Honorable judges， ladies and gentlemen:
Kipling said， “East is east， and West is West， and never the twain shall meet!” But now， a century later， they have met. They have met in business. They have met in education. They have met in the arts. Some would argue that these meetings leave us with a choice between East and West， but I believe the best future lies in the creative combination of both worlds. We can make Western ideas， customs and technology our own， and adapt them to our use. We can enjoy the best of all worlds， because our tradition is， above all， one of selecting the best and making it our own.
But，do Western styles and values threaten our identity? History makes it easy for us to think so—perhaps too easy.Some people seem to think that adopting Western customs，such as a bride wearing white which has long been a color of mourning in China，instead of the traditional Chinese red for her wedding，is another submission to foreign intervention，a betrayal of our heritage，they say.They fear that as we become globalized，we will no longer be Chinese.I do not agree.History，teaches that a strong and confident nation is at ease in learning from the outside world.
