Hakan Tore (L) speaks at the ceremony yesterday. Cathy Mo

Cathy Mo

JINGSHAN Villas, the city’s most populous international community, honored its most loyal residents during a talent show Saturday evening.

The fourth Honorable Resident Appreciation Evening and 2009 Talent Show drew some 400 expats to the estate’s outdoor sports center.

Submerged in the festive mood ahead of China’s National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, the audience cheered and gave big hands to performances by their neighbors. Organizers presented awards to a total of 20 families who have lived in Jingshan for at least five years. Among them, the Gopals have stayed the longest — 15 years. When receiving the award, Swedish resident Hakan Tore, whose family has been at Jingshan for 10 years, said: “It’s fantastic living here. My children grew up in Jingshan and my daughter is now a high school student in an international school in Shekou. I hope they will take Jingshan home wherever they go.”

Honorable Resident is an annual award created by China Merchants Real Estate (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. and China Merchants Property Management (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. to thank Jingshan tenants who have lived at least five years in the housing estate and have made contributions to cultural exchange and economic development in the area.