For the World Down Syndrome Congress in Canada in 2006, Cao Ran and I were refused visas twice. At that time, I still had a mindset of a weakling and felt deeply humiliated. Therefore, I made a vow that one day, I would host the World Down Syndrome Congress in China with my own efforts and feel elated.

More than a decade has passed. Starting as an ordinary Chinese parent of a child with Down syndrome, I have become deeply involved in the Down syndrome community. All of this is for the realization of that dream.

More than a decade has passed, and I no longer feel the humiliation I once did. I have become more composed. I just think that bringing in the World Down Syndrome Congress will be a great thing for the Chinese Down syndrome community. Since I made that solemn (gritting my teeth) vow, I should strive towards that goal. As Dr. Zhou said, just go ahead and do it. Whether it succeeds or not is up to fate and has nothing to do with you. Just take action.

So, at the World Down Syndrome Congress in Australia in 2024, I went alone.

This was a world grand event full of a sense of relaxation. You could register and pay to attend various meetings, or you could just wander around without paying. I registered for a one-day meeting as a form of support, but I didn't want to just sit there listening to the reports. For those who were giving speeches at the meeting, it was meaningful, but for me, it seemed a bit boring. I came here to observe and learn how to organize a world-class event. Our purposes were different.

Indeed, by observing on-site, I learned a lot and understood how they organized the event. Australia really went all out. They even brought out two koalas, and both adults and children were overjoyed. They crowded around to touch the koalas. When I saw this, I thought, hey! China should bring out giant pandas! I'm not sure if the government will support this. The government of Brisbane was a sponsor, so the support was incredibly strong.

In this year, I have met with the people from DSi three times in the UK, the US, and Australia. We can be considered quite familiar with each other now.

DSi is also the organizer of the World Down Syndrome Congress. They know my wish and are willing to help me with my dream. I want to host the World Down Syndrome Congress in China, and I think it is also a dream of DSi, right? After all, the Down syndrome community around the world have been holding this event for more than 30 years, but there has been no participation from Chinese people. It's been a complete blank.

I'm not the kind of person who just chases after the excitement. Excitement is just on the surface, and life means down-to-earth actions.

The World Down Syndrome Congress is held every three years and lasts for three days. The time is not fixed (unlike March 21st). It rotates among different places around the world. This time it is already the 15th session. I can't help but think that people with Down syndrome from all over the world gather together from afar and then disperse after just three short days. What can these three days bring to everyone? If there is no gain, isn't it a waste of money and effort and just a senseless hustle and bustle? I have to take a good look and see if it's worth doing this.

I spent an hour every day observing, and the conclusion I came to was: it's worth it.

In fact, everyone in this world doesn't have a smooth sailing in life (occasionally, I meet someone who has an extremely smooth life and hear them complain about life being bored). Who hasn't experienced hardships? What matters is whether there is hope or not. And this World Down Syndrome Congress held every three years brings hope to the Down syndrome community. It gives them something to look forward to.

At the closing ceremony, it was announced that the next session would be held in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The host humorously said, "Everyone, start saving money now. See you in three years!"

Isn't it the point of life to broaden our horizons and travel all over the world? Traveling all over the world once every three years and being able to make friends with like-minded people, how wonderful is that!

I didn't know about it before, but now that I know and have been here, I'm willing to participate in every session in the future! (It's like "mandatory" traveling all over the world.) Even if it's not China after Argentina, I'm willing to go and see any country.

I missed its opening ceremony, but the closing ceremony really impressed me. For a conference of more than 300 people from around the world, the hosts of the closing ceremony were two people with Down syndrome! There was also a sign language interpreter. There were just three people on the stage, and supporters provided necessary help from the audience. When the hosts with Down syndrome made mistakes, the entire audience let out kind laughter and watched them even more eagerly, sending their full support and blessings. How happy that was! I'm at a loss for words. The on-site experience deeply nourished me, with full unconditional acceptance and support.

When the national flags of various countries were being withdrawn, everyone stood up. People with Down syndrome from different countries proudly waved their national flags, and the whole audience burst into applause.

This kind of scene has already occurred fifteen times, but China has never been present. How could this be allowed? I secretly made up my mind that from now on, China would no longer be absent, and one day, it would even occupy the central position!