Photo: Chen Xia/GT

Fifty outstanding foreign nationals from 18 countries who live and work in were honored with the 2024 “Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award” for remarkable achievements in their own fields and important contributions to Shanghai’s development and international relations, the Shanghai municipal government announced on Saturday. Forty-six award winners and their families gathered in Shanghai to celebrate the event and expressed their hopes to help build the city into a more attractive international metropolis with global influence.
 
As Shanghai is accelerating its development toward an international economic, financial, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation center, the city will continue advancing reform and opening-up and build a first-class business environment that is international, market-oriented and governed by the rule of law to provide a better platform for talented people from around the world, said Kong Fu’an, director general of Shanghai municipal foreign affairs office. 

Kong said that the award winners have been “not only witnesses, but also active participants and contributors” to Shanghai’s development and modernization, who are “ambassadors of China-foreign friendship, storytellers of Shanghai, and representatives of Shanghai's image.”

As the representative of the award recipients, Professor Marc Delpech, from France, vice-dean of Sino-French Joint Medical College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, shared his experiences witnessing the significant changes China and Shanghai have experienced in the past 30 years since he first came to Shanghai in 1994.  “These changes, which have made daily life more pleasant, have also attracted many foreigners from all over the world. Each brings aspects of their own culture to create an interesting and enriching mix. However, Asian culture has not disappeared or been weakened, making this a global cultural enrichment. It's also a factor in Shanghai's worldwide reputation, and the city now enjoys a remarkable image,” said Delpech. 

“Shanghai is both a futuristic city and a city with history and tradition, I hope more people from Europe can experience the city in person,” echoed Franka Gulin, director & chief representative of Croatian National Tourist Board Shanghai Representative Office. Gulin got the award as she "worked tirelessly to share China's stories with the world, promote Shanghai's wonders, and introduce the city's unique culture."

Gulin told the Global Times that she was excited to share with business partners in her home country the news that Croatia is now one of the 38 foreign countries that China has included in its visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders and expected more visitors from Croatia and Europe in the next year, allowing them to experience the amazing and vibrant aspects of Shanghai that she has long appreciated.

Another award recipient Simone Trazzi from Italy, chief operating officer and executive director of the Asia Pacific Region of UFI Group, was in the spotlight at the ceremony as five family members accompanied him to China for this “honorary moment,” he told the Global Times that “I proudly call the city of Shanghai home.” Trazzi said that Shanghai has offered him both as an individual and for international companies, many career opportunities for its sustainable development as an international business and innovation hub. 

“I’m very proud of my husband receiving this award from the city of Shanghai because after living here for more than 17 years, Shanghai is our city. It is the city we chose to build our working career and grow our family and our kids and we appreciate very much that our city (Shanghai) recognizes us as a part of that,” Trazzi’s wife Francesca Bones told the Global Times. 

Among the recipients is Professor Francis Gurry, former Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), who was commended for his support in developing intellectual property in Shanghai and promoting multifaceted cooperation between WIPO and the city. His efforts have helped Shanghai as it aims to become an international intellectual property hub.

“The narrative that ‘China is the IPR thief of the world’ is fake news and propaganda,” Gurry told the Global Times, adding that “China is leading the intellectual property system in the world with many indicators supporting the conclusion. As China files the highest number of international patent applications, the same applies to trademarks. In the field of science and technology, China is a major producer of IP with the most number of peer reviewers of science and technology articles. And China is the second largest investor in R&D. China leads in 5G, and was one of the major players in AI, quantum computing, so China is a major independent producer of science and technology and therefore the IPR.”

Shanghai began honoring expats with the Magnolia Silver Award in 1989 to recognize the contributions made by expatriates in the city, and introduced the Gold Award in 1992 and honorary citizenship in 1997. Over the past 35 years, a total of 1,877 individuals have received these honors.