Shekou MSCE 5th anniversary
On the opening day of the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats (Shekou MSCE) on June 28, 2017, expat residents introduce the center and its services to other residents. Shekou MSCE is the first government-guided expat-related service platform in China, offering temporary residence registration of expats, various kinds of consulting and mixed cultural events. Photos by courtesy of Shekou MSCE
A group photo taken Sept. 24, 2020 when Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center, the first public legal service platform for expats in Guangdong Province, was put into operation. The center offers a wide range of foreign related services including legal consulting, mediation, notarization, visa consulting, tax consulting, intellectual property consulting, etc.
Welsh Fallon, a volunteer of the Shekou International Volunteers’ Team, instructs residents in COVID-19 test registering, in June 2021. International volunteers in Shekou have been actively assisting their communities in epidemic prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the Shekou International Volunteers’ Team present the team’s services at the Shenzhen Next Expat Service Fair of the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals. Registered in Nanshan as the first district-level international volunteers’ team Aug. 17, 2020, the team developed from an unregistered team of 30 member to a vigorous formal team with more than 300 members.
One of the Brazil musicians and Samba dancers living in Shekou performs during a Latin music appreciation event June 18, 2022. Shekou MSCE held a Latin music appreciation event June 18, 2022, attracting an audience of around 60 local and expat residents, who showcased music, dance and culture of their countries.
Visitors are seen at a booth of Shekou at the Shenzhen Next Expat Service Fair of the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals on April 24, 2022. Shekou Sub-district, as one of the first 20 international communities in Shenzhen, presented the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures and friendly interactions between different foreign units in Shekou at the fair.
Expat and local audience are seen at a seminar on Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card on Dec. 16, 2021. Shekou MSCE invited immigration officers to give the seminar, attracting more than 100 expat and local audience. The seminar is one event of the“Monthly Topic” series of Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center which popularizes and interprets latest laws and policies for expat residents.
Participants of the “Discover Nanshan-Shekou Trip” activity take photos. Organized by the Shekou MSCE, the activity was held May 22, 2021 to guide foreign talents through Shekou, the “first window” of China’s reform and opening up. After visiting Impressive Shekou - 3D Mural Gallery, Nanshui Village History Museum, Shekou Sub-district Service Center, and cruising from Shekou Container Terminal towards Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, participants got a more comprehensive and thorough view on how the small fishing village developed rapidly over the past 40 years.
Members of an international team from eight countries celebrate after winning the championship at a dragon boat race June 2, 2022. Shekou Sub-district held a dragon boat race on the Houhai River in Nanshan District on the day to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. An international team organized by Shekou MSCE consisting of 11 members from eight countries won the championship.
An English training class takes place May 18, 2022. Shekou MSCE offered English training programs to community service staff, volunteers as well as others who need to communicate with expats during their work. The series of training sessions helped enhance international community service workers' abilities to better service expat residents.
Mrs. DeAnn Young, principal of DY Concepts, shares with Shekou residents how to successfully navigate a business lunch in the Seminar on International Table Manners Protocol on Dec. 6, 2019. Invited by the center to speak at the seminar, Young brought abundant knowledge of table manners and useful tips, as well as a practical demonstration to show practices under real scenes to help participants better understand.
Chinese and foreign children take part in a dragon dance at a festivity to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Jan. 12, 2020. Themed “Embrace Chinese New Year 2020,” the activity in the Shenzhen Bay Coastal Promenade attracted numerous foreign and local residents to take part in the event and celebrate the Chinese New Year. The event started with the dragon dance. Activities including multicultural experiencing, international foods tasting, and international games were open to participants.
Participants at a conference that released the Standards and International Block Development by Shekou Sub-district Office in Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats on April 15, 2021. The standards were deemed as the first standards and guidelines for the construction of international blocks.
A Chinese martial arts class is held for kids in Shekou on May 29, 2022. Dozens of foreign and local kids joined the class to learn Chinese martial arts and traditional culture. The class is one of the Shekou MSCE’s Chinese and foreign teenagers activity series.
Chronological highlights of Shekou MSCE
June 28, 2017
The Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats, the first government-guided expat-related service platform in China, was established.
June 2018
Shenzhen’s first bilingual handbook for foreigners was published.
July 2019
The Shekou Subdistrict was selected as one of the 20 international blocks. In November 2020, the sub-district became one of 13 units to explore practices under the international talent block pilot program and build up experiences for Shenzhen to provide environment for the development of international talents.
August 2020
The Shekou International Volunteers’ Team, the first district-level international volunteer team, was officially registered in Nanshan. The 289-member team is composed of expat residents and Chinese residents with foreign language skills.
September 2020
The Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center, the first public legal service platform for expats in Guangdong, was put into operation.
September 2020
The white book about Three-year Action Plan of Shekou Subdistrict International Block Construction (2020-2022) was officially issued.
November 2020
A delegation of ambassadors and representatives of international organizations in China from 27 countries visited the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats.
December 2020
At the meeting to commend role models for fighting against COVID-19 outbreak in Shenzhen, the Shekou MSCE was awarded the honorary title of the “Role Model Organization.”
April 2021
The Shekou Subdistrict Office unveiled the guidance on the standards on the construction of international communities, said to be the first in China in international community construction.
March 2022
The program “Bridge the Language Gap” of the Shekou Subdistrict was launched. It includes mainly four parts: practical English training, multilingual sign optimization in targeted residential compounds, bilingual sign optimization in targeted community service centers and discussion on public signs to collect residents’ suggestions.