The subject of foreigners is a sensitive one in most countries. While China has its fair share of nationalism, it is also a country where foreigners are, to a degree, celebrated. There can certainly be very few places that throw a glitzy award ceremony to honour those who have been labelled “Outstanding Expatriates”.
Yet, this is exactly what has taken place over the second half of 2015, culminating in a celebration held this last Saturday afternoon, 5th December, at JSBC’s headquarters off Gulou. Jointly held by the International Channel of Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation and local web portal JSChina.com.cn., the “Touching Jiangsu; Outstanding Expatriates Around Us” campaign aims to highlight the unique role played by foreigners in Jiangsu in boosting economic development and enhancing international exchange.
Held for the first time last year, entrants to the Touching Jiangsu campaign were profiled by a 2 minute video on the JSChina website beginning in July. Online voting ensued, from which the final list of award winners was derived.
As a sign that the campaign has some weight behind it, the award ceremony was attended by Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province, Cao Weixing; Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress, Zhao Peng; Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Provincial CPPCC, Luo Yimin; and Deputy Chief of the Publicity Department of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, Si Jinquan.
The 1-and-a-half hour proceedings, complete with song and dance, were taped before a live studio audience of some 500 for later broadcast. A short biography of recognised efforts for each winner follows the name list below.
2015 Touching Jiangsu Winners
- Christophe Bachelet
- Doreen Chin-Huang
- Daria Duncan-Weber
- Roland Gerke
- Frank Hossack
- Chung Il-Hee
- Thomas Wells Kessler
- Joergen Lindberg
- Kaaijk Nicolaas Anthonius Maria
- Shynybayev Saut
- Cyrus Tang
Already a recipient of the “Jinling Friendship Award” and “Jiangsu Friendship Award”, Frenchman Christophe Bachelet has likely found his way into the homes of everyone of us, or at least into our kitchens. For Christophe is General Manager of ARC glassware (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., the local division of the French firm that is the leading manufacturer of crystal and glassware in the world. As a glass engineering specialist committed to the environment, his initiatives have greatly reduced energy consumption in the Nanjing plant, while Christophe has also abandoned inorganic pigments in the manufacturing process and replaced them with those that are pollution-free and organic.
Also a previous recipient of the “China Friendship Award”, American-Born Chinese Doreen Chin-Huang is honorary president at Xuzhou Pengcheng Special Education School. In addition to actively helping with language and cultural training, Doreen is an essential fundraiser for the school, through for example, expanding resources and financial assistance from the international community. As long ago as 2001, in an unsafe condition, the school faced demolition. Doreen successfully set about raising the two million yuan required for building new premises. Previously, Doreen served as an executive officer of UNESCO Office in Beijing and won the UNESCO “Peace Award”. She retired in 2009 and chose to stay in China to support the country’s special education.
As one of those involved with the preparation work for our very own Nanjing International School, Daria Duncan-Weber has an intimate knowledge of the education sector. Her studies of Chinese at the University of Edinburgh and China’s Shandong University have also given her an appreciation for, and finesse with, the Chinese language. In 1999, she founded Wuxi Taihu International School that accepts foreign students, including those with disabilities and mental illness. In addition, Daria overseas a program that provides free English language training to various government departments in Wuxi in order to strengthen cultural exchange and communication between China and the West. Ten years ago, Daria also received the “Jiangsu Friendship Award”.
As Chairman and President of the German BSH Investment (China), Roland Gerke has an unusual combination of passions; music and appliances. The latter is manifest in his unswerving commitment to making lives more fulfilled and convenient through the work of BSH and their range of automated appliances. When it comes to the former, Roland has his wife to thank; as the Taiwanese flautist Yang Yulun, the two were to meet when she performed a concert in Vienna, Austria. With his enthusiasm for music, Roland has long also been a supporter of the annual Nanjing International Jazz & World Music Festival; his firm’s sponsorship of which helping to bring the sounds of many an international musician to audiences around Jiangsu.
Taking the view that if we can use the tools of media to help foreign people understand Chinese culture, then so too we provide a stronger foundation to relationships between China and other countries, Scottish born Frank Hossack is Editor in Chief of Nanjing’s largest range of English publications, including this very website, while he has in addition founded the Nanjing International Community Clubhouse that aims to improve the lives of expats in Nanjing through activities, classes and a service centre. His company, Hefu Media, also produces videos for corporate clients that range from large Chinese firms to multinationals to international schools, while he is at present working on a television documentary that seeks to preserve the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Nanjing that is Cloud Brocade. Frank came to China in 1993 as producer of the radio programme “Nescafé Music Time” that is now credited as laying the foundations for coffee culture in China.
Awards would seem to be two-a-penny to Korea’s Chung Il-Hee. In addition to this merit as an “Outstanding Expatriate”, also mounted on Il-Hee’s wall of honour are awards for “Guest of Yangzhou City” and “Honorary Citizen of Gaoyou”. He is in addition a recipient of the “Jiangsu Friendship Award” while, in 2013, he won the “4th Jiangsu Outstanding Entrepreneur Award”, becoming the first foreigner to do so. Many of these endowments have been made in recognition of Il-Hee’s perseverance in working between the Korean and Chinese sides of the join venture Yangzhou IL-YANG Pharmaceutical to overcome multiple financial difficulties, while in the process emphasising corporate culture and creating a harmonious family-like environment. Il-Hee furthermore played an active role in the establishment of a sister city relationship between Yangzhou and Yongin in South Korea.
Hailing from the USA and another former recipient of the “Jiangsu Friendship Award”, Thomas Wells Kessler has, over the last 22 years, made almost 70 trips to China to assist the Qidong Liver Cancer Prevention Research Centre. Formerly a professor at the School of Public Health at John Hopkins University in the USA, Thomas has formed a strong bond between himself and others working to undertake research into preventing liver cancer in this prone area of China. During his many trips to the countryside, Thomas not only visits with farmers to learn from their experience first hand, but also works with Chinese researchers through exchange visits, conferences and training programs.
One of the many things Denmark is famous for is bacon, while pork is a staple of China. With his 20 plus years of experience in farm management, it was therefore perhaps only a matter of time before Joergen Lindberg would be sent to Lianyungang’s Guanyun County to manage the construction and operation of a pig farm project, all by himself. That was three years ago. Now, with a staff of almost 170, Joergen overseas an annual production of 23,000 boars and 135,000 pigs while the farm is also the only one in China that is included in the Danish pig breeding program DanAvl. Through his continued and unreserved exchange of his experience and technology (in these sensitive times), while serving as a member of the Pig Farming Council of China Animal Husbandry Association, Juergen has become the personification of a trusting relationship between China and Denmark’s pig farming industry.
As an important port along China’s strategic eastern coast, Lianyungang often processes wares from places far inland, but few are as distant as the central Asian country of Kazakhstan. With his rigorous work attitude and selfless spirit, Shynybayev Saut, Vice-General Manager of the Sino-Kazakhstan Logistics Company, earned the respect of all employees with his devotion to the creation of a cargo transit logistics base that makes possible freight transportation between Lianyungang and Almaty, the financial and technological hub of Kazakhstan, even to the extent of forgoing his Spring Festival holiday in 2015 so that the first train could depart Lianyungang on schedule on 25th February.
Kaaijk Nicolaas Anthonius Maria uses his considerable influence in the Netherlands to actively promote cultural exchange and enhance friendship between China and the Netherlands. For Nicolaas is a tulip farmer, born in a tulip family; at a young age making cuttings from tulips and driving a tractor to harvest the bulbs, ultimately taking over the company from his parents. Hired three years ago as adviser responsible for technical guidance in the cultivation of tulips in Dafeng city’s Dutch tulip planting and breeding base, Nicolaas can every day be found in the fields undertaking soil improvement, virus prevention or the successful cultivation of eight new varieties, while also teaching planting techniques to local florists.
With ¥770 million in donations to China’s education, healthcare and social welfare causes under its belt by the end of 2014, the Cyrus Chung Ying Tang Foundation (China) has set up scholarships in Nanjing University, Southeast University and Suzhou University plus other universities to encourage outstanding students, while funds have also been used to help with building Shengze Hospital in Suzhou, the Hematology Research Centre of Suzhou University and the Jiangsu Chinese Medicine Prescription Key Laboratory in Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. Born in Suzhou’s Wujiang District in 1930, Cyrus Tang studied in the USA from 1950 to then build up this successful career that reflects his family’s nurturing of him to be always ready to help others.
