Expats In Shanghai Receive Awards For Contributions To The City’s Growth

Expat professionals in Shanghai have received coveted awards for their contribution to the Chinese city’s growth.

Magnolia Silver Awards were given to 58 expats from 18 world countries in recognition for their contributions to the city’s development as a world trade hub. Recipients included scientists, educators, artists and senior managers at foreign companies such as L’Oreal China, Adidas and the Schaeffler Group. Also included was a football coach. The award winners were praised for their efforts to build bridges between the rest of the world and the Chinese mega-city, thus increasing its development potential.

Director-general of Shanghai’s foreign affairs office Zhang Xiaosong presented the awards, saying 2019 is a special year in the city’s history as it’s both the 30th anniversary of the Magnolia awards as well as the 70th anniversary of the Peoples’ Republic of China’s founding. Over the years since the award’s introduction, he said, 1,216 expats have received it as an indication of China’s gratitude for the hard work, experience and wisdom shown by foreign residents in helping the city achieve its present status.

According to Zhang, Shanghai’s future goal is to become a global hub for technology, science, trade, finance and shipping via the promotion of its unique brand as regards manufacturing, culture and service, thus accelerating high-quality development across the Yangtze River Delta region. He said China’s wish, shared with its expat community, is that the city will become an ecological, humane and innovative world centre with a bright future for all its residents, whether Chinese nationals or expatriates.