AIIB Tree Planting Day
2017-06-13

At the request of AIIB, this Department organized the Tree Planting Day in the reforestation area north of the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office Building, on 6 May. Ms. Jiang Qi, DSB deputy director general, Mr. Zhang Yue, Miss Lin Li and Mr. Liu Yong, HSC general and deputy general managers, together with Danny Alexander, Luky Eko Wuryanto and Yang Dan, AIIB vice presidents and department director, as well as a number of AIIB employees with their families, planted trees together for lasting DRC-AIIB friendship

Tree planting has a long history, having been adopted as an ecological diversity strategy for decades, in China. The words “green” and “environment preservation” are world’s motto of development today, which happens to be AIIB’s key operational focus.

The day before the event, a sand storm raged in Beijing with a shroud of twirling-swirling sand darkening the sky, serving as a reminder that there is no time to lose in protecting our environment. Nevertheless, the day for the event was sunny despite the still strong wind but was never strong enough to foil the passion of the event-goers. Ms. Jiang said in the opening address that human beings were closely related to Nature and any change of the latter would affect the physical balance of the former. To plant 20 new trees, it was hoped that they would bear witness to a greener future. Mr. Luky Eko Wuryanto thanked the DRC for organizing the event and gave appreciation for the presence of the AIIB employees. He said everyone ought to contribute to caring our common homeland, planet Earth.

Inspired by the opening remarks, the AIIB employees devoted themselves into the digging, planting, refilling and watering in high morale. The tree planting area was divided into two parts, the eastern being able to hold 11 and the western 9 new trees. A children’s corner was also arranged for planting flowers where kids may choose and plant the species they like into small pots and take them home. Many participants turned to the western part as they finished with the eastern, showing no sign of exhaustion. One of them declared, “Having a chance to sweat it out with my colleagues and contribute to a greener Earth won’t make me tired at all, even I’d have to plant 10 more trees!”

Before long, 20 new trees were erected in front of the Office Building square, on which plaques with AIIB and DRC logos were hung, as keepsakes of the AIIB-DRC comradeship.

Although lasting merely 90 minutes, the event showcases the DRC care for and willingness to be of service to our customers.

In retrospect, the AIIB gave only 2 weeks’ time for preparing the event, as the request was made in mid April and it was supposed to happen in early May. To ensure that it would proceed smoothly, we made detailed plans in every respect. To make it more appealing, T-shirts and hats printed with the AIIB logo and words “Lean, Clean, Green” were made as a pleasant surprise to the AIIB employees. Through repeated discussions with the AIIB Administrative Department, the plan was made and remade time and again to make certain that every detail was correct and well connected, with nothing missing. Out of discretion, the Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Office Building was chosen and recommended as the site of the event for proximity and convenient transportation, meeting AIIB requirements whilst it is also an example of DRC’s upmarket office property, beneficial to establishing and promoting the DRC brand name. When choosing the saplings, we visited a plant nursery at Daxing District with senior executive of the Liangmaqiao DRC Property Management to decide on the species, size, site, number and budget, when magnolia, midget crabapple, oriental cherry (sakura) and prunus cerasifera that suited the Beijing climatic and geological conditions were selected. The young trees picked were about 2 meters tall with nice canopies, complying with the DRC buildings’ chic look whilst being not too heavy for the planters to handle. To ensure the survivability rate, professional greenery workers were invited to clear up and refill the tree pits in advance to make sure that the new trees would live and the AIIB employees could accomplish their tasks within 1 hour, safe and sound. Two managerial staff and greenery workers each were deployed at the site to oversee and help with survivability of the plants, quantitively and qualitively.

The success of the event owes largely to the strong support and cooperation of the Liangmaqiao DRC Property Management, Supply Center, PR & Sales Department and Financial Department. Ms. Jiang Qi, together with top HSC executives, contributed generously with specific instructions. For instance, Mr. Liu Yong, HSC deputy general manager, held two preparatory meetings to make sure that every detail was in the right place. Top executives of each of the related departments paid personal attention to the event to ensure that things would proceed smoothly. The Liangmaqiao DRC Property Management devoted personnel and other resources into the site picking, arrangement, coordination and backup service; the Supply Center provided speedy support in respect of procurement and transportation; the PR & Sales Department offered quality assistance in terms of publicity and on-site service; and the Financial Department presented insightful help in regard to budget application and fiscal control. On the day of the event, it was still too windy for the poster-stand and banners to remain still. The security staff from the Property Management carried in sand bags to make them steady and a maintenance worker used his own hands to hold fast the banners, from beginning to the end. The most charming scene came when Ms. Jiang Qi accompanied the AIIB employees throughout the event to tell and show them how to plant the trees, communicating in foreign language. Mr. Zhang Yue, having barely recovered from an illness, also showed up and worked with the AIIB employees. Miss Lin Li and Mr. Liu Yong, HSC deputy general managers, gave directions throughout the event in the strong wind to make sure everything went efficiently. With bureau and corporate executives’ care and guidance and related departments’ strong support and assistance, the event was a big success, accomplished in a considerably limited time, from planning to happening.

The new trees will bear witness to DRC-AIIB friendship and the smiling faces of the AIIB employees will be our motivation to continue offering quality services. We will devote to serving the nation’s diplomatic endeavors and needs of the customers, and ensure that the DRC brand name will leave a long-lasting impression on the minds of the AIIB employees. Though the event has ended, our affinity with the AIIB will live on, like the trees we planted together, which will grow big and stay green.