The Shanghai Municipal People’s Government Information Office and the Xinmin Evening News jointly planned and produced the “100 Years of Great Party – Foreigners Tell Their Stories” series of 100 episodes of integrated media, the latest 35-38 issues of the series, the President of Doterra China, Mr. Owen Mak, General Manager of Parkson Newcool Rite Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. and An Kecheng, Executive Director of Finance of SAIC Volkswagen, have found a sense of belonging, security and access in Shanghai.
Owen: Permanent residency gives me a greater sense of belonging to China
Chinese Name: 麦欧文
Nationality: American
Position: President of Doterra China
I am very grateful to the Chinese government and the Shanghai government for creating such a great business environment!
Owen has lived in China for more than 30 years, and this is his 14th year living in Shanghai. “I love the city and I love China.” Owen exclaims, “Shanghai is a fascinating city, there is always something new waiting to be explored and discovered.”
ID gives people a greater sense of belonging
In 2019, Owen obtained an “ID card” for permanent residence in China. “With the Chinese ID, it has become easier for me to live, work and travel here.” Talking about the Chinese “ID card,” Owen praised the convenience it brought to his life. “In the past, when I bought a train ticket, I had to wait in line at the counter, but now I can buy a ticket online and enter the station with a swipe of my ID card.”
More importantly, in Owen’s mind, getting this “ID card” has made him feel more at home in Shanghai. In his mind, Shanghai is as comfortable as home.
Thanks to the Chinese government for creating a good business environment
Owen says he has felt the good business environment created by the Chinese government and the Shanghai government and the strong potential of the Chinese market.
During his 14 years in Shanghai, Owen has witnessed the miraculous efficiency of the high-level business environment. “In the past few years, customs clearance has been speeded up by about 50%.”
9㎡, 108㎡, 150㎡, are the booth areas rented by the company in each of the three previous sessions of the Expo. “We have now signed up for the fourth Fair and will further expand our exhibition area.
Jung Hwanuk：My daily work is to serve the consumers in Shanghai
Chinese Name: 郑桓旭
Nationality: Korean
Position: General Manager of Parkson Newcool Rite Trading (Shanghai) Co
Walking in the high-rise Lujiazui, I was fascinated by the mix of old and new in this city.
“I’ve been in Shanghai for 11 years, when I first came to Shanghai I was still a young guy!” Jung from Korea，born in 1981, realized that he had already entered middle age.
The government service is very meticulous, time and time again to visit the field, and coordinate all parties’ forces. “The ‘Shanghai speed’ created is amazing.”
“I had only seen Shanghai in photos before, and I was impressed by the old look of the city. When I saw with my own eyes the Bund complex, which has survived a century, and hiked in the high-rise Pudong Lujiazui, I was fascinated by this city where the old meets the new.” Nowadays, every holiday season Jung invites his family and friends from Korea to visit Shanghai, and they marvel at the ever-growing Shanghai and enjoy experiencing the city’s development.
“The security in Shanghai is fantastic, and the city has become one of the safest cities in the world.” Jung says, “This is thanks to the police and all the functions of the street, with their dedication and support, we can focus more on doing our job.”
Werner Gottschalk: I let my child study Chinese culture, which will help him a lot in the future
Chinese Name: 高查克
Nationality: German
Position: Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Electric Power Generation Equipment Co., Ltd. Turbine Plant.
I’ve been to Shanghai three times in 20 years, and if you ask me what’s changed- Better City, Better Life!
Having visited Shanghai three times in 20 years and settled there twice on a permanent basis, the nearly 60-year-old German “technophile” describes his personal feelings about Shanghai’s dynamic development and rapid changes in recent years with the words “Better City, Better Life”.
Three visits to Shanghai
Gottschalk was sent to Shanghai twice between 2002 and 2012, and he was sent there again in 2014.
“The young people here are very motivated and the teamwork is great.” Gottschalk feels that Chinese young people are full of creativity, “They are not different from young Europeans, they all have an international perspective and an open mind, but Chinese young people are more enterprising than Europeans.”
The opportunity for development
Soon after Gottschalk’s arrival, Shanghai ushered in a golden era of innovation development. “It was a wonderful time for us to develop, and the whole general environment was flourishing.”
In recognition of Gottschalk’s outstanding contributions, in 2018 the Shanghai Government presented him with the Magnolia Award, the highest award given by the Shanghai Government to an international friend.
A home in life
Gottschalk has considered Shanghai his second home. He has even designed a visit itinerary for his German friends who visit Shanghai. “At the site of the First Communist Party Congress, I saw the struggle of the Chinese Communist Party to make this country a better place, and it was well worth a visit.”
Gottschalk has formed a deep bond with Shanghai. “I’ve been to many cities in Europe, and if I were to do a ranking, Shanghai would be in the top 10 cities in the world to live and work in. It’s a happy city.“
Carsten Arntz: I am very lucky to have progressed in my career and gained love in Shanghai
Chinese Name: 安克诚
Nationality: German
Position: Executive Director of Finance, SAIC Volkswagen
Before I came to Shanghai, the largest city I ever lived in was only 20,000 people, and now I live in a city with more than 20 million residents, and you can imagine what a huge change that is.
Arntz, 47, has lived in China for 18 years, including 11 years in Shanghai. On his desk sits a wedding photo of the couple.
Love at first sight with his wife in Shanghai
For Arntz, who grew up in a small town, Shanghai is completely different, “I love Shanghai, before coming to Shanghai, the largest city I ever lived in only had a population of 20,000, and now I live in a city with a population of more than 20 million, you can imagine what a huge change it is, and meeting my wife is a big reason why I have lived and worked in Shanghai for so many years.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to have progressed in my career here and to have turned my personal life around.” For him, Chinese culture is a mix of old and new. On weekends, he often goes to the town of Baihe in Qingpu to spend time with his wife’s family. During New Year’s Eve, they all have New Year’s Eve dinner and watch the Spring Festival Gala together. Arntz is increasingly enjoying his time with his Chinese family.
How fast Shanghai is changing
Arntz’s favorite sport is playing soccer, and he is impressed by the sports facilities in Shanghai. As a foreigner, he has always marveled at the speed at which the city of Shanghai has changed. “When I first came to Shanghai, Pudong only had the Oriental Pearl and the Jinmao Tower, but today when I look at Pudong, there are so many skyscrapers, and these were built in my first ten years in Shanghai.”
In recent years, Arntz lived in Puxi, he felt most shocked by the Hongqiao hub, “From the development of the whole area, the highway and subway system, Shanghai has undergone huge changes, this kind of speed is unimaginable in other countries.”
The above Chinese information and pictures are from：
Shanghai Release Official WeChat public website
