AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland Monday to mark the 122nd birth anniversary of Rewi Alley, an old friend of Chinese people, who spent 60 years living and working in China.
Dave Bromwich, president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society, highlighted Alley's contribution to the New Zealand-China friendship at the ceremony.
Though Rewi Alley passed away 32 years ago, his influence on China-New Zealand friendship has not disappeared, instead, it has increased year by year.
"It is not enough to just remember his birth, we need to look to the future. I encourage everybody to work more closely together and try to promote the friendship between China and today's world, and try to increase the mutual understanding between New Zealand and China," said Bromwich.
Rewi Alley, born in the small town of Springfield in Canterbury, New Zealand on Dec. 2, 1897, came to China in April 1927 and spent 60 years living and working in China. He supported the Chinese people through industrial cooperative movement in anti-Japanese aggression war. Alley also contributed much to the economic development of the People's Republic of China and the friendship between China and New Zealand.
Li Jianping, vice chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC) and former vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said at the ceremony that Alley, the cofounder of ICCIC, had worked hard for the cause of the Chinese people's revolution and construction for most of his life.
Alley founded the ICCIC in 1939, together with Edgar Snow, a renowned U.S. journalist working in China during the World War II, to encourage and sustain -- with international support -- industrial, agricultural and other cooperatives with training, assessment, and funding and many other services in China.
"Alley represents the spirit of selfless devotion and universal brotherhood. The Chinese and New Zealand people will jointly carry forward Alley's spirit of 'work hard, work together'," said Li.
"The friendship and love advocated by Alley will certainly make new contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind."
Steven Huang, president of the Federation of the Chinese Association of New Zealand, spoke highly of Alley's hard work for the cause of the Chinese people's revolution and construction.
"His legacy is still there. Our two nations have built the modern relationship on his legacy over the past decades. Inspired by his heroic deeds, more and more people are committed to promoting our friendship and strengthening our bilateral ties. If Alley was still alive, he must be very proud and happy," said Huang.
Some 50 people from both countries attended the ceremony, which was sponsored by the New Zealand China Friendship Society.
