By Lucia Caretti & Francesca Giannotti
Thanks to the prosperous winter seasons, the mountain views, the skiing facilities, and the support of a ski-instructor of Bardonecchia who, for years, has been working in the tourist business with Beijing. He has embraced our most innovative initiative: seeking for help in China. We’ve started by translating our projects in Chinese characters, and yesterday 60 thousand masks, donated by a Chinese enterprise, have arrived at Malpensa. These will be distributed in the next days.
“When we first visited the Turinese Alps, we have been warmly welcomed by the Italian population: we felt them very close”. This is how Liu Guogang, manager of the operation and and who lead the group of influencers sent here in December by Torino Turismo, remembers his experience here in Italy. “Once we arrived back we wanted to strengthen our relationship with the office of Tourism, but unfortunately the Covid-19 didn’t make this possible. When we saw that the emergency in Italy had outgrown, we took immediate action to help you fight this battle”.
Luca Ballet, 31 year old from Bardonecchia, who has act as intermediary between us, is the founder of China Italy Experience, a business that attracts many investors like Mr. Guogang. Liu, is the president of a television network dedicated to snow sports and golf that attracts millions of viewers online. Through the use of his media, he has managed to convince several entrepreneurs to help finance the equipment for Specchio dei tempi. To be precise: we received 60 thousand masks that have been produced by the Fu Lijia company and sent directly to us in Italy. Specchio dei tempi was, on the other side, in charge of the transfer and has dealt with all the international bureaucracy, managing to have the products arrive in no time.
As an act of friendship and support, our Chinese friends had organized a small ceremony to celebrate the departure of the masks. This has all been documented by Guogang’s network. The banners stated, in Chinese characters, a message of solidarity that has been brought forward from many Eastern Countries: “We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden”.
Other donors such as Mr Linzhijie, who has sent us 4000 masks that have already been donate to the Rivoli hospital (near Turin). The 60 thousand masks from Beijing will not be delivered to the healthcare units, but to the families in need and to the association Nuova generazione italo-cinese and to other charity associations.
The healthcare structures that have already beneficiated of over 900 thousand PPE equipments are over a hundred, between hospitals and other entities. Dozens of machineries, bought and donated by Specchio dei tempi, have been installed in this last month.
It is incredible what has been possible with the help of 13 thousand donations, of which 30 are from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Donating is still possible. You can contribute by using your credit card here, or through a bank transfer directly on our bank account: Specchio dei tempi, via Lugaro 15, 10126 Torino, IBAN: IT67 L0306909 6061 0000 0117 200, Banca Intesasanpaolo. You can also find us on Global Giving.
The Juventus player Barbara Bonansea deliveries 4 thousand chirurgical masks to the Hospital of Rivoli for Specchio dei tempi
