Scotsman's mission to bridge cultures through creativity

The name of Jim Galloway is indispensable when acknowledging those who have worked behind the scenes to advance the friendship between Edinburgh and Shenzhen.

As a precursor, Galloway, who was former head of enterprise and innovation at the City of Edinburgh Council, was in the core team to figure out what the cooperative relationship between a Scottish and a Chinese city should look like and helped determine that business-to-business partnership in the creative industry — an area where both cities excel — should be the focus.

In 2013, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Shenzhen and Edinburgh to establish the Edinburgh-Shenzhen Creative Exchange, a project that provides incubators and productive spaces in both cities for creative and technology enterprises to explore opportunities in each other's market.

Since its inception in 2015, the center has organized a series of activities, including two-way visits, investment conferences, promotional events, creative enterprise competitions, and more, with Galloway playing an active role in all of them.

These exchanges yielded fruitful results, culminating in the official twinning between the two cities in 2019, and Galloway was the principal negotiator and the author of the sister-city agreement.

The past decade or so has been a journey of discovery for Galloway, during which he moved through busy streets and narrow lanes of Shenzhen during his 10 visits at least; slowly came to know its history, demographics, cityscape, industry and culture; and formed long-lasting bonds with the people there, whom he calls xiongdi and meimei, or brothers and sisters.

The 63-year-old hesitated for a moment when asked why he had been so dedicated to promoting exchanges between the two cities. Then, he placed his hand on his chest and said, "When you've been to Shenzhen, there is something about the city that can get to your heart."

A futuristic city — driven by its young, dynamic and inclusive demographic, as well as a thirst for entrepreneurship and innovation — was the impression that struck the Scotsman on his first visit. "I immediately fell in love with the city and bonded with its people, and I want others to experience that as well," Galloway said.

The journey of discovery is never without its hitch. When asked about the obstacles he had faced, Galloway recalled the "chaos" on the day the incubation center opened in Shenzhen in 2015.

The day before, he worked until 3 am and got up at 7 am to dress in Scottish traditional attire, including a wool jacket, a knee-length kilt, and the kilt hose socks. The Scotsman, clad in the heavy Highland wear, ran back and forth on a 36 C summer day with 80 percent humidity, sweating buckets, putting up with hunger as he was too busy to grab a bite, yet still trying to arrange everything in order.

"And the funniest challenge for a fully dressed Scotsman is maneuvering yourself through the city because everybody wanted a photograph with a man in a kilt. I must have been the most photographed person in Shenzhen that day," he joked.

The long day did not come to an end until midnight. For Galloway, it was a very busy, hungry, hot and sweaty day — but also a deeply memorable one.

In the years since, he has continued to work hard to carry on the legacy.

Even after leaving the city council in 2019 and founding his own consultancy company Edinburgh Global Limited, the priority of his business is still forging connections between Shenzhen and Edinburgh. He has also been actively involved in the All-Party Parliamentary China Group and the Scottish Parliament to promote opportunities in China.

"For me, it was more than a project, it was more than a job. It has become my mission to keep the relationship going," he said.

Even when geopolitical tensions got in the way, Galloway seldom thought of giving up and remains a firm believer in the power of frank and trusted dialogue. "And I am ready to be there and help make connections," he said.

zhengwanyin@mail.chinadailyuk.com