One network for Chinese associations all over the world, from as far as Brazil and the United States to Russia, is taking shape. The Singapore Hua Yuan Association has managed to draw organisations from about 80 countries or regions, including cities in China, to be part of this collaborative platform. Most of them were in Singapore yesterday to sign the agreement for the Global Hua Yuan Collaborative Network.

The notes of the sarabande of Bach’s Suite No 2 rise in the cold air, praising God for the “miracle” of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as Mstislav Rostropovich later put it. The photograph is seen around the world. The date is 11 November 1989, and the Russian virtuoso is marching to the beat of history.