Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    COMING from different walks of life and countries, 16 expats living or working in Futian District were granted awards for their contribution to the area at an award ceremony as well as a Mid-Autumn Festival Gala at Shenzhen Concert Hall last night.

    The expats were rewarded as the Elites of Futian’s International Friends for their contributions at various posts and industries of hospitals, schools, restaurants, art training centers, makers and so on.

    The awarded expats included Richard Chace, CEO of Global Security Industry Alliance; Park Eun-kyun, director of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Shenzhen; Julia Kaisnger, an Austrian maker from HAX hardware accelerator; and Syed Israr Ali Shah, a Dubai man who pursues his kung fu dream and opens martial arts centers in Shenzhen.

    “People used to say all roads lead to Rome, but I think it should be all roads lead to China,” said Chace at the ceremony, one of the four expat representatives that gave speeches last night.

    Chace had moved the Alliance’s headquarters from the United States to Shenzhen 15 years ago, bringing the global standards of security to the city.

    “I am glad that I have shifted my career focus to China and to Shenzhen at such an early stage because Shenzhen has been the most dynamic city in the country,” said Chace.

    One of the award recipients was Arcot Karthikeyan from India, who is a consultant doctor from C-MER (Shenzhen) Dennis Lam Eye Hospital.

    The Indian opthamologist had helped a boy from Jilin Province who suffered from domestic abuse and went blind to regain his eyesight earlier this year. He also took part in charity campaigns to treat child patients with cataracts for free around China.

    The Austrian maker Kaisnger also spoke of her maker dream in Shenzhen. She and two of her companions are working on an intelligent desktop insect farming machine in Huaqiangbei. The startup, called Livin Farm, is developing a machine that can cultivate insects that provide nutritious protein for the human body.

    The award was part of a campaign launched by the Futian District Government this year to recognize those from other countries who make contribution to the local community. The activity went through several stages including looking for qualified expats, sharing their stories via media coverage, and giving suggestions and opinions with themed forums.

    Other award-winners were Pruthvikar Reddy from Britain, Pramond Ghimire from Nepal, algorithm engineer Pradeep Karn from Nepal, Wan Xiang from Canada, Christophe and Julien Team from France, Magalie Dihumla from France, Karina Semenenko from Russia, piano player Iareskyi Oleksander from Ukraine, Michael Bruner from the United States, Michael G. Forster from Britain, and Kim Hyeon-ji from South Korea.

    According to the foreign affairs office of Futian, the district had become increasingly appealing to expats. It currently houses nearly 10,000 expat residents. The Donghai Community is Shenzhen’s largest community for South Korean residents.