The Cocktail Reception and Movie Screening of Better Angels was successfully held on Thursday, November 29, 2018 from 5 pm to 8:30 pm by the China Chamber of Commerce – USA Chicago at the Chicago History Museum. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of China-US Diplomatic Relations, the reception featured main speakers Mr Pin Ni, the Chairman of CGCC-Chicago and the President of Wanxiang America, and Mr LIU Jun, the acting Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago. Over a hundred of industry representatives from sectors including politics, business, culture and arts were present, including a number of consuls and officials from different countries’ Consulate Generals in Chicago.

CGCC Chairman Mr Pin Ni kicked off the cocktail reception by delivering a short welcome remark; he invited Mr. Richard Daley (former Mayor of Chicago), Mr. Malcolm Clarke (Director of documentary Better Angels), and Mrs Sarah Lande (author of the memoir Old Friends: The Xi Jinping-Iowa Story) on stage to give a toast to the room. Mr. Clarke and Mrs Lande both shared the importance and implication of their works under the current climate of China-US relationship. The more one country knows about the other, the more opportunities there can be for cooperation and collaboration between the two countries. Mrs Lande brought her books to the event and signed for our guests. Meanwhile, a string quartet group from Northwestern University performed Chinese music, bringing pleasant experience to all the guests.

After a great speech by Mr LIU Jun, the acting Consul General of China in Chicago on the changes and developments of the China-US relationship, the guests made their way to the movie screening of Better Angels. As the light went up, the screening room was filled with rounds of applause. Mr Pin Ni invited Director Mr Malcolm Clarke on stage, to share with the audience how he wrote and directed the movie over a period of five years. Mr Clarke mentioned how the production team had to travel all over the world to really capture the essence of the development of China and its unique relationship with the United States. He then took questions from the floor, including one by a nine-year-old girl. In his answers, he dived into topics such as the similarity and differences between China and the United States on issues like education, cultures and politics. As the meet-and-greet session came to an end, the event officially concluded at 8:30pm.