The British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai held its centenary launch party on January 29 at the InterContinental Shanghai Puxi Hotel. Brian Davidson, British Consul General in Shanghai, Neal Beatty, Chairman of the Chamber and Rory Farquhar-Thomson, British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Charity Committee Chairman, attended the party and delivered speeches.
The launch party marked the beginning of the centennial celebration for the chamber, which was founded in 1915. The hall was decorated with photographs and newspaper clippings about the establishment of the chamber 100 years ago, a time when Europe was embroiled in World War I. At that time, British merchants in Shanghai gathered to discuss how to protect British business interests, which largely accelerated the formation of the chamber.
The chamber is funded and managed by its members, half of whom are Chinese citizens. They have active focus groups such as the returnee UK Alumni Focus Group, Beatty said. They have close relationships with leading Chinese chambers in Shanghai, such as the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Shanghai Entrepreneur Association. The chamber produces updated focus group reports that it shares with business communities in China and the UK. "Our current strategy is built around the ideas of engagement, voice and community," Beatty said.
Davidson and Beatty's speeches were followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony. Pan Min, the head of Jing'an district; Gu Jun of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce; and Zhou Hanmin, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee joined the ceremony.
Chamber of charity
This year the chamber is going to organize a series of events to celebrate its centenary. In April, it will have a special St George's Day 1915 Club dinner. On May 23, it will host a Centenary Charity Ball. In September, there will be an annual golf tournament. That same month, the chamber is taking an investment group to the UK.
The British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai has been supporting children in Lixin county in northwestern Anhui Province.
The county has poor educational facilities. "In this society where most of us come from privileged backgrounds, we have a duty to engage our brothers and sisters in this country to make sure everyone receives the benefits of good education and the best chance for a good start in life," Thomson said.
Last year, the chamber initiated its "Bright Eyes" project as part of their support to primary schools in the county. For five years, the chamber has been renovate classrooms and providing new desks and chairs for the schools.
When its members visited the schools in Lixin and talked to children there, they encountered a near-sighted student who told them he could not see what was written on the blackboard. The members did further research that revealed that only one student in 400 wore glasses. Members of the chamber visited three schools in Lixin accompanied by doctors of New Vision Eye Clinic to launch "Bright Eyes," a community project that focused on primary schools.
The project provided students and teaching staff with free eye tests, treatment and corrective glasses in the county. The chamber will provide ophthalmic equipment and eye testing training courses to the local hospitals. They will also renovate the classrooms and supply books to libraries.
The chamber has been cooperating with the Lixin Charity Association, a registered NGO, for several years. The chamber also works with the local government and hospitals to ensure the sustainability of the project, Thomson said.
Thomson will be visiting member companies to recruit volunteers. If a company adopts a primary school in Lixin, the chamber will give it financial support, including transportation and accommodation, and help it build a relationship with the school, he added.
Neal Beatty, Chairman of the Chamber speaks at the launch party.
A band performs at the party.
Guests mingle at the centenary launch party for the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai.
Photos: Fang Shaoqing/GT
