Ningbo Embraces the Asian Games| Italian Expat Belleri Welcomes the Asian Games!

Video by Chen Ye

“我喜欢中国，中国很多地方的风景都特别迷人。当然，我最爱的还是宁波！”在北仑新碶大港工业社区宁波美联外贸服务有限公司，初见Belleri，记者就被他热情邀到办公室。进门右手边，一整面墙都是中国地图，45个图钉钉在地图的角角落落。图钉是他遍布中国的印迹，26年，45个城市，最北到过内蒙古呼伦贝尔，最南打卡海南三亚。

(资料图片仅供参考)

“I love China. Many places in China have beautiful scenery. Of course, my favorite place is Ningbo!" said Giovanni Battista Belleri, welcoming the correspondent into his office at China-Melan Co., Ltd, in Dagang Industry Community Service Center, Xinqi Sub-District, Beilun District. In the office, there is an entire wall covered by a map of China, with 45 pins marking the cities Belleri has visited in the past 26 years. The furthest north he has been is Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia, while the furthest south is Sanya in Hainan.

图钉是老贝遍布中国的印迹。记者 陈烨/摄45 pins mark the cities Belleri has visited in the past 26 years. (Photo by Chen Ye)

Belleri来自意大利布雷西亚，中文名叫贝莱瑞，不过同事们更喜欢称呼他“老贝”。老贝是“理工男”，从意大利顶尖学府米兰理工大学毕业后，40多年里专注并深耕先进制造业领域。他的事业可分两个时间轴，前20多年，供职跨国公司，曾在美国、加拿大、印度尼西亚、马来西亚等国工作；后20年，定居宁波，运用专业技术、知识和经验，将“宁波制造”的机械设备、电子零件等出口到世界各地，助力很多中小企业抱团出海。也因此，他曾两次获得“茶花奖”（这是宁波授予外国专家的最高荣誉，是市政府为表彰在宁波改革开放和经济建设中作出积极贡献的外国专家而设立的）。

Belleri (Chinese name贝莱瑞) comes from Brescia, Italy. His colleagues call him "老贝". Since graduating from Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s top engineering university, Belleri has worked as an advanced manufacturing expert for over 40 years. In the first 20 years of his career, he worked for several multinationals in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond. Then he moved to Ningbo, where he settled down and spent the subsequent two decades exporting locally-produced machinery, electronic components, and other products, helping many Ningbo SMEs to go global. As a result, he has twice won the "Camellia Award" (the highest honor awarded by the Ningbo municipal government to foreign experts who have made significant contributions to the opening up and economic growth of Ningbo).

过去三年，是并肩作战的三年。老贝说，2020 年 3 月，他的家乡布雷西亚遭受病毒重创，感染病例激增，由于当地防护和医疗设备短缺，病人死亡率很高。彼时，中国特别是浙江省，多次派出医疗队，并输送成吨的心电图机、呼吸机等医疗物资。而老贝也给意大利客户寄了很多“宁波制造”的口罩、手套和防护服，以确保他们的公司有效对抗病毒。“作为感谢，我的意大利客户为宁波制造业和外贸也提供了持续性的订单。”

During the past three years of the pandemic, Belleri's role as a bridge between Ningbo and Italy brought the two closers together. In March 2020, Belleri's hometown experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections that led to a high mortality rate due to a shortage of PPE and medical equipment. At that time, China, with Zhejiang Province at the forefront, sent many medical teams and delivered substantial amounts of medical supplies, including ECG machines and ventilators, to Brescia. Belleri shipped Ningbo-made face masks, gloves, and hazmat suits to his Italian clients, helping them stay safe from the virus. "These Italian companies became stable clients of Ningbo's manufacturers and exporters, as a gesture of thanks."

老贝给记者展示出口的“宁波制造”。记者 陈烨/摄Belleri introduces locally-produced products to the reporter. (Photo by Chen Ye)

“宁波是一个得天独厚的港口城市，朝气蓬勃，有文化，有温度，其中北仑有着非常扎实的工业基础，营商环境非常好，高端制造发展速度也越来越快。”他对这座城市的评价，也一直是他对外的“推荐词”。

"Ningbo is a dynamic port city with a rich culture and a welcoming, respectful local community. Beilun District in particular is an industrial powerhouse with a friendly business environment and a rapidly growing advanced manufacturing sector," said Belleri, as he always does to anyone who is getting to know Ningbo for the first time.

老贝热爱这片土地，之所以扎根在这里，吸引的他有很多。他有一个“中国胃”，最喜欢宁波本帮菜和透骨新鲜的海鲜，还喜欢炝蟹、泥螺配“阿拉老酒”，只不过因为痛风，这两年不敢贪嘴。他还特别能吃辣，像泡椒牛蛙、剁椒鱼头，酸菜鱼片等，都被纳入他的“菜单”。

There are many reasons behind Belleri’s deep fondness of Ningbo, one of which is his appetite for Chinese food, especially the city’s local cuisine and fresh seafood. Belleri is a fan of spicy foods such as spicy bullfrog, fish head with chopped chili, and fish fillet with pickled cabbage and chili. He has even developed a taste for marinated crab and mud snails, coupled with a few shots of "alalaojiu" (a local wine). Sadly, he has not been able to indulge in these culinary delights in the last couple of years because of gout.

“为什么我总是减肥失败，那是因为中国菜太好吃了！”老贝调侃道，自己对街边小吃也很着迷，尤其是不能抗拒“葱油饼”的香味。

"Why do I always have trouble losing weight? Because Chinese food is too delicious!" joked Belleri. He is also in love with China’s street food, especially scallion pancakes: their aroma is simply irresistible!

老贝有个“中国胃”。（通讯员 供图）Belleri’s deep fondness of Chinese food. (Photo by Jiang Jueyi)

在宁波20年，老贝感受着这里日新月异的变化。今年是亚运年，他觉得这是一个特别好的对外展示这座城市的机会，他也无比期待“家门口”的盛事。说起来，老贝真的是一个运动狂热者，常年保持游泳、徒步的习惯，周末若有空闲，还会到九峰山登山，环东钱湖骑行，在海上冲浪。一些马拉松赛事上，也会有他的身影。

Having resided in Ningbo for twenty years, Belleri has witnessed the city's rapid growth. 2023 is the year of the Asian Games, which he is very much looking forward to and believes is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the city to the rest of the world. As a sports enthusiast, Belleri maintains a year-round fitness routine that consists of swimming and hiking. On weekends, he would ascend Jiufeng Mountain, cycle around Dongqian Lake, or surf. He has also competed in several marathons.

老贝是运动达人。（通讯员 供图）Belleri is a sports enthusiast. (Photo by Jiang Jueyi)

“我在宁波迎亚运！”对着镜头，不会中文的老贝努力寻找正确的发音，热情向大家发出邀请。他说，如果时间允许的话，会参与到宁波千名老外、百个社区（村）迎亚运接力跑活动中来，希望能用奔跑的姿态，迎接更多朋友来宁波看亚运。

"我在宁波迎亚运！

“Wo zai ning bo ying ya yun (Ningbo embraces the Asian Games!)," enunciates Belleri with gusto in his best Mandarin, in front of the camera. He expressed his willingness to participate in Ningbo's relay race for the Asian Games if time permits, with the aim of attracting more visitors to the city for the much-anticipated sporting event.

记者 陈烨 通讯员 陈红 姜珏伊

Reporter:Chen Ye

Correspondents:Chen Hong, Jiang Jueyi

Translated:Mei Jie

Proofreader:Zhao Qingchuan

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