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Internationalization, It's Not Just for Foreigners

Progress made in preparing and hosting the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games enhanced Beijing’s internationalization, but what more should the municipality do to improve living environment for its international community?

The question was posed during the Creating Beijing International Community Forum that opened in the Upper East Side community on September 10, 2008. The forum, sponsored by the Real Estate Media Group and Beijing This Month Publications, invited many experts, scholars and developers in the real estate industry and some foreign residents in Beijing to discuss this question in hope of getting useful suggestions and ideas that might be used by policy-makers and urban planners in China’s capital.

Following The Favourite Beijing Communities in the Eyes of Foreigners Evaluation Campaign that was held in March 2008, the forum gathered materials on the question for distribution among the meeting’s participants. Prior to the meeting, the forum conducted a survey over several months among people in the community, including foreign residents, on their thoughts and feelings about living conditions and the international environment in the city.

During the forum, many participants spoke about promotional activities undertaken on behalf of Beijing during the Olympics. Xu Beifeng, chairman of the Beijing Chamber of Commerce for Property Management, gave some examples that explained progress made by Beijing in the eyes of foreigners. Xu said he hopes the momentum of the municipality’s efforts will be sustained, that it will build on its progress and that additional internationalization will take place, even among Chinese residents. He said that foreigners residing with Chinese families during the Games as a great way to introduce Beijing to foreign visitors and a good start in increasing the internationalization and cultural vitality of the capital, but he said much more needs to be done.

One foreign participant at the forum, Janet Brooks, has lived in the Upper East Side community for more than two years. She said she was very satisfied with the living conditions in this community. Still, she had some suggestions for the managers of various communities. For instance, she said some special shops and facilities aimed at meeting the needs of foreign residents are needed to ensure their comfort and well being.

Some experts said managers of some foreign communities need more job training. Shu Kexin, a property-rights-protection expert, said many are confused about the definition of internationalization. He said international communities in Beijing should be multi-cultural and multi-racial, not for foreigners only. In a true international community, residents may come from a variety of social strata: they may be rich, poor, American, Chinese or European, but they can live together harmoniously. The manager of such communities must play an important role. Only a safe and secure community can provide the harmony most people in an international community are seeking.
 

“奥运北京·和谐社区 构建北京国际化社区”主题研讨会召开
文/赵迪迪

2008年9月10日，“奥运北京·和谐社区 构建北京国际化社区”主题研讨会在北京阳光上东商务酒店举行。本次研讨会是在3月启动的“外国人评楼”系列活动基础上举办，旨在探讨北京借奥运契机，针对如何进一步打造宜居和谐、具备国际化水准、真正与世界接轨的国际化社区，与会人士开展了广泛的经验交流。

研讨会由楼市传媒和北京月讯杂志社共同主办，邀请了专家学者、房地产开发商和外国业主等参与探讨。在“外国人评楼”系列活动中，工作人员收集了几千张选票和很多中肯的建议，成为值得借鉴的素材。与会人士各抒己见、献策献计，经过一番思想激荡，碰撞出意义深远、实际有效的建设性意见和观点。