This is a very good country

The story of thirty-eight-year old Shen Gong Zan represents the global migration of the 21st century: he began his traveling in Shanghai which is his birth place, then went to Paris and is currently in Toronto.

Just five months ago, Shen settled in Canada after he was sponsored by his Chinese-Canadian wife, Norie Lau. He met her in Paris in 1999 through a common friend while studying in university. The couple traveled many miles all these years and finally married here in the year 2005 when the immigration sponsorship resulted.

Shen proudly said that this is his new home and he loves Canada. He said that the country is very good; people come here with many dreams and they are accepted. Everyone can get along with his or her own culture and all coexist, he said, adding hat he really enjoys living in Toronto.

He said that this place is extremely different from his earlier journey to France, at the age of 13, where according to him newcomers barely received proper services and had to abandon their own tradition in order to become Parisians.

He said, in France, they wanted just French, whereas in Canada, immigrants are valued because of their contributions and also, there are far more opportunities in Canada for newcomers.

Shen studied mathematics and physics in university and said that there were limited opportunities in France for him. For some time, he served in the army on recruitment, but later opened his own restaurant and a trading company.

Shen said that he is particularly impressed with the multiculturalism policy of Canada which persuades people from different backgrounds to value the heritage of each other and promotes peace among all.