Noyan Rona has traveled around China extensively. But his favorite city - his 'second hometown' as he calls it - has long been Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Interview | Noyan Rona

One of the city's best-known expats fell in love with China's financial capital almost 20 years ago, despite his first impressions.

Having lived in China for more than 30 years, Noyan Rona has traveled around the country extensively. However, his favorite city - his "second hometown" as he calls it - has long been Shanghai, so much so that if he leaves for just a few days, he begins to miss the atmosphere.

But it wasn't a case of love at first sight. In 1991, Rona traveled to Shanghai for the first time when, as a diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Beijing, he headed south to collect relief supplies the Turkish military had provided to the people of Anhui province, which was in the grip of a devastating flood.

"I stayed for a week and my only thought was to finish my job quickly so I could get back to Beijing," the 58 year old says. "I wasn't impressed by Shanghai, which I didn't think was as attractive as Beijing at the time, with too many people, shabby houses and a different dialect."

The next time Rona visited Shanghai was in 1996, by which time the city had changed beyond recognition. That was when he decided to stay in the "Paris of the East".

Today, people flow into the city every day, looking to find jobs and settle their families. They are the "new Shanghainese", but Rona, sees himself as "old Shanghainese". "I've lived in Shanghai for 18 years. I've been made an honorary citizen, which means I AM a citizen of Shanghai," says the chief representative of the Shanghai office of Turkish Garanti Bank.

"I came to China to follow my dream, which was to learn the Chinese language, and the culture and history," he adds. "So, many years later, when people ask if I still have a 'Chinese dream' I say, 'Yes, my dream is to become a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Shanghai Committee'. In that way I can contribute more to building my 'hometown'."