Home appliance giant Haier receives award for its support to UK-China charity project

Chinese companies, including Haier, Bank of China, and ICBC, were given awards for sponsoring a charity project of the restoration of the Butterfly Lovers Pavilion at Garden Wisley in the United Kingdom.

A ceremony to celebrate the completion of the restoration of the pavilion, which has stood in Surrey, England for almost two decades, was held by China Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom, or CCCUK, on April 25.

The traditional Chinese pavilion, built by a Chinese horticulture company from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was a legacy of the flower show that the Royal Horticultural Society, or RHS, held at Hampton Court Palace in 2005.

Zhao Fei, minister of China's Embassy in the UK, attended the ceremony and told attendees about the Chinese folk story, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, or the “butterfly lovers”, which is behind the name of the pavilion.

“The story is known as Romeo and Juliet in the East, where two young people who truly love each other eventually transformed into butterflies, flying together to pursue eternal love,” he said. “We cherish common aspiration to continue to promote China-UK friendship and to write a new chapter in exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.”

The pavilion has since become a popular attraction at RHS Garden Wisley, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, but over the years parts of the pavilion started to rot and the roof began to come apart.

When the news came onto the radar of the business group, it started to fundraise for the restoration of the pavilion as part of its charity projects with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, the official charity of the City of London.

Zhang Huijuan, vice-chair of CCCUK, said that with sponsorship from member companies, the pavilion has taken on a new look, displaying unique Chinese charm and symbolizing the continued cultural exchanges between China and the United Kingdom.

Haier, a Diamond Sponsor of the project, the highest level of sponsorship available, was presented with an award at the event in recognition of its support.

Established in 1984, Haier Group is a world-leading provider of solutions to a better life and has topped Global Major Appliances Brand rankings by Euromonitor International for 14 consecutive years. Its subsidiary Haier Smart Home is on the list of Global 500 of Fortune.