Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, senior deputy speaker of the House and former President of the Philippines, led a delegation to Hunan's Changsha and Shaoshan on April 1, 2023.

The delegation went to Shaoshan on that morning, presenting flower baskets to the bronze statue of late Chinese President Mao Zedong and visiting the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Arroyo wrote down a message saying that "It is my great honor to visit the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong, a great leader of the Chinese people." Standing in front of Mao Zedong's childhood residence, she said excitedly that "I've been here in 1977 when I was a student. Today, I bring the Philippine students here, to carry forward the friendship between China and the Philippines".

Arroyo and her entourage went to Changsha on that afternoon. At the Cheng Nan Academy of the Hunan First Normal University, she visited several sites that related to Mao Zedong in his youth, such as the Memorial Hall of Mao Zedong and the First Normal University, the dormitory of Class 8 where Mao Zedong lived, and the well where Mao Zedong fetched water to take a cold bath everyday even in freezing winter. She also learned to sing a classic Chinese song "Liuyang River" with the teachers and students.

Then they went to the Changsha Maglev Railway Station and took a ride of maglev train. Arroyo asked about the construction and application prospects of the medium-and-low speed maglev system and the future plan of Changsha's maglev lines.

Arroyo spoke highly of the achievements that Hunan Province has made in economic and social development in recent years. She mentioned that, this was her third visit to Hunan, and she has been deeply impressed by every visit. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), she wished the 2nd Global Economic Development and Security Forum of the BFA which will be held in Changsha a complete success, and expected to have another chance to visit Hunan.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan