China expert city planners meet with Saipan mayor

From left, Crystal Wang, Rose Ada, Kevin Lee, Qingyu Liu, Saipan Mayor David Apatang, Dr. Hu Bo, Jia Yu, Henry Hofschneider, and Kiki Chen. (Contributed Photo)

Four of China’s expert city planners and architects—Kevin Lee, Crystal Wang, Qingyu Liu, and Jia Yu—along with Skywalker Communications Group managing director, Dr. Hu Bo, recently paid a courtesy visit to Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang.

Lee is currently the acting director of the Shanghai Jiaotong University’s Advanced Institute of Finance. He was the developer and development consultant for the Guoao Group’s Raycom Real Estate Development Corp. and the Star River Hotel & Apartment Project and an associate professor in Architectural Design at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture’s Art Research Center. He has worked on several reputable projects, one of which is the Beijing Olympic Village.

Wang has 15 years of experience in the field of real estate, marketing, and urban/rural development. Wang is currently the deputy general manager and land operational consultant for the Guoao New Energy Group, where she oversees research strategies for urban development, development planning for government and property developers, and implementation of urban construction schemes, designs, marketing and investment attraction policy.

Liu is an architect who is currently the co-partner and Architectural Design director for YanHuang International Architecture & Engineering Co. Ltd., one the biggest architectural design firms in Beijing, China, that oversees architectural planning for the city, landscaping, and interior design, to name a few. Liu is also an associate professor for the Tsinghua University and the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture’s Art Research Center.

Since Typhoon Soudelor hit Saipan in August, causing huge damage to the island, the Saipan Mayor’s Office and Skywalker have worked hard to find the best solution to the housing problem.

“I really appreciated all the efforts Skywalker did for our community and now they are planning to bring a new technology housing program named ‘GreenStay’ to provide a solution for the housing problem caused by Typhoon Shoulder,” said Apatang.

The GreenStay project is a program was born from the desire of Skywalker to assist those whose homes were damaged by Typhoon Soudelor. The idea for an environmentally friendly and typhoon-proof home was introduced to Apatang in September. This new housing technology has a lot of advantages, including modularity, efficiency, style, environmentally friendly, cost saving, and durability.

“We were devastated when we saw the news about the typhoon on TV and the damage it left behind—homes destroyed and families displaced,” said Liu. “When Dr. Bo of Skywalker approached us with the GreenStay idea and the reason for his desire to take on such a project, I was more than willing to do my part to assist with this mission.  Everyone, all families, deserve to have a safe place to live,” said Liu. (Skywalker)