Frank (Left four) Jane (Left two) and other forum members, posing here for a group photo, attended the Beijing
International Forum on August 11, 2007. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Many people working and living in big cities complain that they have no personal life because of their hectic schedule. They have to deal with emails and meetings all day long, and on top of that it's very common to work on the weekend. Every day when they return home from work they feel dog tired and don't wish to talk to anyone---not to mention socializing with friends. Nowadays, members of the Beijing International Forum are trying to show that being busy is not the reason for loosing touch with friends. What really matters in life is passion, balance and a contribution. Our reporter has the details.

Reporter:

The Beijing International Forum is an open discussion group for professionals and university students in Beijing, they meet each week at the Graduate School of the People's Bank of China near Wudaokou to discuss various topics. Members take turns hosting topics and events of their choosing, while leading the discussion in English. Anyone who knows English can become a member of the free forum.

Current President Frank Yu, who graduated from Harvard University, said social networking contributes a lot to one's success in society. The forum provides a platform for people from different backgrounds to get to know each other and share their thoughts on current world affairs.

"The forum was founded in about 2004 by Sunny Lee. He is a Korean native living in Beijing. The purpose of the forum is to bring foreigners and Chinese together in a setting where they can discuss various issues. It's an informal setting and it is all voluntary. No one gets paid. It's really also a (great) way to make friends."

By attending this forum, international friends know more about China, while Chinese friends can also improve English and expand the vision of the world. There are also many journalists coming to the forum regularly to get some fresh ideas from discussion.

Making friends, sharing thoughts and building up one's social network are the original purposes of the forum. However, some lucky souls have also met their Mr. or Mrs. Right at the forum. Jane, a pretty Chinese girl is one of them.

"I met my boyfriend here in this forum, and finally we got married. This is my story."

Jane's husband is Japanese. The newly married couple now live happily in Tokyo. Currently Jane is in Beijing on a visit. The first thing she did on her return to Beijing was stop by the forum. She can still remember the last time she attended the forum before leaving Beijing for Tokyo. The forum members spontaneously held an unforgettable farewell party for her.

"My feelings at that time was very complicated, cause on the one hand I had found my Mr. Right, while on the other hand it meant I had to leave all the friends I had made here and go to a new place. These kinds of very complicated feelings made me burst into tears. If I have the chance, I'll definitely come back to Beijing and join everyone here in discussion."

This weekend's discussion was special and important not only because of the presence of special guest Jane, but also because the co-president Linda was leaving Beijing for Berkeley College, to further her education.

Linda has made great contributions to the forum. She has done a lot of service work for forum members, making sure there was always a person available to hold the discussion every week. Some people have even fretted that the forum wouldn't continue without Linda.

This week's forum discussion will be the first one since Linda left. It will be President Frank Yu's turn to stand up! No matter what happens he will try his best to make sure the forum continues. He also encourages more people to contribute to the forum and do volunteer work.

"I think it is everyone's responsibility to make sure the forum continues by taking on some leadership work on. It shouldn't depend on just one person, everyone should take on the responsibility and time to make it work."

In order to make the social networking build into the forum well organized, Frank created a Beijing International Forum Home on: www.faceboook.com. Frank hopes the online home of the forum will shorten the distance between members scattered all over the world, and hopefully enable more friends to join the forum and feel the warmth of the international family.