New book a recipe for charity, hope

Premium hotel links with author to raise money and improve conditions for disabled children

Spices of Life, a book featuring cuisine from six Shangri-La hotels around the world, was officially launched on March 23 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

The author, Nash Koh donated 2,000 copies of the book to the hotel to raise money for underprivileged children with physical disabilities.

"We're not only giving them financial aid," Koh said. "We also aim to understand their needs, give them love and teach them the value of love.

"Everyone is equal. We need to accept the differences (between people) and clear the barriers."

Koh said the process of writing and researching Spices of Life was, in every sense, a labor of love. Over the past six months, she has traveled more than 48,280 kilometers to work with chefs at some of Shangri-La's global properties.

In addition to the chefs' special dishes, the book features beautiful pictures showcasing both the scenery and the people in the cities where the different hotels are located.

Koh chose Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian as the venue for the book's launch ceremony because she had been touched by the warmth and welcome she received, both from the hotel and the city.

"I was deeply impressed by the extraordinary humanity of the people (in Dalian)," she said.

Koh has also worked with the hotel to help to improve facilities for disabled guests.

Martin Brenner, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian, said the hotel intends to make its cooperation with Koh a sustainable project that is expected to raise about 1 million yuan ($145,000) in the coming three years from sales of the book.

"We can guarantee that 100 percent of the donations will go to the children without any hidden costs and, secondly, the funds will be used for what the kids really need," Brenner said.

The Shangri-La Hotel has a long history of incorporating (corporate) social responsibility in its overall strategy, he added.

"In addition to organizing various activities such as the annual winter charity ball and charity run, our colleagues are donating their personal time to help those in need," Brenner said.

Both Brenner and the author emphasized their belief that CSR is about much more than just donating money. They said that they are trying to build a better tomorrow, with much focus on unity, harmony and a personal touch.

Koh's friend, the popular television presenter Liang Yi, shared her personal story of struggle and success at the book launch. Liang graduated from the Communication University of China in 2001 and became a popular presenter with Hunan TV. While in make-up in her dressing room on September 22, 2001, she felt a sharp pain in her back and lost consciousness. Doctors diagnosed a serious and unusual condition of the blood vessels in her spine. Liang ended up paralyzed from the neck down and, at the age of just 22, she was told that she would never walk again.

As she saw her college classmates steadily building their media careers, she sank into depression as she struggled to rebuild her life.

She faced many difficulties in her daily life, needing help to get dressed, eat, take a bath, and even go to the toilet. After combining a grueling regimen of study and treatment over the course of eight years between 2004 and 2012, Liang began to recover her strength. She was finally able to return to the TV studio and became the presenter of a television program called Help you, which was launched on Hunan TV on Oct 28, 2012.

"As long as we never keep moving forward, step by step, we will eventually get where we want to be," she said.

"I know exactly how much disabled people need support and encouragement from other people. We can feel love, even from the smallest of actions," she added.

zhangxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn