President Jiang Zemin Praised "My Dream" Highly

as Brilliant and Moving

At 19:20 on 30th of August, President Jiang Zemin, wearing dark blue colored suit and a purplish red and checked tie, Vice Premier Qian Qichen and State Councilor Ismail Amat, accompanied by Deng Pufang, Chairman of China Disabled Persons' Federation, came to see the Evening Performance-"My Dream" presented by the China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe at the Century Theater.

President Jiang was warmly applauded by more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign audience for over one minute as soon as he entered the Century Theater. He waved his greetings to the audience up- and down-stairs while coming to the reserved seat.

When Ms. Chen Luyu, the beautiful and decent master of ceremony, came to the stage in long white skirt like an angel, her beauty and grace of eastern female conquered all the audience immediately. The audience including President Jiang warmly applauded her.

The evening performance started with a sign poem entitled "My Dream" recited by Sang Lan, former national gymnastic athlete. When Chen Luyu pushed Sang Lan in wheelchair onto the stage, the atmosphere was extremely impassioned, especially while Sang Lan finished her words both in Chinese and English: "I am Sang Lan and I come back again……", President Jiang, with all the audience, was so moved by her performance full of true feelings. Warm applause of the Head of State as well as the audience reverberated in the Theater once again.

Zhou Zhou with mental retardation conducted symphony orchestra to play "New World", "Dance Music of Yao Nationality" and "the Stars and Stripes Forever". His performance pushed the warm atmosphere into its climax. President Jiang was so excited that he applauded for a long time, while exchanging ideas with American Ambassador to China and Vice Premier Qian Qichen.

Charmingly naive Zhou Zhou chanced to rub his eyes while conducting, over whose childish movement all audience cannot help laughing. President Jiang also laughed aloud with happiness in his seat.

It was the graceful and professional gesture of Zhou Zhou in conducting that interested President Jiang most. After listening to the "New World", he followed with great interests the performance of Zhou Zhou. The whole Theater ringed with applause. The impassioned atmosphere moved all the people and the climaxes of the evening performance repeated themselves frequently.

President Jiang said while holding the hands of Li Renwei and Tian Shan, artists with visual impairment: "Your performance is extremely successful." When President Jiang came to Sang Lan in wheelchair, he bent and held her hands and gave praise to her: "You recited very well." Then he repeated the words in English.

President Jiang was very happy while shaking hands with Zhou Zhou, and he praised his performance as "brilliant and moving". Zhou Zhou was so excited that he took a small notebook out of his pocket and asked President to sign as if his IQ reached its highest at this moment.

President Jiang signed with smile, witnessed by all the audience and photographers: "Jiang Zemin---30th August 2000".

While signing, President Jiang still praised "My Dream" as "brilliant and moving".

Then, a group photo was taken to mark the occasion with President Jiang standing in the middle of Sang Lan and Zhou Zhou.

At 21:20, President Jiang, Vice Premier Qian Qichen and State Councilor Ismail Amat came to the Meeting Hall of the Century Theater to interview representatives of performers such as Zhang Jigang, Li Fuxiang, Chen Luyu, Sang Lan, Zhou Zhou, Tai Lihua and Jiang Fugao. President Jiang highly appraised the performance. He said that the performance reflected not only the traditional Chinese culture with long history, but also the struggling spirit, of which both world people with disabilities as well as the whole human beings are proud.

Zhou Zhou, on behalf of all the Troupe members, presented flowers to Grandpa Jiang. Zhang Jigang, art supervisor and Tai Lihua, dancer with hearing impairment, spoke and expressed their determination to win honor for their homeland during the performance in the United States of America.

Mr. Wayne Smith, specially-invited Director of the CASI Foundation for Children, Mr. Joseph Ah W. Prueher, American Ambassador to China, Mr. Edward A. Johnson, the Chairman of CASI as well as the American representatives, who came to meet the China Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe, were also present at the Evening Performance and the interview.