Ｗｈｅｎ　Ｗｉｌｌ　Ａｎｇｅｌ　Ｃｏｍｅ　Ｂａｃｋ　ｔｏ　Ｃｈｉｎａ？.docVIP

Ｗｈｅｎ　Ｗｉｌｌ　Ａｎｇｅｌ　Ｃｏｍｅ　Ｂａｃｋ　ｔｏ　Ｃｈｉｎａ？ 　　My 12-year-old son’s bedtime question last night was “Mom, when will Mrs. Mei bring Angel back to Beijing? 　　Mrs. Mei (Kathy) was the principal of The Wall Street Journal’s Beijing Office. She and Mr. Mei, who was the first secretary of the U.S. Embassy in China, passed a four-year term here before returning to the U.S. in 2006.My family cherishes memories of our wonderful times with them.Although separated by the Pacific Ocean now, the friendship between our two families has remained close. 　　 　　“I miss them,” my son added, “and of course, Angel’s toys.” I’d been thinking about the Meis myself, while browsing online articles about the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Their son Angel and my boy are close in age, and whenever they played together, the language obstacle never hindered them. The Meis, both of Guangdong descent, speak fluent Mandarin. 　　Our first meeting was thanks to a history professor from Beijing Normal University who was invited to give a lecture at the U.S. Embassy; the professor is our neighbor and an “uncle” to our son. On the night of Mid-autumn Festival, 2002, to help the Meis better experience Chinese culture, he invited our two families to go boating on Shichahai Lake and enjoy the celebrations together. As the rippling water glittered with the splendor of lanterns, and traditional music drifted in the air, we chatted, laughed and shared mooncakes. Under the bright moon that night, a happy and harmonious evening was had by all. For the next four years, each international family gathering such as Easter, Halloween, Christmas and birthdays, was an occasion for dozens of children with different skin colors to reinforce old friendships. 　　Halloween, it has to be said, is the most exciting holiday for the children. Adults spare no effort to dress them up as ghosts or monsters, recreate the features of haunted houses, and provide children