In Manisa, where the Chinese will establish a factory, efforts to create a Chinatown have begun.

Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek stated that he wants to create a "Chinatown" to support the social lives of the Chinese people who will work in the city with the investment of the Chinese automotive company BYD in Manisa.

Zeyrek, in a statement to reporters, said that during their meeting with the officials of BYD, who made the investment decision in the city, he learned that approximately 3,000 Chinese people would come to work in Manisa, and that the Chinese who would stay in containers during the construction process of the factory would later settle in Manisa.

SPECIAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CHINESE PEOPLE

Emphasizing that they will provide the necessary infrastructure for the Chinese who will work in the factory to live in Manisa, Zeyrek said: "There are 601 qualified factories in Manisa, but unfortunately, many of the white-collar workers live in surrounding provinces and spend their money there. I want this to end. I want the money earned in Manisa to stay in Manisa. For this, some infrastructures need to be established. First of all, we need to provide the infrastructure for food and beverage, social life, cultural needs, and qualified housing."

FIRST "CHINATOWN" TO BE ESTABLISHED IN LALALI NEIGHBORHOOD

Zeyrek stated that the city should also be prepared for new investments with its hotel and education infrastructure, mentioning that there are various zoning regulations and investment discussions for this purpose, and pointed out that they will actually face a culture they are not used to with BYD's investment.

Stating that the food and entertainment culture of the Chinese is very different, Zeyrek said, "I want our approximately 2,500-3,000 Chinese brothers who come to embrace Manisa culture and our citizens. I want the money they earn in Manisa to stay in Manisa. Along with this, I want to create a Chinatown where they can provide their social lives, such as food and entertainment."

CHINESE WILL BE PLACED IN HIGH-QUALITY HOUSING

Indicating that they are preparing in the area of a shopping center in Lalali Neighborhood for the "Chinatown," Zeyrek provided the following information: "There will be very high-quality housing there. I am talking about a very large complex consisting of housing, offices, a cultural center, and a shopping center. We are designing a passage here as Chinatown. I see that this will not be sufficient. This will be the first step. After this, investments from other communities and nations may also come to the areas planned in this way. I will sign all projects that can serve them, understand them at first, and adapt them to the city after a while."

IT WILL BE A MODEL WORK

Zeyrek shared this idea with BYD officials, and they welcomed it, saying, "They asked me, 'Will you really welcome us with this sincerity?' Yes, we will welcome them with this sincerity. We will implement similar practices for foreign workers in other factories as well," he said.

Suggesting that the number of Chinese workers could rise to 10,000 with the investments of Chinese firms in the automotive sub-industry, and with their families, up to 50,000, Zeyrek added that the cultural benefits of this should not be overlooked and that they would carry out a model study regarding their adaptation to the city and Turkish culture.