Good evening! One year ago tonight, this group met for the first time, on a night very much like tonight, with company as

earnest and companionable as those present today. One year ago tonight, we embarked on our pursuit of friendship,

understanding, and fellowship, on a journey that would take us around the globe. One year ago tonight, a patch of server

in Microsoft's server farm shone bright, for a star was born.

My friends, we have much to celebrate! From a small group of three, we have expanded into a truly globe-spanning

organization with a much more diverse membership. We have completed multiple group projects and programs, learning

from each other all the while. We have supported our members' academic programs and become a go-to forum for academic

discussions.

In cooperation with Nanchang No. 2 High School English Club, we took on the official sponsorship of the "Joint Weekly

Newsletter," which has garnered over a hundred offline subscriptions in addition to innumerable online subscribers. Most

of us played a significant role in that publication, and all have contributed articles for it. It was the perfect demonstration

of what this group stands for: diversity, inclusivity, and cross-border exchange. Soon we will release the tenth issue of the

newsletter, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate us on this great milestone.

We stand here today, proud of what we have become, firm in strengthening what we are, and together hopeful about what

we could be. Time and again, we laughed, we talked, we worked things out, always staying true to the principles on which

we agreed at the very start.

My friends, my dear friends, I say this to you from the bottom of my heart: Happy anniversary, and may our friendship last forever!