Arrival

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February 19, 2012: after months of preparation, nearly 80 women CEO’s from across China arrive in at Honolulu International Airport. Their long, full overnight flights from Beijing and Shanghai arrive within an hour of each other, and they get into luxury buses, loaded with luggage, for the long drive to theNorth Shore of Oahu.

There, one of the premier resorts in all the Hawaiian Islands awaits: Turtle Bay. They came from dozens of cities across the country: Baoding, Lanxi, Baotou, Nanjing, Hefei, Harbin, Dalian, Ningbo, Changzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jiangyin, Binzhou, Weifang , Zhuhai, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Changchun, Qiqihar, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and many more. For many, this was their first trip to Hawaii, their first trip to America.

The Zhou Enlai Peace Institute, with the support of the University of Hawaii and the Dubin Law Company, arranged for this high-level delegation and supported their visitor visas. Xiao Fang Zhou, representing the Institute, spent weeks in China arranging for the visas, issued by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and by regional consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and other centers.

They were exhausted, but looking forward to an eventful week of seminars, led by Wang Tingying. Special events hosted by the Zhou Enlai Peace Institute included Handshake, a public celebration banquet honoring the delegation; a private reception with Maya Soetoro-Ng and Christian Dior; a visit to offices in downtown Honolulu, a cruise across the historic harbor — and shopping in Waikiki.

Their beauty, grace, intelligence, humor and high energy are clear for all to see in these photographs — the young leaders of the new China.