Yann Debelle de Montby (France) : Member of Advisory Committee of UNESCO International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD), Former Brand Image Director of Alfred Dunhill, CEO of Debelle de Montby Associates, Senior Interior Designer, Product Designer and Fashion Designer 

"Beijing is like an oak tree, a beautiful and majestic tree with roots deep in the earth and the trunk growing upwards, towards the sun and the future." Yann comes from France and is a Member of ICCSD Advisory Committee. He has lived in Shanghai, China for 15 years and first came to Beijing 19 years ago in 2002. In his view, Beijing's future is sustainable.

In the summer of 2021, Yann participated in the 2021 Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing. He came to the city once again and visited Caicifang Workshop, Shougang Park, Winter Olympic venues together with other participants. He noted that Beijing can always give him surprises, "I was lucky to make my own artwork using the 18th century ceramics, a piece of wood and natural glue at Caicifang Workshop. The word 'sustainability' came to my mind as we restored these ancient utensils and made them into something different, giving the old things new life."

Yann (left) talks with businesses at Heping Guoju (Photo by Li Xiaogang)

Yann was impressed by and fell in love with many of Beijing's old items, "Especially the old bikes, which are a wonderful means of transportation, with strong ties to China, and a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way of getting around." For Yann, cycling represented Beijing, an art of slowing down and savoring life. He said that Beijing was not only a city with traditions of more than a thousand years of history, but also a metropolis full of inspiration. Beijing also had the ability to restore and rebuild old places, especially some industrial ruins and areas, and give them a brand new look.

Yann experiences making ancient ceramic derivatives at Caicifang Workshop. (Photo by Li Xiaogang)

"We visited one of the venues in Beijing Competition Zone of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Big Air Shougang. With stylish appearance, it is really a fine example of spectacular architecture. It was a great idea to integrate the unique industrial heritage site in the park with the construction of the Olympic venue. What fascinates me about Beijing is not only the transformation of industrial sites, but also the long-term planning of the city's future. Obviously, Beijing's future, like many big cities around the world, is sustainable, and China has made a lot of efforts to that end. Beijing will continue to promote sustainable development, creating more green spaces and providing cleaner air for residents and visitors through restoration and renovation. We have seen great progress in these areas."

Background

In June, 2021, Beijing witnessed 2021 Silk Road Rediscovery Tour of Beijing: A Centurial Journey of Progress, which was hosted by the Information Office of Beijing Municipality, and organized by CRI Online of China Media Group. A group of 17 foreign online influencers from 13 countries including Brazil, France, Greece, Guatemala and South Korea, who have been living and working in China, witnessed beauty and charms of Beijing through the event. The tour focused on topics such as improving the ecological environment and building a livable city, cultural heritage and innovation, preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the building of an center for scientific and technological innovation, development of Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC), building of an international consumption center, enabling the participants to tap into new fruition of local high-quality development.