My husband and I were honored to be invited by H. E. Ms. Vicky Tchong, the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to China, to visit Timor-Leste, the new emerging democratic country for 5 days started from December 25, 2012. Even though the visit was short and the only place we visit was Dili, it gave me a nice impression and unforgettable memory.
1 Beautiful tropical scenery
We were shocked by the beautiful tropical scenery when we landed on this mysterious island country. Hot wind breezed into our face and sunshine covered the land made us barely open our eyes. We could feel the equatorial heat instantly as like it was welcoming us. The world is quite wonderful. We traveled from the north hemisphere to the south hemisphere to enjoy the exotic views, our love for earth arouse spontaneously. It was freezing cold back in Beijing, but it was 39 degrees in Dili, so we put on our summer outfit right away.
Dili is a city by the sea. There were sunshine, beach, mountain, grassland, plants and flowers everywhere.
Walking on the beach boulevard, seeing the beautiful views, driving to the white sand beach, we enjoyed the peaceful moment away from city noises. The fine tiny white sand shined silvery light under the sun. A bunch of kids played in the blue sea. Seeing all those, it felt like I went back to my childhood. We saw two young men working out on the beach said hi to us in Chinese, and we found out that they were Portuguese. It felt good when foreigner said hi in Chinese in a foreign country.
Dili is a city without pollution, it was original everywhere. Breathing fresh air everyday made us pleasurable. All the food, water, see food, vegetables were fresh and cheap and we did not have to worry about unhealthy additives. We spent our holiday in a paradise where we could enjoy the blue sky, white cloud and beautiful scenery. It left us an unforgettable memory.

2 Friendly people
Timor Island comes from the legend story of the crocodile and the little boy which brings us surprise and mystery. The people on the island inherit the little boy’s friendliness, justice and goodness.
The beach district is where people hang out from day to night. A park divided the beach and road. People could sit on the benches under the Bodhi trees, enjoy all kinds of cold drinks and watch fishermen unload the fresh fish and shrimps. There were bananas, grapefruits, coconuts, mongos and fresh vegetables displayed neatly for people to purchase. Everyone said hi to each other with smiles. We bought some from different merchants in order to help different merchants’ business. Even though we stayed for a short period, we could feel the people’s shyness, friendliness and goodness. There was only peacefull nature.
95% of the population is catholic. There were many churches in the city. On December 28th, 2013, Her Excellency drove us to the Jesus Statue. There were some caves with catholic paintings on our way climbing the mountain. Her Excellency told us that many people came here to do excises. Her Excellency herself came here every morning when she was in Dili.
When we felt a little tired, a flat platform with many benches appeared. Her Excellency and I changed our Tai Chi clothes and we started to do Tai Chi. Tai Chi is like a continuous painting, a live statues and a flowing Chinese Painting. Tai Chi is also a culture carrier which represents the cultural exchange between China and Timor-Leste. I wish the best for the friendship between China and Timor-Leste.
When we reached the top of the mountain, we finally saw the 27-meter high Jesus Statue standing on a globe. It looked down the city and hugged the nature, the good and brave people with its open arms. We could see the beautiful beach and continuous mountains on the top of the mountain. It was all worth it. I hope the people who have not been to Timor-Leste to come and feel the rare nature.
Timor-Leste is a new emerging country. Half the population are young people who are over 19- year old. The young people are the future and hope of the country. The young generation will develop their own country with their creativities, knowledge and technology.
3 The Government: Close to the people
We were honored to attend the New Year Gala held by the Government at the Parliament Plaza. The Prime Minister delivered a speech and wished a better year. The wonderful speech was interrupted by applauses. Even though we did not understand the speech, we could feel the faith and support that the people have in the Prime Minister. When the Prime Minister walked on the stage, he asked all the children to come to the stage. Suddenly, all the lovely children went to the stage and surround His Excellency.
His Excellency touched the children’s head while he was delivering the speech. His Excellency is such a maty leader. After the speech, His Excellency, walked into the crowd, opened the champagne, cut the cake and celebrated New Year with the people. People were singing and dancing together, it was a great gala. On the side of the square, there were many cold dishes served for people could enjoy. Everyone wish the best for the new year with a smiling face.
Now Timor-Leste is having a peace life, steady social order, improving education, new emerging business. The rapid increasing economy shows that the development over the last decade was due to the leadership of the government. I sincerely wish this young country will prosper in the future.
4 A country with hope
Different country has different social system. Any social system has its advantage and disadvantage. Timor-Leste’s today reminded me the China 60 years ago. At that time, China was a poor country built from ground zero. With all the Chinese people’s efforts, China became strong. Even though China has its own problem, but we are proud.
Compare to the newly establish China, Timor-Leste is much better. It is in the combined stage of advance and undeveloped, rich and poor, original and modern. There are opportunities and hope. I believe that the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste will become a star in the world under the leadership of the incorruptible, diligent government.