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Minister James Grant's Homily at Wei's Funeral

February 1, 2019

Minister James Grant's Homily at Wei's Funeral

Thank you, Mike. And, thank you, each one of you for your thoughts and prayers and sharing of your reflections on Wei’s life.

As you’ve noticed, there was a constant theme whether we’re talking about government or business or flying or personal friendships; Wei was a dreamer. He lived his life with zeal constantly pushing you, others to pursue their dreams. Even today sitting out on one of the tables is a small wooden plaque that has one of his favorite quotes. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” As we’ve heard in these wonderful reflections on Wei’s life, we’ve heard this constant theme of the importance of dreams and goals and hopes. I’m convinced that we cannot survive our journey in this life without our hopes and dreams. Our hopes and dreams are the essence of what gives us strength and power and keep us going.

In my own faith tradition, the scriptures recognize the importance of these hopes and dreams. The Bible presents us with people of faith who look to God for their hopes and dreams. And these people changed the world around them. One such story is the story of Abraham. God gives him a vision, a dream about the future of his people, the Hebrews. And when God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go to a new place, Abraham went. Not knowing where he was going, not knowing exactly what he was going to do when he got there; he just knew that was what he needed to do. God had given Abraham a vision and a promise that his descendents would be as many as the stars of the heavens, and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore. And Abraham believed. And for many generations after him, they were blessed because of his faith.

As I was preparing for this and reading Wei’s book, my heart was warmed by the way he starts and ends his book. You don’t read very far in the book before you get to his explanation of at least one of the reasons why he wrote the book. And it was about his family. I was deeply moved that at the beginning of his book he explains that he was writing this book so his daughters would know why he did this, why he took this journey. And then as you get to the end of the book, he ends it by challenging us on our own dreams, to fulfill our own dreams. And he ends it by coming back to that hope that his daughters will pursue their own dreams as they grow up. What a wonderful inspiration of thinking of others.

Another example from the scriptures is Moses. Moses who led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. They were living under oppression and God moved Moses in a vision to save them. The scriptures tell us that he refused the glory and riches of Egypt, and instead chose to identify with the mistreated Hebrews. And although Moses struggles and fails and stumbles at first, after spending time alone in the wilderness, he comes back with that vision that God gave him, with that dream to redeem his people out of oppression and slavery and leads them out. It was a dream about others who were less fortunate.

Another theme that I was encouraged about in Wei’s life and in his book is that as he describe his trip around the world and tells of his dreams and experiences, he always stopped to help those less fortunate. I’m sure you all know of his work with St. Jude’s and the very beginning of the trip and how he wanted everyone to know about St. Jude’s and to help that wonderful organization. But along the way on the journey, he stops and takes time to help school children who were less fortunate as he traveled around the world. And you’ve heard today how he had such a dream and desire to help others.

Abraham and Moses, Wei, we have story after story of people we can appeal to who dream. And over and over in scripture, we have stories of people who dream and long for a greater world. It’s not just true of scripture or our own faith traditions, it is true of life. Some of our most well know speeches in the past hundred years have evoked hopes and dreams. President Roosevelt’s reminder that fear should not eclipse our hopes and dreams, John F. Kennedy’s challenge to defend freedom, and of course Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech all point toward a desire that I think we all share of a greater world.

We all come to this service with similar hopes and dreams. We want the best for our family, for our country; we want the best for the world. Even when we disagree, we want equality and freedom and happiness. They are common dreams. And it does not matter where you were born. It does not matter your gender or religion. It does not matter your country. We all share these common struggles and desires, these common dreams. Dreams of a better place of a peaceful world. It’s not just people in scripture. It’s not just political figures and revolutionary reformers. It’s the life of Wei. It’s your life. It’s our life, our hopes and dreams.

They all point to something deeper you know. Just as you’ve heard in the stories of business when you have a failure, you have to pivot and you turn toward what you’re doing next. Don’t let the failure stop you. The same thing’s true in life. As you live this life, you will face moments when the dreams don’t come true. And you’ll have to turn and pivot. And the question becomes where do you turn? At the end in the scriptures, at the end of these long stories of people of faith who trusted God and did wonderful things for others. There’s this passage in Hebrews 12 that says, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,” people who have journeyed this life, “let us also lay aside things that entangle us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” And the scriptures say let us look to Jesus. And one of the reasons that the scriptures say that is because according to the Gospel, Jesus fulfills the deepest hopes and dreams that we have.

And as a Christian minister, one of those dreams that has given me strength and peace in the midst of loss, one of those dreams that gives me courage to face the next day is this one at the very end of the Bible. It’s one that is particularly important to me as I have faced moments like this in loss. The Bible ends with this ultimate dream, this ultimate vision. In Revelations 21, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. I saw a new city coming down out of heaven.” Then the writer of the book of Revelations says that the voice of God says, “Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be His people. God Himself will be their God.” And the very next verse says this, “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.” I think that is one of the most ultimate dreams, isn’t it? A moment where every tear is wiped away from our eyes. And the very next phrase is, “And death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning or crying nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away.”

In the midst of our journey of life as we dream dreams and follow those dreams, let’s not forget the deepest dream of all is the faith that looks to the One who makes all things new, Jesus, and the day when God will certainly wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Pray with me if you will. Heavenly Father we would ask during this day of celebrating Wei’s life, reflecting on our own dreams and accomplishments that in the midst of our pain and struggle that we would look to You, that we would trust in You and Your Son. And that we would believe that one day You will wipe away every tear from our eyes. And there will be no more death or mourning or crying. And I pray that in the midst of this grief that You will fill us with hope and peace by believing in you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

James Grant牧师的陈玮葬礼讲道

谢谢,迈克。谢谢在座各位对陈玮的追思和祷告,谢谢大家分享回思他的生平。

我们注意到,无论话题是政府,商业,飞行,还是个人友谊,每个追思都有一个不变的主题:陈玮是一个梦想家。他毕其一生,热情不断地鼓励并帮助身边每一个人去追求梦想。这张桌子上 有一块小木牌,上面写着陈玮最喜欢的一句话: “如果你的梦想不能使你心惊胆战,那你的梦就不够强大。” 我们听到的每一条对陈玮一生的美好回思,都涉及到这样不变的重要主题:梦想,目标,和希望。我坚信,如果我们没有希望和梦想,就不可能在人生的旅程中得以生存。希望和梦想赋予我们坚强和力量,是陪伴我们奋勇前行的精髓。

在我的信仰信条中,不乏重视希望和梦想的话语。圣经中众多信仰神的人,他们把希望和梦想寄托于上帝。这些的人出现改变了他们的周围世界。其中一个是亚伯拉罕。上帝给亚伯拉罕描绘了一个关乎希伯来人的未来梦想的愿景。当上帝呼召亚伯拉罕离开家乡前往一个新的地方时,亚伯拉罕去了。他不知道去的是哪里,也不知道到那里后他要做什么, 他只是坚信他要去。上帝在给亚伯拉罕的愿景里,承诺他后代繁茂会像天上的星星一样多,像海边的沙粒一样不可胜数。亚伯拉罕信了神的话。亚伯拉罕的子孙后代都因为他的信仰而得以蒙福。

在我准备这个讲道时,我读了陈玮写的书,我的心被书的开篇和结尾而感动。不用翻过很多页,你就会知道陈玮写这本书的原因之一是为了他的家人。我深受感动的是,在书的开头,陈玮解释说之所以写这本书,是为了让他的女儿了解他为什么走这样的旅程。然后在书的结尾,陈玮挑战读者去追求实现自己的梦想。他的书以希望他的女儿在成长过程中大胆追求自己的梦想结束。陈玮和他的书激发了为他人着想的美好情怀。

经文中的另一个例子是摩西。摩西在埃及引导以色列人脱离奴役。当时以色列人生活在压迫之下,上帝让摩西拯救他们。经文告诉我们,摩西抛弃了做为一个埃及人的荣华富贵,选择做一个受虐待的希伯来人。摩西经历了挣扎,失败和跌倒,但是在旷野中独自度过一段时间之后,他带着上帝赐给他的愿景,带着拯救他的人民摆脱压迫和奴役的梦想回来, 率领大家走出埃及。这是一个关于帮助关怀贫困和不幸民众的梦想。

陈伟的生平和他的书也有这样一个激励我的主题。无论是在他飞跨世界的旅途,还是在他为梦想奋斗的经历中,他总是停下来帮助贫困或不幸的人。我相信大家都知道他与圣强德儿童医院合作的慈善工作,他在飞行世界的旅程起航时说,希望每个人都知道圣强德儿童医院,帮助圣强德儿童医院。在环球旅途中,他不时停下来帮助世界各地的贫困学童。今天大家的回顾显现了他的梦想就是热诚助人。

亚伯拉罕,摩西,陈玮,都是动人的梦想者故事。在圣经中,我们读到一个接一个这样的故事,故事的主人公梦想和渴望更美好的世界。这不仅是圣经或其他信仰的真谛,也是人生的真谛。过去一百年里一些最知名的演讲,无不激起了人们的希望和梦想。罗斯福总统 的恐惧不应该阻碍我们的希望和梦想的告诫 ,约翰·肯尼迪捍卫自由的挑战,马丁·路德·金 “我有一个梦想” 的演讲,都表达了一个共同的愿望 — 让世界更加美好。

我们带着这个相同的希望和梦想参加今天的送葬仪式。我们把最好的渴望给予我们的家庭,我们的国家, 给予我们的世界。即使在我们观点分歧的时候,平等,自由和幸福依然是我们同样的渴求。无论我们出生在哪里,无论我们的性别和信仰,无论我们的国籍, 我们的这个梦想是共同的。我们分享一样的挣扎和渴望,一样的梦想。我们梦想着一个更美好的和平世界。这个梦想不仅仅属于信仰圣经的人,不仅仅属于政治人物和革命改革者,这是陈玮的生活,是你的生活。这是我们的生活,我们的希望,我们的梦想。

所有这些都指向一个更深刻的层次。我们都听说过这样的故事,当你在商场中失败时,你必须转向专注于下一件要做的事,不能让失败阻止你。人生也是如此。我们一生中,总会有面临梦想不达的时刻。这时我们必须转动调整方向。向哪里转呢?在圣经的最后,神的信仰追随者们的长篇故事结束时,他们信靠上帝并为他人做了美好的事情。在希伯来书12章中有一段话说:“因为我们周围有这么多的见证人,” 历经了人生之旅的见证人,“就当放下各样的重担 ,奔那摆在我们前头的路程。” 圣经说让我们仰靠耶稣。根据福音书,耶稣实现了我们所拥有的最深切的希望和梦想。

作为一名基督徒牧师,有一个梦想在我失去亲人朋友时给予我力量和平安,给我勇敢面对明天的勇气,这个梦想在圣经的结尾。这个梦想对我特别重要,因为我同样经历过痛失亲友的时刻。圣经以这个终极梦想结束。在启示录21中,“我又看见一个新天新地,因为先前的天地已经过去了,海也不再有了。我又看见圣城从天而降。” 然后,启示录的作者写道,上帝的声音说:“看哪,神的帐幕在人间。他要与人同住,他们要作他的子民,神要亲自与他们同在,作他们的神。” 紧接着的下一节经文,“神要擦去他们一切的眼泪。” 我认为这是最终极的梦想之一,不是吗?这是每一滴泪都从眼睛里消失的瞬间。接下来的一句话是,“不再有死亡,也不再有悲哀、哭号、疼痛,因为以前的事都过去了。”

在我们编织梦想和追随梦想的生命之旅中,让我们不要忘记最深刻的梦想是我们的信仰。我们的信仰使我们仰靠创造新世界的耶稣,使我们期望耶稣给我们擦去眼中每一滴眼泪的那一天。

请和我一起祷告。天父,在这个纪念陈玮一生,反思我们的梦想和成就的一天,在我们的痛苦和挣扎中,请让我们仰靠你,让我们笃信你和你的爱子,让我们相信有一天你会擦去我们眼中的每一滴眼泪,并且不会再有死亡,哀悼或哭泣。我祈祷,在这个悲痛时分,因我们对你的信靠,赐予我们希望和宁静。以基督耶稣的名义祷告。阿门。

​Congressman Robert Pittenger’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Congressman Robert Pittenger’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

(北卡罗来那州)众议员罗伯特 皮特格的悼词

Isabell, Elizabeth, Stephanie, Sabrina 陈玮的家人和朋友们,在今天这个悲伤日子,我不禁想起陈玮在聚会上总是带着笑脸,总是让在场的人特别开心,他特别喜欢同别人在一起。我同他是通过我儿子博比认识的,我从来没听他们说过不喜欢哪个人,他们两人关系也特别好,博比跟我说过很多次陈伟是他最好的朋友。从政人的生活总是有很多挑战,陈玮经常给博比打电话问候他的情况,以朋友的身份表示对他的真诚关心和友情。

我在几个场合同陈玮接触过,我们有一次一起出席在中国深圳的青年总裁组织会议并讲话;还有一次他在美国驻中国使馆一个晚宴上安排我演讲;他还很热情地出席我女儿的婚礼,第二天还同我们一起吃午餐。每次同陈玮在一起,我都能感到他总是在鼓励别人,支持别人,做别人的朋友。

在一般的墓碑上,你能看到某某生于某日,卒于某日,中间有个破折号把这两点连在一起,这个破折号是个关键,陈玮的破折号所代表的内容无比丰富,也对他人有很重要的意义。陈玮热爱他的家人,热爱美国,也热爱他的祖国中国,他花费了大量的时间和努力把他热爱的两个国家联系在一起,让双方加深了解以便有更好的共同未来。

陈玮和我都喜欢罗伯特 舒勒博士,他是一位著名的励志演说家,他在南加州洛杉矶附近建造了水晶教堂,有一档电视节目叫 “超强一小时”。他有不少演说打动影响了很多人,我知道陈玮也是被他激励的人之一,我听他不止一次提到过。舒勒博士有一句名言是:“不可能的情况有时会变成奇迹”,另一句是“宁可出师不利,也不愿不战而胜”。这些话简直就是说的陈玮,他是那个随时准备端着水枪去扑灭地狱之火的人。舒勒博士喜欢的圣经中的一句话是,“我来到这世上是为了让世人活得更丰富”。陈玮把自己的人生过得充满激情,总是能在他所干的事情里找到精彩和大气。舒勒博士喜欢的圣经中的另一句话是,“上帝那么爱我们以至奉献了他唯一的儿子,相信上帝的人一定会得永生”,这句话每天都给我很大的鼓舞,也给我们带来很大的信念和安抚,我们也从陈玮弟兄身上感受了巨大的爱。

为了表示对陈玮和家人的敬意,我要把一面在首都华盛顿国会山上飘扬过的美国国旗献给你们。

谢谢你们,愿上帝保佑你们。

​Mike McAnnally’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Mike McAnnally’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

What words can I say about Wei that truly described him? If I was forced to pick one word it would be adventurous! He was adventurous in all aspects of his life. From flying, to travel, to business, he liked to explore and find the roads less traveled. He never feared trying new things.

我到底該用什麼樣的詞來形容陳瑋才最恰當呢?如果我只能從中挑一個的話,我一定會選“富有冒險精神的”吧!因為這個詞可以用在他生命的方方面面。從飛行,到旅行,再到事業上,他總喜歡找一條鮮有人踏足的道路去探索。他從未畏懼過嘗試新鮮的事情。

The impact he made on me is immeasurable, and one of the many things he taught me was to always learn, which makes it so appropriate that we are at the U of M.

他對我這輩子的影響是不可估量的。其中他所教會我的一件事就是“學無止境”,我覺得這對於今天在孟菲斯大學堂裡的我們來說,也是再合適不過了。

One of my bigger regrets was not pursuing a college degree, but Wei always made me feel that it didn’t matter. He trusted me with his company, and for that, I will forever be grateful. It was only shortly after starting to work for Wei that he quoted Earl Nightingale to me, “One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all that it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years, you'll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”

我這輩子最大的遺憾之一就是當年放棄了大學的學位,但陳瑋對待我的方式卻總能讓我覺得那並不是什麼需要在意的事。他給予了我極大的信任,將他的公司託付于我,也因此,我對他感激一生。我還記得才剛剛跟陳瑋工作沒多久,他就引用過南丁格爾的話告誡我,“每天在你選擇的領域學習一小時就夠了。每天一小時的學習將使你在三年內成為你所在領域的佼佼者。五年內,你將成為國內的權威人士。七年後,你就能成為世界上最優秀的人之一。”

More importantly than just learning, he taught me that learning in itself means nothing if you are not willing to change.

更重要的是,他還教會了我,如果你自身不願意作出任何改變的話,那麼單單學習這件事就會變得毫無意義。

This brings me to the latest lesson I have learned from Wei. Through his passing, he taught me about faith. Now, more than ever, we have to have faith in God and in God’s plan. Faith in man is temporary, and for that reason, our faith must remain in God.  On the other side of faith, is fear. Unfortunately, the human condition makes it difficult to change because of fear! That is what made Wei such a wonderful human being. He had faith that everything would work out and didn’t get upset when things didn’t go his way. He only got upset when you didn’t try your best.

這還讓我想起了我最近才從陳瑋身上收穫到的一個教訓。雖然他已經離去,但他卻教會了我關於信念的事。現在,比以往更甚,我們必須要寄信念于上帝和他的安排。人的信念畢竟是短暫的,也因此,我們的信念只有寄託于上帝(才能得以永存)。與信念相對的,則是恐懼。不幸的是,人的一生充斥著各式各樣的恐懼,而正是恐懼讓我們變得如此難以改變!但這也是我會將陳瑋稱之為非凡之人的原因。他有著一切事情最終都能夠被解決的信念,并不會因為事情不如他所意就感到沮喪。唯一能讓他感到不滿的,大概只有當他注意到你還沒有盡自己的全力吧。

Before I tell you the last lesson Wei taught me, I wouldn’t do him justice if I didn’t mention how proud he was of his company. He was not only proud that we are a strong team, but above all, we are a family (pause). And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the key members of our family, our fellow executives who are no longer with us.

在我告訴你們最後一件陳瑋教給我的事之前,如果我不提一下陳瑋到底有多麼為他的公司感到驕傲,那麼我對他的敘述一定是有失公允的。他不僅僅驕傲于我們是一隻強大的團隊,在那之上,他更為我們組成的大家庭感到自豪。此外,如果我不在這裡提一下我們家族中的幾個主要成員——那幾位同時離我們而去的管理層同事們——我一定會被他指責失職吧。

John Chen was one of the kindest men I have ever known (pause). I can’t apologize to him for rocking the boat, but I will be forever grateful for him bailing us out of the water and stabilizing us all with his patience and love.

陳江是我這輩子遇到過的最善良的人之一。現在我已經沒辦法再向他為不斷製造麻煩而道歉了,但是我一輩子都會記得并感激他不斷將我們從水火之中解救出來或是用他的耐心與愛來寬慰我們的。

Bruce Peylnio always kept me on my toes with his remarkable wit. Bruce always said he wasn’t particularly good at anything but hiring the best people around him. Other than his family and friends which he had many, his team mattered to him above all.

Bruce Pelynio總是能讓我為他敏銳的思維表達所折服。Bruce總說,他這個人除了在他身邊招一群最棒的人以外就沒有別的什麼特別擅長的了。除了他的家人與一大群朋友以外,他的團隊就是他剩下的全部。

Danielle Mitchell Harding. Although I had only known her for a short time, she was a shining light. We were both big Alabama football fans, which reminded me of Bear Bryant’s favorite poem he used to carry around in his wallet. It went like this:

Danielle Mitchell Harding,雖然我只與她相識了短短的一段時間,但我知道她是一道非常閃亮的光芒。我們同為大阿拉巴馬大學橄欖球隊的球迷,讓我不禁想起了Bear Bryant(歷史阿拉巴馬大學橄欖球隊主教練)常年放在錢包裡的一首他最愛的詩歌。

“Today is the beginning of a new day, God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important. Leaving something in its place I have traded for it. I want it to be a gain, not a loss, good not evil, success not failure, in order that I should not forget the price I paid for it.”  Sorry Tiger Fans, but ROLL TIDE!

“今天是新一天的開始,上帝賜予我這天按照自己的意願所安排,我可以浪費它也可以好好利用它。我今天所做非常重要,因為我(所花費的時間)總會換來些什麼。我希望今天的結果是有所收穫,而不是失去,是好而不是壞,是成功而不是失敗,因此,我絕不能忘記我所付出的代價。”抱歉了,Memphis老虎隊的球迷們,阿拉巴馬隊是最強的!


Now back to the final lesson Wei taught me! I was meeting with Wei early last year and he reminded me of the strength of knowledge from listening. He reminded me that as soon as you start thinking you are the smartest person in the room, then you are not.

現在,讓我們回到最後一條我想分享的陳瑋教給我的事!那是去年早些時間我與陳瑋碰面時的事了,他提醒了我通過聆聽獲取的知識的力量。他還提醒了我,當你開始覺得自己是整間屋子里最聰明的人時,那反而說明你不是。


I was driving home the other night reminiscing with a colleague about all Wei has taught us, and it made me think about the company’s purpose, which we had finally come up with on December 18th after years of searching:

在事故發生后的一天晚上,在開車回家的路上,我和一名同事回憶起陳瑋教給我們的點點滴滴。那時,我不禁想到我們公司的目的,那是我們經過多年的尋找,終於在12月18日會議上討論出來的結論:


“We elevate our employees, our customers, and our industries to safely build and maintain the world.”

This led me to feel so humble in that moment. In Wei’s death, the true meaning of our company could be discovered. His death has had a bigger impact in people’s lives, including my own, than my life has had for those who I have been in contact with for years. His ultimate lesson for me was humility, and that fact is truly humbling.

“我們要提高我們的員工,客戶,甚至行業,讓世界得以安全地建造和維護。”聯想到這的那一刻起,我突然感到非常的謙卑。正是因為陳瑋的逝去,才讓我們公司真正的意義得以被發現。比起我的生命對那些有著多年關係的人的影響,陳瑋的逝去對於身邊所有的人,包括我自己,的生活的影響要大多了。他給我的最終的教訓就是要謙卑,而這個事實實在是讓我感到慚愧。


So for Wei, I leave you this message: Make a difference in people’s lives. To honor Wei, I will challenge every leader in the room, whether you’re leading your children, your companies, or your community, learn and challenge yourself to be a better you tomorrow than you are today. Most importantly, give back just like Wei did.

所以,為了陳瑋,我要給你們所有人留下這條信息:請為別人的生活帶來一些改變。又為了紀念陳瑋,我將會給在座的所有領導者一個挑戰,無論你是正在領導著你的孩子,你的公司,又或是你的社區,請不斷學習,挑戰自己,確保明天的自己會比今天的自己更好。更重要的是,請記得回報社會,就像陳瑋一直做的那樣。

​Earl Blankenship’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Earl Blankenship’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

(尔噢 布兰肯希)的发言 

The phone rang at 2:30 AM for my wake up call, but I was already awake with excitement. I was eager to get down stairs and see everyone. We had spent the last two nights in the dinginess Chinese hotel in Xian than I had ever been in. But the big day had finally arrived. And I came down saw everybody. Everybody felt the energy of the day. As soon as I stepped off the elevator, I saw my dear friend Wei Chin and we embraced. We both knew the meaning of the day. Wei had arrived at the pivotal event of his round the world trip.


Although the Chinese government was reluctant to embrace Wei Chin’s dream, they eventually agreed and allowed Wei to fly in Chinese air space. But everything was not smooth sailing. There were stipulations. We were only given a fifty minutes window for a possible landing at Beijing International Capitol Airport. And that was only if the conditions were right. We didn’t take any chances. We jumped in the two government vehicles for the hour drive to the airport because Wei wanted to be on the airport tarmac at first light. It was Sunday morning, July 12th 2011. 

I had joined Wei in Hong Kong on July 4th for his flights throughout China. As the sun began to rise and the morning was clear, we realized that we might, we might be able to accomplish this dream. Our timing was critical. Beijing had allowed us a tight window to land otherwise we would be diverted to a less congested airport about two hours outside the city. Missing and this was the fun part for Wei Chin, missing the 500 people at Beijing airport who were waiting to see him accomplish this important goal. The take off was smooth. And as we moved closer to Beijing, we could feel the excitement over the possibility of this historic moment.

But then another obstacle, like just as soon as it started to happen, just out of the blue something else happened. And it was a big problem. We ran into the Chinese fog. But then clear skies gave way. And as we approached Beijing, we couldn’t believe how thick this fog was for low cloud cover. We couldn’t see anything on the ground. We were flying with almost zero visibility, and the Beijing control tower slowed us down while we waited for the clouds to clear. Although making it through volcanic eruption in Greenland, monsoon conditions in India at night, and extreme turbulence near Vietnam; surely clouds would not prevent Wei Chin from accomplishing this important goal. Clouds, surely not.

As we descended the clouds did not clear and Wei turned around and told us all that we couldn’t wait much longer. We were about a thousand feet and possibly ninety seconds away from the runway and we still could not see it. About that time the Beijing control tower contacted Wei and told him we had ten seconds to get a visual on the runway or we’d be diverted. I was amazed actually at how calm Wei turned to the copilot and said begin a countdown from ten. And with an open radio to the airport control tower, he looked for the runway. Ten, nine, eight, I thought to myself how important this goal was. The moment was here. It was now or never for Wei Chin’s dream. But could this happen? How could we deal with a setback like this? What would we do if the landing did not happen? And how would Wei Chin go on from here? I wanted this goal for him as much as he did, and during that time Wei stayed calm, focused and looking for the runway. Seven, six, five, the countdown hit five and still we had no visibility, no runway in sight. Four, three, and then I heard the magic words, “I got it! I got it!” Wei shouted from the cockpit. He saw the runway lights only three seconds, three seconds from decision altitude. Immediately Beijing control tower cleared us to land and only sixty seconds later we were on the ground in Beijing International Capitol Airport taxiing on the runway.

This was the first private plane to ever land at this airport, and Wei Chin was the first Chinese citizen to land anything other than a commercial flight at this airport. He had accomplished his most important goal. As we taxied off the runway, we noticed that there was another American plane there that day at the Beijing airport. And as fate would have it, or shall we say as the hand of God would have it, we were instructed to park next to this plane. Wei taxied beside this incredibly beautiful Boeing 747, painted in the familiar robins’ egg blue and white design that way carrying the US Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta who was making his first trip to China in that capacity. Imagine that visual if you will. The wheels for the 747 were almost as tall as Wei Chin’s plane.

At that moment when that door opened, it just all came crashing in on me. I knew how important this moment was for all of us, especially for Wei, but that moment I was reminded again about the power, the real power of dreams. Wei Chin set one very big, audacious goal, and now he owned it. I will never, ever forget the feeling we all shared that day and the sense of pride and joy I experienced for my friend. He showed all of us once again that we must dream big, and have the courage to accomplish our dreams.

I cannot overstate this morning the significance of Wei Chin’s flight across China. Private aviation was not on their radar. You do not fly private airplanes in the Chinese sky in 2011. What Wei Chin did that summer was more than accomplishing his dream. It was more than accomplishing his personal dream. He gave the Chinese people, all 1.3 billion of them, a glimpse into their very own future. This was a dream for all the Chinese people. Now we’re seven years later in January 2019 and there is now private air travel in China. That’s why everywhere we went there would be a crowd of two hundred and fifty people or more and there would be thirty reporters in that crowd. He loved that part, too. The future Wei Chin was visualizing in China on that trip was for everyone, not just for him.

The around the world flight took sixty-nine days and one hundred and ten flying hours. Wei Chin left Memphis on May the 22nd, 2011. He returned home to Memphis on July 29th to a triumphant welcome from his adopted home town. He was presented a very important plaque that day that memorialized his accomplishment as the first Chinese earth rounder, someone who has flown a small plane around the world. Today there are only about a little more than one hundred people who have done that. It’s a very significant accomplishment.


So why is this so important? Why would I recount this story to you, other than you can tell, I love it? Because for Wei Chin anything was possible. He would target a goal, shoot for a dream, and he would accomplish it. But he would also try to help you accomplish your goals. So as we reflect on Wei’s love of flying, his love of adventure, his absolute love of people; I want you to leave here realizing that anything is possible. Do not give up on your dreams. They are truly within your reach. This is the lesson Wei Chin was teaching us by his life, and I would plead with you, friends of Wei, Isabel, Elizabeth, Stephanie, and Sabrina and the rest of the family. Never, never give up on your dreams.

设定在凌晨2:30的叫醒电话还没响,我已经激动地起床了。我已经在中国西安一个简陋的小酒店度过了两个晚上。重要的一天终于来临了。我迫不及待地下楼,看到的每个人,都受到了这个重要时刻的鼓舞。刚一踏出电梯,就看到挚友陈玮,我们激动地互相拥抱。我们俩都清楚这一天意味着什么… 陈玮环球飞行的关键时刻到了。

尽管非常勉强并有许多附加条件,中国政府最终还是接受了陈玮的追梦请求,允许陈玮在中国的领空飞往北京。事不如愿之一是我们在北京首都国际机场时只有五十分钟的降落窗口。为赶时间,我们跳上了政府准备的车辆直奔需要一个小时路程的西安机场,因为陈玮要在机场跑道上看到黎明的曙光。当时是2011年7月12日,星期天,凌晨。

我是在7月4日从香港就加入了陈玮飞翔中国的航程。清晨的西安机场,旭日升起,能见度良好。我们觉得陈玮飞翔中国愿望就要实现。我们的时间太有限了。北京首都国际机场给出了很短的着陆时限,如果不能在那儿成功着陆,我们就会被转移到北京城外大约两个小时路程的另一个小机场。如果这样,将会错失一个仪式,有500多人等在北京首都国际机场,他们要与陈玮一起见证和庆贺到达的激动。起飞很顺利。北京越来越近,我们憧憬着这一历无前例时刻的到来。

突然,一个巨大的挑战出现在我们面前,我们碰上了中国浓密的云雾,晴朗的天空已顿时无踪无影。北京的近空厚厚的浓雾让我们看不到地面上任何的东西。我们在能见度几乎为零的状态下航行。北京首都国际机场控制塔让我们放慢速度,等待迷雾散去。想到陈玮成功地征服过的许多艰难险阻,像格陵兰岛上空的火山雾,印度夜晚的夏季季风,和越南上空的极端湍流,我们坚信这里的云雾一样不能阻挡陈玮去实现梦想,绝对不能。

飞机在下降,但迷雾并没有散去,陈玮转身告诉大家,我们不能再等了。我们离跑道大约只有一千英尺(大约三百多米),也就是九十秒的距离。依然看不到跑道,北京控制塔也告诉陈玮,他只有十秒钟的时间凭肉眼寻找跑道,不行就要在另一个机场降落。让我惊叹的是陈伟的镇定,他告诉副驾驶“从十开始倒计时”。借助机场控制塔的无线电,他努力地寻找着。十,九,八。我内心翻滚着,降落在北京首都国际机场的意义是划时代的,重要瞬间就在我们眼前,陈玮的梦想如果现在不能实现,可能就永远不会实现。这可能吗?如果发生,该怎么面对这巨大的挫折?不能降落,我们该怎么办?陈玮的航程将如何持续?我和陈玮都热切盼望着着梦想的实现。当时的陈玮异常平静,全神贯注地寻找跑道。七,六,倒计时到了五,仍然零能见度,跑道依然没有出现。四,三,突然,我听到了大家急切期盼的声音,“我看到了!我看到了!”陈玮在驾驶舱里大喊。在距离降落高度仅剩三秒钟的时刻,他看到了跑道!控制塔明确地指示, 立即降落。六十秒后,飞机已经在北京国首都际机场的跑道上滑行。

这是有史以来第一架私人飞机在这个机场着陆。陈玮作为中国公民第一人,在这个机场上降落下非商用私人航班。他树起了他环球航程中最重要的里程碑!我们在跑道上滑行时,注意到当时在北京机场还有另一架来自美国的飞机。像是命运的安排 ,应该说,是上帝的安排,控制塔指示我们停在这架飞机旁边。陈玮慢慢地在这架非常漂亮的波音747旁边滑行,飞机的颜色是大家熟悉的知更鸟蛋的蓝色和白色,它载着莱昂帕内塔(Leon Panetta)先生,他正以美国国防部长身份首次访问中国。如果您愿意,想象一下这样的景色,这架747的机轮几乎和陈玮的飞机一样高。

机舱门打开的那一刻,我思绪万千,这一刻对我们所有人,特别是对陈玮来说是重要异常。这一时刻再次显现出追梦的巨大威力。陈玮给自己设定了一个挑战自我的远大目标,现在他已梦想成真。我永远不会忘记那天大家共同的感受,以及为朋友所感受到的骄傲和喜悦。陈玮再一次给大家展现出,人必须抱有远大梦想,并鼓足勇气去追逐你的梦想。

无论怎样夸大当时陈玮飞越中国的重要性都不为过。2011年,没有人能在中国的天空驾驶私人飞机, 私人飞行当时是大家连想都不敢想的事。那个夏天陈玮完成地不仅仅是他的个人梦想,他还向13亿中国人民展示出他们自己的未来,这是所有中国人的梦想。七年后的2019年1月,中国已开辟了私人空航。当时的壮举激励着许多人。 每当我们降落都会有250以上的人,加上三十多名记者在等待在大大小小的机场。陈玮也欣喜那样的场景。陈玮,不仅是为了自己, 也为了每个中国人创造了未来。

环绕地球飞行69天,总飞行时间110小时。陈玮2011年5月22日离开孟菲斯,于7月29日凯旋,在他的第二故乡孟菲斯受到隆重的欢迎。当天他被授予了一个非常重要的木匾,以纪念他作为中国第一环球飞人的成就。至今只有一百多人驾驶一架小飞机环绕过世界,这是一项意义非凡的成就。

这件事为什么这么重要呢?为什么我要向大家重述这个故事,除了你能看出来我喜欢它?因为对于陈玮一切皆有可能。他瞄准一个目标,奔向一个梦想,并付诸行动。重要是他也竭尽全力去帮助他人实现梦想。陈玮热爱飞翔,喜欢探险,对他人无私相助。陈玮的壮举揭示了万事皆有可能。不要放弃你的梦想,梦想真的可以实现。这是陈玮一生留给我们的宝贵财富。我勉励你,陈玮的朋友,伊莎贝尔,伊丽莎白,斯蒂芬妮,萨布丽娜和其他家人,永远,永远不要放弃你的梦想。


​Verne Harnish’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Verne Harnish’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

It is with the heaviest of heart that I join you for this beautiful remembrance of our dear friend Wei Chen. Yeah, Isabel, thank you very much for inviting me, ‘cause it is also a great joy that I recall and share with you his many many business accomplishments--as a successful entrepreneur in the marketplace, a server leader for his people and those people around him and an avid learner who enjoyed sharing business wisdom with others. 

Now Wei’s entrepreneur journey began the day he graduated here from University of Memphis.  There was never a minute to waste cause Wei was on a mission.  I want you to imagine, here is a guy with a phone book in his hand and he literary starts cold calling every business he can ask of them:” Is, is there anything you need from China?”  And, one day someone said:” they need scaffolding” which he couldn’t even spell or knew what it was.  Several of us were sharing and chuckling as we recall sharing that story… but nothing deterred Wei.  He was going to find out that that “scaffolding” thing was, and he did.  So, he got this credit card in hand he had been sending it to as he graduated here as a student, then with his perpetual bright smile, he willed his company into being that 8th month of 98, into pure grit and determination as was mentioned in 10 short years, he scaled Sunshine Enterprises from a one-man operation into a global firm with 400 employees in multiple locations. 

Now I want to put this into perspective -- 76% of entrepreneurs never scale beyond themselves as the only employee, and many of those companies are overstaffed.  Wei loved what I always shared that line.  In fact, I can hear him laughing now.  And that’s why Wei is really and truly one of those rare success of an entrepreneur.  1/10th of a 1% of the firms get to the scales that Wei and his team achieved – becoming one of the largest importers and manufactures in his niche StepUp Scaffold, and the largest importer of the Chinese forklifts in the U.S. under the Heely America’s brand. 

These achievements, at such a young age, qualified Wei, as Scott mentioned, for membership in the most elite CEO organization in the world – the Young Presidents Organization. 

     Now how did he do it? Wei had this unbelievable passion for building teams to make things happen.  He was an avid builder of culture driven by a set of shared core values. You recognize it Mike, fun, trust, passion, discipline, fairness, teamwork and a focus on driving results, and honoring those employees each quarter who exemplified these values.

     Now besides being a people person, he was one of those rare leaders who could also obsess about those processes.  One of you shared, you know who you are with me of how Wei was showing you the Atlanta operations, he could point out details the things he was looking into improve.  He was always striving for excellence.  And he was always looking for his next big hairy audacious goal.  And as he grew more personally into the business world, his emerging theme became to build this bridge between the private sector business owners in China and United States.  You know, he was uniquely, uniquely qualified to do this.  He could be incredibly Western, and he could be incredibly Eastern. As a big personality in both cultures and he had this rich palette across a wide range of those personalities.  It was from his desires and his ability to bring people together to create amazing opportunities let him to attempt against all odds as a Chinese citizen to launch a U.S bank – Pacific Sun.  Although regulators eventually blocked him, earning him an expensive degree in real world politics.  Wei, being an incredibly patient man, willing to play the long game, allowing things to work themselves out, leverage this bold move into opening up this significant set of relationships into the Capital Market allowed him to pivot. In June of 2016, the Sun Capital, bringing Chinese capital together, with U.S opportunities.  In all along the way, Wei remained an avid learner.  Both leading and encouraging others around him to learn.    Mike can speak more personally about Wei’s focus on learning inside his organizations.  I was privileged to be with Wei as we traveled around the globe, learning with outside other businesses.  It was at many of these gatherings we often shared a toast.  And at this particular toast Wei loved, that he would love me to share, by the way, I loved it and if you loved it, Wei loved it.  And so, Wei, my dearest friend, here’s to you –

Life is not measured in the number of breaths we take, but it’s measured by the moments that take your breath away.  Wei may have only been 47, but he packed in 150 years of amazing moments for himself and all of those of us who are lucky enough to be part of his expansive life.  This was a big-hearted man who loved to pursue big dreams.  By the way, you might have noticed that of those companies, as many of others mentioned, included the word “Sun” in their name.  And like the Sun, Wei was raised in the East, spending his life pursuing challenges around the globe and ultimately setting in the West. 

What an honor it has been to be one of Wei’s teachers watching his ever-optimistic entrepreneur built fantastic relationships in business. Wei, all a teacher wants is a great student and you were one of the best and absolutely the most fun. 

I miss you dearly my friend.  Namaste! 


我以万分沉重的心情参加我们亲爱朋友陈玮的美好的追思会。伊莎贝尔,非常感谢你邀请我,因为让我回忆并与你分享他诸多的商业成就也是一种巨大的快乐。陈玮在市场上是一位成功的企业家,是敬仰他的人和他周围的人的公仆领䄂,并且是一个狂热的学习爱好者,喜欢和他人分享他商业上的智慧。

陈玮的创业之旅始于他从孟菲斯大学毕业的那一天,因为有强烈使命感的他从不浪费分分秒秒。我想让你们想象一下,这个年轻的小伙子,手里拿着一本电话薄,真的给每一个速不相识的商业客户打电话问他们:“你们需要从中国进口什么东西?“有一天,某人说他们需要“脚手架”,陈玮当时甚至还不知道用英语怎么拼写这个单词,当然也不会知道这是什么东西,(我们几个现在回忆此事时还禁不住开心地笑),但是陈玮无所畏惧!他一定要弄清什么是“脚手架“,当然他很快就弄清了!后来,手持着学生毕业后得到的一张信用卡,带着他永恒的灿烂笑容, 陈玮在1998年的8月份建立了他的公司,然后凭着他的意志,勇气和决心,在短短的10年时间里,他将商翔公司从单人经营转变为一家拥有400名员工的多个地点的全球性的公司。

现在我跟大家说点客观数字:76%的创业者从未超越自己作为唯一的员工,其中许多公司还是人浮于事。陈玮很喜欢我经常分享这一点。事实上,我现在还可以听到他的笑声。这就是为什么我们说陈玮真的是一位罕见的成功企业家之一!只有0.1%的公司达到了陈玮和他的团队所取得的规模 — 成为他的StepUp 脚手架行业中最大的进口商和制造商之一,并且是在美国品牌之下最大的中国叉车进口商。
这些成就,使他在这么年轻的时候就有资格成为世界顶级精英的首席执行官组织—-青年总裁组织的成员。
他是怎么做到的?陈玮抱有令人难以置信的热情来建立能够实现目标的团队,他以一套共同核心价值为基础建立企业文化。迈克尔,你会有共鸣的 — 乐趣,信任,激情,自律,公平,团队精神以及专注于推动结果,并且在每个季度都奖励那些体现这些价值观的员工。
陈玮除了是一个喜欢跟人打交道的人之外,他也是那种罕见的痴迷于过程的领导者之一。你们当中有一个人,你知道你是谁,跟我分享了陈玮在展示亚特兰大的运营情况时,他可以指出他正在寻求改进的细节。他一直在追求卓越完美,不停地寻找下一个让人“胆战心惊”的目标。随着他越来越多地融入商业世界,他的新目标是在中美私营企业主之间搭建桥梁。你知道,他是独一无二的有资格做到这一点的人。他可以是一个地道的西方人,同时他也可以是一个地道的东方人,他的性格丰富多彩,就像一块调色板,这使他在两种文化中游刃有余。正是出于他将人们聚集在一起创造惊人机会的欲望和感召力,让他不顾一切地想以一名中国公民的身份,推出一个叫“太平洋太阳银行”的美国银行。虽然监管机构最终阻止了他,使他在现实世界的政治中付出了昂贵的学费,但陈玮作为一个非常有耐心的人,愿意玩长远的游戏,等待事情自行解决。试图建立银行这一大胆举措,为他打开了一些资本市场的关系,使他能够转向。在2016年6月,“商翔资本”将中国资本与美国的机会联络成一体。在整个过程中,陈玮一直保持着狂热的学习热情,并且领导和鼓励他周围的人不断学习。迈克尔可以以亲身体验来谈论陈玮是怎样在他公司内部注重学习的。我非常荣幸有机会在和他在世界各地出差时,与外部其他企业一起共同学习。在许多聚会中,我们经常共同敬酒。在今天这个特殊的聚会中,我们再一次祝酒,这次就是为了你,陈玮,我最亲爱的朋友,这是献给你的一—
人的一生不是以我们呼吸的次数来衡量的,而是以那些让我们屏息惊叹的精彩瞬间来衡量的。陈玮可能只活到四十七岁,但他为自己和我们这些幸运地成为他广阔生活的一部分的所有人带来了一百五十年的绚烂时刻。他是志向高远喜欢追求梦想的人。顺便说一下,您可能也已经注意到了,正如许多其他人提到的那样,他的所有公司名字里都含有太阳这个词。和太阳一样,陈玮在东方长大,在全球范围内追逐挑战并且最终在西方落下。
作为陈玮的老师之一,我是多么荣幸能够看着这位乐观的企业家在商业职场中建立了良好的关系。一个老师想要看到的就是培养出一个优秀的学生。陈玮你不但是最好的学生,而且也是最有趣的!
我非常想念你,我的朋友!我双手合十,向你鞠躬!

​Scott Mordell’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Scott Mordell’s Speech atWei's Memorial Service

斯科特∙莫德尔(Scott Mordell)的发言:

早上好!感谢让我们YPO(Young Presidents’ Organization,青年总裁组织)的成员有这个机会来到这里,同时我深感荣幸能有机会代表不仅在座,而且世界各地的不能与会的YPO会员在这儿说几句话。我想在这儿和大家分享陈炜作为YPO成员花费了很多时间参与了YPO的活动,以及他对YPO产生巨大影响。

YPO是一个世界性组织,由130余个国家的2万7千余位总裁和他们的家庭组成。用陈炜的话,YPO的会员必须是应邀参加的,能被邀请是一种尊享的荣誉,这些总裁必须是事业非常成功的人。一旦加入,会员们就和全世界的会员们建立了各种联系。他们影响彼此的事业和环境,使他们的事业蒸蒸日上。YPO的价值是基于会员个人之间的互动。这是每个人可以得到的最有价值的互相学习提高的机会。每个人都基于自己的经验,同时他的经验也影响着其他人。我想告诉大家,陈炜是这个世界性领导组织中的领导。让我们一起庆祝他的充实的一生和全力参与YPO的一生。在这短短的10年中,他参与了90多次YPO的活动,他积极参加每个月当地会员的活动,是领导们中的领导。他杰出地主持和共同主持了这90次世界性活动中的23次。他还参与了YPO的网络活动,把有共同兴趣的会员组织到一起。他而且参与了不同网络组织的活动。他实际上在其中三个网络组织中起到了领导作用:对华贸易、航空、房地产业。在他的YPO领导才华的顶端,他的对华贸易网被认为是最好的贸易网络和创新的贸易方式,获得了YPO最优秀网络奖。诚然,中国对他很重要,因为他本身就是其中之一,而且对他的公司有着重要性。他对为中国和美国的贸易建立了一座桥充满热情。这90次活动中很多都和中国有关,他建起了这座桥梁,让他周围的人意识到了对华贸易的重要性。

YPO还在成长和完善,我们的成员也在成长和完善并成为更好的总裁,因为我们都知道这个世界一直在变化着。朋友们,未来的总裁就是今天的陈炜!在过去的几周里,我有机会和很多人说起陈炜,他们告诉我陈炜怎样把他们组织在一起,为他们做了哪些事,他的精神。比如他教会了我和我们如何像他一样生活。

我想谈谈作为一名总裁,他必须目标明确,我们必须有梦想,我们要知道我们今天努力终究不会失败。如果你的梦没有吓到你,那么你的梦想就是还不够远大。陈炜是个有梦想的人,他把我们带到一起,认为我们在和中国的关系和贸易中可以做得更好。他是个有梦想的人,但也是一个务实的人,他不喜欢空话,而是把梦想落实到行动中去,他是个实干家。对别人,对事业产生影响,这就是陈炜的作风。而且,一个好的领导需要处理好人际关系,相互协调,协作,他是这方面的大师。当和他交谈时,会给人一种我们是最好朋友的感觉,他会直视你,与你产生视觉交流从而建立良好的人际关系。他有兴趣花时间和人交流,他擅长找到别人的长处,学习交流,并对别人做出自己的贡献。结果,他在各个方面触动了很多人的心弦。永远正面,永远乐观,从不失败,不管发生什么,他总是充满阳光。那就是一个领导所必须做的。一个领导产生能量,而不是消耗能量,而陈炜正是为别人提供了这种能量。

在YPO,我们没有权威,成员们不使用威权。一个好的领导只是去影响别人,分享他们的理想、经验,得到人们的认可。陈炜不是用威权,二是用他的魅力让别人没法对他说不,这就是他的特质。这就是陈炜的领导能力,让他成为领导中的领导。

我们知道伟大的领导都是世界公民,陈炜很显然就是一位世界公民。他不仅在美国,他去世界上每一个国家旅行,即使他没有亲自去,却为此做了很多事。为什么这个很重要,因为当你在旅行时,不管你是在孟菲斯,在田纳西,还是在美国,还是在世界,我们各有不同,但是我们把这些不同的事情联系起来,去完成一些事业,这就是领导们的任务,也就是为什么人们要成为世界公民,陈炜就是这样一个榜样,一个领导中的领导。

最后,他是一个真实真诚的人。我想说,陈炜是生活的动力,和他一起,我们感受到了生活的力量,感受到了人和人的关系,友谊,感受到了生活的意义,这就是做人的真实性。这就是生活的意义,我会按着他的足迹去生活,我为能把他称作为我的朋友而感到荣幸。他可以被归类为真诚,阳光,尊敬,正面,乐观,勇敢,和风趣,充满梦想的人,他选择了用这些品质对这个世界产生一些影响,他对我来说是一个伟大的领导的榜样。我们可以遵从他的榜样,把他的精神发扬光大下去。我们可以有更大的梦想,我们可以成为并发现更多志同道合的朋友,我们可以有一颗善良的心,我们可以对自己更真实。这是一种何等的精神,这是一份何等的遗产,这是一种何等的生活轨迹!让我们庆祝陈炜的一生,有一位著名的罗马哲学家塞内卡,对短促的生命有一段阐述,他写道:“生命并非短促,而是我们荒废太多”。我们这位47岁的朋友,作为一个顾家的丈夫、父亲、朋友,他没有荒废一天!这47年,他没有荒废一天!我们每一个人可以幸运,我们每一个人也可以不那么幸运,让他活在我们的心里,以他的榜样去生活。

朋友们,我想起每次陈炜离开的时候,用许多朋友的话说,他从来没有说再见,分手就是重逢的开始,他总是微笑着伸出双臂,目光炯炯,微笑着给我们一个大大的拥抱!爱你!

​Mayor A.C. Wharton’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

January 31, 2019

Mayor A.C. Wharton’s Speech at Wei's Memorial Service

刚才在听合唱团唱歌时,我想到了迈克尔杰克逊的一首歌“你们并不孤独”,你们回头看看背后那一张张温暖的面孔就会明白,你们还有我们跟你们在一起。

陈玮帮我为中国之行做准备时教给我一句中文“谢谢”,这是我唯一记住的一句中文。常有人问我我的名字A. C. 代表什么意思,我也说不清楚,那些今天都不太重要。尽管我不太清楚我的名字的来源和意思,我却知道陈玮的名字是什么意思。高大伟岸, 爱说爱笑,充满力量,这些都是他的名字代表的意思,这些用来描述陈玮再合适不过了。他一方面高大伟岸, 爱说爱笑,强有力,同时又很谦卑善良,充满奉献分享之心,他强大的精神让他能透过残酷人间的黑暗,丑陋和卑鄙看到不远处更阳光灿烂的新一天。

陈玮是我很珍视的朋友,在他几次为我的中国之行做准备时,我都感觉到,他坚信每个人的内心深处都有更好的品质,他的使命就是帮助别人把内心更好的那些品质挖掘出来。他把他的公司命名为“阳光”真是非常贴切,我有幸多次体会到他带来的缕缕阳光。我还记得他向我介绍他要从事的铲车贸易计划,他留给我一个小铲车模型,我至今还珍藏着。我还记得他向我描述准备环球飞行为圣强德儿童医院募捐的梦想。

我说陈玮用“阳光”这个词命名他的公司很贴切的另一个重要的原因是,他深信每个人应该更关注自己内心的阳光,而不是得到多少外在的阳光。我们大家都追寻太阳获取阳光,陈玮却借助太阳发出自己的光和热,不论是乌云密布,还是漆黑午夜,跟他在一起,你都能感到阳光在闪耀。

我说陈玮用“阳光”这个词命名他的公司很贴切的最重要的原因是他为我,为我们现在所处的孟菲斯大学,圣强德儿童医院和我们这个城市付出的巨大努力。他从不计较他自己是否得到了什么,他想到的总是别人,他能为别人做些什么。我应该代表圣强德儿童医院和那些孩子们(沃顿先生卸任后就职于圣强德儿童医院)向陈玮说声谢谢,陈玮虽然不是那所医院的正式员工,那些孩子们在他的心里却占巨着特殊的位置,他想把圣强德儿童医院这缕阳光洒向全世界。

十二月是很令人悲伤的一个月,著名歌星Otis Redding 是在十二月因为坠机辞世的,孟菲斯大学的几位橄榄球教练也是在多年前十二月的空难中离开我们的。但我们都知道冬天来临时,春天也不太远了。如何度过目前的艰难时刻,我们面临着选择,让我引用在英国女王伊丽莎白母亲的葬礼上一位出席者的致辞:“你可以因为一个人与我们永别而悲伤流泪,也可以因为他曾精彩地活过而微笑,你可以闭上眼睛祈祷他再回到我们身边,你也可以睁开眼睛看看他给我们留下的一切。”我选择睁开眼睛看到一个强大的阳光(商翔)国际公司,看到人才辈出的孟菲斯大学,看到充满活力的华人社区,看到著名的圣强德儿童医院,和蓬勃发展的孟菲斯。

我永远感激陈玮在我为本市发展付出努力时给我的鼓励,我们有共同的梦想要把孟菲斯建成一个充满关爱,充满活力,人人都被接纳受欢迎的城市。我们两人都不是土生土长的孟菲斯人,但我们都在这片土地受到欢迎,他真心爱这个城市,我也真心爱这个城市,他想把这个城市变得更美好,这也是我活在世上每天想做的事。

怎样才能最好地纪念陈玮呢?我们可以建一栋楼房,但我们需要花钱花时间去维护它,而且它会随时间的流逝而风化;我们可以建一座雕像,但逐渐会淡忘它的所在,最后它会被鸽子们来筑巢;我们可以用铜作材料,但铜会变色;我们可以用玻璃作材料,但玻璃会破碎。最好的纪念是把对陈玮的回忆和怀念付诸行动,用来激励我们,每一天每一刻,把我们的城市和我们的国家建设得更好。

在戴安娜王妃去世后, Elton John 在歌中唱到:“你就像风中的蜡烛,日落雨来时仍然在燃烧,你的足迹永远印在绿草坪中和山坡上。”我觉得这也是陈玮生活的写照,蜡烛会熄灭,但他的传奇却不会。

感谢陈玮的父母把他带到这个世界,让我们与他共度了一段宝贵的时光,他的传奇会永远在我们中间传颂。

环球华报 | 张家卫剑桥百日散记 094:沉痛悼念陈玮先生

December 23, 2018

就在昨天,周四,12月20日,发生在美国乔治亚洲的一起空难夺走了四个人生命,其中一位就是我的好朋友陈玮先生——环球飞行的第一位中国公民、美国孟菲斯和洛杉矶的商业领袖、Sun-Shine企业的创始人和CEO。

初闻消息,不敢相信,反复确认,竟然是真,天妒英才,悲痛之心无以言表,眼泪不自觉长流不止……陈玮先生不仅仅是我或者我们的好朋友,他是海外华人们的最优秀代表之一,是我们作为中国人的一个骄傲!

陈玮(左二)与我、鹰熊、Evan、胜斌一起

半夜无法入眠,眼前浮现的全都是陈玮先生的音容笑貌,追忆着我们一起喝酒、聊天、激荡人生的往昔画面,还相约着今年五月份孟菲斯音乐节再见…….提笔想写下文字,却无论如何无法下笔……找出去年在硅谷期间写就的百日散记,2017年10月17日和11月19日,我曾经两次提到他,其中11月19日更是独立成文,题目是“海外华人们的感恩之心”。

摘编如下,纪念好兄弟陈玮先生,天堂一路走好,我们会永远将你放在我们的人情世界里。

2017年10月17日

离开了AMINO资本位于Palo ALTO市中心的小楼,步履匆匆的走过并不吵杂但是满是各色人种的街道,我不断的在想这样一个问题“究竟什么才是主流?”

陈玮完成环球飞行之后的作品

我记得来自中国湖南,美国“猫王故乡”孟菲斯创业成功的中国环球飞行第一人陈玮曾经跟我说:“美国这个国家是多元文化,同时更是一个征服者的文化,因为美国的建国之本除了自由宪法之外就是胜者为王。我们华人在海外,不能总想着去融入,而是要有自己的事业,要有与他们做同样事情的事业,甚至要比他们还优秀,那么你就是用事业和人格征服了他们,他们因此就会拥抱你,你就是主流的一员,不是融入,是进入!”

陈玮在温哥华1029咖啡馆

2017年11月19日

环球飞行的第一位中国公民陈玮先生是我的好朋友,他70后,高大个子,是一个非常富有性格,同时又非常具有亲和力,是中国人在美国创业成功的企业家和金融家。他个人拥有5架飞机,其中一架还是贼酷的战斗机。飞机是他最热爱的东西,是玩伴,也是生意场上的敲门砖和润滑剂,因为飞机他拥有了甚少海外中国人拥有的所谓“美国主流社会”的圈层,让他如鱼得水。

但是,他不是一个张扬的人,奉行的是典型“高调做事,低调做人”的人生准则。比如,他是美国数个国会议员认可的中国好朋友,是美国银行界大佬们的座上宾,巴菲特来洛杉矶都要与他一起吃个饭这样的牛人牛事,我很多是从他爸爸嘴里知道而不是从他那里知晓,问起他,他就哈哈哈过去了。去年,chairman Xi访问美国,中国驻美国大使馆亲自给他打电话请他作为海外华人代表,参加Chairman Xi的亲自会见并给予充分肯定。

Chairman Xi来美国会见合影

陈玮是著名的全球顶级青年CEO组织(YPO)的会员,并且担任过中国区的主席,人缘和生意缘都非常好。2015年,我和几位朋友相约前往猫王的故乡,参加一年一度的美国孟菲斯音乐节,而他正是当年的音乐节轮值主席,是这一美国本土音乐盛会史上第一个华裔领导者。那一次,他以主席的身份给足了我们这些华人朋友们面子,让我们见识了美国的主流社会也可以这样玩。

知道我在硅谷,因此他提前好几周就希望我可以过来洛杉矶参加一个他支持的慈善活动,帮助橙县华人商会基金会(OCCACCF)为出身寒门的海外华人学生募捐奖学金。橙县华人商会创建于1985年,而基金会(OCCACCF)是1995年成立并开始为海外华人贫困高中学生提供帮助,他们每年遴选有才华的贫困高中毕业生,资助他们完成大学学业,到目前已经坚持了23年的历史,这是一个不容易的协会文化,最难的就是自始至终。我了解了下,这是台湾早期移民创办的华裔协会,其实真的很值得我们这些来自中国大陆的新移民们学习,贵在勿忘初心,贵在坚持做好一件好事。

OCCACCF慈善活动节目单

这是一次别开生面的慈善活动,现场摆在了陈玮创始的美国思凯航空俱乐部,这是一个拥有4万平方米飞机机库和停机坪的地方。经过精心布置,一个超级高大上的活动现场就摆在了人们面前。陈玮的飞机摆在停机坪,供嘉宾们观摩和体验,一溜十几辆的豪车几乎囊括了我知道的全部品牌—劳斯莱斯、宾利、兰博基尼还有法拉利什么的,其他的我也就不知道了。停机坪上好像上演了一场豪车与飞机的对话盛宴。宽敞的机库里则摆上了同样是高大上的餐桌餐椅,这里是主会场。这地方去年11月刚刚拿下来的时候陈玮就带我看过,现在如果不仔细看,竟然已经看不出当时的模样,而这个变化仅仅用了一年的时间—中国速度!

这样一个慈善策划,其中的“高大上”其实更多的是表现了对于参与者的一种“身份认同”,当然还有享受娱乐的成分。我理解这是对于可能捐赠者们的一种“回报”。很多人说既然捐赠就不要说回报的事,我不大以为然,我更愿意将此理解为一种公益,捐赠是一种实实在在的付出行为,其结果就是付出而非其他,而给予捐赠者以身份认同、娱乐开心、拍卖品回报,甚至是任何有象征回报意义的其他感恩形式,我都以为这是一种“感恩和奉献”的双向文化,无需拿任何“仁义道德”的语言来诋毁这些实实在在的“公益”行为。

我与陈玮及美国银行总裁Raul Anaya一起

今天的慈善活动来了不少重量级的嘉宾,除了洛杉矶和橙县的诸多协会会长前来捧场之外,加州的国会议员、包括美国银行总裁在内的美国金融家和企业家们来了挺多,西人面孔不少,当然我们华人是主要的慈善力量,OCCACCF会长说:开始是100人的计划,而现在来了足足有300多人,这就是公益和慈善的力量。我说:这其中有陈玮至少一半的力量。

今天的慈善活动主要环节就是拍卖捐赠物品和产品,然后将全部捐赠所得包括门票收入捐赠给OCCACCF,专项用于2018年洛杉矶和橙县区域贫困高中生的大学奖学金资助。拍卖品很多并且五花八门,都是好物件,其中以陈玮的战斗机飞行、8人公务机巡游以及著名中国画家孙大威和美国画家布莱尔的作品最为抢手和价值不菲,现场气氛活跃,踊跃参与和捐赠者不少,很多大家或是因为认同OCCACCF这一份初心和坚持而慷慨解囊,或是因为信任或感恩而奉献于这一善举。

漂亮的美女主持人说:“世界上幸福之人都是因为有着一颗感恩之心!”

陈玮上台分享了他青葱岁月的美国留学故事。他出身于并不十分富裕的湖南家庭。他说:“我当年有机会留学美国攻读MBA,父母尽管已经很尽力,但还是不能够完全支撑我的学费,是学校给了我继续完成学业的奖学金支持。因此,我一直牢记在心这一份感恩并坚持上进,也因此知道奖学金或者助学金的设立对于寒门学子而言是一件多么雪中送碳的事情。尽管我后来由于事业上的成功,十倍于回馈学校,但是我知道这只是一个人的回馈,而非全部的社会慈善生态。美国是一个给予的社会,20年来,我捐赠于美国本土很多的慈善事业,我赢得了美国人的尊重,而这份尊重,不是因为我得到了或者财富多少,而是因为我的给予和回馈!”

陈玮慈善会上发言

“来美国这么多年,与美国的主流或者非主流社会打交道,我观察了这样一个现象:我们华人在美国有480万人,是美国人口的1.5%;而犹太人也只有680万人,是美国人口的2.1%,但是以色列人在美国的力量全世界都知道,而美国人也以拥有以色列人朋友充满荣誉感。因此,我总在想,什么时候我们可以让美国人自豪的拍着我们的肩膀说“我是中国人的朋友!”这是我的梦想!”

“1995年当我来到美国的时候,我们中国人都没钱,而今天的中国人都有钱,祖国的强大是我们中国人的骄傲。让我们一起团结并且努力,共同奉献和给予,来赢得中国人应有的尊重!”

我和陈玮不止一次的讨论过这样的问题,也因为如此他对于我辛勤布道的“感恩和奉献”精神以及由此展开的“小众众筹”新合伙人制度很赞赏,成为语境相同的伙伴和朋友。

陈玮来温哥华参加加中体育基金会活动

对于OCCACCF这样的慈善理念我并不陌生,我2010年在母校大连海事大学发起设立的心海基金便是如出一辙,今天的此情此景,让我再一次感觉这个世界并不孤独,“奉献和感恩”这对双胞胎兄弟姊妹,天涯海角,如影相随。我这个被称作“教授”的人,也举手竞拍了一幅加州画家布莱尔的新作油画“荷叶与鲤鱼”。除了“赠人玫瑰,手有余香”之外,我脑海里对应的便是那副斯坦福大学墙上挂的“蓝色荷叶”绣品,而这幅画打动我的却是“湖是蓝色,叶子是绿的,而鱼是红色镶着金鳞”,因为这是那幅画的明天和未来……

南加州洛杉矶与北加州旧金山的天气基本差不多,早晚寒冷,白天艳阳高照。晚上回去住处的路上,美国的高速公路似乎永远的不会停歇而且高速,车子飞快的疾驶着。眼前浮现着刚才现场那个妈妈团们临时编排的“感恩的心”哑语舞蹈,耳边回荡着那首永远不会过时而且会永远感动的“感恩的心”,心情久久的不能平静……

哑语舞蹈“感恩的心”

硅谷的日子是科技激荡的日子,我们总在探讨“颠覆人类”的话题,而事实上这个世界真正温情和人类美好的东西并非这些冷冰冰的“黑科技”,而是人类生而有之的怜悯和同情之心,以及由此而涌现的“感恩和奉献”的点点滴滴,这才是世界的真实,才是人类的真实。这个世界有很多的丑恶和我们为之深恶痛绝的东西,但是更多的却是人类为之奋斗和热爱的一种最难但又是最简单的情感,这就是“爱”!

感恩陈玮的邀请以及朋友相交,感恩OCCACCF的23年奉献,感恩硅谷带给我的深度思考以及那些同样可爱的大家,感恩生命过往以及未来每一个曾经“爱过”的人……这个世界,因为有“爱”,我们永远都不会孤独!

好朋友陈玮先生走了,我要对每一位生命中的好朋友,真挚的说一声:“感恩遇见!”


张家卫

Globe-spanning flight to link U.S., China

December 25, 2018

Source: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2011/may/05/globe-spanning-flight-to-link-u-s-china 

May 5, 2011 By Sarah Brown 

Like many pilots, Wei Chen got the flying bug after watching Top Gun. When recruiters came to his high school, he applied to become a military pilot. But when that didn’t work out, there was no other opportunity for the Chinese citizen to fly in his home country.

Becoming a private pilot wasn’t a possibility; few Chinese even understood what general aviation was. But then again, cars were rare sights in the country just 20 years ago, he said—and things in China can change fast. Now, the Chinese government has launched an effort to build a GA industry, and Chen is a private pilot living in Memphis, Tenn. He plans to fly through his home country in an around-the-world trip in his TBM 700. He would be the first Chinese citizen to fly around the world in a single-engine airplane, and the first person to make the trip through Chinese airspace, he said.

Chen plans to take off from Memphis, where he earned his private pilot certificate in 2007, on May 22 for his 10-week journey. He intends to stop in more than 40 cities and 21 countries, using the flight to raise money for Memphis’ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, raise awareness of GA in China, strengthen U.S.-China relationships, and promote Memphis, his current home.

The challenge

Theme song celebrates ‘Wei around the world’ message

Songwriter Tory Thomas won a Memphis Music Foundation competition for the flight’s theme song with “The Peace Above,” in a style he described as laid-back inspirational blues. Thomas works for Pinnacle Airlines, but his first flight in a general aviation aircraft was in the TBM 700 with Chen on their way to the Washington, D.C., press conference. He said he drew inspiration for the song from the fact that Chen was “trying to get a good message and do something historic.” The song is available on Chen’s website.

Chen, who owns a Memphis-based steel trading company specializing in business between the United States and China, came to the United States in 1996 to earn an MBA at Memphis University. He started flight training in a Cessna 172SP after a friend introduced him to the convenience of flying for business travel, and now flies for both business and pleasure, including some aerobatics, he said. His trip around the world has been about a year and a half in the making, and has taken coordination from connections in both the United States and China.

“Flying the airplane’s the easy part,” Chen said.

Memphis businessman and pilot Rob Williams, who met Chen at the Olive Branch Airport years ago and teamed up with him to form an aircraft parts company with offices in Memphis and China, plans to fly along on at least some of the legs of the trip. Who accompanies Chen on which legs, and how many people will be on board, depends in large part on insurance requirements, he said—just one consideration in logistical planning.

“There’s so many things other than flying that you have to worry about,” Williams said—including getting visas for all of the nations where they will be flying, no mean feat for a Chinese citizen. Chen had to reapply for some because he had started a bit too early and they ran out, Williams said.

Then there’s flight planning in nations with unfamiliar airspace. Piper Director of Worldwide Fleet Sales Chuck Glass, who has experience with Chinese airspace, and Thierry Pouille of Air Journey, who helps with planning international trips, have provided advice on flight planning. And Chen said that while services such as XM weather provide readily available weather information in the United States, the flights in other countries—particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia—will rely on having backup plans and flexible schedules in case of weather problems. He’ll also have helpful equipment on board: He’s got a new Garmin GTN, an iPad for flight planning, a Garmin 696 with a worldwide database, and a G530 as a backup.

But of all the factors involved in such an ambitious journey, perhaps the biggest challenge—with the biggest reward—will be flying through China. GA is still in its infancy in China, and obtaining a clearance to take off with a single-engine airplane can sometimes take a week.

Fortunately, Chen has significant help from AOPA-China and support from the Chinese government. The trip will highlight what is positioned to become a growth industry in China: GA.

GA in China

GA in China has changed significantly over the past several years, Chen said.

“Compared to five years ago, it’s night and day,” he said. “… They know about [GA], they’re curious about it,” he said. But people in China still don’t understand GA well, he explained. Airplanes need permission every time they take off and land, a process that can take much longer for single-engine airplanes—even high-performance turbine singles like Chen’s TBM 700—than twins, he said.

“If they have two engines, oh, that’s a great airplane. If you have one engine, that’s a small airplane—you can’t do it,” he told AOPA Live during a recent visit to AOPA headquarters in Maryland.

But the Chinese government is looking to expand its GA industry, rapidly building airport infrastructure and opening more low-altitude airspace to civil aviation. Chen’s trip has the potential to raise awareness and understanding of what is now a small industry there, and both the Chinese government and AOPA-China are lending their support. AOPA-China and the Greater Memphis United Chinese Association (GMUCA) are organizers of the trip, Chen said.

New-York-based pilot and member of the AOPA-China board of directors Yinjie Jason Zhang plans to fly with Chen from Memphis to Paris and a few legs in China. It will be both pilots’ first GA flying experience in their native country, which still presents logistical challenges for GA pilots.

“You can imagine the whole country as the restricted area in D.C. That’s how difficult it is to fly,” Zhang told AOPA Live.

But Chen and Zhang are confident that the Chinese government can accomplish the rapid growth it has its sights on. Just 20 years ago in China, if you had a car people looked at you like you were from outer space, Chen said. If you had a motorcycle, you were doing really well. Now, China is the world’s largest consumer automotive market.

Zhang said China is looking to make GA into a more prominent industry that supports the whole nation’s economy. He said that the government is committed to supporting GA, as evidenced by the opening of airspace, and that China has the demand to support the industry—for everything from high-end turbine aircraft to small homebuilts.

Still, it’s a challenge for such a large country with segmented airspace, he said. The country has never had a GA culture before, so it will take education—and expatriates who have flown in the United States can provide insight from their experience.

“I always say to them, ‘Don’t reinvent the wheel. … Learn from western GA,” Zhang said.

Chen thinks plenty of Chinese want to be a pilot but just don’t know how. “With Jason and I, that’s where our knowledge comes in handy.” He has a Chinese-language website to share his passion for flying with people in China, and a March news conference in Beijing was met with a warm reception, he said; he was surprised at how much attention the trip got.

“It’s unbelievable. He’s turning into a rock star over there,” Williams said.


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