After a 13-month tenure in The Bahamas, Ambassador of China, Hu Shan is preparing to return home.

During a farewell reception in his honour last Thursday, Ambassador Shan admitted his leaving will be “bittersweet” as he enjoyed his time in The Bahamas.

“The Bahamian people have been so warm and welcoming to me and my staff,” he said.

“Everybody was welcoming and I think we managed to strengthen ties between our two countries. I will miss the country and the weather. I will also miss the cooperation that we had because we accomplished so many things for the benefit of the Bahamian and Chinese people. I would hope the new ambassador will do the same.”

Bringing remarks on behalf of the government was Deputy Prime Minister and acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Philip Davis, who told the small crowd of Cabinet ministers and other senior government officials that the ambassador has assisted with agreements dealing with a number of issues including education, health care and finance.

“During your tenure, we have also broken ground on an impressive number of Chinese-government-sponsored projects including the new state-of-the-art Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, the new stretch of roadway dubbed the Airport Gateway and Baha Mar,” Minister Davis said.

“Additionally we have welcomed and applauded the completion of the new chancery of the People’s Republic of China, the presence of which attests to the deepening of relations between our countries and imitates a long-lasting friendship. In the field of education, an increasing number of Bahamians have benefited from full-time scholarships and short-term training programmes in China.”

The deputy prime minister added that the government is also proud of the Confucius Institute at the College of The Bahamas (COB). The institute offers local Mandarin-language training.

“Rest assured ambassador that the government values the friendly relationship existing between our two countries and will continue to work with China towards ensuring a win-win scenario for both countries through cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit,” Minister Davis said.

Mr. Shan was given a Bahamian Junkanoo glass sculpture piece as a parting gift from the government along with Jones Communication Network’s (JCN) “Celebrating 40 Years” commemorative booklet.