Liu, 59, had just finished his lunch at a noodle restaurant on Xingfucun Zhonglu in Chaoyang.
“I have heard of APEC but I only know that it’s a conference attended by lots of important countries. As for what exactly they are going to discuss? I don’t have a clear idea. But I can guess. It must be one of those topics like the economy, culture, politics, science or international cooperation. Or maybe all of them.
I remember the last time China hosted APEC. It was in Shanghai, right? I remember that classic photo of those foreign leaders wearing Chinese-style clothes, all with big smiles. It was during the time of President Jiang Zemin, George W. Bush and [Japanese Prime Minister] Junichiro Koizumi. Now that none of them are in the world’s spotlight, it makes people feel a bit nostalgic. It’s like something that happened in a past life.
As for what the meeting will bring me? Whatever it is, I don’t think it will happen immediately. It’s not like the wind that blows today and brings a clear day tomorrow. But more like a complete cure for the environment, which has a longer-lasting effect. I think this meeting will help in creating a plan and making a framework – the rest will follow. I hope that a better world can be provided by peaceful relationships with other countries, bringing more jobs, better hospitals, and lower (or at least not always rising) house prices. That’s all I expect.
It is a big event, so I hope China won’t lose face. First, we must make sure the air will be clean when those leaders come. I am sure we can do it if we want to. Second is the traffic. In October we were told that parts of the government, schools and state-owned units will all take six days off. That is a wise decision.
More than ten years has passed since the Shanghai APEC. In some ways my life has changed, but in others it hasn’t. The parts that changed are more to do with public life: we have more green spaces, better transport and more choice. But at the same time, I feel my son faces the same pressures as I did ten years ago. It seems we can never achieve financial freedom and will always have to worry about the future.”
As told to Karoline Kan.
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