He had a delightful sense of humor, joking that since I looked “so youthful,” I must have been a college sophomore, and asking me to accompany him on a swim in the Mississippi River during his planned upcoming trip to St. Louis. I told him the Mississippi wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice for a swim, but if he was down, I’d brave the muddy waters with him. He laughed from his belly and smiled widely, revealing all of his teeth.
Chairman Li Zhaoxing is kind of a big deal.
Instrumental in maintaining and developing positive US-Chinese relations for many years, when the Mayor of Washington DC's term ended on January 29th, 2001, he declared that day ‘Li Zhaoxing Day’ to recognize his contributions to American policy.
Chairman Li was originally appointed as one of the Elders, an international non-governmental organization of public figures brought together by Nelson Mandela and described as “independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights” through developing solutions toward climate change, HIV/AIDS, and poverty, but he chose not to continue down that path. He did manage to publish a few travel and poetry books in the meantime.
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