Magnolia Awards go to expats for contributions in Shanghai development

Dong Jun / SHINE

Two expats were awarded with honorary Shanghai citizenship on Thursday, while 10 others received the Shanghai Magnolia Gold Award in recognition of their contributions to the city's development and international exchanges.

The two new honorary citizens are Antonio Duarte, founder and president of the DPark Foreign-related Economic, Innovative & Culture Park, and Tjie Goan Oei, chairman and president of Sinar Mas Group.

The recipients of the Magnolia Gold Award are from the US, Italy, Australia, Canada and Nepal, and work in areas ranging from trade, finance and service to technology, health care, education and culture.

Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng conferred the medals and certificates to the recipients at a ceremony held in the city government building on Thursday.

"Most of the recipients have been working in Shanghai for many years and established a deep friendships with the Shanghai people," said Zong Ming, vice mayor of Shanghai, at the ceremony, thanking them for their contributions to the city's social and economic development as well as friendly exchanges with the rest of the world.

She said Shanghai is accelerating its efforts in building itself into a modern socialist metropolis of world influence, and welcomes foreigners to share the development opportunities in Shanghai and jointly make Shanghai a better city with locals.

Ashish Maskay, a Nepalese surgeon at Shanghai United Family Hospital, and founder of the expatriate blood donation organization "Bloodline," thanked the Shanghai government and Shanghai people for giving them the honor, on behalf of all the Magnolia Gold Award recipients.

He said he had made progress with the city in the past 19 years, from a young medical graduate from Fudan University to a surgeon who heals homes and saves lives.

He also recalled the experience of foreigners and locals working together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government and the people have made great contributions in the prevention and the control of the epidemic in Shanghai," he said. "At this critical moment, the Chinese and foreigners – we are united together. Although we come from all walks of life, we embrace the same fate and we build the same bridge."

"For me and my family, Shanghai is an especially attractive place because of its friendship, its vitality, its security, and its convenience," he said.

"It's like a melting pot. The city brings many people of different cultures and nationalities together in a very fine urban charm. Here, both Chinese and foreigners can build their dreams."

Maskay said Shanghai is also home to its intentional residents who carry the purest desire and intention to build Shanghai into a better city.

"This is where we share our breath and our future together. We are foreigners, but we are not outsiders," he said.

Shanghai began honoring expats in 1989 with the Magnolia Silver Award and added the gold ward and honorary citizenship into the system in 1992 and 1997, respectively. These all together have honored more than 1,700 foreigners in the past 33 years.

Later this month, another 50 expats will be presented with the Magnolia Silver Award.

Dong Jun / SHINE