Marco Pardini. [Photo/dailyqd.com]

Marco Pardini, an Italian, settled in Qingdao in 2004.

In 2005, he set up Qingdao Easybest Refrigeration Equipment Co Ltd and began to produce commercial refrigeration equipment for middle and high-end markets in Europe.

With the success of the company's management, Pardini took up the second cause in his life -- charity.

In 2010, he and two other Italian compatriots established a charitable foundation in Qingdao to organize Italian companies in Qingdao to do charity work.

Following that, in 2015, Mark established his second company, Gelato Food (Qingdao) Co Ltd, to bring the world famous Italian handcrafted ice-cream craft to Qingdao.

At the same time, he worked hard to put his ideas into practice and actively promoted artistic and cultural exchanges between Qingdao and Italy so that more people in Qingdao could learn about Italian culture.

He is also keen to introduce his "second hometown" Qingdao to more foreigners.

Because of his efforts, many Italian businessmen and companies came to Qingdao to find cooperation opportunities.

In various international exhibitions, Pardini actively promoted Qingdao's good investment and humanistic environment.

He once invited the Italian ambassador to visit Qingdao and contributed to the cultural forum organized by the Italian Embassy in China and Qingdao.

In 2017, he was named an "honorary citizen" of Shandong province.

"Since 2008, Qingdao has developed even more rapidly and has become more modern. In the past two years, I can feel that Qingdao is trying to create conditions that local people feel more livable and make foreigners more comfortable. I have been here for 14 years. And I have been going smoothly, whether in life or work. I am grateful to my partners for their trust and support. I think I will continue to live and work in Qingdao and I'm also proud to help people here," Pardini said.