Former Vice Premier of Croatia and Ambassador to China, Dr. Ante Simonic M.D., came to our university to give a lecture on the topic of higher education, culture, history and international exchange in Croatia in December 20th , 2017. President Du Caiqin, Party Secretary Wang Ying, all university leaders, middle-level cadres and 400 student representatives attended this meeting. The famous Chinese calligraphor Zhang Zaichun also attended this meeting.
Dr. Ante Simonic M.D. is the Chairman of the Croatian-Chinese Senior Advisory Committee, Chairman of the World Wine Federation, Lifelong Professor of the Rijka Medical College, Chairman of the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Association and Chairman of the Croatian-Chinese Cooperation Committee of the University of Rijka. He was the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and was responsible for science, education, culture, health, sports and social activities. He served in China for five years as the Croatian Ambassador Plenipotentiary to China (2008-2013). He was also a member of Parliament, a professor and Dean of the medical school in the Croatian city of Rijka. Professor Simonic was reappointed three times as the president of Croatian National Pharmacological Association, and was the chairman of Croatian Medical Association. He was also an excellent athlete, a member of the former Yugoslav National Rowing Team, and won many European and Croatian National Rowing Championships. In 2017, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang presented the National Friendship Award to Professor Simonic.
The accompanying translator is Professor Simonic’s wife, Zhao Lita (Chinese-American). Ms. Zhao is a world-renowned artist, oil painter, photographer, producer, poet, lyricist, composer and host. She is also the honorary principal of Beijing Second School for the Deaf, which has nurtured nearly 300 deaf and dumb students. She is an honorary professor of Guizhou Normal College for Early Childhood and has been the host of English news presenters live on CCTV’s international channel for three years.
Ms. Zhao Lita graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a major in multimedia art. She was elected to the International Golden Key Honor Organization and became a lifelong member with a No.1 total score of the University of California, Berkeley. Besides her job, she also loves alpine skiing, horseback riding, archery, high-altitude parachuting, deep-sea diving, Taijiquan and other sports. She loves travelling and has traveled all over the world. Her photography, oil painting, film and music and other multimedia works of art have been exhibited in various parts of the world. In China, she has had more than 90 solo and joint exhibitions, and her works have been collected by many presidential dignitaries, museums and galleries. She has won numerous awards and honors, such as the Croatian Award for Cultural Ambassadors, the Cape Verde Award for Cultural Ambassadors and the Chinese Government Award for Excellent Contribution. She has given excellent academic and artistic speeches at Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Sports University, Capital Normal University, Beijing University of Technology, China Agricultural University, College of International Relations, Foreign Affairs College, Beijing Normal University and Renmin University.
