Russian businessmen and officials spent November 7 in Hong Kong.

The 10th international business conference Expansion of Capital: From National Economies to a Transnational Economy, which was organized by RosBusinessConsulting, opened yesterday. A gala dinner was organized for the forum participants at the JW Marriott hotel yesterday evening, during the course of which Russian businessmen and officials raised their glasses to "the last day off on November 7 in the history of Russia." Kommersant social reporter Alyona Antonova observed how Russian notables spent their spare time after business discussions.

Conference participants started to arrive in Hong Kong two days prior the forum's opening in order to have a good rest before work. RosBusinessConsulting (RBC) General Director Yury Rovensky, who was meeting guests in a national Chinese costume, proposed two variants: to see the sights of Hong Kong or to leave for the Macao Peninsula.

After having fresh pineapples and melons for breakfast at the Grand Hyatt hotel, Viktor Gerashchenko, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of YUKOS, Tatiana Paramonova, the Senior Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank, Yelena Lyukshinova, the President of the fund Balls Assemblies of the Third Millennium, together with several dozen businessmen went to watch the sunrise at Victoria Peak (the highest peak of Hong Kong) and then around the whole of Xianggang (the Chinese name for Hong Kong). Another group of forum participants, among whom the Kommersant social reporter spotted Andrey Illarionov, the Economic Advisor to the Russian President, Vladimir Shemyakin, the Deputy Department head of the Russian President's Administration, Alexey Sitnikov, the head of the Image Contact consulting group, Natalia Barshchevskaya, a lawyer, Vladislav Vershinin, the Vice President of the Aton Capital investment company, and others, took a motorboat sail in the South China Sea and the Zhu Jiang river to contemplate the landscapes of the Aomin Peninsula (the Chinese name for the former Portuguese colony Macao).

The sightseers were first of all planning to get acquainted with legendary local casinos, but the sights of the 'peninsula of the water lily' (this was what the Chinese had called Macao before the Portuguese came) surprised them so much that almost everyone ignored gambling. In the Kun Iam Temple, one of the largest and richest Buddhist temples on the peninsula, the Kommersant reporter witnessed an interesting scene. A Chinese guide already started speaking about the temple when it became clear that a translator had remained in the bus. The guide was pointing at two stone lions, a dragon, a snake, and a dog, and was telling the sightseers their history in fluent English. On seeing that nobody understood her, she addressed Mr. Illarionov: "Do you speak English?" The Economic Advisor to the Russian President nodded. "Could you translate?" the guide said. Mr. Illarionov agreed without hesitation. Thus, the Kommersant observer together with other visitors listened to Buddhist myths translated by Andrey Illarionov. When the excursion finished, many guests bought tickets with fortune predictions, fragrances, and huge spirals made of incense (there is a tradition in eastern temples to make wishes and foretell fate using a set of special things) and started telling fortunes. Meanwhile, Andrey Illarionov was talking with the guide about the history of Macao, Hong Kong, China and Buddhist traditions and the Kommersant reporter concluded that the Presidential advisor knew the subject well.

After the temple, the Russians left for the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, which is located on one of Macao's seven hills. However, only the front and a monumental ladder of "the largest Christian monument in Asia" were still standing. Fellow countrymen looked at a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by peonies and daises with unconcealed interest. Suddenly, the Kommersant reporter noticed that Wimm-Bill-Dann head David Yakobashvili was among the participants of the excursion. Mr. Yakobashvili and his friends arrived in Macao several hours ago from Hong Kong by helicopter ($200 per person). He did the sights of the peninsula independently. On seeing important countrymen in the holy place, he considered this to be good sign and joined them. Mr. Yakobashvili returned to Hong Kong with others by motorboat.

Several hours later, RBC held a gala dinner in honor of the conference participants at the JW Marriott hotel. About 150 businessmen and officials ate asparagus and fish and drank cognac and champagne and raised a toast to "November 7 Day", which was likely to be celebrated as an official holiday for the last time in the history of Russia. They were telling jokes and the Kommersant reporter remembered one about Chukotka governor Roman Abramovich. The apostle Peter, having asked Abramovich about his welfare on Earth, did not let him into Paradise because he would not manage to provide him with similar conditions. After dinner, a majority of those who were present, excluding Mr. Illarionov, Mr. Gerashchenko and Ms. Paramonova, left for entertainment sites of Hong Kong. Next Monday, you can read about how these and other conference participants, who arrived in Hong Kong later, enjoyed their time.