| "Shanghai is my second hometown" |
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| Date:26/08/2006 |
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By intern reporter Chen Wei
It is nearly 10 years since
Mr. Warren Wisnewski came to Shanghai. It seems that he has completely blended
with the city and Jinqiao, an international community in Pudong where he is
living. He can hardly speak any Chinese, but he has no doubt become a "Shanghai
expert".
As we approached the office building of Kodak Company at 28
Xinjinqiao Lu in Pudong, we thought about the Kodak express photo service
outlets all over the cities in China.
Mr. Warren Wisnewski is always busy
towards the end of a year. Returning from Christmas holiday, he had a very tight
schedule. But we could hardly find any sign of tiredness.
"More than half of
the major decisions and achievements of Kodak in China were made in Pudong
Jinqiao," he said. From October 1995, Kodak has seen a development from making
printed circuit boards to digital cameras and then to introducing a digital
medical image R&D center to China.
Warren Wisnewski said that Kodak had
a pledge when it first came to Shanghai - bringing the best technology to
Shanghai. Today, half of Kodak's digital cameras sold in the world are produced
in Pudong.
He said: "From manufacturing to R&D, local government has
offered great services to the company." In a beautiful building opposite its
Shanghai head office building is Kodak Digital Medical Image Asia-Pacific
Technology and Development Center. This is the only world-class digital medical
image R&D center outside the US headquarters of Kodak.
Warren Wisnewski
has always had a great passion for Shanghai.
"Shanghai is my second hometown.
I have never thought about leaving." He has worked and lived with his wife and
children in Shanghai for eight years. He obviously loves this city.
To him,
Shanghai has not only modern skyscrapers at the Bund, but also delicious snacks
at Chenghuangmiao, old Shikumen houses and soft Shanghai dialects. They create a
perfect blending of modernity and Oriental charm.
During his leisure time,
he likes to enjoy a bowl of knife-shredded noodles with pepper jam, skillfully
using chopsticks.
The 2010 World Expo means a lot to Warren
Wisnewski.
Kodak has long been involved in world expos.
As early as in
1893, when the World Expo was held in Chicago, the girls clad in Kodak dresses
and Kodak films were the most impressive scene at the fair. When Shanghai
successfully won the World Expo bid, Mr. Henri Petit, the then Asia-Pacific
chairman and president of Eastman Kodak sent a congratulatory letter. The World
Expo is a great occasion for the promotion of Kodak products.
Living in the
city for years, Warren Wisnewski is full of confidence over the prospects of the
Expo. Interviewed by the media, he would always say he would grade Pudong
Jinqiao 9.5 points out of 10. Will he give a full mark to the Expo construction?
Like all Shanghai residents, Warren Wisnewski has the same expectation.
The
sun shines through the glass curtain wall. Looking ahead, we were impressed by a
beautiful scene outside -- a few small pretty buildings sitting by the lake,
framed by a large area of greenery.
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