Show of support

Stepping off the airplane onto Chinese soil for the first time, Sacha Dunas knew nothing of China. The French native moved to the Middle Kingdom four years ago to continue his work as an event coordinator, but he quickly learned that not being able speak Chinese or English made event organization difficult.

Not only did his lack of language skills make his job difficult, it made traveling around and sourcing services such as banks or doctors towering troubles, requiring more attention that usual.

Dunas' experience is not unique, it's a challenge faced by all expats when moving to a foreign country for the first time.

Whether it's finding schools for children, language tutors or even a good place to buy groceries, small things previously taken for granted can suddenly become huge hurdles, requiring large amounts of time and energy to solve.

Unlike most people stuck in this position, however, Dunas decided to do something about it.

Calling on his 20 years experience as an event coordinator in France, Dunas employed his know-how and his know-who to help eliminate the problem for future foreigners.

Reaching out to those in a similar situation, Dunas decided to help alleviate the stress of the Sino switch by starting the Expat Show in Beijing, a free exhibition devoted solely to the expatriate commonwealth in Beijing.

Hosted at the China World Trade Center from today to Sunday, the Expat Show Beijing seeks to help expats abolish the paralyzing feeling of living in another country by creating a common meeting ground for expats and various expat businesses, non-profits and associations.

The plan for an Expat Show came to Dunas soon after he began helping the Explorer publishing company advertise the resident's guidebook series.

His idea was to transform the contents of the guidebooks into an event that would pool the resources of the community and the book.

"He thought why not transfer this book into a show, that way you have the book to provide the answers for the rest of the year when you don't have the show," says Telmo Freitas, the marketing director of the Expat Show Beijing.

Following through with the philosophy behind the exhibition, expats who pre-register for the event can acquire free copies of the Explorer Resident's Guide to Beijing.

"The goal is to really make you more comfortable during your stay in China, whether you are here for three weeks or three years," Freitas says.

Freitas also remembers going through the discombobulating feeling of living in another country for the first time, the difficulty getting around and meeting friends.

"I have been to other foreign countries and in huge cities like this. It is hard to get along, the distances are large, it's hard to meet people and it's hard to socialize," Freitas says.

Two of the biggest challenges Freitas faced when moving to China was finding good expat-oriented insurance and healthcare - two things he finds very important.

"When you don't have insurance it's very hard to get a good doctor. Cost of life here is much cheaper than France, but when you get health problems you want the same standards as back home. And you realize that having good insurance will help you pay for this," Freitas says.

With the help of the Expat Show, foreign visitors can forgo the forlorn feelings of not being able to find a good doctor by talking to one of the seven healthcare providers available at the Beijing event.

In addition to providing healthcare for expats, the Beijing United Family Hospital and the Beijing Red Cross are offering expats a chance to help their community by donating blood at the blood drive they will be hosting throughout the weekend.

Giving blood is not the only chance to give at the show. Accompanying the Red Cross will be several other non-profit organizations hoping to spread the word about their different causes.

Catering to Beijing's cultured crowd, the show will also include exhibitions by the Hutong Zhang Traditional Style Museum, Beijing Central Art Gallery and Hebe Art Studio.

For those not interested in business, the exhibition also has entertainment.

Several performances by the Beijing Playhouse will be held throughout the weekend along with workshops on Chinese knots, picture opportunities with Peking Opera performers, and cooking classes.

A day care center will be available for families visiting the event, where children can take part in a range of activities.

There will also be a draw held over the three day weekend, offering those who pre-register the chance to win airfares, hotel stays, restaurant vouchers and other prizes.

The first Expat Show was held last September in Shanghai and drew a crowd of over 8,000 expats to the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

(China Daily 04/04/2008 page19)