M.Noyan Rona’s Chinese Dream.doc

M.Noyan Rona’s Chinese Dream I have been pursuing my Chinese dream for 30 years，” de- clared M. Noyan Rona at the International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream， held last December in Shanghai. In fluent Chinese， Rona， chief representative of the Turkish Garanti Banks Shanghai office， at the forum related his 30-year-long tryst with China. With a strong interest in history， Rona， then an accountant for a garage， in 1978 began to study Chinese at the Chinese Department of Ankara University. “Our Turkish ancestors once lived in northern China. I wanted to know more about that stretch of history，” Rona explained. Chinas reform and opening-up drive had just kicked off after a long spell of isolation from the outside world. People knew little about China at the time. Many of his friends thought Rona had made a strange choice. Yet it is this very strange choice that launched Rona’s 30-year tryst with China. Upon obtaining a scholarship through his excellent academic performance， Rona came to China in 1983 and began to study Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute （now Beijing Language and Culture University）. Three years later Rona obtained a Master’s degree in history from Wuhan University， becoming the fi rst Turkish citizen to obtain an MA in China. Witness to China-Turkey Exchanges “Since 1971， when China and Turkey established diplomatic relations， 43 years have passed. Throughout that span， Ive lived in China for 30 years. So I’ve been witness to China-Turkey exchanges，” said Rona. In the last three decades， dramatic changes have ensued in China. Rona feels lucky to have been able to personally experience such vast changes. In his words， his wonderful experience of living 30 years in China has gone far beyond his expectations. Upon finishing his studies in China， Rona took up a position in Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Soon after， he was dispatched to the Turkish embassy in Beijing. In 1995， when the Turkish president visited China， Rona acted