On the afternoon of December 16, 2025, the lecture “My Diplomatic Footprints,” part of the 2026 Shenzhen APEC series, was held in Huiwen Building at Shenzhen University. Senior diplomatic expert Mr. Fu Lang, drawing on his extraordinary experience spanning over forty years and five continents, delivered a profound and vividly narrated intellectual feast for the audience. His talk also offered a profound interpretation of the responsibility and role of the younger generation in the new era in the process of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Dai Yonghong, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Director of the Institute of Area and International Communication Studies at Shenzhen University, along with specially-appointed Professor Zhu Xianghui, led nearly 30 faculty and students from both schools to attend the lecture.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Dai Yonghong, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Director of the Institute of Area and International Communication Studies at Shenzhen University, delivered the opening speech. He detailed Shenzhen University’s disciplinary layout, talent cultivation system, and progress in applying for doctoral programs in the fields of area studies and international communication. He emphasized the importance of cultivating talents with cross-cultural communication skills and global competency in the context of globalization, setting a lofty academic and educational tone for the lecture.
Following this, Mr. Fu Lang took the stage. He began by presenting Dean Dai Yonghong with his personal photography collection and music anthology. He also passed three of his career passports among the attending faculty and students. These items, bearing the marks of time, instantly brought the diplomat closer to the young students. Over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, guided by more than 500 precious images, Mr. Fu Lang unfolded a magnificent diplomatic panorama, structured around the sequence of “Oceania, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia.”
His stories transcended mere geographical travel, representing dialogues between civilizations. In Oceania, he shared anecdotes of his interactions with local people, from the Maori’s unique ‘hongi’ greeting to the island nation of Niue with only 1,600 inhabitants. He emphasized that “in international exchanges, the highest form of reception is a home-cooked meal,” illustrating that the essence of diplomacy lies in sincerity and respect. In Africa, he praised the innate artistic talent and optimistic spirit of the people, fondly recalling heartwarming scenes of being surrounded by African children like a “star.” He also reflected deeply on monuments of Sino-African friendship, such as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, paying tribute to the groundbreaking contributions of the older generation of diplomats. He contrasted the passionate and unrestrained Americas, the romantic Europe, and the more reserved and regulated Asia, guiding students to seek common ground amid differences and enhance understanding through exchange.
These vivid stories are living practices in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Through his personal experiences, Mr. Fu Lang demonstrated that respecting cultural diversity, understanding different development models, and connecting heart-to-heart are the only ways to bridge divides and foster friendship. His footprints are not only a record of a personal career but also a microcosmic witness to China’s peaceful development and win-win cooperation with the world.
As the lecture concluded, Dean Dai Yonghong delivered a summary speech. He praised it as a “groundbreaking lecture” that, through the spatiotemporal framework of “40 years” and “5 continents,” painted a broad blueprint. The sharing of over 500 images constituted a “marvelous intellectual feast.” Quoting the ancient adage, “Humanities embrace the world; a traveler has no boundaries; knowledge and action are one,” he encouraged the students present: “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people; meeting countless people is not as good as being guided by a great mentor.” He hoped the students would follow Mr. Fu Lang’s example, actively venture out, engage in localized practice and research overseas, and grow into international talents for the new era by integrating knowledge with action.
The successful hosting of this lecture not only fostered a strong atmosphere of international exchange for the 2026 Shenzhen APEC meetings but also, through the teachings and example of a senior diplomat, instilled in the younger generation the confidence and strength to engage with the world, inspiring them to contribute their youthful wisdom to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.。
First Proofreaders: Zhang Lin, Liu Zhile
Second Proofreader: Fu Le
Third Proofreader: Dai Yonghong
