Wu YanBROADCASTER-TURNED-TEACHER Martin Smith has been identified with Norman Bethune, his Canadian countryman, who sacrificed his life fighting against Japanese invaders along with the Chinese people.“I’ve spent the best three years in my life in China,” he said, adding jokingly he owed Bethune a beer. He said he was continuing Bethune’s relationship with the Chinese people in his own small way. Only five minutes after arriving in Shenzhen, he realized that his impressions of China before he came here had been quite wrong. Now, 80 percent of his food is Chinese and most of his friends are Chinese. He would often pay people extra for service, because they deserved it, he said.At a vegetable market near his house, the peddlers often insist on giving him extra vegetables.He said the people represented the heart and dignity of China.He said he often argued with other expatriates who complained about China, because he thought they should be grateful for being here.

　　“The Chinese are the most generous and friendly people I’ve ever met,” he said.

　　Wu YanBROADCASTER-TURNED-TEACHER Martin Smith has been identified with Norman Bethune, his Canadian countryman, who sacrificed his life fighting against Japanese invaders along with the Chinese people.“I’ve spent the best three years in my life in China,” he said, adding jokingly he owed Bethune a beer. He said he was continuing Bethune’s relationship with the Chinese people in his own small way. Only five minutes after arriving in Shenzhen, he realized that his impressions of China before he came here had been quite wrong. Now, 80 percent of his food is Chinese and most of his friends are Chinese. He would often pay people extra for service, because they deserved it, he said.At a vegetable market near his house, the peddlers often insist on giving him extra vegetables.He said the people represented the heart and dignity of China.He said he often argued with other expatriates who complained about China, because he thought they should be grateful for being here.

　　“The Chinese are the most generous and friendly people I’ve ever met,” he said.