Beijing Rotary Club

Rotary Bazaar 2012

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Dear friends of Rotary!
Bring your friends and family to one of the best Christmas Bazaars in town for shopping, entertainment and to support the spirit of charity!
Nov 24-25 (Sat & Sun) from 09:00 to 17:00 at Kempinski Hotel, Lufthansa Center, Beijing.
We need your participation (free entry and a gift is prepared for you) to share the fun filling Christmas atmosphere with Christmas Carols and performances.
This year our Kids Corner is serviced by Eduwings Kindergarten, Beijing Kids, Kernal Science Lab and Gymboree to make sure kids have a good time to learn and play while you are enjoying food and wine tasting, new hair and make up for parties.  Whats about receiving free traditional Chinese treatment and dental services?  If you want to sit down for a lunch, Kempinski Hotel, our venue sponsor has prepared special value meals for us!
We cannot wait to show you a wide and carefully selection of gifts such as ethnic arts & crafts, designed jewelry, fashion (incl. luxury fashion brand Laurel), accessories, touch of Christmas lights and candles. How about something organic and green? Bring waste food oil and exchange for a soap. Plus many many more…..!
Too much to bring? We have complimentary gift wrapping and you can even mail them from the Bazaar!
Win a round trip Business Class ticket (or 2 Economy Class tickets) to Europe generously donated by Lufthansa, an Audi Driving Experience that include flights and hotel for 2 persons, several hotel vouchers for 5 star hotels and many more attractive prizes at our raffle!
See you there!
Rotary Christmas Bazaar Committee

 Click to enlarge

About Rotary:
Rotary Club brings together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Its signature projects for Beijing:
Library project (donation of about 80 libraries to migrant schools and community centers around Beijing and Hebei),
Literacy project (support over 360 underprivileged children’s education and living costs),
Maple Leaf project (mental health care support hotline and vocational training for women)
Gift of Life (over 300 surgeries for Congenital Heart Disease children).
 

LAJI Couture: a great event about sustainability

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

On Saturday 8 September Miranda Mullet organized the event that was strongly supported by several Rotaracters (while it was not an official Rotaract event), Ying Ying, Chrystal, Ian, David and many others. It was great, we started before lunch manning several booths, one was shared between Rotaract and myself (to promote my book Toxic Capitalism), others included The Library Project (with whom Rotary and Rotaract work together), the people from Shangrila Farms, Jane Goodall roots&shoots and many more. Later in the evening there were some presentations, by The Library Project, Vincent Rondia (from Belgium) and others, followed by a special fashion show with… improvised models, making it an exciting and unusual catwalk. See the pictures I took during the day and during the fashion show. It was held in Sanlitun Soho (Gongti Bei Lu, Beijing).
For more about the event: See: www.lajicouture.com
Miranda Mullet wrote:
Laji (meaning trash in Chinese) is a public event created to awaken minds and exchange ideas that challenge inefficiencies in manufacturing by promoting a natural cycle.
Laji Couture brings people together that believe in:
– Sustainable infrastructure
– Sustainable economic and cultural development
– Environmental responsibility
As the world develops and populations grow, more and more resources are being depleted. As consumers in the globalized market, we have the opportunity to change this course of action, by being conscious consumers. In communities across the world we are seeing sustainable fashion, art, food, and lifestyles on the rise. In the Beijing community, we are seeing similar trends as people become educated about environmental problems.
We are giving different organizations and individuals the chance to showcase their ideas and creations. At our daytime fair and evening gathering, our participants will use design and creativity to share their vision of sustainability and social responsibility.
“Laji Couture serves as a platform for socially responsible businesses, designers & artists.”


I was really proud of our Rotaracters!

Visit of Rotary International President to Beijing

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

On 14 September our Rotary Club of Beijing was honored to receive the visit of RI President Sakuji Tanaka and a group of Rotarians from District 3450 (Hong Kong, Macao and Mongolia) as well as the President of the Rotary Club of Shanghai.

We had a joint lunch in the Kempinski Hotel. As usual as was the back-up Sergeant-at-Arms. The President gave a speech and chatted with many of our members present. The President was also excited that I was a frequent guest in Japanese KTVs in Beijing (I was in one yesterday!), he is also a fan of singing. He was also impressed with my bike outfit when I was leaving and had to return to make a picture with him…


Pictured are some of the attendees and myself with our RCB President David van Meerendonk and the RI President. The delegation received a set of special mooncakes as a souvenir.

2010 Rotary Club Charity Bazaar

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

The Rotary Club of Beijing once more organized its annual Christmas Bazaar. This year it was held on 20 and 21 November in the Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast, an excellent location due to the great contribution of the hotel’s management.
The Bazaar was a great success, thanks to so many helping hands. I was there on both days, the spirit was great with so many families and kids around. As expected, I spent lots of money to buy the goods on display.


Pictures speak for themselves. See here some I took.

Rotaract fun evening in Houhai

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

As I am now the Rotaract liaison person for the Beijing Rotary Club I frequently join their meetings.
On 28 August Rotaract organized a relaxed evening in Houhai, dinner at “Lao Han Zi” followed by a one hour boat trip on Houhai Lake. The weather was great for once, not to hot. The Houhai area has become very popular with locals and foreigners alike and being a Saturday evening there large crowds everywhere.


Most fun was to see the typical Chinese chaos with all the boats trying to pass under a bridge, everyone blocking everyone. But our boat guy used his skills to ram his way through (the boat being the biggest one did help…).
I also experimented a bit more with my Panasonic Lumix to make night pictures. Looks like finally I am succeeding.
Peter and his wife also joined, along with Sun and Valerie.