By+ZHANG+XUE

I have been pursuing my Chinese dream for 30 years，” de- clared M. Noyan Rona at the International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream， held last December in Shanghai. In fluent Chinese， Rona， chief representative of the Turkish Garanti Banks Shanghai office， at the forum related his 30-year-long tryst with China.

With a strong interest in history， Rona， then an accountant for a garage， in 1978 began to study Chinese at the Chinese Department of Ankara University. “Our Turkish ancestors once lived in northern China. I wanted to know more about that stretch of history，” Rona explained. Chinas reform and opening-up drive had just kicked off after a long spell of isolation from the outside world. People knew little about China at the time. Many of his friends thought Rona had made a strange choice.

Yet it is this very strange choice that launched Ronas 30-year tryst with China. Upon obtaining a scholarship through his excellent academic performance， Rona came to China in 1983 and began to study Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute （now Beijing Language and Culture University）. Three years later Rona obtained a Masters degree in history from Wuhan University， becoming the fi rst Turkish citizen to obtain an MA in China.

Witness to China-Turkey Exchanges

“Since 1971， when China and Turkey established diplomatic relations， 43 years have passed. Throughout that span， Ive lived in China for 30 years. So Ive been witness to China-Turkey exchanges，” said Rona. In the last three decades， dramatic changes have ensued in China. Rona feels lucky to have been able to personally experience such vast changes. In his words， his wonderful experience of living 30 years in China has gone far beyond his expectations.

Upon finishing his studies in China， Rona took up a position in Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Soon after， he was dispatched to the Turkish embassy in Beijing. In 1995， when the Turkish president visited China， Rona acted as the presidents interpreter –his very first time as an interpreter for a state leader， a moment he has since been very proud of. His skillful mastery of Chinese language has earned him many compliments. Rona has since gone on to become the No. 1 Turkish-Chinese interpreter for good reason. Even now， he still has the photos of the meetings between Chinese and Turkish leaders during different periods， with himself as the interpreter.

“This is a front-page headline. Here is our President， and thats me behind him，” he says， showing us an old page of Peoples Daily.

With the growth of trade between China and Turkey， in 1999 Garanti Bank set up a representative office in Shanghai， becoming the first Turkish bank to establish a presence in China.

Despite his love for diplomatic work， understanding the huge potential in ChinaTurkey economic and trade exchanges and promising prospects in the business world， Rona quit his job at the Turkish Consulate General in Shanghai and became the chief representative of Garanti Banks Shanghai office.

In 2012， China-Turkey trade volume rocketed to US $24 billion – a vast sum that entails a huge demand for banking services. However， as per Chinas regulations， representative offices of foreign banks are not allowed to engage in any profit-making banking business. Therefore， Rona has devoted more attention to market research， investment consultation and trade promotion. Many Turkish people intending to invest in China have come to Rona for advice. This has made him a promoter of and witness to bilateral economic and trade exchanges.

New business opportunities are now coming available to Rona with the establishment of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and the prospect of a series of major Chinese initiatives and policies， such as building a Silk Road economic belt and relaxing access to the financial sector. On October 29， 2013， the Marmaray undersea tunnel opened in Istanbul– the worlds first underwater railway tunnel linking Europe and Asia， making Turkey an important transfer hub for trade between China and Europe， which is bound to bring new opportunities to China-Turkey trade development. Rona is very excited about these advances.

Honorary Citizen of Shanghai

In 2012 Noyan Rona was named an“Honorary Citizen of Shanghai” – the top award for foreign nationals who have made extraordinary contributions to socio-economic development of the southern metroplis. Since its establishment in 1997， Shanghai has granted 35 foreign citizens this special honor. In August 2013， 57-year-old Rona received his Chinese green card – permanent residence permit for foreigners. Rona believes he has finally become truly Shanghainese.

Today， Rona is quite a well-known figure in Shanghai， if only for his “meddling.” In 2009， he was elected head of foreign volunteers in Changning District for the Shanghai World Expo. Leading a group of expatriates who love Shanghai as he does， Rona helped the local government correct street signs miswritten in foreign languages. He loves being a volunteer and likes to correct shortcomings around the city because he takes the city as home. His greatest achievement as a volunteer comes out of the conviction that he has done what should be done. For example， he has raised suggestions to various organizations and people in Shanghai， including local government， shops and administrators of parks.

This perhaps begs the question， why would a foreigner embrace such a sense of responsibility for Shanghai or China？ Rona replied that he doesnt regard himself as a foreigner or an outsider to local society. In his view， if every person in the city were to display and act on a sense of responsibility， life in the city would be even better.

At a feedback meeting organized by local transport authorities， Rona suggested that advertisements should not cover the rear glass of taxis since they could block the drivers view of behind the vehicle， so constituting a potential hazard. His suggestion was soon adopted by the municipal government. Since then， such ads have been only allowed on the lower part of cab windows. After the change and the story behind it were covered by TV news shows， Rona became famous among cab drivers. Once when Rona was walking along the street， a cab driver pulled over and invited him for a free ride. Although Rona had merely intended to cross the road at first， he got into the cab and chatted with the driver. Rona enjoys this type of interaction because， in his view， this makes him more like a local.

All such social activities， whether correcting improper practices， cleaning up litter in the neighborhood， acting as a traffic safety volunteer or financing 10 needy students， have been in Ronas spare time， since his focus is still on his professional work. He says he takes on these social activities out of conscience and has no intention of earning repute.

More Chinese Dreams

Visiting professor of Chinas North-west University， board member of the Shandong Overseas Friendship Association and member of the Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee – Rona is all these titles rolled into one， and is likely to achieve even more in the future.

“Everyone should have his or her dream， even if he or she is 80 or 90 years old. Peoples dreams are supposed to be fluid，” Rona said. He is realizing his dream step by step through his endeavors.

With the China-Turkey trade increasing dynamically nowadays， Rona is even busier at his work， and also more concerned about the development of bilateral relations. During the Turkish presidents latest visit to China， Rona， despite being no longer a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey， again acted as interpreter. “I want to contribute my part to China-Turkey relations. I really cherish this chance to interpret， and am unwilling to let it go. At such major events， I want to do my best to help state leaders understand each other more accurately，” he said.

Once a young man who cherished a single dream to understand a stretch of history by learning Chinese， Noyan Rona has matured into a witness， participant and promoter of China-Turkey exchange. He says he owes all this to his first dream and his 30-year-long perseverance. Chinas development has surpassed the expectations of Chinese people and the world as well. Rona believes that in the future China will be even more amazing. He will hence stay in Shanghai， the countrys most dynamic and open metropolis， to witness all the dreams， of China， its people and expats living here， come true.