Family fosters UK-China ties for 3 generations

    Jack Perry Jr takes on the 'icebreaker spirit' of his father and grandfather to boost trade between both countries

    By XING YI in London | China Daily | Updated: 2024-12-10 09:54
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Jack Perry Jr (left) and Stephen Perry pose at the 2024 Icebreakers Chinese New Year Dinner in London in February. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

    Recalling his first visit to China in 1972, traveling from Beijing down to Guangdong province, Stephen said he was amazed by the country's hardworking people, and that it was as if every inch of the ground was used for agriculture, that there were millions upon millions of people working in the fields everywhere they went.

    In that year, Stephen and his father facilitated a trade deal between the United States and China in the context of then US president Richard Nixon's icebreaking trip. In the same year, China and the UK established ambassadorial relations.

    "I was part of the group that sold the first commodities from America to China. And being around Nixon's mission and that background made me feel a part of history," recalled Stephen Perry.

    As the second generation of the icebreakers, Stephen witnessed the reform and opening-up policy being rolled out across the country since 1978, and in the following years, the 48 Group advised and helped set up a lot of joint ventures between Western and Chinese companies.

    Besides commodity trade, Stephen was also involved in cultural exchanges as he worked to bring the English musical Les Miserables to Shanghai for the first time in 2002, and later introduced British composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals, including Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, to the Chinese audiences.

    Stephen has been giving talks, accepting interviews, and writing extensively about China over the past decades. In 2018, he was awarded the China Reform Friendship Medal by the Chinese government for his role as a promoter of Sino-British economic and trade exchanges. A year later, he became an honorary professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

    Earlier this year, at the age of 76, Stephen retired from the 48 Group after a lifetime of doing business and trading between China and the UK.

    During the 2024 Icebreakers Chinese New Year Dinner in London in February, Stephen announced his retirement in a room of prominent figures in the China-UK business community.

    "Throughout the times, we have been very clear about our commitment to building China-British relations through trade and business, and it comes to the end of my reign as the chairman of the board of The 48 Group," he said. "My son, Jack, is going to take over. He has a mission in his hands. He needs to rebuild a young and vibrant 48 Group."

    Just like his father, Jack Perry Jr has been immersed in the family's talks about China since childhood. "I grew up in Chinese restaurants in London and listened to my father talk with others about China," he said.

    In 1992, Jack Perry Jr set foot in China for the first time during a family trip. The then 8-year-old was stunned by the Great Wall, the Beijing streets swarming with bicycles, and the curious locals flocking to have a taste of the newly opened McDonald's.

    "I was just a boy watching my dad have meetings and everyone was listening to his every word. It was inspiring to see him and the difference in culture," recalled Jack. "For me, this was the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning how to see the world differently."

    |<< Previous 1 2 3 4 Next   >>|
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    亚洲国产精品无码久久久秋霞2| 日韩中文久久| 久久午夜福利无码1000合集| 日产无码1区2区在线观看 | 成年无码av片在线| 欧美成人中文字幕在线看| 久久久久久国产精品无码下载 | 亚洲AV中文无码字幕色三| 无码AV中文字幕久久专区| 亚洲一区二区三区无码中文字幕 | 亚洲ⅴ国产v天堂a无码二区| 在线天堂中文在线资源网| 精品久久久无码中文字幕| 免费A级毛片无码专区| 蜜桃无码一区二区三区| 天堂√在线中文资源网| 无码AV动漫精品一区二区免费| 特级无码毛片免费视频尤物 | 熟妇人妻VA精品中文字幕| 亚洲中文字幕无码久久2017| 日韩欧美一区二区不卡中文| 亚洲AV无码一区二区三区在线观看| 无码人妻熟妇AV又粗又大| 午夜亚洲av永久无码精品| 免费无码av片在线观看 | 亚洲av无码乱码在线观看野外| 无码中文av有码中文a| 中文字幕手机在线观看| 亚洲中文字幕AV在天堂| 无码一区二区三区免费| 夜夜添无码一区二区三区| 亚洲欧美日韩另类中文字幕组| 最好看的中文字幕最经典的中文字幕视频 | 亚洲熟妇无码八V在线播放 | 4hu亚洲人成人无码网www电影首页| 无码中文字幕乱在线观看| 亚洲国产精品无码一线岛国| 97无码人妻福利免费公开在线视频 | 最近新中文字幕大全高清| 久久精品天天中文字幕人妻 | 国产激情无码视频在线播放性色|