A Tribute to Front-line Medical Workers: China Life Singapore Sponsors Apricot Grove Lantern Display at Gardens by the Bay's Mid-Autumn Festival 2020

Bringing the tradition of Mid-Autumn alive, the 8th Mid-Autumn Festival Light-up organised by Gardens by the Bay, sponsored by China Life Insurance (Singapore) and other organisations has officially commenced on Friday, 18th September 2020. Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development, and Lin Xiangyang, Chief Executive for China Life Singapore were among the VIPs present to witness the light-up of the festival.

Since its first light-up in 2013, the annual Mid-Autumn Festival Light-up has been a key point of attraction by foreign tourists and locals alike. Beyond embracing people’s well-wishes and optimism amongst the theme of Reunion, the various programmes centred around Mid-Autumn greater serve as means to express the most intimate feelings of the heart, beyond the surface level.

This year, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has shown an alternative, unfamiliar way of life filled with uncertainty and sudden changes. People are thus reminded to deeply cherish the importance of Reunion more than ever. As a result, this year’s festival is especially significant and relevant. With themes of Family Reunion and Unity in the community, this year’s festival hopes to showcase the spirit of community togetherness and selfless contribution in the face of crisis.

As one of the earliest companies to provide a range of insurance plans against coronavirus-related illnesses, China Life Singapore aims to fulfil its social obligation and bring about positive change, through active participation in fighting the spread of the virus. Being the only Chinese enterprise sponsor of the festival this year, China Life Singapore has specially contributed to the exhibition of the ‘Apricot Grove’, hoping to spread positivity and happiness in the community in uncertain times.

As is known to all, the Chinese idioms, ‘Warmth of the spring can be transmitted through an Apricot Grove’ and ‘Reputation of an Apricot Grove’ are timelessly used by the Chinese to describe exemplary conduct and honourable humility in the field of medicine. Why did China Life Singapore choose to sponsor this particular exhibition? To this, Mr Lin Xiangyang considers the fact that an ‘Apricot Grove’ is conventionally used to refer to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Throughout the pandemic, Chinese Medicine, with its unique strengths, has co-operated with Western medicine and played significant role in the front lines in tackling the virus. As a company away from home, China Life Singapore has been more involved than ever in medical staffs’ and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s contribution to the medical world. In this sponsorship, China Life Singapore dedicates the display to all healthcare workers in recognition of their immense sacrifices and unwavering commitment and hopes make use of the occasion to extend its well wishes to them.

It is also worth celebrating that 2020 also happens to commemorate China and Singapore’s 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In the past 30 years, China and Singapore have collaborated extensively in fields involving Economics, Trading, Education and Cultural aspects, strengthening our alliance across all areas. Furthermore, the friendship has been elevated to momentous heights during the COVID-19 pandemic. In its midst, both countries have been meticulously lending aid and collaborating with each other, establishing the Fast Lane for Essential Travel as well as the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor to maintain continuous movement and allocation of essential resources between the two countries.

As one of Fortune’s Global 500 companies, China Life Insurance (Group) determines China Life Singapore to be a strategic base for expansion into the Southeast-Asian market. Since its establishment in 2015, China Life Singapore has invested in continuous self-improvement and innovation and aims to bring in more wealth towards local clients through exquisite and unique products that showcase the company’s prowess. Recently, China Life Singapore has also launched an ‘Agent Channel’ project which aims to build a trusted and experienced team of at least 500 consultants within the next five years to serve clients.

Looking ahead, Mr Lin Xiangyang hopes to rely on China Life Group’s prowess as one of Fortune’s Global 500 companies to obtain an upper hand in Singapore’s market as a platform, to project influence across Southeast-Asia in tandem with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He also emphasises on bridging the connection between the insurance markets of both countries. At the same time, he wholeheartedly expresses willingness in extending assistance within the insurance industry and co-operating with relevant government agencies and the public to eradicate the pandemic.