2013澳美基业新春年度会JOHN讲话稿.docxVIP

2013澳美基业新春年会JOHN讲话稿 英文原稿 Dear general manager Zhang, dear friends from Aumay I wish you all a very good evening on this wonderful occasion. Another year has passed by and I hoped the passing Dragon Year has brought all of you what you hoped it would bring. For our company NEXT architects, we are happy to have worked together with Aumay on what is believed will be very ambitious projects, both for Langfang and abroad. As I’ve been in China for nine years now, I’ve been able to register part of China’s fast development. And as in many cultures and countries, there’s often a tension between fast development and sustainable development, sustainable like in environment, culture, social and so on. And that’s why people with vision are so important, people that are able to look far, towards the horizon, and are able to realize long term dreams. Years ago I had the privilege to meet the mayor of Bilbao in Spain. At that time, Bilbao wasn’t very famous, it was just a typical industrial Spanish city. The mayor shared his dream, of transforming Bilbao into a creative city, with a mix of art, culture, and commerce. Years later, I believe, she realized this dream, making Bilbao famous around the world not only with the Guggenheim museum. Bilbao became a better place for people to live and for people to prosper. People around the world called this the ‘Bilbao effect’. When GM Zhang told me about her dreams for Langfang, it reminded me of the dreams of the mayor of Bilbao. It reminded me of a person with a vision. Bilbao can never be Barcelona the mayor said. Langfang can never be Beijing, GM Zhang said. And both said both cities also shouldn’t try to be, but follow their own potential to grow and flourish. We from NEXT architects hope to contribute to this dream, to what maybe later will be called the ‘Langfang effect’. But we know dreaming, and contributing to dreaming isn’t enough. Dreams need to be realized. And that’s where all of you come in the picture. Each day last year