Team lends a helping hand to expats

This year, Beijing resident Yuan Qianming has led volunteers to help keep crowds orderly at a nucleic acid testing station in a sports park in Wangjing, an urban area in the northeast of the capital's downtown that is home to about 6,000 foreign residents.

When they notice expats who are having problems registering information such as mobile phone numbers before being tested, they step forward to provide Chinese-English translation assistance between the residents and medical workers.

"Earlier this year, some foreign residents did not understand why they needed to show their passports or provide some personal information, thinking that it was a violation of their privacy," Yuan said, adding that careful explanations made the expats more willing to cooperate.

To better serve foreigners living in the area, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, Yuan set up a volunteer team in April with people who can speak various languages, including English, German, Korean and Japanese, to contribute to epidemic prevention and control efforts.

Many of the volunteers work for multinational companies in Wangjing. They proved to be especially helpful while the capital was battling a severe outbreak in April and May, when rounds of mass testing were conducted to curb infections.

"The volunteers translate things for expats in need while they are registering their information, which ensures the process runs smoothly and saves a lot of time," Yuan said.

Volunteers with foreign language abilities working at nearby international hospitals and hotels have been arranged to remain on call and be ready to answer their phones to assist with translations during the day.

"Almost all the volunteers can speak English, and the language works in most situations. But if it is necessary to use other languages, such as Japanese, the volunteers on site will call another who can speak the language needed," Yuan said.

The team has sent about 100 volunteers to assist during nucleic acid testing and COVID-19 vaccinations, and they have accumulated more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service in total.

"Even as temperatures rise, many volunteers still stick to their positions," said Yuan, who was wearing a protective helmet and had a buzz cut to prevent sweat from running down his hair and into his eyes.

Drawing talent

Yuan, 32, spent years studying in the United States. He came to Wangjing last year for work after he learned that the area was exploring the development of an international talent-friendly environment.

To optimize the development environment and attract talent, Beijing launched a program to build international talent communities in 2017. Wangjing, in Chaoyang district, was chosen as the site of one of the first four pilot projects in the city.

Developing into a residential area with a diverse population, more than 6,000 expats from over 80 countries are living there, with most hailing from Germany and Korea. Domestic and international businesses as well as high-tech and scientific research industries are building their offices in Wangjing.

"I found that people from international enterprises in Wangjing are enthusiastic about participating in volunteer service," Yuan said.

That prompted him to establish the Wangjing International Talent Volunteer Team with two friends who also have cross-cultural communication experience under the guidance of local authorities.

The team recorded the demands and problems foreigners have in a logbook, and they share these concerns with relevant departments. These departments are currently dealing with more than 90 problems presented to them by the team, including issues with expats' visas, social life and children's education.

"After researching, we found expats need to learn more about Chinese culture and laws, and about the public facilities and services in Wangjing," Yuan said.

The team compiled a bilingual booklet in Chinese and English to provide information about the facilities, including libraries, fitness centers, parks, swimming pools, hospitals and international hotels, as well as how to pay their utilities, how to use public transportation and how to contact police.

Mutual benefit

"While serving international talent, we have also built a platform for those with a passion for volunteer work who want to help others, participate in social governance and have a greater impact on society," Yuan said.

Team members include foreigners, people who work in international companies, and returned overseas students. Their strengths determine where they are posted, according to Yuan.

The team also organizes Chinese cultural activities during holidays such as the Dragon Boat Festival, as well as online lectures on a variety of topics like health, law and culture.

The volunteers are generally between the ages of 25 and 45, Yuan said, and work in various fields professionally. He added that the volunteers who are medical workers, in particular, have played a significant role in epidemic prevention and control.

One of them is Tee May Chin from Malaysia, who is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor working in Wangjing. She has been giving free online health lectures organized by the team to residents in the area for about six months.

Tee came to Beijing in 2009 to study TCM at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and she graduated in 2017 with a master's degree. She joined the volunteer team after being introduced by a friend.

The team collects medical topics of interest among foreigners for Tee's reference. Her lecture topics range from offering dietary advice to prevent COVID-19 infection, addressing daily health problems such as pimples, and sharing common TCM knowledge such as how to diagnose medical problems by examining the tongue.

She has given more than 10 lectures, each of which was about an hour long. She speaks mainly in Chinese, as most expats have a general understanding of Chinese, but when it comes to some difficult expressions and medical terms, she will use English.

Her lectures attract dozens of viewers, including many expats. Many ask her questions online after the lectures.

"Through the platform, I have made many friends," Tee said. "I met a person from my country who like me has been living in Beijing for many years, but we had never met before."

Tee has also become good friends with a resident in Wangjing from Japan who once received free acupuncture treatment from Tee for neck pain. The treatment was organized through the volunteer team.

"We developed a friendship because of that opportunity. She works in the youth education industry, and I am interested in pediatrics, so we chatted a lot. Both of us think we should have met each other earlier," she said.

Tee said she has been a longtime volunteer in this team because the work is meaningful.

"I couldn't have insisted on doing it for a long while if I were alone. As a team, one can feel more strength," she said.

The team has received a lot of positive feedback from foreign residents, Yuan said.

"Some have expressed gratitude for solving their problems, and many, like Tee, offered to join us," he said.