Stratford mayor welcomes special guest to town hall

THE Chinese Ambassador recently visited Stratford to show support for the cultural links between his country and Shakespeare’s hometown which were formally established in 2016.

Stratford mayor Cllr Kate Rolfe welcomed His Excellency Zheng Zeguang and his wife Madame Hua Mei to the town hall where gifts were exchanged including a beautiful book of birds and an ornamental tea pot from the ambassador and a reciprocal present of a picture of Stratford Town Hall on behalf of the people of Stratford.

Mayor Rolfe said: “The ambassador and his wife were absolutely delightful and he signed the visitor’s book before going on to Shakespeare’s Birthplace. I kept being called the Lord Mayor so we explained I was the mayor of Stratford and eventually everyone understood. The ambassador was passing through on a goodwill visit and he was keen to support the cultural connections between China and Stratford with our great playwright William Shakespeare and the Chinese playwright, Tang Xianzu, both of whom lived in the same era and died in 1616. The ambassador was absolutely charming and told us how much he loved our town.”