Beijing This Month -- Issue 77,April 2000

Whether playing sax at Sanwei Bookstore or leafing through Lu Xun at his leisure, few foreigners fit better into Beijing life than Ambassador Christopher Bo Bramsen.

Shaking hands on September 1, 1995 with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Bramsen achieved far more than the forging of friendly photo opportunities or the repetition of r p28.jpg (17087 bytes) outine official stories about Denmark being one of the first Western countries to recognize New China on January 9, 1950.

For Bramsen’s arrival added another chapter to a 98-year-old family saga, subject of Meyer - A Danish Businessman in China, published in Danish in 1993, in Chinese in 1996 and in English later this year. The author is Christopher Bo Bramsen.

Bramsen has just finished off a second book, Peace and Friendship “Denmark’s Official Relations with China, 1674-2000 as his contribution to Sino-Danish festivities on May 11 this year when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and when the Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen will visit China.

At his meeting with Bramsen, former Shanghai boss Jiang mentioned that he remembered Andersen, Meyer & Company (Shen Chang Yang Hang) in Shanghai. The founder, Vilhelm Meyer, was Bramsen’s grandfather.

Meyer came to Shanghai in 1902 with the East Asia Company before starting up his own business with $100. Andersen, Meyer & Co went on to become an international venture linking not only China with Denmark but also with the United States, where the company was registered in 1915.

Meyer spent the rest of his life in China. He married Kirsten on October 27, 1909 at the Royal Danish Consulate in Shanghai, where Meyer also served as honorary vice consul during his first years in China.

Over the next 10 years, they had four daughters. The youngest grew up in Shanghai and was later trained as a pianist.

Meyer died in Shanghai in 1935. Bramsen, son of the youngest of Meyer’s four daughters, was born in Copenhagen eight years later. After graduating in law from Copenhagen University in 1970, he joined the foreign service.

It was not until 1991, as permanent secretary to the Danish Ministry of Industry, Bramsen first visited China as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.

From mother Marie-Louise Bramsen, the ambassador says he inherited a passion for music and photography. From father Bo Bramsen, a publisher and writer, stems his interest in literature and history. A frequent visitor to antique markets and auctions on weekends, Bramsen says his best pieces came from his grandfather.

“As a child,” he says, holding up a bronze deity, “I used to believe that this is what God looked like, His finger pointing at you, saying ‘you behave, little boy’.”

He laughs loudly, like the predominant figure in the antique collection at his Royal Danish Embassy residence.

“He has a name in Danish, Darduse, which is a direct use of the Chinese words `da du zi” ???, literally `big belly’.

“He is very popular among Danes who know China. They like this jovial and happy fellow, who enjoys life and likes to travel.”

The oldest happy Buddha (Mi le fo ???) figure is from his grandfather, the newest a Christmas gift from his wife.

Bramsen says it was love at first sight when he met Gudrun 10 years ago in an airplane during a group trip arranged by a mutual friend.

With a business partner, Mrs. Bramsen runs a clinic in Copenhagen for the treatment of alcoholics. She is now doing some counseling of alcoholics and drug addicts in Beijing.

Asked who is the boss of the family, the ambassador replies with a smile, “I always get the last word, which is ‘Yes, Ma’m.”

In 1992, Vilhelm Bramen, son of Christopher and Gudrun, youngest great grandson of Vilhelm and Kirsten Meyer, was born in Copenhagen. He was later baptized on the 114th birthday of his great grandfather.

Last year, when returning to Beijing from vacation, Vilhelm, or Xiao Wei, a student at the Western Academy of Beijing, talked about “oing home”to China.

“From Vilhelm to Vilhelm, so the circle of fate, yuan fen, has brought us back to China.*.

Sidebar:

Denmark

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany

Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 10 00 E

Total area: 43,094 sq km

Land: 42,394 sq km

Water: 700 sq km

Note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland

Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and sand

Geography-note: controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen

Population: 5,333,617 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.49% (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%, other 7% (1988)

Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small minority)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

National capital: Copenhagen

Independence: in 10th century first organized as a unified state; in 1849, became a constitutional monarchy

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations.

Chief of state: Queen Margrethe II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince Frederik, elder son of the queen (born 26 May 1968)

Head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (since 25 January 1993)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the queen

Elections: none; the queen is a constitutional monarch; prime minister appointed by the queen

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the monarch for life

Foreigners Finds Feet
Hotel manager hits ground running

The day December 31, 1999 meant a lot for different people. For some it’s the end for an age. For some it’s the start of a new age. It all depends on how you look at things. I always look at the good side,” says Rene Schmitt, managing director of the Kempinski Hotel.

For him, it was the first day he arrived at Kempinski Hotel Beijing and reported to his new post. He served as its hotel manager and resident manager during 1993 to 1998.

“When I first arrived at Jakarta in 1998, the local media asked me the occupancy of our hotel. I said, *100 percent.” They were so surprised. Later I told them I had only one room available for business, and that room was taken. p30.jpg (19384 bytes)

“Someone else might have said, we don’t have much business as the hotel is not operating properly.”

Schmitt told this story three times during an interview with Beijing This Month.

‘It felt great coming back. Beijing welcomed me with a winter chill. I felt so warm,” says Schmitt of his arrival from tropical Jakarta, where he had been working for two years.

For two months since January, he has been shuffling between Beijing and Jakarta taking care of the two businesses, as the Jakarta Kempinski has not yet found a suitable replacement.

Besides the familiar faces and atmosphere, the ancient culture is what draws Schmitt back “home”.

“When people ask me where is your home? I say, ‘Beijing’, as that is where I am now.”

Working 12-14 hours a day he still finds time to participate in Beijing’s social activities.

For a day in February he stood at the Lufthansa intersection of Liangmaqiao Lu and Third Ring Road and wielded a flag to maintain traffic order. He joins in tree-planting. He recently told Beijing Television he had noticed over the years how Beijing’s sky was turning from gray to blue.

“My Chinese wife at first didn’t understand why I used my limited leisure time strolling in hutong (alleyways) and in around siheyuan (courtyards).

“Now she thinks it’s great. It’s a part of her culture as well and she shows me new ones all the time. I think hutong are really great. When I was away, when I thought of Beijing, I thought of hutong.”

“Where must be some sensible compromise between the need for housing people and preserving a precious heritage. I’m sure that in 20 years, when Beijing looks back, it will regret demolishing hutong. There will be people building mock hutong as the city realizes its mistake too late.”

Schmitt’s love of traditional Chinese culture is reflected in his collection of original Shanghai 1930s cigarette posters. Such posters are now expensive and 95 percent fake.

Other favorite artworks include paintings of families, a traditional painting showing a Chinese family from the past.

“I love it as it tells me about the history and tradition of the Chinese people,”says Schmitt pointing at a painting.

“I guess I’m a traditional person with modern ideas.”

Sax Player Comes Home

Foreigners Finds Feet Hotel manager hits ground running

Foreigners Finds Feet
Hotel manager hits ground running