'Empowerment Leads to Equality'

ByYe Shan March 15, 2016
'Empowerment Leads to Equality'

Rachael Bedlington serves as Canada's Consul General in Guangzhou. [Women of China English Monthly]

 

Rachael Bedlington, who serves as Canada's Consul General in Guangzhou, is currently the only woman heading a Canadian mission in China. She has studied at Nanjing Normal University, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, and she has worked extensively in Asia, including two stints at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. "Being a diplomat is a stimulating and exciting type of work, which I feel privileged to do," Bedlington told Women of China (WOC) during an interview ahead of International Women's Day (March 8). She said her parents raised her to believe that she could be anything she wanted to be. Now, she hopes to pass the message — "all possibilities are open" — to women and girls around the world.

Q: When did you visit China for the first time? Did your experience, as a foreign student in China, affect your career options?

A: I visited China for the first time in the summer of 1988. I returned (to China) in 1991, for a one-year language program at Nanjing Normal University, thanks to a scholarship provided by the provinces of Ontario (in Canada) and Jiangsu, which have a sister-province relationship. That experience was truly life changing for me. It confirmed my future direction in my professional life, as it set me on the path of becoming a diplomat and having three assignments in China with the Government of Canada.

I feel very fortunate that I had the chance as a young person to live in another country, and to experience a new language and a new culture. This is one reason why I am so happy to see the growing number of young Chinese heading to Canada to study. The number of Chinese students in Canada has grown by around 65 percent over the past five years.

Q: Last year marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and China. Please tell our readers about some of the events in which you participated to celebrate the anniversary.

A: The 45th anniversary was a great opportunity for us to highlight the strong and positive relationship between Canada and China. The past year was also our Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchange with China. In Guangzhou, we welcomed visits by Premier Christy Clark, of British Colombia, Premier Stephen McNeil, of Nova Scotia, Mayor Gregor Robertson, of Vancouver, and Mayor Denis Coderre, of Montreal. Each of those leaders, along with the delegations that accompanied them, helped to mark with their Chinese counterparts this important milestone in our relationship, and to further strengthen commercial, cultural and other ties between our provinces, cities and people.  

Other memorable events included a fantastic exhibition, entitled Guangzhou to British Columbia: The Chinese Canadian Experience, 1858 to 1958. The photos, which were on display in Guangzhou's Yuexiu Metro Station, were part of the collection by the Royal British Colombia Museum. The show included unforgettable images of people from Guangzhou as they began new lives in Canada over 150 years ago and became part of mainstream Canadian society. As part of our anniversary's celebrations, we also enjoyed a "Canada Week," during the Guangzhou Jazz Festival, which featured famous Canadian Jazz artists, such as two groups led by Yves Léveillé and Yannick Rieu, both from the province of Quebec. They wowed the audience at Xinghai Concert Hall with their creativity and musical talent!

Q: Have you noticed any differences, in terms of the environment and people's lifestyles, between North China and South China? What is your impression of Guangzhou?

A: I've noticed big differences between North and South China, climatically, linguistically and culturally. For example, at Spring Festival, cultural differences become very clear: Guangzhou is filled with beautiful orange trees and each (residential) community has its flower market, where people can buy marvelous plants as celebratory gifts. In Beijing, people instead enjoy temple fairs (or miaohui) in much cooler temperatures.

Although Beijing and Guangzhou are extremely different, I have favorable impressions of both (cities). I find Guangzhou a bustling city, where you feel that people focus on making progress in their own lives. The sense of initiative and drive that prompted thousands of people from Guangdong Province, over 150 years ago, to strike out to begin new lives overseas — including in Canada — is still alive here.

Q: What are the pros and cons of being a diplomat?

A: I am currently the only woman amongst our Canadian heads of mission in China, but I'm not the first (female head of a Canadian diplomatic office in China). And I know there will be many more to come, given the number of capable female colleagues within our diplomatic service. Interestingly, Guangzhou has a large number of female heads of foreign diplomatic missions currently, 12 in all. The pros and cons of being a female diplomat are similar to any busy working woman, anywhere. The challenge of balancing family and professional life is always tricky, and it requires excellent organizational skills. This is especially true when you are moving internationally, including (moving) with children and leaving your home country to set up a new life in a new country whenever your assignment changes. Having a husband or partner who is flexible, supportive and really committed to sharing family responsibilities is very important. On the pros side, my work allows me to connect with incredible women and men all over the world.

(Source: Women of China English Monthly March 2016 Issue)

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