Consulate pioneers Facebook-diplomacy

To mark the 1st anniversary of launching its Facebook page, the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and Facebook Inc co-hosted an open-house event Saturday night at the consulate.

The consul general, deputy consul generals, section chiefs, representatives from Facebook, dedicated fans of the Facebook page and diplomats from other countries attended the event.

Yuan Nansheng, Chinese consul general in San Francisco, encouraged everyone to stay tuned in to consulate's Facebook page.

"It is necessary for us to build our Facebook page to communicate and interact with overseas Chinese, and other Internet users," Yuan told China Daily, adding that the open-house event provides an opportunity to meet with their Facebook followers.

"We are the first Chinese consulate to open a Facebook account and ranked 1st in population of Facebook fans among all countries' consulates in San Francisco," said Yuan.

So far, there are more than 11,000 fans following the consulate's Facebook page.

Elliot Schrage, vice-president of Facebook, stressed the mission of Facebook as giving people the power to share and making the world more open.

He said he appreciated the consulate's effort to fulfill the mission and announced that the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco's Facebook page would be the first consulate page officially verified by Facebook Inc.

"The team of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco has generated more likes and engagement for their Facebook page than any other consulate that I am aware of in San Francisco. Even though the consulate is at its early stages, it is a leader in helping people understand culture, learn information, share ideas and build relationships," said Schrage.

Wang Xiang, Chinese consul in San Francisco believed that understanding and talking together could help change the world. He reviewed highlights of the Facebook page.

"Our page was established on Aug 22, 2013," said Wang, adding that the first message was welcome remarks posted by Yuan, and read: "Hello and welcome to the official Facebook page of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco."

The messages posted on the page cover a wide range of fields. "We focus on Chinese culture, society, and key messages about bilateral relations between China and the US," said Wang, adding that they also introduce Chinese food and traditional festivals to followers.

"We also post the best shots of Chinese diplomats to let our fans know about what they are doing and how they spend their leisure time," Wang said.