Expats in Shekou encouraged to integrate into the local community

For expats living in Shenzhen’s Shekou district, the local authority is planning to establish the area as a home from home for its foreign residents.

Shekou is now home to the largest expat community in the whole of Shenzhen city, with its local government determined to ensure all expatriates living in the sub-district are treated as well as local residents. The pledge is the brainchild of Shekou’s Management and Service Centre for Expats, (MSCE), located in an internationally themed, smartly furnished office holding bilingual handbooks and serving good coffee. Its employees and management are determined to achieve seamless integration of the expat community into the district, thus ensuring liveability as the goal of its projects.

The centre first opened two years ago, with the authority making sure the new arrivals felt at home in the district. Bilingual road signs and local maps were the first strategy, followed by a team of volunteers recruited from both the local and expat communities. Multilingual volunteers arrived to guide the incomers in both their daily and working lives, with public security departments also playing a part in the integration strategy. Local official Lan Tao told the media there’s a culinary analogy between the Chinatowns in other worldwide metropolitan districts and Shekou, explaining that in overseas Chinatowns everyone can enjoy all the various styles of Chinese cooking, just as in Shekou it’s easy to enjoy examples of world cuisines. The analogy continues as part of the district’s wish to construct a truly international community within its borders.

Lan also explained that urban villages as well as local housing estates are home to members of the expat community and are being renovated and provided with liaison officers to help expats adjust to their new surroundings. Both communities feel they’re in a win-win situation as a result of efforts to integrate the expat community with local residents, who’re also experiencing broadened horizons via the many cross-cultural social activities and events aimed at extending friendships. Expats and their families living in the district are strongly in favour of local efforts encouraging integration and are more than happy with the international atmosphere of the area, especially as it’s not dominated by either Western or Chinese culture.