Visiting history
Longtime foreign residents of Shanghai pledge to help foster greater understanding of China, Alywin Chew reports.
Twenty Shanghai-based expatriates recently took turns to share their thoughts about China’s development over the decades, with some even volunteering to play an active role in helping to correct misconceptions that the world might have about the country.
The group of expatriates, which comprised professionals from diverse industries, shared their thoughts during a roundtable session that followed a tour of the Memorial of the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Among them was Simon Lichtenberg, CEO of furniture company Trayton Group, sharing his account of China’s development.
“All the foreigners here in this meeting love China and Shanghai. We have a keen understanding of China and the Party, but people outside China aren’t the same,” says Lichtenberg, who is a recipient of the Magnolia Gold and Silver awards.
The Magnolia Award is the highest local government honor for a foreigner’s contribution to Shanghai’s development.
“As members of this ‘foreigners’ club’ in Shanghai, I believe we have a role to play in helping correct the misunderstandings,” he says. “I am willing to contribute to this cause and I hope everyone else can do the same.”
Lichtenberg says many pertinent issues in the world, such as tensions between China and the United States, are caused by a lack of understanding, and that bringing people together could help address this issue.
“My main target market is the US and many of our customers have come here. Because of this, they now better understand this country. They may not understand everything here, but the disconnect and misunderstanding is less,” he says.
“Understanding is key. Come and see China for yourself.”
Lichtenberg’s first exposure to China was right in his own home in Denmark where his mother used to have posters of Chairman Mao Zedong on the walls. The family even had a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book, the publication containing over 200 aphorisms from the Chinese leader.
Influenced by his family and the desire to broaden his horizons, Lichtenberg traveled to Fudan University in Shanghai to learn Chinese in 1987. He still recalls the scenes of the city from that period — few cars, countless bicycles and cramped living conditions.
“My first impression of Shanghai was that it was very, very busy, and very, very tough,” says Lichtenberg. “The average living space in Shanghai back then was just 6 square meters. Homes were crammed. Buses were crammed. It was a tough period.”
Despite the living conditions, Lichtenberg was hooked to this new culture.
“I really like the energy of the Chinese, their hardworking attitude and their willingness to learn. They are constantly changing and making better all the time,” he says.
Contrasting those scenes from the past with today’s modern megalopolis, the Dane attributes the transformation to the CPC’s efficient and effective management of the country. He also says he has witnessed how the government has always set targets that reflect its determination to achieve progress.
“China is so prosperous and stable now mainly because of the CPC’s strength. The CPC is effective because it appoints qualified individuals for specific leadership roles. In contrast, in some Western countries, you might find someone who has never had any experience in politics assume an important role in the government.”
Another significant change that Lichtenberg has noticed is China’s shift from being a factory of the world to a country with a keen focus on innovation and creativity. The country now has many good design institutions such as the China Academy of Arts that produces young talent who have created “really beautiful, really well-made” furniture products.
Another foreigner who is well-acthings
I really like the energy of the Chinese, their hardworking attitude and their willingness to learn. They are constantly changing and making things better all the time.”
quainted with the topic of creativity in China — albeit in a different context — is Astrid Poghosyan, an Armenian violinist and the first non-Chinese management employee in the history of the prestigious Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. She says she feels foreigners living in China have a role to play in sharing a truthful account of the country. She has been regularly doing so on her own accord.
“I think I’ve been enlightening my friends and family because I’m always talking about China and how amazing it is. Many of them are surprised at my descriptions of China, and I’m always urging them to come and see the country for themselves. Those who have visited the country cannot believe that what I’ve been saying all this while is true,” she says.
Poghosyan notes that it is especially important that foreigners present the truth about China in this time of pandemic when misinformation and rumors about the country’s handling of the situation have been making rounds online.
“I was here during the outbreak so I know how much effort China took to combat the spread of the virus. Our job as foreigners is to tell the truth about China because there are many people who have misconceptions about the country,” she says.
Regarding the transformation of the local art and culture scene, Poghosyan says one of the most obvious changes, apart from the remarkable improvement in the quality of music programs and artists, is audience behavior. The crowd that can be found in musical venues today, she says, is far more sophisticated and educated than before.
“Today, when you go to concerts, you can tell that the audience members are very educated based on how they behave. In the past, you could find some people talking, being noisy and using their phones during a concert, but this doesn’t really happen anymore,” she says.
Having grown up watching Jackie Chan’s films and the animated Disney classic Mulan — she once watched the latter seven times in a day — Poghosyan says it was perhaps only natural that she moved to China to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2009.
The speed at which Shanghai has evolved over the past 12 years, she adds, has been nothing short of astounding, especially when compared to the development of Europe.
“Things are developing so quickly here that I feel like I’m aging faster here,” she laughs. “I always joke with my friends that one year of development in China is probably the equivalent to 10 years of development in Europe. I would often walk past shopping malls and buildings that I don’t remember being there before. The pace of change is just fascinating and it makes me really proud, happy and lucky to live in a place like this.”
Simon Lichtenberg, Shanghai-based Danish expat