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Located at Marco Polo Square, Hebei District, Italian Style Street is a famous tourist resort in Tianjin.（PHOTO: VCG）

Tianjin has long supported the personal development of foreign professionals within its jurisdiction with a package of preferential policies, including the Haihe River Talent Plan, and Action Plan for Foreign Experts Exchange in Tianjin.

Tianjin has been selected as one of the top ten most attractive Chinese cities by foreign expats for eight consecutive years. Currently, the city is grasping the opportunity brought by Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development, to build itself into an innovative city and industrial innovation center with international influence.

"All the modern infrastructures, including transportation, ports, schools and roads, facilitate healthy development," said Joseph Bagley Shumway, an American medical director at a healthcare institute. Now, a large number of high-level foreign experts have settled in Tianjin and contributed to all walks of life, becoming a positive force driving the city's development.

Starting a business in Tianjin

Renato Pegolaro, from Milan, Italy, is currently the CEO of a catering company.

Twenty years ago, Pegolaro came to Tianjin to start his business. "When I first came here, I was impressed by this highly industrialized metropolis, which reminded me of my hometown Milan," said Pegolaro. He has since developed a strong desire to work and live in the city.

In 2004, he settled in Tianjin and continued his China-Italy business with his Chinese counterparts. Encouraged by his friends, he opened an Italian-style restaurant in Tianjin. After many years of development, the restaurant has become a favorite venue for authentic Italian food.

Becoming a new Tianjiner

Aranda Nadya Yulieth, an English teacher, comes from Neva, a city in southern Colombia. In 2019, she came to China to major in education and literature at Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

Yulieth's college life is rich and fulfilling. She studies the art of Chinese calligraphy, appreciating the profundity and charm of the characters between strokes of the ink brush. She also likes Peking Opera and sometimes wears the costumes and colorful makeup.

Yulieth fell in love with the northern seaport city. "It's so impressive to take a high-speed train in China, which is fast and safe," she said, adding that, "After graduation, I want to stay in Tianjin and teach Spanish in university. I will integrate myself into the city and become a new Tianjiner, working as a communicator between China and Colombia."

Running a school jointly

In 2015, Joseph W. Polisi, the President Emeritus of the Juilliard School in New York, announced the plan for the establishment of the Tianjin Juilliard School (TJS). In 2017, the construction of Julliard's first overseas campus was officially kicked off in Tianjin.

"Juilliard is related to excellence that's what we are dedicated to," said Polisi, adding that, "I purposely wanted to be sure that Tianjin and Juilliard are together in the name, and so when our students tour China or the world, Tianjin's name will always be there."

"I am very honored to receive an honorary citizenship of Tianjin. I'm taking it very seriously. I have worked in Tianjin for at least 10 years, and it was gratifying that I can say now that I'm truly a member of the Tianjin community, " said Polisi.

As a new Tianjiner, Polisi feels that he has the responsibility to promote the positive interactions between China and the U.S. As the first joint venture performing arts institution to confer a US-accredited music degree, TJS has formed a good start of cooperation between the two countries, said Polisi, and TJS would certainly become a new platform to strengthen bilateral educational cooperation and facilitate cultural exchanges by bridging the traditional Chinese and Western music, he said.

Being more open and inclusive, Tianjin is embracing the world with open arms. Just as Jean Philippe Reno, a world-renowned business pioneer, described during the Global Conversation at the fourth World Intelligence Congress, "Tianjin has a special place in my heart, when I hear about the city and when I go to Tianjin actually." Perhaps only those who experience Tianjin firsthand can fully appreciate his joy.

Source: Tianjin Municipal Science and Technology Bureau