Not before long I got my first temporary promotion in 2014 with help of my language skill. A project proposal meeting was planned to be held in Zhejiang Provincial Great Hall of the People hosted by the vice governor to warmly welcome the delegation of the German Ambassador to China. Representatives from Jiaxing and Zhoushan were invited to deliver competitive presentations about necessity and feasibility of launching a Sino-German Industrial Park in their own cities, Jiaxing city sent her best vice director of commerce bureau to perform an English speech. Considering etiquette equivalence, I was selected as chief of the economic development bureau of Zhoushan Economic Development Zone for 15 minutes, long enough to finish my 12-page-briefing.
I can still remember 5 minutes before I took seated in 2F Hangzhou Room, my superior patted me on my shoulders, suggesting "you are the chief now!" (the same way as Sir Tony Stark pats on Peter Parker's shoulder from left to right saying "alright kid, you are an avenger now" in 2018). Beyond all questions, my big-time presentation before the vice governor and German ambassador was accompanied with tension, horror and even slight guilty, especially after the vice director from Jiaxing perfectly accomplished his masterpiece speech in a rich baritone. At such moment, I realized it might be the best and last stand in the meeting room to speak out loud for Zhoushan, so I decided to throw out all the eggs in my basket, feel no fear, and have no hesitation to fulfill my most valuable 15 minutes with honor and pride. I started with description of every best part of Zhoushan as a garden city on the sea, fishing kingdom in the east, hub port in the world, till the last breathe was pushed out of my lunge, just like before. Even if there was no Sino-German Park launched in Zhoushan afterwards, my mission was achieved, as my boss described later on that day, "I'm glad to notice his natural ebullience began to return when he started presentation. He had got the invisible power, only when speaking English."
(In 5 minutes I would be seated beside the vice governor to deliver my presentation on behalf of Zhoushan Economic Development Zone.)
