In May 1984, the Ambassador Foundation sponsored the first-ever American tour by children from
the People's Republic of China. The Little Ambassadors of Shanghai began their tour in
California. They stayed on the Ambassador College campus in Pasadena. When they met
the Foundation's president, Herbert W. Armstrong, they immediately adopted him as their grandfather.
Their formal American debut came later on the stage of the Ambassador Auditorium.
The children presented a program of traditional Chinese music and dance in many locations
across the country. They visited several major cities, including San Francisco and Washington
D.C., where they entertained guests of First Lady Mrs. Reagan in the East Room of the White House.
The children visited the famous sights and historical monuments of America's capital
city before their appearance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
This historic first tour by these Little Ambassadors from Shanghai was a milestone in the development
of renewed friendship between two great nations. At the conclusion of each performance, the
Chinese children were joined on the stage by children from Imperial School in Pasadena.
It underscored the importance of teaching children to work in harmony and cooperation, if the world is ever to live in peace.
The World Tomorrow, the Worldwide Church of
God presents Herbert W Armstrong... Internationally recognized Ambassador for world peace... Visiting
prominent leaders around the globe... discussing the cause of world problems... and proclaiming
the good news of the world tomorrow... Ladies and gentlemen Herbert W Armstrong.
Prior to the visit of the Chinese children to the United States, I had been invited for
the second time to come to China as a guest of the People's Republic for a meeting, a
personal meeting, with Deng Xiaoping, the unquestioned ruler of one-fourth of all the
people on the face of this earth. However, I was not able to make the trip until after
the Chinese children had appeared here in the United States, and when I did, I wanted
to especially talk to them in China about the importance of the educating and the training
of children who will be the citizens ruling the world, and the leaders in the world, within
the next couple of decades. Mr. Armstrong was met in Beijing by an official
delegation from the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship
with Foreign Countries. Later that day, at a reception at the Great Hall of the People,
Mr. Armstrong was welcomed by Madame Kang Keqing. Madame Kang is the widow of Marshal
Zhu De, who, with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, was one of the most important leaders in the
history of the People's Republic. After her husband's death, Madame Kang continued
to work for her country, and is considered to be China's First Lady today. She is responsible
for the well-being of all China's children, and is the head of the Chinese Women's Federation.
She serves as chairman of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, one of China's leading educational
and cultural organizations. Mr. Armstrong and his party were guests at a banquet held
in their honor. The toast of welcome was given by Madame Kang Keqing. Mr. Armstrong then
replied. "May I propose a toast to Madame Kang? The
things that she has enunciated and that she stands for, the children, and world peace,
and world peace will have to come beginning with the children, because they are the citizens
of tomorrow. In just 10, 15, 20 years they will be the adults that will be in charge
of all of our countries, and they are most important. And I'm so glad for the interest
that you have in the children, and all the young people."
A key event in Mr. Armstrong's six days in China was a meeting with Deng Xiaoping in
the Great Hall of the People. The Chinese leaders have placed great emphasis on the
cultural and educational needs of their country's hundreds of millions of children, and Deng
Xiaoping serves as honorary chairman of the Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Mr. Armstrong
presented the Chinese leader with a gift of Steuben crystal and a pictorial album of the
Chinese children's tour of America. Deng Xiaoping discussed with Mr. Armstrong
the future of China and the problems of achieving lasting world peace. Mr. Armstrong then explained
that peace will only come through proper education and particularly the education of children.
Mr. Armstrong and his party later visited the home of the late Madame Soong Ching Ling,
after whom the Chinese Children's Foundation is named. Madame Soong Ching Ling was the
widow of Sun Yat-sen, the first president and founder of modern China.
After Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, his widow Soong Ching Ling never remarried. She devoted
the rest of her life to the service of her country. She is known affectionately as the
grandmother of Chinese children, because of her great love of children and the long years
that she spent dedicated to their well-being. On the last evening in Beijing, Mr. Armstrong
hosted a banquet for Madame Kang and other officials from the Soong Ching Ling Foundation
at the state guest house. "The Ambassador Foundation has done quite
a lot of work during such a short period. And during this time, our guests and friends
from the Ambassador Foundation have begun to build a golden bridge. And all of us, the
old, the middle-aged, and the young, can walk along this golden bridge and make friends
on it. And through the help of all the friends present today."
I would just like to say that we are living in a world of contrasts, a world of awesome
progress, advancement in technology, in engineering, in production of every kind, and yet at the
same time a world that is filled with evils, and the evils are multiplying more rapidly
than the progress. Why do we live in such a world? Why cannot we solve all of the problems?
Why cannot we have world peace? I can answer in just two words: human nature.
Human nature always seeks to get, and to take, but has no concern for the good of others.
If we're going to have real world peace, we will have to overcome that tendency of human
nature. We cannot, there's an old saying: you cannot teach old dogs new tricks. If we
try to reform the thinking and the ways of mature and older people, we shall never succeed.
The only hope for world peace lies in teaching children and little children, and young people,
beginning at a very early age, the way of generosity, the way of giving, of sharing,
of sharing what they have with others, the way of having concern for the good of others,
and that must begin with little children. We cannot change the selfish living habits
of adults and older people. That is one reason we are so interested in proper teaching and
education for the little children. I can just say that when it comes to world peace, I will
have to agree with the editor of a large business magazine in the United States who said it
would now seem that the world's only hope lies in the sudden appearance of an unseen
strong hand from someplace. That editor was referring to the great Creator who created
us all out of the ground, all of one human flesh.
And I can tell you that that great Creator is going to appear, is the unseen hand that
will come and save us. But even then, he will have to begin with the teaching of little
children, and teaching them to grow up until we all come to have a different nature, of
caring for other people, of having a real care and concern for the good of other people
instead of just selfishness for our own selves. Now that day will come, but meanwhile, we
must work every way we can for peace the best we can.
We're not, our efforts now are not going to bring peace immediately. It is going to take
generations, but in time, world peace is going to come. I just wanted to give that message.
And that is why we are interested with you, in world peace among people, among nations
the best way we can now, and why we're so much interested in the teaching of young children
and young people. Therein is our only hope for the future.
The next day, Mr. Armstrong flew to Shanghai, China's largest city and one of the great
cities of the world. It is a major port, manufacturing, and commercial center. At the Cemetery Park,
Mr. Armstrong visited the grave of Soong Ching Ling. The quiet dignity of its setting reflects
the honor with which the Chinese people remember this great lady.
Next morning, Mr. Armstrong met Wang DaoHan, the mayor of Shanghai. The mayor presented
Mr. Armstrong with a tapestry depicting scenes of Chinese life during the Tang Dynasty. Following
the reception, a luncheon was held in his honor.
"We know that you had a very good talk with our Chairman Deng Xiaoping
in Beijing. We know that you have talked with Mr. Deng on the world peace, and on welfare
of the children. These topics are, we attach great importance both by the Chinese people
and people in our city. Would you all raise your glasses and join me in a toast to the
friendship between the peoples of China and the United States, to the longevity of Mr.
Armstrong and to the health of all the American people present here. Cheers!"
I would like to respond with a toast to the honorable mayor of your city, Mr. Wang. And
I certainly want to congratulate the city on its interest in children and in culture,
and in all of the things that make toward peace. And if we are to have peace, it must
begin with the little children. We must begin to teach little children to give instead of
just to take. Now when you sent the Little Ambassadors From Shanghai to the United States,
there were lovable children. And they were the best ambassadors that the
nation of China could possibly have sent. They did you great credit, they won sympathy
and love, and friendship, and they helped toward peace. They are talented, very talented
young children, and they're also very lovable. And I was so greatly honored when they called
me their grandfather. And I call them my Chinese grandchildren, and I hope to see them this
afternoon. I love them. The Shanghai Children's Palace was established
30 years ago by Madame Soong Ching Ling. It provides education and training in music,
dance, art, science, and crafts for over 2,000 Shanghai children. This palace was the first
of over 4,000 similar facilities in all parts of China. It was from this Shanghai Children's
Palace that the children were selected to tour the United States. The children had come
to know Mr. Armstrong well while visiting America, and they prepared an unforgettable
welcome for him. On his final evening in China, Mr. Armstrong
was honored at a dinner at the Jin Jiang Club in Shanghai by Mayor Wang and other Chinese
officials who had helped him in his memorable six days in the People's Republic of China.
There, Mr. Armstrong again stressed the importance of the proper teaching of little children.
"The reason for all of the troubles in the world could be stated in just two words: human
nature. And human nature is an acquired type of attitude and intention of mind. We were
not born with human nature; we acquired it after we were born. The best hope that we
humans have of bringing world peace, does not come just alone from our efforts as adults,
but is going to come from the training of little children before they acquire this human
nature, and teaching them to be generous and to give. So I am so happy that our foundations
are joining hands together to work, not only for world peace, but also to promote everything
we can for the teaching and the training, the culture, of little children."
And now, before closing this program, I want to tell you once again about the magazine
we publish, Youth '85. Youth '85. I wish there had been a magazine like this when I was a
teenager. Youth '85 is a magazine of intense interest to youth of all ages up to 92, my
own age. I find it exceedingly interesting, and it's educational as well as entertaining.
It covers sports; it covers the activities of youth. It's a full-color magazine, profusely
illustrated. Now, there's no subscription price. You don't
have enough money to buy a subscription, but you may have a copy just for subscribing.
That's all you need to do. Now also, I want to offer you a book that I've offered two
or three times on this program, the book that is titled Never Before Understood - Why Humanity
Cannot Solve Its Problems [Never Before Understood - Why Humanity Cannot Solve Its Evils]. It's
something that has never been understood - why people cannot solve their problems. You need
to have that booklet. Then, another magazine, which I think is the
most important magazine in the world today, and one of the largest circulated magazines
on the face of the Earth, The Plain Truth. The Plain Truth, a magazine of understanding.
Circulation is now well over seven million copies every month. It's also a handsome magazine,
in full-cover, well illustrated, a leading magazine in every sense of the word, a magazine
covering world news where it's leading, giving you an understanding of the news in the world
of what is happening every day. You can really understand and know that you understand what
is taking place in the world, and where it's leading. There is no magazine like The Plain
Truth. It is unique in every way, and there is no
subscription price. There is no charge for the booklet. There's no subscription price
for either magazine. Now you just send your request to me, Herbert W. Armstrong, at Pasadena,
California. If you write the zip code, is 91123. But better yet, go to the telephone
and make a toll-free call. There's no charge for this either, it's toll-free, and you call
1-800-423-4444. You dial 1 first, of course, then 800-423-4444. So until next time, Herbert
W. Armstrong, goodbye, friends. Please Note: The Address and Phone Number
for the Worldwide Church of God are no longer valid, please visit www.hwalibrary.com for
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