Ten years ago, he was attracted by the energy of Shanghai and settled here. Now he is called "Comrade Zhu" by his Chinese friends.

He is not only a senior expert in the shipping and logistics industry, but alsoa "super matchmaker" promoting friendly exchanges between China and Belgium in a variety of areas.

He has been amazed by the rapid development of Shanghai’s economy and also the by the scientific and technological innovation. He also enjoys a bowl of tasty noodles in a Shanghai-style alley.

Although he is proficient in English, French, German and Dutch, he likes to use his Chinese name, and even signed it on his real estate license of his house in Shanghai.

He won the Golden Magnolia Award in 2012 and the Silver Magnolia Award in 2014 for his extraordinary contribution to the city.

He has been witnessing the great changes in the city and its residences in the past 10 years, but he still has the same feeling for Shanghai: I enjoy living in Shanghai. The city has a heart and a soul that is beating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The city is alive.

He is Jan Van der Borght, Representative of the Antwerp Port Authority. His Chinese name is Zhu Boyan.He was invited to attend the first promotional event of the "FAO Int'l Cooperation Promotion Series" which took place in Yangpu District recently. An Eastday reporter held an interviewwith him at his office also in Yangpu.

【Push】He managed to push the important visits by the Mayor of Antwerp to Shanghai

"Push" was a frequently spoken word by Jan Van der Borght in the interview. He has been able to push a variety of exchanges and cooperation between Shanghai and Antwerp. What impressed him most is that he convinced the Mayorof Antwerp, Bart De Wever to visit Shanghai in 2014. This was one of the most important visits after Antwerp and Shanghai became friendly cities since 1984.

"(Before the trip) the Mayor asked me, "Why should I go to China?"The Mayor, after his two days in China said,"Jan, you are right to push me here and I will come back."

In keeping with his promise, Bart de Wever visited Shanghai againat the end of 2016, with an even bigger delegation. During his stay in the city, Shanghai Vice Mayor Chen Yin and Mayor Bart De Wever signed the Memorandum of Friendship and Cooperation 2017- 2019 and witnessed the signing of a variety of agreements in fields such as education and diamonds.

Jan first arrived in China in 2004 and enjoyed the fast-rhythm pace and energy of Shanghai. He settled in Shanghai in 2007 and was elected the representative of Antwerp Port Authority in China because of his long-time experience in the port and logistics industry. Since then, Shanghai has been his second home.

Jan said that at the very beginning of his work in China, Chinese people knew little about Antwerp and vice versa. So, "pushing" has been very important. Jan always has been busy like a "matchmaker", helping both sides get to know each other and establish contacts for possible cooperation.

In April, with Jan’s assistance, a high level delegation of the Shanghai Chemical Industry Association visited Antwerp, where they held a promotional event and met with some local leading companies.

【Promotion & Attraction】As a foreign expert, how does Jan view the shipping industry of Shanghai from past to future?

As the Representative of Antwerp Port Authorityin China, Jan’s major work is to help improve the cooperative relationship between the two parties, promote the port of Antwerp, inform Chinese professionals objectively and accurately about European logistics in general and the specificsof Antwerp in particular.

In addition, he has also helped Chinese associations and organizations find relevant contacts to enhance their business.

In Jan’s view in order to make Shanghai the knowledge center for shipping in China and a front-runner in new developments in shipping, Shanghai should start to do promotion.

I have noticed that Chinese ports need to promote themselves to the rest of the world. Why should you come to Shanghai? What are the differences between Shanghai and Ningbo? "

Jan thinks that Shanghai needs to attract international shipping and chartering companies to setup regional headquarters here.

He also believes education and personnel training are quite important.

When looking back over China's shipping strengthsin the past 10 years, Jan said,"When I first came to China13 or 14 years ago, few people could speak English. It was difficult because documents and contracts are written in English. The level of training was low. It has changed a lot now but still has a long way to go."

Jan also noticed that more and more foreigners are being replaced by local people especially in international logistics and shipping companies, "I agree with that even though I am a foreigner. If you want to do business in China, you have to work with Chinese people."

"I work in the shipping industry, where China’s influence is becoming ever stronger on the global stage. A day doesn’t pass without somebody mentioning ‘Belt and Road", Jan added.

Furthermore, Jan revealed that his next target is to persuade the city of Antwerp to establish a base here, which he will call the "Antwerp Liaison House" where people from Antwerp and Shanghai can exchange their ideas and work together in the areas of common interests, such as innovation and technology.

【Education & Culture】He got over 20 free places for Chinese port and shipping personnel to be trained at APEC

Jan has served as guest professor at Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) since December 2012. Inhis spare time, he teaches students "Ports and Logistics Management "and shares advanced experience from Europe free of charge. He also presented an old ship model made in 1895 as a gift to SMU.

Pushed by Jan, Antwerp Port Authority set up a scholarship for the post-graduates of SMU in 2015.

It was in 2015 that Jan got over 20 free places for Chinese port and shipping personnel to be trained at the Antwerp Port Education Center (APEC) in Belgium.

Since 1980, APEC has trained about 4000 people for China.

Jan told the reporter that the two-week-long training program combines theory with practice, in which trainees canvisit port, dock and logistics companies, listen to lectures by professionals, and learn about specific operation methods and processes."China's first generation of personnel for container terminals were trained at the APEC", said Jan.

Every summer vacation, Jan organizes students and professors from the University of Antwerp to visit Shanghai, sharing with their Shanghai counterparts and increasing their knowledge about the development of this city.

Pushed by Jan, the China Maritime Museum and MAS Museum have signed an agreement on ship model lending.

"I enjoy living in Shanghai. The city has a heart and a soul that is beating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day."

Arriving in 2007, Jan has been living in Shanghai for 10 years and he has witnessed the great changes of the city and its residences.

"The first big landmark was in 2010, when Shanghai hosted the world Expo. The city proudly faced the world as a global city", said Jan.

Meanwhile, he sees the city as still embracing traditional life and style in spite of thefast development. "Shanghai is aglobally-recognized city that still has its roots in many years of culture, with all aspects of life to be explored down every side street."

"Outside my well organized, clean apartment complex, I can go into a Shikumen alley and order a huge bowl of tasty noodles for 20 RMB. I walk through the back streets and see people being shaved in the street, cutting keys in tiny kiosks, or sitting on boxes as they play ma jiang with their friends", stated Jan describing his exploration of Shanghai.

Jan bought an apartment in Yangpu District many years ago. He recalled,"WhenI first rented there, it was quite spacious but very quiet. It’s changing now. Yangpu District has increasingly developed from labor-intensive industry towards commerce and high technology. Nike, Henkel, IBM, Oracle, Intercontinental have set up their regional head offices here. A new generation of international community programs have been established in New Jiangwan City and a lot of universities here will fill the demand for highly educated qualified people."

Jan said that he has got used to the convenient life in Shanghai, for example, online shopping, payment function on his mobile phone and grabbing "lucky money" on Chinese social networking software.

"I enjoy living in Shanghai. The city has a heart and a soul that is beating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It is alive."

When talking about his expectations for the future, Jan said he really missed a large piece of green when he first came here. "I hope to see Shanghai change more into a garden city."

(The photos in the article were provided by the interviewee.)

Author: Wang Jiaye