"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."----- Winston Churchill

Since the formation of Ms-L, the company has constantly benefited from people who have made their life by giving. I have worked with hundreds of companies of all sizes and thousands of people from all walks of life.

The first person who helped Ms-L start the business was Pete Melanefy, a business advisor with Education and Learning Wales (ELWa). He introduced Ms-L to the Employment Development Scheme, which made available funding of ¡ê2,000 to start business and training courses.

Pete contributed personal time to guide the business in its early stages. Although he no longer works for ELWa, he still advises businesses and lives a full life. I wish him well for the future.

Through Pete I met Duncan Foulkes, a PR consultant for ELWa, who helped to promote Ms-L's first events with an article that was published in newspapers across Mid and South Wales. The publicity not only helped to promote the martial arts tour but also boosted Ms-L's profile for future tours. Duncan runs a well-established PR company and we still work together.

Daniel Sanderson is the best language tutor I have ever met. The holder of a masters degree in English, he speaks several languages. I have benefited greatly from his tuition, which has addressed weaknesses in both my written and spoken English.

Thanks are also due to Paul Clifton, chief editor of COMBAT magazine, who promoted Ms-L's Wushu tour and introduced me to British Council for Chinese Martial Arts (BCCMA) chairman Tony Swanson, talented features writer Malcolm Martin and established British martial arts masters Ian Armstrong, Neil Adawy among others.

It takes perception, trust and encouragement for a solicitor to open a no-win no-fee case. Thanks are therefore due to our experienced solicitor, John Graham, who took and won Ms-L's first commercial litigation case. This support strengthened Ms-L's resolve to face the many challenges that lay ahead in this complex business world.

It's so easy to take for granted help from my friends and relatives. Among them, I owe so much to my master degree classmate, Warren Deer and my brother, Liu Bin, both computing and software experts. Without their charity, I would not have the computer skills that are essential for Ms-L's business.

Ms-L wishes to thank all theatre managers and marketing staff who have taken the company's shows with trust and support. Special thanks go to Gareth Owen, Theatre Rhyl manager, who has generously supported every Ms-L tour; Bob Summers, Blackpool Leisure Parcs entertainment executive, who gave a great encouragement for Ms-L's first tour; Martin Holliday, Marina Theatre manager in Suffolk, who promoted the Za-Ji tour; technician Samuel Copson for his genuine work on Ms-L's behalf and Ian Sime, Clear Channel Entertainment's new business executive, who contracted a number of venues to Ms-L's theatre business.

Ms-L is grateful to Wu Bin, chairman of Beijing Wushu Institute, who supported the first Wushu tour to the UK and Tianjin Wushu team and its instructors Su Changlai and Xu Caitong, for their excellent show and co-operation.

Ms-L is indebted to Tian Chuanjiang, Deputy Director General of Anhui Provincial Government's Culture Department and Zhu Jianping, Anhui Acrobatics troupe leader, who supported Ms-L's business and have become trusted personal friends.

Thanks are also due to Chinese Embassy's Culture Department, whose officers travelled to attend the opening show of the Za-Ji tour; Councillor Mrs Geraldine Carter, Halifax City Mayor, who hosted our acrobats; Luo Chuanzhi, chairman of Manchester Chinese Arts Association, who volunteered as photographer; HSBC bank managers Graham Proctor and Mike Ryan for their understanding and support; Graham Williams, Penny Fray, Malcolm Martin and many other journalists who wrote supportive articles to promote Ms-L's events; the BBC news team and S4C.

Saying thanks may never be enough for the generous support that Ms-L has received and I apologise if I have missed anyone in the above list.

"Success is a journey, not a destination." -------Gita Bellin.

In this complex business world, with its mixture of good and evil, it is kindness, fairness and trust that have made the business journey worthwhile.