同学们、老师们：
Boys and Girls,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

欢迎你们来到中国驻英国大使馆。今天是中国农历兔年正月初八，正值新春佳节，我祝大家兔年快乐！兔年使我想起一句英文谚语：“要像兔子一样，不畏困难，跳跃前进”。（Hop over obstacles like a rabbit.）我祝同学们学习进步！祝老师们事业有成！
Welcome to the Chinese Embassy. Today is the 8th day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit. This is a time for festivity and celebration. Let me first of all wish all of you a happy and prosperous year of the Rabbit. The Year of the Rabbit reminds me of an English idiom: "Hop over obstacles like a rabbit." That is my wish to you. I wish you, the students a lot of progress in your studies and teachers every success in your career.

“百校组织”是由英格兰著名的50所私立学校和50所公立学校组成的联盟。你们每年一次的年会具有重要影响。今年你们把国际问题确定为年会主题，并选择年会期间到中国大使馆做客，我对此感到很高兴，希望你们今天的访问既增进你们对中国的了解，又有助于你们年会的讨论，使你们不虚此行。
The 100 Group is a distinguished group of schools in England. The annual conference is an important event for the group. I am glad that this year's conference focuses on international issues, and that you have included in the agenda a visit to the Chinese Embassy. I hope this visit will be both interesting and informative. It will help increase your knowledge of China and enrich your discussions at the conference.

现在你们所处的这座建筑是英国18世纪的流行建筑，由英国著名建筑师罗伯特·亚当（Robert Adam）和他的弟弟詹姆斯·亚当（James Adam）合作设计，现为二级保护文物。1877年，这座建筑成为中国历史上第一个驻外代表机构所在地。130多年来，它可以说见证了中国近现代外交的沧海桑田，记载了中英两国关系的变迁发展。大使馆的负责人当然就是大使，自中英1972年建立大使级外交关系以来，我是中华人民共和国第11任驻英大使。大使馆的主要任务就是促进中国与英国在政治、经贸、教育、文化、科技、军事等各领域双边交流与合作。
Let me say a few words about the history of the Embassy and what we do here. This building you are now in has an architectural style that became popular in the 18th century. It is now a protected cultural site. It was designed by the renowned architect Robert Adam and his brother James Adam. In 1877, it became the office building for the first ever Chinese diplomatic mission overseas, and has served as our embassy building ever since. For the past 130 years, it witnessed great changes in China's diplomacy and its relations with Britain. I am proud to be the 11th Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UK following the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1972. The main mission of the Embassy is to promote China's exchanges and cooperation with Britain in political affairs, commerce, education, culture, science, technology and military fields.

中国和英国都是伟大的国家，都是当今世界有重要影响的大国。中英正致力于建设全面战略伙伴关系，也就是说两国的合作是全方位和长期的。去年底卡梅伦首相访问了中国，今年初中国国务院副总理李克强访问了英国，两国政治关系非常紧密；中英贸易额去年已突破500亿美元，今后5年要争取达到1000亿美元；双方人员往来每年总量达100万人次，仅中国大陆来英游客去年就超过20万；中国现在有近12万留学生在英学习，可能有些还是你们的同学；中英在上海世博会上进行了良好合作，英国馆表现非常精彩；伦敦还将继北京之后举办奥运会，我们期待着伦敦奥运会同样精彩。作为中英友谊的象征，两只可爱的大熊猫不久将在爱丁堡动物园安家落户，欢迎你们前去观看。
Both China and Britain are great nations and major players on the world stage. We are both committed to our comprehensive strategic partnership. We have strong political ties. Prime Minister Cameron visited China last November and Vice Premier Li Keqiang visited the UK early this year. We have vibrant trade ties. Our trade last year hit a record 50 billion US dollars. We will aim to double it in the next 5 years. We have growing people-to-people links. Every year 1 million visits are made between our two countries. Tourists from the Chinese Mainland alone reached 200 thousand last year. Close to 120 thousand Chinese students are studying in the UK. Some of them may even be your classmates. The UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo last year was a great success. We are confident that London as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games will stage an equally spectacular games as Beijing. I also want to tell you that two giant pandas will be coming from China to settle in their new home in the Edinburgh Zoo. They will be living symbols of China-UK friendship. I do hope you will have an opportunity to see them and you will like them.

年轻一代，是国家的未来，也是中英关系的希望。中英关系发展需要世代接力，两国合作友好需要薪火传承。年轻人接手中英友好事业，我认为最重要的是要了解和理解对方国家。
Young people are the future of their nations. You also represent the future of China-UK relations. China-UK partnership needs to be nurtured from generation to generation. We count on you to take our friendship and cooperation forward. To fulfill this mission, it is very important to better understand each other's country.

对你们而言，首先要多了解中国的基本国情。中国一个很大特点是地广人多。中国幅员辽阔，国土面积有960万平方公里，是英国的40倍。中国人口众多，超过13亿，是英国的20多倍。
Let me share with you a few facts about China. China is a vast country, covering an area of 9.6 million square kilometers, 40 times the size of Britain. It has a population of over 1.3 billion, more than 20 times that of Britain.

中国具有五千年文明历史，曾对人类的进步与发展做出伟大贡献。可能你们有些人知道中国古代的“四大发明”——指南针、造纸术、活字印刷和火药。如果人类历史上没有这四项发明，我想可能我们至今还生活在中世纪。
China has a history of 5 thousand years. It contributed enormously to human progress. Some of you may know the four great inventions of ancient China – the compass, papermaking, movable type printing press and gunpowder. Without them, we may still live in the medieval age.

今天的中国朝气蓬勃，万象更新，各项事业全面发展。中国经济突飞猛进，改革开放32年来，保持了年均近10%的增长速度，经济总量已位居世界第二。中国人民的生活水平显著提升，过去30多年有2.5亿人摆脱贫困。中国社会更加开放和进步。我们先后成功举办了北京奥运会和上海世博会，展现了中国的新形象。中国现有4.5亿网民和2亿多博客，微博在中国也很时髦。当然，中国现在还是一个发展中国家，人均GDP只相当于英国的1/10，排在世界100位之后，仍有1.5亿人的生活达不到每天1美元的联合国贫困线标准。中国的发展仍任重道远。
Today's China is making rapid progress on all fronts. Its economy has been growing at double-digit rates for the past 32 years. Its GDP now ranks the second in the world. The Chinese people enjoy a much better life today than ever before. 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past 3 decades. The Chinese society is increasingly open and diverse. Both the Beijing Olympic Games and the Shanghai World Expo have been immensely successful. They showed the world a new China. There has been an explosive growth of internet in China, with 450 million internet users and over 200 million bloggers. Micro-blogging, which is similar to tweeter, is attracting ever more users. Having said all that, it is important to understand that China is still a developing country. Its per capita GDP is only one tenth that of the UK, and ranks behind 100 countries. 150 million people in China still live under the UN poverty line of one dollar a day. For China, development remains an arduous task and the road is long.

进一步了解中国，我认为，需要学习中国的语言。汉语现在不仅是世界上使用人口最多的语言，而且正成为国际化程度发展最快的语言，世界各国对汉语学习的需求与日俱增。目前，国外学习汉语的人数超过4千万，据估算，在欧美学习汉语的人数每年以40%的速度递增。英国也有“汉语热”，超过500所中小学开设了汉语课程，部分学校将汉语列入了必修课，GCSE考试也将汉语列为正式科目。目前在英国还有13所孔子学院和54家孔子课堂。我听说，百校组织当中有不少学校已经设立了孔子课堂或开展了汉语教学。例如Brighton College和Kingsford Community School的孔子课堂都办得十分成功，学生在近年的英国中学生汉语比赛中都取得了出色成绩。
A good way to understand China is to learn its language. Mandarin is spoken by the largest number of people in the world. It is also the fastest growing language. More than 40 million people around the world are learning mandarin. The number of learners in Europe and North America is growing by 40% annually. Mandarin fever has also hit the UK. I am pleased to learn that mandarin has been put on the curriculum of over 500 primary and secondary schools, in some cases as a compulsory course. Last September, the British government made mandarin another GCSE subject. There are now 13 Confucius Institutes and 54 Confucius Classrooms in the UK. Some schools of the 100 Group, such as Brighton College and Kingsford Community School, have Confucius Classrooms. Some of the students there have done very well in mandarin proficiency competitions in recent years.

当然，更深入地了解中国，最好是到中国留学。目前越来越多的外国学生选择到中国留学，不仅了解中国的悠久文化，更可以亲身体验当代中国的活力。2009年，来自190多个国家和地区的23万多名学生在中国留学。中国正采取一系列措施吸引国际学生，包括增加奖学金、完善服务等。驻英使馆教育处将在今年秋季在伦敦举办“留学中国教育展”，欢迎你们前来参观，与中国的大学进行面对面交流，争取给自己的学习生涯添加流行的中国元素和色彩。
An even better way to know China is to study in China. China is now becoming a popular destination for overseas students to experience its ancient culture and modern vitality. In 2009, over 230 thousand students from more than 190 countries and regions studied in China. China is offering more scholarships and better services for these students. The Education Section of our embassy will host a "Study in China" exhibition this autumn. You are all welcome to this event. It will be a good opportunity to get to know Chinese universities and make them a part of your student life.

我希望你们以今天走进中国大使馆为起点，开始你们了解中国、喜欢中国、热爱中国的进程。我也衷心地希望中英两国青年从相识到相知，成为致力于促进中英友谊的新一代。
I hope today's visit will foster your interest in China, and help you understand and like China. I also hope young people of our two countries will become friends and join hands in building a bond of friendship between our two countries.

再一次欢迎你们的到来。下面，我愿回答大家的提问。
Once again a warm welcome to the Chinese Embassy. I will be happy to take your questions