Gaining Her First Insight

Mrs. Dagmar Dlhopolčeková accompanied her husband, HE Mr. František Dlhopolček, to Beijing when HE Mr. Dlhopolček assumed his post as Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the People's Republic of China in March 2010. [Women of China English Monthly]

Editor's Note

Beginning with this edition, the first of 2015, Women of China will expand the interviews in this section to include the life experiences of and/or opinions shared by female leaders who work for foreign enterprises, international women's organizations and United Nations institutions in China. Of course, we will continue to publish interviews with female diplomats in China, including female ambassadors, female consuls general, female counselors and spouses of diplomats in China.

Mrs. Dagmar Dlhopolčeková accompanied her husband, HE Mr. František Dlhopolček, to Beijing when HE Mr. Dlhopolček assumed his post as Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the People's Republic of China in March 2010. It was the first time that Mrs. Dlhopolčeková visited China. Given her interest in Chinese history, art and traditional culture, she has spent the last four years exploring the country.

Women of China (WOC): Prior to 2010, when you accompanied your husband to Beijing, had you ever visited China? What had you expected to see in contemporary China?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: Four years ago, I arrived in China for the first time. Before my husband had assumed his post in China, I had accompanied him to four other countries. We spent four years (1979-1983) in Kenya, when my husband worked for the Embassy of the former Czechoslovakia. In 1992 and 1993, we worked in South Africa, where we had a precious opportunity to meet the former South African president, Nelson Mandela. Our third posting (1994-1998) was in Israel. Before China, we were in London, the United Kingdom, from 2000 to 2005 … we had life experiences in four countries with very different cultural backgrounds and lifestyles.

Personally, I have a great interest in Chinese history and culture. I believe only when you arrive in a country and live here, you can better understand its specifics.

For me, coming to China was a very interesting moment. Before I arrived in China, I didn't expect to see Beijing as such a beautiful and modern city with a lot of interesting buildings with excellent architectural designs, and with so many green trees and flowers. When I first arrived in our residence, I said to my husband, "Well, this is not Beijing. It's like New York!"

WOC: Have you had any remarkable experiences in China?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: China is such a big country. My husband and I have taken every opportunity to visit as many places as possible. Each province is different in terms of local customs. I am particularly interested in nature, flowers and plants. I remember that the first province I visited in China was Anhui Province in the spring of 2010. The scenery in the countryside in southern China was so different from the environment in Beijing.

I was so amazed during that visit, because for the first time in my life, I was taken to a garden where local farmers grew tea trees. The farmers taught us how to pick the little, young and fresh tea leaves and showed us how to process the leaves to make wonderful Chinese tea. Since then, I have longed to plant my own tea tree in the garden of my residence in Beijing, though I haven't had the chance to make it come true.

WOC: There is a long history of friendly relations between China and Slovakia. In fact, diplomatic relationships were established shortly after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, when Slovakia was part of the former Czechoslovakia. Slovakia became an independent nation on January 1, 1993, after the split of Czechoslovakia. The new diplomatic relations started in that year. Through what activities do you promote the deepening of friendly exchanges between the two countries?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: Everyday life within the diplomatic community in Beijing is very busy. Last year, our embassy organized a series of events to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations with China. For example, we organized friendly exchanges between artists of both countries. Through exhibitions and seminars, the artists had opportunities to meet each other and discuss the traditional folk art and/or contemporary art of our countries, and thus, enhance mutual understanding.

As the wife of an ambassador, I have many opportunities to help people of the two countries build closer ties, especially help women of the two countries build up connections. Our embassy participates in the international charity bazaar organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC once every year. We sell classic Slovak products such as glass and wine … We donate some of the earnings to schools in impoverished areas to help them build facilities beneficial for local students.

WOC: What character traits do Chinese and Slovak women share?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: I think Slovak women and Chinese women share many similarities. They are all hardworking and very active (in their careers). Slovak women play active roles in politics, economics and private business. It is the same in China. Young women in both countries are well educated, and many of them try to learn foreign languages to get good jobs.

WOC: What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have a particular interest in Chinese culture or art?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: I like to visit the Forbidden City and various temples, where I can learn about traditional Chinese architecture … Most of all, I like the old buildings and historical venues well-preserved in Beijing. It is good to see that the Chinese Government has put a lot of effort into maintaining and restoring historical buildings. I notice that many Chinese children and young people have an interest in learning about history.

I am very interested in ancient Chinese ceramics. China is the place where porcelain was born. When I visited museums in Europe, I was very happy to see Chinese porcelain exhibits. Whenever I visit a city, I always ask to go to a local museum, especially if Chinese porcelain is on exhibit.

I was impressed by a very interesting exhibition held in the National Museum of China in Beijing two years ago. Beautiful Chinese porcelain collected by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London were displayed.

WOC: What "must-see" places would you recommend to people who plan to visit Slovakia?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: Slovakia is a small country located in the center of Europe, so people often call my home country the "heart of Europe." Old castles and towns are "must-see" sites in Slovakia. Our country is rich in minerals and thermal water, so health spas are very famous. We have unique hot springs, which are good for keeping one's health. Back in ancient Roman times, people had the habit of having a bath in hot springs.

WOC: How do Slovaks greet each other at the beginning of a new year?

Mrs. Dlhopolčeková: Most Slovaks wish one another good health, prosperity and peace.

(Source: Women of China English Monthly January 2015 Issue)