In commemoration of the 116th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose, the Philippine Embassy in Beijing held a solemn tribute to the Philippine national hero on Friday, 28 December 2012.  

Special guests from Peking University were present during at the commemoration - Professor Ariel Diccion, visiting Filipino professor from Ateneo de Manila University, Dr. Wu Jeiwei, Prof. Shi Yang, and nine students taking up Philippine Studies.

The commemoration was highlighted by a highly informative and interesting talk on Dr. Rizal by Prof. Diccion, a reading of Dr. Rizal’s poem “Sa Mga Bulaklak ng Heidelberg” by Embassy officers and Prof. Diccion, and a reading in Mandarin by the Chinese students of the poem “Nostalgia” by the well-known Chinese contemporary poet Yu Guang Zhong, as a response to Dr. Rizal’s poem.   The poem “Nostalgia” speaks of an intense longing for family and homeland, a common theme in Yu’s works.

The Embassy’s tribute to Dr. Rizal began with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem and a floral offering at the bust of Dr. Rizal by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Ms. Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq and First Secretary and Consul Pablito A. Mendoza.

In Ms. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq’s  brief remarks, she drew analogies between Dr. Rizal and the  Chinese  people.  She   said
that Dr. Rizal’s travels allowed him to learn about and appreciate other cultures and ways of life and thinking, much like the Chinese people of today who, as they travel the world increasingly, are gaining a better understanding of other societies.

Ms. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq also mentioned the fact that Dr. Rizal and the Chinese people share a profound love for literature. She talked about Dr. Rizal being a prolific poet and writer from a young age, a passion similar to the Chinese’s keen interest in art and literature, as evident in the many great Chinese literary masterpieces.

In Prof. Diccion’s interesting discourse on Dr. Rizal entitled “Pagtanda ni Rizal, Pagtanda kay Rizal,” he spoke about becoming wiser as one gets older (pagtanda) and juxtaposed this concept with the remembrance (pagtânda) of Dr. Rizal through some of his seminal works such as the fable “Ang Pagong at ang Matsing” and the poem “Sa Mga Bulaklak ng Heidelberg”. Throughout his talk, Prof. Diccion also highlighted some Filipino values and traditions that can be found in Dr. Rizal’s writings, such as respect for elders, humility, love of family and love of country.

Following a photo opportunity by the bust of Dr. Rizal, the attendees enjoyed a Filipino merienda cena of pancit palabok, lumpia and mainit na tsokolate.

As part of its commemorative activities for Rizal Day, the Philippine Embassy in Beijing also solicited the thoughts and reflections of Filipino youth in Beijing - as represented by Filipino students in various universities in Beijing, and posted these on the Embassy’s website at www.philembassychina.org through a link entitled “Remembering Rizal.”