’s Republic of China” was held on 19 September 2009 at the Run Run Shaw
Hall of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.
On 19 September 2009, the HKU Medical Graduates of the year 1989 (including
myself) were having their 20th Anniversary Dinner. In fact we had known each other for a quarter
of a century. More than one hundred of
our classmates attended the gathering, which was held in the Dynasty Club. The last time we had this kind of large scale
gathering was ten years ago. It was so
glad that we could still recollect all the contact information of our
classmates and over two-third of them joined the dinner. In these twenty years, we had different
achievement in our careers, in our families and in society. But the hottest topics of chat were only those
minor happenings and dirty jokes in old school days. The best news for our class is that no one is
missing, and hopefully there will be no one missing in the coming ten years.
On 23 September 2009, one would not miss the headlines of the Apple
Daily, “煮飯阿嬸獲頒港大院士”. Congratulations to Ms. YUEN
So-moy, our beloved “Sam So” (三嫂), for being conferred with an Honorary
Fellow title by The University of Hong Kong.
If you were a HKU graduate who resided in the University Hall, you must
have been taken great care by Sam So during the school days. To commemorate the event and to show our
appreciation, the University Hall Alumni organized an Awards Celebration Dinner
at the City Hall Maxim’s Palace on 10 October 2009. I must admit that I had not seen Sam So for
eighteen years. It was really touching when
Sam So called me by the name and told me that I had gained much weight while I
held her hands to greet her.
(Source: HKMA News October 2009)
