Xi Jianqing shows off his manga-inspired paintings at home, which he did to welcome Russian athletes.- Shanghai Daily

Shanghai Daily news

Xuhui District will host 227 athletes from 11 delegations during the Host Town Program, including Russia, Uzbekistan and Estonia. The district has selected a hotel, the Sunshine Home and families to stage welcoming activities.

Here are some of the highlights:

Sunshine Home

Russian delegates will be welcomed by staff and students at the Sunshine Home of the Lingyun Neighborhood Committee.

The 500-square-meter home for the mentally challenged has now 27 full-time students, ranging from 16 to 35, providing education, rehabilitation exercises and Special Olympics activities for them.

To welcome their Russian friends, teachers and students have been preparing for a long time.

Jiang Defen, a volunteer English teacher at the school, said some students have learnt some English and even a little Russian.

"We selected about 10 students with relatively high intellectual level, forming them into a class and teaching them some foreign words so they can communicate with the Russian athletes," said Jiang.

Jiang said she came to teach in the Sunshine Home after she retired, and she had learnt some Russian in her youth which proved useful.

Besides, the students have learned some magic tricks to perform before the Russian athletes, and have made handicrafts, such as small paper-cut works, to present as gifts.

Tianping Hotel

The three-star Tianping Hotel will host delegations from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, a total of 99 people.

To ensure the safety of athletes, the hotel won't accept other guests during their five-night stay, said the hotel.

The hotel has pasted fruit symbols on room doors instead of numbers, to guide athletes to their rooms. "We'll give each athlete a card with a matching fruit symbol on it, so they'll easily find their room," said Sun Hong, general manager of the hotel.

Electric kettles in the room will be replaced by bottles of mineral water, and athletes can call waitresses for hot water. Glasses will also be replaced by plastic ones.

During the delegation's stay, more than 100 volunteers will be working in the hotel in relays around the clock.

The Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission has sent officials to the hotel, training waiters and waitresses on international etiquette and Special Olympic etiquette.

Xi family

Xi Zhihua, deputy general manager of Shanghai Xufang House Maintenance Repair Center and Shanghai Xiandai Elevator Engineering Co Ltd, has been preparing to host nine Russian athletes for three months, along with his family.

They expect to bring a traditional Shanghai family atmosphere to Russian guests through sincere hospitality, games, drawing and making traditional Chinese dumplings together.

Xi's son Xi Jianqing, a 20-year-old student at the Changning District Arts School, who is also a great manga and animation fan, has painted three manga characters on a glass wall in the living room. He has also prepared several outlines of Sunshine Sanmao, the Games' mascot, for Russian athletes to color in.

"For dinner we'll have dumplings, which will be easy to make, and we believe they'll enjoy the whole process from wrapping the dumplings to tasting them," said housewife Lou Aidi.