Another year, another St David’s Day bash but this time at the Kemplinski, a step up from the rather tired Peace Hotel. There 
were companies from all over Wales who had just arrived on the first leg of a trade mission accompanied by a Welsh government minister, Ken Skates, the Welsh poet laureate and other dignatories. This year, we managed 4 Welsh Shanghai residents which was a record.
There didn’t even seem to be people walking in off the street and helping themselves to the buffet like in the Peace Hotel which was a great improvement. There happened to be a few Welsh performers in town at the same time so they were asked to do a turn on the small stage and Ifor a Glyn, the poet, read his own composition in Welsh. There were not many people in the room who understood it, including me! Luckily someone translated it into English and Chinese. 
This is my third such meeting and it was definitely the most enjoyable and most useful for me. Maybe the venue made a difference. I met a lot of interesting little companies, universities and associations trying to get a piece of the Chinese market and there are a handful of leads to follow up. In addition, our Llanghai Expat group has been bolstered by the addition of John Edwards, the Consul General whose father is from north Wales. 