Recently, the news of Chairman Yuan Yafei being the Brand Ambassador of “Nanjing Week” of London Design Festival 2016 has elicited wide public concern. On 7 July, “Nanjing Week” of London Design Festival 2016 held a grand press conference and a piece of striking news was released at the scene: The world’s famous city “Nanjing Week” activities will appear in London Design Festival 2016 from September 19 to September 25 this year.

London Design Festival has been held for 13 years and is the annual feast of creativity and bellwether of the global design industry. Hundreds of related forums, exhibitions and lectures organized by worldwide top-notch design agencies are held at every Festival. The “Nanjing Week” of London Design Festival 2016 is themed with “Oriental Cultural Capital Meets Western City of Creativity”. A series of activities such as “Tang Xianzu Encounters Shakespeare"- Dialogue between Chinese Kunqu Opera and Shakespearean Works, Nanjing and London Art Institutes Creative Education and Cooperation Forum and so on will be held during “Nanjing Week” to showcase Nanjing’s charms. Deputy Consul-General Tony Clemson of the British Consulate-General in Shanghai attended the press conference and delivered a speech.

Due to its close tie and frequent contacts with the UK, Sanpower Group made frequent appearances in the press conference. Yue Lei, Senior Vice President of Sanpower Group and Ambassador for United for Wildlife (UFW), was invited to share the stories of Sanpower Group and the UK at the press conference—

In 2014, Nanjing Cenbest under Sanpower Group bought the British quintessential department store. In 2015, the strategic partner of Sanpower Group acquired the British famous toy store Hamleys. The two brands will make debut in Xinjiekou of Nanjing to lift the “British trend”. While engaging in commercial exchanges, Sanpower also conducted public welfare cooperation with the United Kingdom.

In March 2015, the GREAT festival of Creativity was held in Shanghai. HRH Prince William invited Chairman Yuan Yafei of Sanpower Group to Yunnan to visit the Xishuangbanna Elephant Sanctuary. In October 2015, during President Xi Jinping’s visit in Britain, Prince William and Yuan Yafei jointly launched a wildlife protection initiative in William Prince’s residence Kensington Palace. In March 2016, Senior Vice President Yue Lei of Sanpower Group became the first Chinese Ambassador of UfW. In June 2016, Prince William invited Yuan Yafei to attend the private dinner in London and agreed to go to Africa to visit the wildlife protection observation station supported by the wildlife protection initiative.

“We should not indulge in our triumphs over nature. For each such a triumph, nature will retaliate against us.” Yue Lei introduced the status of animal extinction by quoting Enders’ famous words and called on people to join the wildlife protection action. UfW is the special institution that supports the international public goods of this “Nanjing Week”. The “Nanjing Week” of London Design Festival 2016 will hold “Twin Cities Care, Gesture of Love”—wildlife conservation and public service activities.

Since its inception 23 years ago, Sanpower Group has developed from a Nanjing local business to one that plays a leading role in Sino-British non-government welfare exchange. And because of this, he became the Brand Ambassador of the “Nanjing Week” of London Design Festival 2016 to speak on behalf of Nanjing. Yue Lei accepted the “Ambassador Bronze Medal” awarded by the Organizing Committee on behalf of Chairman Yuan Yafei.

In the end, the 5 ambassadors and the Deputy Consul-General Tony Clemson of the British Consulate-General in Shanghai together launched the “Nanjing Week”.