CSP Grand Reunion 2009

Calling all China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth (CSP) alumni!!! Lets all go for the CSP Grand Reunion 2009 this July 2009!!!

The official email has just been sent out!!! Lets start apply now!!! I'm going to apply for Shandong as my 1st choice and then Silk Road as my 2nd choice!

It's on first come first served basis, so lets apply early. Final deadline is 14th February 2009.

To look for full information, log on to China Synergy Program (CSP)
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Dear alumni,

Thank you for your patience and we are pleased to let you know that the online application for the CSP Grand Reunion 2009 is now officially opened. Please check the "reunification" sub-page in the CSP website at www.chinasynergy.org.hk.

For operational and sponsorship reasons, the CSP organizing committee has to set a certain limit to the size of the alumni delegation, we shall therefore adopt a first come first served principle with consideration to the following two elements when we form the alumni delegation:


- Reasonable distribution of alumni from different CSP years;
- Reasonable distribution of representatives from different regions;

While we are trying our best in reestablishing connections with all our alumni, it would be much helpful if you could relay this message to those CSP friends who are unaware of the reunion.

For latest updates of the reunion please stay tuned with www.chinasynergy.org.hk and the official facebook page at csp.reu@gmail.com.

Wish you a prosperous year of 2009, and
Happy new year of Ox!

CSP Office
23 January, 2009


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A. Date of the reunion



Grand Reunion in Beijing

Duration: 16 – 19 July, 2009
Registration: For those joining only the Grand Reunion, please arrive Beijing latest by 6 pm, 16 July 2009



Pre-reunion tours

Duration: About 1 week before the Beijing reunion
Registration: Arrive Beijing 1 day before the tour commence (Please refer to Section C for tour details)




B. Who can join

All alumni are welcomed to apply for the reunion. For operational and sponsorship reasons, the CSP organizing committee has to set a certain limit to the size of the alumni delegation, we shall therefore adopt a first come first served principle with consideration to the following two elements when we form the alumni delegation:

- Reasonable distribution of alumni from different CSP years;
- Reasonable distribution of representatives from different regions;




C. Programme

The reunion has two components - the Pre-Reunion Tour and the Grand Reunion in Beijing.

Pre-Reunion Tour

The pre-reunion tour will be a great opportunity for alumni to gather and learn more about China in an informal manner. 4 routes are available for selection. Please note Beijing will be the commencement and destination point for all the routes.



1) The Silk Road
Registration date: 10 July, 2009
End date: 16 July, 2009
Places we may visit: Lanzhou兰州, Dunhuang敦煌, Jiayuguan嘉峪关, Tulufan吐鲁番, Wulumuqi乌鲁木齐



2) Shandong
Registration date: 10 July, 2009
End date: 16 July, 2009
Places we may visit: Qingdao青岛, Weihai威海, Taian泰安, Qufu曲阜, Jinan济南



3) Northeastern China
Registration date: 11 July, 2009
End date: 16 July, 2009
Places we may visit: Shenyang沈阳, Haerbin哈爾濱, Changchun長春


4) Beijing Special Programme for CSP Alumni
Registration date: 14 July, 2009
End date: 16 July, 2009

Special Programme for CSP Alumni will include visits to government officials, authorities, acadamics and institutions such as the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing. Group discussions will also be arranged to consolidate alumni’s comprehensive understanding of China.




Notes concerning the Pre-Reunion Tours:

1. The CSP organizing committee will grant a sponsorship of RMB 2,000 (maximum) to those alumni participants of the tours. Please refer to Section E for payment details.

2. Final itinerary for all tours are subjected to change. Please refer to website or email announcements for latest updates.

3. The CSP office shall make adjustments as necessary shall the number of applicants for any of the route(s) fall below / exceed the number indicated by the travel agency.

4. For those who are joining the pre-reunion tour, please be advised that you have to arrive Beijing by the registration time stated (to be announced in due course). Please plan your trip accordingly.




Grand Reunion programme

Grand reunion is the core of the whole reunion programme and the following activities are scheduled for the 4 day programme (itinerary is subjected to change, please refer to our latest announcements for updates):

- The “CSP family” gatherings;
- Forum / discussion sessions;
- Visits;
- Meeting with government officials (to be confirmed).



Commitment fee:

All the alumni participants have to pay a non-refundable RMB 700 (equivalent to USD 100) for commitment to the reunion programme. They are required to pay for their own outward and homeward bound transportation to Beijing plus other personal expenses. The organizer will cover other costs of the Grand Reunion as stated in the final itinerary.




D. Application schedule

Online Application:
23 Jan – 14 Feb 2009

Announcement of result through email:
Late Feb 2009

Please send a digital photo (taken within recent 3 months in resolution of 800 x 600 pixel) to csp.reu@gmail.com after you have submitted the online application. Please label the photo with your full English name and CSP year.




E. Payment and supplementary documents


Tour payment

CSP sponsored fee
(Alumni)
Full Fee
(Spouse)

Tour 1
(Silk Road)
RMB 6,100
RMB 8,100

Tour 2
(Shandong)
RMB 2,700
RMB 4,700

Tour 3
(Northeastern China)
RMB 3,100
RMB 5,100

Tour 4
(Beijing Special Programme for CSP Alumni)
RMB 1,800
RMB 2,800



- Fees (half room) stated above represent the level on 23 Jan, 2009 and the latest pricing information will be announced to short-listed applicants later.

- Request for refund will be processed at a case by case manner and alumni should bear all the administrative costs incurred. Requests raised after 31 May 2009 will not be processed.



The following items will NOT be covered by the above mentioned fee:
1. Travel expenses from home country to China.
2. Personal expenses;
3. Excess baggage expense (if any);
4. All expenses related to the spouse of alumni;
5. Extra room expense for room upgrades;
6. Personal travel insurance;
7. Visa fees;
8. Any activities not indicated in the final itinerary;




Grand Reunion payment


Alumni commitment fee (non refundable):
RMB 700 (equivalent to USD 100)

Spouse Fee:
RMB 2,000


- Fees (half room) stated above represent the level on 23 Jan, 2009 and the latest pricing information will be announced to short-listed applicants later.




Supplementary documents


Details of the required documentary proof (ID copy, spouse information, etc.) for completing the application will be sent to short-listed applicants later.

The application is deemed as complete after the CSP office confirmed to short-listed applicants of the reception of payment and documents.




F. Spouse of alumni

The CSP office shall email the alumni concerned for our ability to accept the application from their spouse, and the CSP office reserves the right of final discretion on such applications. For those we have confirmed our ability to assist, we will start the arrangement only after the reference materials and full payment as indicated in Section E are received.

Please be advised that spouse of alumni may not be able to participate part of the Beijing reunion functions. They may have to arrange their own meals and activities for part of the Beijing programme and details will be announced in due course.

Priority will be given to CSP alumni for the pre-reunion tour. Spouse can only be admitted shall there be enough quotas in the tour concerned. Should they be accepted as member of the tour, they should also observe the general regulations that apply to the CSP delegation.

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The 10th China Synergy Programme Applications Are Up!

I have blogged about China Synergy Programme several times before here .

It is definitely a very memorable programme, and next year, 2009, I am going back to attend the Reunion for CSP, which coincides with the 10th China Synergy Programme. Time flies. It would be 5 years since I went in 2004.

The applications for China Synergy Programme is now open. It would be from 2nd to 19th July 2009, and the deadline for application is 30th December 2008.

Check it out here

Good Luck!


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Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

China Synergy Programme Reunion (CSP Reunion)

Time flies. It has been 50 months, since I left Hong Kong for China Synergy Programme 5 (CSP5). It is definitely memorable, thinking back of the 18 days I spent in Hong Kong/China during CSP. It is a livelong memory. The time spent together is something that is really unforgetable.

The friendship we have made. The traveling together, the laughter/cheer etc. Going through all the visits.

We only meet in HK and China due to us participating in CSP, and it is unique that all of us are there together, singing, taking the same plane/bus/train/boat.

It is one of the best parts of our life, if not the best.

And while we might have chance to meet a few people here and there around the world, nothing beats meeting with large number of us in CSP10 Reunion. This is definitely a great milestone, for us, since we have separated from each other for 5 years.

To all, do remember to vote that you want to go and make a commitment to go. It would be a great event.

Lets keep in touch!
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Dear CSP alumni,


"Can we just ponder, how lucky we are, to have this day, to sing together……"

It has been some time since we last met! I hope all is well. Can you still recall the lyrics from the CSP song? Do you still remember the time you spent with your fellow delegates on the CSP journey in China to learn more about China and Chinese culture? It may have been a while since you last visited China, but I can assure you it has undergone enormous changes again in the past years. With 30 years of open door policy and new innovations, ideas and changes brought by the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China continues to reach new levels of advancement and prosperity. The year of 2009 will be a remarkable year as it marks a new era in China.

Not only is it the beginning of a new era in China, it is also the 10th anniversary of the China Synergy Programme For Outstanding Youths. The CSP planning committee therefore hopes to make the year of 2009 more remarkable for you.

Due to requests from numerous CSP alumni, we are currently considering the possibility for a CSP10 Grand Reunion. Contents may include a pre-reunion trip in China followed by a series of activities in Beijing, including forums, seminars and visits, and of course a reunion party.

It would indeed be my delight to meet you all again but the reunion is feasible only if we have encouraging feedback and support from our alumni around the world. Therefore we would like to invite you all to give us a hand by completing the online survey.

(http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p25Pz0ph570btxj90vBLXCA)

For any enquiry or suggestion, please feel free to write to alumni@chinasynergy.org.hk.


Yours sincerely,

Ms. Leung Kwok Ching

The Founder and Chairman of Planning Committee,

China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth Planning Committee

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Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

China Synergy Programme Newsletter

Calling all CSPers, (China Synergy Programme For Outstanding Youth) people, to sign up for CSP Newsletter!!! It's here .

To all CSP5, we still have a long way to go to get everyone to sign up!!!

Right now, the stats is so:-

From CSP1: 4
From CSP2: 14
From CSP3: 43
From CSP4: 56
From CSP5: 64
From CSP6: 61
From CSP7: 95
From CSP8: 73
From CSP9: 154
Total: 564

We are in front of CSP6 lar... Hooray!

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Click here to read more of Chen Chow's posts

Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign

This is a pleading of donation by China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth Alumni. It is a program that I got the opportunity to go in 2004.

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Dear CSPers,
Synergizing Out
Fight Against Epidemic with Earthquake-ravaged Sichuan

May 12 2:28pm - a moment that all Chinese will never forget. The devastating earthquake in Sichuan has taken over 60,000 lives. Over 200,000 people were injured and more than 80% of the buildings in some cities collapsed. For the past week, the earthquake scene touched our hearts. To show our borderless support, the CSP Alumni in Hong Kong launched the “Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign” to synergize our power again to help our fellow friends in Sichuan.

Polluted waters, cramped living conditions in temporary shelters and insufficient sanitary facilities are now seriously threatening the lives of those who just escaped from the earthquake. Without clean water and proper treatment of waste disposal, infectious disease outbreaks are likely to occur soon. According to Hong Kong’s infectious disease specialist, who came back from the quake-suffered area in Dujiangyan, some people there are already showing signs of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Restoration of good sanitation are vital for controlling any outbreak of communicable diseases. Therefore, we call for the support of all CSPers on our “Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign”. Every dollar you donate will be used to acquire supplies including chlorine disinfectant equipment, shelters, and mobile sanitation facilities.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all for your generous support in advance. We hope that through our donation, we can show them that our love and care for them goes beyond our respective borders.

Please also forward this email to your friends so that more people can support our campaign.

Yours sincerely,
China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth Association


Address: 18/F, Sun House, 90 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, HK
Tel: (852) 2117 0326 Fax: (852) 2536 0605
Email: alumni@chinasynergy.org.hk
Website: http://www.chinasynergy.org.hk/cspa

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Letter of Appeal – Draft 1Attachment

1:Zhou Peng, an CSP7 Alumni graduated from the Medical School of Sichuan University, is involved inthe rescue team at Huaxi Hospital in Sichuan. Below is the message he sent to the CSP students overthe past week.

Date: 13 May 2008 11:16:52 PM GMT+08:00All your caring messages touch my heart. There had been no mobile phone reception here inSichuan since yesterday and the connection has just resumed.I came back from the hospital at 6pm last night. I am still in fear every time I think about theearthquake last night. Most patients here are from nearby Chengdu. The patients fromquake-affected areas are still unreachable. Even though the first medical team we sent toWenchuan yesterday hasn’t come back, a second team, today, forged ahead and left for the city,without fear and regret.Rain is pouring all day today, just like yesterday the people here in Chengdu are mourning. Wehaven’t experienced such a disaster for almost 80 years!Tomorrow will be a better day!

Date: 14 May 2008 9:01:26 PM GMT+08:00Come back from DujiangyanToday I went to Dujianyan with the ambulance. I thought I was already psychologically prepared,however I was still shocked when I arrived. The earthquake flattened the entire city, with only a fewbuildings barely standing with gigantic cracks. Dead bodies are put on the road side. The schoolthat our rescue team went to found 100 students dead and only 5 children survived.

Date: 15 May 2008 12:29:19 AM GMT+08:00Come back from DujiangyanThe Huaxi Hospital I served at is the world’s biggest single block hospital with 5000 beds and is thesupport centre for the province for this disaster. We received patients that who were not able to getfurther treatment at the quake-affected zone. We have cleared all the beds in order to have morespace for the patients. We are now in immediate need for surgeons.

Date: 15 May 2008 12:35:50 AM GMT+08:00Support Arrived!The medical team from Zhongshan hospital arrived and brought us 35 anesthesiologists!

Date: 15 May 2008 12:48:22 AM GMT+08:00First group of injured from earthquake
Today, the air force transported 47 children to the hospital. Some of them have family contactinformation with them, meaning that their parents are still alive. Sadly though, most of the childrenare without family contact information and are believed to have been orphaned by theearthquake catastrophe. Upon arrival, 12 of them are affected by bacteria and their limbs had tobe removed. As all operation rooms are full, we can only do the operation along the stairways.

Date: 15 May 2008 1:08:30 AM GMT+08:00Our Spirits are with themJust want to send a text message to everyone during the break. Thanks so much for all yourencouragement. I feel that you are all besides me cheering me up. People around me showedunwavering determination during this battle. Though we are in need, we also help others. Our spiritsare with them. Thanks so much!

Date: 18 May 2008 11:13:43 PM GMT+08:00Psychological StatusThe psychological impact for the injured is increasing. More and more patients came to our hospital.Now, together with Sichuan Hospital we have more than 2000 patients, and the hemodialysisapparatuses runs 24-hour everyday. More importantly, now there are only a few hemodialysisapparatuses for children and it’s definitely insufficient.Dear folks please be assured that I am still fine. Just that the aftershocks every night disturbed mysleep and scare me a bit! Yesterday Ms. Leung gave a call to the CSP at Sichuan University and wereally appreciated it!The weather is very hot these days and today the trucks from Chengdu carried strong odors. Weexpect that we will have a tough war against the epidemic in the next few days!

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Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!

China Synergy Programme Deadline Extended

Blogged about China Synergy Programme For Outstanding Youth earlier.

The application deadline has been postponed to 15th February.

Do visit China Synergy Programme's website for more details on CSP 9, which would be held from 1st to 17th July 2008.

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CSP Blogs by a CSP8 participant

For those of you who have read my blog earlier on the 9th China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth, hope that you would really apply for it!

I have come across a friend of mine, a fellow ReCom member (nick: bp_ffei), who has blogged extensively on his experience in CSP8. Although it is 3 years apart from mine, the experience is more or less the same.

So, for those of you who can't decide, do check this out!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

9th China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth

Wow! It's CSP9 already. This program is called the 9th China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth. It is a 17-day trip to visit various parts of China (Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xian, Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.) For this next trip, it is going to be held on 1st to 17th July, which is just a mere 3 weeks away from the official opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games.

For more info, go to China Synergy Programme's Website .

It is definitely a fantastic experience. I definitely have very vivid memories of the trip. You would get to experience many things that you would not imagine yourself having the opportunities to go through during normal visit.

Some of the main aspects during the trip.
a) You would get opportunities to rub shoulders with many of the top leaders in China and Hong Kong. In most cities, the mayor would be meeting you. For Hong Kong, I believe Donald Tsang would meet you and in Beijing, Jia QingLing will be meeting you. Those are the top leaders of those areas. In many cities, you would get to meet with many who are planning for the development of the cities.

b) Opportunities to visit those universities, be it those universities in Hong Kong, or in various parts of China, like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University etc.

c) Meet with those people in the industry. During my time, Baidu Founder met us, and during those days, Baidu has not yet hit IPO.

d) Last but not least, you would get to meet with about 200 very interesting, hyper active bunch of your peers from around the world. Those people would be traveling together with you and having fun with you!

e) And it is a really good tour of China, visit all the top places that many would want to go and visit.

And what you have to do is just to:-
a) Apply for admission (you would need to be ethnic Chinese, as well as being a student in a university (undergrad or postgrad) to apply).
b) Once you get offer of admission, you would need to pay USD200 (that's like RM675) for the 17-day all-expense paid trip.
c) You would need to get your own air tix to Hong Kong and back, as well as your visa to China.

That's all. The rest of the cost is sponsored.

Application deadline is 28th January 2008.

Many people have applied and gone there. Many of my friends have gone through the trip too.

So, do apply! It would be memorable. Do spread the words to others!