Editor's note:

Although China’s southernmost province of Hainan is also the youngest, the past decade has seen a continuous deepening of the process of reform and opening up. As the province has been building itself into a Free Trade Port with Chinese characteristics, it has become a microcosm of China's development story and the indelible proof that the country is "opening ever wider the door to the outside world." As part of welcoming the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Hainan International Media Center (HIMC) has planned and is launching the Ten Years on in Hainan: An Expat Perspective video series. Presenting China's development achievements and the construction process of the Hainan Free Trade Port with "fresh eyes", this series features several long-term foreign residents of Hainansharing what they see, think, and feel concerning both Hainan and greater China. Although the guests on this program hail from different countries and work in different industries, one thing they have in common is they have spent years witnessing Hainan change and grow. What special ties do they have with China and Hainan? How do they understand China's development achievements and future plans? What are their views on the blueprint for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port? Starting from September 28, the Ten Years on in Hainan: An Expat Perspective program will share with you these expats’ unique stories and wonderful perspectives.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have been working with these kinds of animals for more than thirty years...and they constantly surprise you and enlighten you.”
Steve Hearn, a British national, received an invitation four years ago from Hainan Ocean Paradise in Lingshui Li Autonomous County - in southern China’s Hainan Province - to join the operations department as director of animal operations. Since arriving in Lingshui, Steve and his colleagues at the Blue Ocean Conservation and Rescue Center have provided a vital life-raft to countless injured and stranded ocean creatures, including melon-headed whales, dolphins and seal turtles, which the center has rescued and attempted to nurse back to health.

Steve, who has only been in China for a few years, still struggles with the Chinese language. Fortunately, his employer has provided an interpreter for him and he has expressed a desire to buckle down and learn Chinese properly, which he hopes will enable him to better understand Hainan and further integrate into local life. Despite being unable to understand the language, Steve always greets his Chinese colleagues warmly whenever he sees them, and for him, Hainan Ocean Paradise is his home away from home. After work, Steve enjoys taking a run within the park. “We’ve got mountains just behind our park. Catching the evening breeze after dinner is really relaxing.”

Despite Hainan’s rapid development, with many opulent hotels, resorts and the Education Innovation Zone going up in quick succession, Steven believes that Hainan cares about protecting the environment, evidenced by how well the natural ecological environment has been maintained here. In his opinion, environmental and ecological protection starts with public awareness, especially among young people. “I tell the youth of today how lucky they are to live in a place like Hainan, with such a diverse natural environment.”

To boost awareness among this demographic, Steven and his colleagues regularly visit communities and schools to hold educational activities where they call on the community to get involved in conservation and rescue efforts and carry that mission from Hainan to the rest of China.