As the Laba Festival approaches, Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa,
Hainan once again played host to another charitable extravaganza: the 3rd
Jack Ma Rural Teacher Initiative cum Award Ceremony. After working with the
Initiative in 2016 and 2017, Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan is the
official partner of the award ceremony for the third consecutive year. The
hotel welcomed over a hundred respected teachers from different rural areas of
the country and special guests, and provided full reception service for the
award ceremony.
On 20 January, the hotel staff worked extra hard to prepare a special
welcome for the day’s special guests — 100 Jack Ma Rural Teacher Initiative
Award recipients and 50 headmasters. Head housekeeper Betty and her team worked
till midnight the day before to arrange the rooms, the catering service
delivered seasonal tropical fruits and dessert, and the recreation team and
hotel mascot Loo Hoo prepared a special Hainanese performance to kick start a
refreshing tropical island experience for the teachers. The concierge team was
ready at the lobby right from the start to greet the teachers with sweet
welcome drinks, garlands and their sincere smiles. Together with the
concierge team was a special service team from different parts of the country, volunteers
with a special mission that the hotel gathered for this charitable
extravaganza.
The 100 award-winning teachers came from 27 different provinces, cities
and autonomous regions, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Tibet, Ningxia,
Xinjiang, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Gansu. They were from rural areas and
were involved in front-line teaching positions. Some of them grew up in the
cities but sacrificed their urban lifestyles to help educate children in rural
villages. There were also some who excelled and moved out of the villages, only
to return to the home to change the fate of the children in the villages
through education. Some of the teachers ignored objections from their family members
and spent their savings to organize classes to help underprivileged children
complete their studies.
Many of the teachers were visiting Hainan for the first time. This is
their first encounter with the blue sea. The hotel specially recruited volunteers
from the same provinces, cities and autonomous regions as the teachers to
communicate with them in dialects and introduce the hotel’s facilities. The
passion from the volunteers eliminated the teachers’ sense of distance and
allowed them to feel right at home with Shangri-La’s signature hospitality.
The award ceremony was held at the hotel’s outdoor field on the night
of 21 January. Mr. Jack Ma, founder of the Jack Ma Foundation, along with
celebrity guests, led provincial teacher representatives on the red carpet.
Young singer Bai Ruoxi sang a song titled “Tongli (Peaches and Plums)” to
express her respect for the rural teachers. The song was written by renowned
musician Gao Xiaosong for the Jack Ma Rural Teacher Initiative Award Ceremony.
Representatives from Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan were on stage
during the performance to show their gratitude towards the teachers with
passionate Hainanese dance steps. The award ceremony was also attended by
renowned hosts Wang Han and Patty Hou, renowned actors and actresses Sun Li,
Tony Leung, Kenny Bee and Jet Li, renowned singer Tan Weiwei, celebrity
comedian Song Xiaobao, young singer Tracy Wang and renowned artist Pan Gongkai.
For catering, the hotel’s chefs used seasonal island fruits, special
Hainanese vegetables and a wide array of seafood to present a gastronomic
experience rich in local flavors. In addition, considering the dietary habits
and preferences of the teachers, a few classic dishes from the teachers’
hometown were also available at their tables.
As the Jack Ma Rural Teacher Initiative Award in Sanya drew to a close,
the service crew from Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan joined the
teachers in an outdoor campfire. The volunteers chatted with the teachers and
sang and danced with them. With the campfire lighting up the coastal night, the
recreation team presented the teachers with small local gifts made with coconut
fiber.
To wrap up the eventful night, the chefs
cooked Laba congee for everyone to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year in
advance like a family.
The successful running of the Jack Ma Rural
Teacher Initiative Award Ceremony for the third consecutive year showed once
again Shangri-La’s Sanya Resort & Spa, Hainan’s capability in hosting
large-scale conferences and events. The hotel has an outdoor field of over
9,600 square meters, a 1,500-square meter columnless ballroom, 10 multifunction
rooms, comfortable guest rooms, modern facilities and a professional and agile
service team that can provide thoughtful services and customized solutions for
different guests.
“We are very honored to be the official hotel
partner of Jack Ma Rural Teacher Initiative Award Ceremony for the third
consecutive year,” Mr. Rudolf Gimmi, General Manager of Shangri-La’s Sanya
Resort & Spa, Hainan, said. “The running of this event has great
significance for me and the hotel’s service crew. Our staff treasure such a
valuable experience very much. We were able to get closer to these respectable
teachers to understand their touching stories and learn about their
contributions and sacrifices. In return, we were able to give them Shangri-La’s
signature hospitality and care. Since opening its doors, Shangri-La’s Sanya
Resort & Spa, Hainan is committed to helping communities and contributing
to charitable events. We also place great emphasis on the nurturing a sense of
social responsibility in our staff. At the same time, we also pay attention to
environmental protection and saving resources. The hotel has established a
long-term partnership with Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve, and
regularly gathers volunteers to clean up natural resources and improve the
habitat of the endangered black crested gibbon. The hotel has created a
learning center where guests can learn more about the black crested gibbons’
habitat and develop stronger environmental awareness. In addition, hotel mascot
Loo Hoo, which is modelled after a Hainanese black crested gibbon, can be found
in every corner of the hotel to interact with guests and help them learn more
about the environment. In the area of education, the hotel has initiated a
long-term support program at Bincun Primary School at Begonia Bay, which sees
the hotel sponsor the school’s building improvement projects and introduction
of modern facilities. The hotel also ensure that the students have proper
learning and living environments by providing them with nutritional meals and
organizing cultural activities for them.”
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
currently operates over 100 hotels with a room inventory of over 41,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe
properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia,
Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Qatar,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United
Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects
in Australia, mainland China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
For more information, please visit www.shangri-la.com.
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Address: No. 88 North Hai Tang Road, Sanya,
Hainan, 572000, China
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/cn/sanya/shangrilasanya/?wt.mc_id=slhn_pressrelease
Phone: 0898 8875 8888
About Shangri-La Group’s CSR & Sustainability
Shangri-La Group is committed to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner while balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. We strive to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development and our CSR initiatives are focused on five key areas namely environment & biodiversity, community engagement, sustainable supply chain, employee development and health & safety. The two CSR programmes at the hotel levels – Embrace & Sanctuary – are aimed at promoting education and the environment. Embrace, Shangri-La’s Care for People project, looks at the highest level of education and health support needed in under-privileged communities. Sanctuary, Shangri-La’s Care for Nature project, promotes the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. For more information, please visit the group’s CSR section on www.shangri-la.com.