French entrepreneur Bruno Lhopiteau on 20 years of China permanent residence, founding Siveco China in Shanghai, and what foreigners should plan early to stay long term.
Tags:ANYSHANGHAI INTERVIEW
One of China’s First Five-Star Card Holders — 20 Years Later, He's Still Here
持中国"五星卡"二十年：一位法国设备管理专家的跨国故事
BILINGUAL EDITION · 中英双语
French entrepreneur Bruno Lhopiteau on 20 years of permanent residence , building a business in China, and what foreigners should plan early if they want to stay for the long run.
法国企业家浦乐诺谈在华扎根20年、在中国创办企业，以及外国人若想长期留下应尽早规划的事项。
Bruno canoeing near his home in suburban Shanghai. 浦乐诺在上海郊区住所附近划船。
When Bruno Lhopiteau arrived in Shanghai at the end of 1999, he had come to develop the infrastructure and utilities business of a Swedish software company, just as China was entering an extraordinary period of infrastructure development.
1999年底，法国人浦乐诺来到上海，为一家瑞典软件公司开拓基础设施和公用事业业务。当时的中国正进入基础设施快速发展的时期，他的工作也由此与这段进程联系在一起。
His work brought him into projects connected to early nuclear power plants, the Three Gorges Dam and Shanghai Metro. A few years later, China stopped being simply the place where Bruno worked.
浦乐诺参与过早期核电站、三峡工程和上海地铁相关项目。几年以后，中国逐渐超出一份海外工作的范围，成为他长期发展事业和建立生活的地方。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"The memories are still very vivid today." he says.
“这些记忆至今依然历历在目。”他说。
In 2004 , the year his first daughter was born, he founded Siveco China and applied for Chinese permanent residence. Two years later, he received the card. He has held permanent resident status ever since.
2004年，大女儿出生的同一年，浦乐诺创办喜科，并申请中国永久居留。两年后，他获得永居证，此后一直保持永久居民身份。
At the Three Gorges Hydropower Plant in 2003.
2003年，浦乐诺在三峡水电站。
More than 25 years after arriving, Bruno is still running his company, still living in Shanghai, and still calling China home.
来到中国二十五年后，他仍在经营自己的公司，也继续在上海生活。中国早已成为他的家。
Bruno Lhopiteau, founder of Siveco China. 喜科创始人浦乐诺。
Siveco China is a China-based player in Smart O&M — computerised maintenance and asset management (CMMS/EAM). The software is developed in China to Xinchuang (信创) standards. Most clients are state-owned enterprises that build and operate critical infrastructure.
喜科是一家立足中国的智慧运维企业，主营资产设备管理系统/CMMS/EAM。其软件在中国开发，符合信创要求。客户主要以建设和运营关键基础设施的国有企业为主。
01
From a Shanghai Posting to a Long-Term Life
从一次上海派驻到长期生活
With Brian Chang, founder of Yantai Raffles Shipyard, in 2001.
2001年，浦乐诺与烟台莱佛士船厂创始人章立人。
For Bruno, staying in China was never the result of one dramatic decision. Professionally, it simply made sense.
浦乐诺留在中国，并非源于某个突然出现的决定。从职业角度看，当时的市场环境与他的专业经验十分契合。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“There was a match between my skills, my ideas and the needs of the market.”
“我的技能、想法和市场需求正好能够对应起来。”
China's infrastructure boom was gathering pace. At the same time, increasingly sophisticated plants and facilities were creating demand for professional asset and maintenance management. Bruno saw an opportunity.
中国基础设施建设不断提速，工厂和大型设施也变得更加复杂。安全、环保和设备可靠性受到更多重视，市场开始需要更专业的资产管理和设备管理。浦乐诺从中看到了机会。
Signing Shanghai Petroleum Asset Management System project in 2001
2001年上海石油资产管理系统项目签约
Then, in 2004, his employer decided to sell the business unit he worked for. He left and started Siveco China. He approached the new company like a mid-sized corporation from day one, investing capital, hiring people and establishing formal processes.
2004年，原雇主准备出售他所在的业务部门。浦乐诺随后离开并创办喜科。他从一开始就按照中型企业的方式经营公司，投入资金、招聘员工并建立规范流程。
The beginning wasn't easy. Clients, partners and former colleagues had promised support before the launch, but many disappeared once the company actually opened.
公司的起步并不容易。开业前表示会支持他的客户、合作伙伴和旧同事，许多人在公司成立后没有带来业务。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"We had no references and no brand," he recalls, "it took about a year before we got real income."
“新企业缺少项目案例和品牌 ”他说, “大约一年后才开始获得稳定收入。”
The company made it through that first year and several economic cycles after it. Over the following two decades, Siveco China delivered more than 1,000 projects. Bruno says one of the things he values most is the Chinese professionals the company has trained along the way.
喜科度过了初创阶段，也经历了此后的多轮经济周期。二十多年来，公司已经完成一千多个项目。浦乐诺也很重视人才培养，团队在项目中长期培养了一批中国设备管理专业人才。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“Over the years we have trained many Chinese professionals. That, to me, is a real contribution.”
“这些年，我们培养了许多中国专业人才。在我看来，这是一项实实在在的贡献。”
02
Permanent Residence Before Almost Anyone Knew What It Was
在很少有人了解五星卡时获得永久居留
China introduced its permanent residence system for foreign nationals in 2004. Bruno remembers reading about it in the media and applying almost immediately.
2004年中国开始实施外国人永久居留制度。浦乐诺记得自己从媒体上看到消息后，很快递交了申请。
Twenty years of permanent residence across different generations of the card. 四张不同版本的五星卡，
记录二十年的永久居留经历。
He recalls that, based on his circumstances at the time, he appeared to meet several of the criteria available to foreign applicants, including his professional position, investments and family ties in China. Then came the paperwork.
按照他的回忆，当时自己的职业经历、在华投资和家庭情况与多个申请条件相关。材料递交以后，他开始了漫长的等待。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"It was an extremely long process." he says.
“那是一段漫长的等待。”他说。
Two years later, he received a phone call. His permanent residence card was ready. There was no ceremony and no official photograph.
两年后，他接到电话，得知永居证已经办好。没有颁发仪式，也没有正式合影。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“No ceremony either. I know some people got photos with officials giving them the card. I never had any of this.”
“也没有什么仪式。我知道有人领证时会和官员合影，我完全没有这些。”
At the time, foreign permanent residents were extremely uncommon. Bruno travelled frequently for work, and hotel receptionists routinely asked for his passport and visa stamps. As a permanent resident, he did not have the visa they expected.
当时，获得中国永久居留的外国人非常少。浦乐诺经常出差，酒店前台习惯查看护照和签证页，但永久居民并没有他们熟悉的签证页。
Instead, he produced a permanent residence card many staff had never seen before. Some refused to accept an unfamiliar document. Occasionally, the hotel had to call the police for guidance.
他拿出的五星卡，很多工作人员此前并没有见过。有些人不愿接受陌生证件，偶尔还需要请警方协助确认。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"Sometimes they had to call the police. I got used to it. Frankly, I learned to enjoy it."
“有时候酒店还得报警。我习惯了，说实话后来还挺享受这种"待遇"的。”
03
What Did Permanent Residence Actually Change?
永久居留带来了哪些变化
For Bruno, the biggest practical benefit was simple.No more visa renewals.
对浦乐诺来说，最直接的变化是不用再办理签证续签。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“That was the main benefit for me,” he says.
“这是最主要的便利。”他说。
But permanent residence also changed something less tangible. It helped him feel more integrated and made long-term planning easier.
永久居留也让长期安排事业和家庭生活更加稳定，并使他对中国更有融入感。
Over the years, the experience of using the card changed significantly. What was once an unfamiliar document is now much more widely recognised in everyday life, although occasional software and app compatibility issues remain.
这些年，五星卡经历多次更新，社会认知度和使用便利性不断提高。早年很少有人认识的证件，如今已经能在许多日常场景中使用，不过部分软件和应用仍可能出现兼容问题。
For someone who remembers hotel staff not knowing what his card was, the difference is striking.
对一位经历过酒店工作人员完全不认识五星卡的人来说，这种变化十分明显。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"Some of the early fun is gone!" he jokes.
浦乐诺开玩笑说，早年的一些趣味也随之消失了。
04
Building a Business in China
在中国经营一家企业
More than 20 years of entrepreneurship have given Bruno a fairly unsentimental view of starting a business in China. One mistake he sees repeatedly is people starting companies before they have enough experience. His advice is to learn something first.
二十多年的创业经历，让浦乐诺对在中国创办企业有了清晰判断。他经常看到有人在缺少行业经验时直接创业，因此他的第一条建议是先积累经验。
The Siveco China team at its 2021 annual dinner. 喜科中国团队在2021年迎新晚会上合影。
The second issue is money.
第二个问题是资金。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"Most entrepreneurs have overoptimistic cash flow forecasts." he says.
“许多创业者的现金流预测过于乐观。”他说。
China is anextremely competitive market, and he has watched many companies enter and leave, including major multinationals.
中国市场竞争激烈，多年来他见过不少企业进入，也见过许多公司离开，其中包括大型跨国企业。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“It is not for the faint-hearted.”
“这需要创业者做好面对困难的准备。”
He is also sceptical of a startup culture that puts too much emphasis on networking, awards and grants instead of building a sustainable business. For Bruno, the more important question is simple. What value can you actually bring?
他对过度强调社交、奖项和补贴的创业方式持保留态度。企业最终仍要靠业务和客户需求站稳。更重要的问题是，创业者究竟能够提供什么价值。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"My advice is to find a niche where you can bring unique value, contribute to society and be proud of it."
“我的建议是找到自己熟悉的细分领域，为客户提供独特价值，也为所在行业解决实际问题。”他说。
Bruno speaking at a Siveco China safety and health event in 2026. 2026年，浦乐诺在喜科安全与健康主题活动上发言。
Bruno also pushes back against the idea that doing business in China was necessarily easier for foreigners in the late 1990s. Today's legal framework is more developed, China is more deeply integrated into the global economy, and everyday business is far more convenient. When he arrived, he could not even get proper coffee or pizza! For years he raved on the fabulous ham and cheese croissant of the Three Gorges Hotel in Yichang!
浦乐诺不认同九十年代末做生意一定更容易的说法。今天的法律体系和商业环境更加成熟，中国与全球经济的联系也更加深入，企业日常经营更加便利。他刚来的时候，连像样的咖啡和披萨都找不到！好几年里，一直念念不忘宜昌三峡宾馆那个火腿奶酪可颂！
What has changed is competition. Being foreign, by itself, is no longer much of an advantage. For Bruno, a durable advantage comes from becoming part of the local ecosystem through local delivery, compliance and long-term relationships.
市场竞争已经发生变化，本地企业的实力明显增强，外资身份本身很难形成优势。浦乐诺认为，能够长期积累的优势来自本地交付、合规经营和稳定关系。
Siveco China has delivered more than 1,000 Smart O&M projects for energy, water, transport, environmental and shipbuilding organisations. Clients include Energy China, Shanghai Chengtou Water, Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department, Cairo Metro, Saudi Electric and Singapore shipbuilder Seatrium.
喜科已经完成一千多个智慧运维项目，服务能源、水务、交通、环保和船舶等行业。客户包括中国能建、上海城投水务、香港环保署、开罗地铁、沙特电力和新加坡海事企业 Seatrium 等。
The company's software is developed in China and designed to meet local security, compliance and Xinchuang requirements. Its work now extends across China, Belt and Road markets and other international locations.
公司的软件在中国研发，并按照本地客户对安全、合规和信创环境的要求持续完善。业务已经覆盖中国、共建一带一路市场及其他海外地区。
Bruno and colleagues during a client visit. 浦乐诺与同事在客户访问期间合影。
05
What Should Foreigners Plan Early?
计划长期在华生活和创业，需要提前考虑什么
After more than 25 years of living and doing business in China, Bruno does not believe foreigners need to be afraid of Chinese administration. The idea that rules change all the time is a myth.
在中国生活和经营企业超过二十五年后，浦乐诺认为外国人士不必害怕中国的行政手续。所谓"政策天天变"其实是误解。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"The Chinese administration is efficient and information is available," he says.
“中国行政体系效率很高，需要的信息也能够找到。”他说。
In theory, many processes can be handled internally. In practice, doing everything yourself can consume a great deal of time and involve unnecessary trial and error.
从理论上说，很多手续都可以由企业内部处理。实际操作需要投入大量时间，也可能经历反复试错。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“Educate yourself enough to understand the logic and spot mistakes, then hire third-party professionals to work for you.”
“先弄懂规则，确保自己能够判断对错，再请专业人士处理具体事务。”
For anyone hoping to build a long-term life or business in China, he believes several issues deserve attention from the beginning.
对于任何希望在中国建立长期生活或业务的人来说，他认为有几个问题从一开始就值得关注。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"Do not underestimate your legal status, visa, tax, company structure, from day one," he says.
“从第一天起，就不要低估你的法律地位、签证、税务和公司结构，”他说道。
That advice closely reflects what AnyHelper sees in practice. Immigration status, work permits, employment, tax, company registration and long-term residence often affect one another. Decisions that are easy to structure correctly today can be much harder to repair years later .
这也符合 AnyHelper 在日常服务中看到的情况。签证、工作许可、雇佣、税务、公司注册和长期居留彼此关联。前期规划清楚，通常比多年以后再调整更容易。
06
Twenty-Five Years Later, Why Stay?
二十五年后，为什么继续留在中国
Bruno still enjoys the work and the infrastructure story that first brought him to China. Siveco China is now expanding with Chinese construction companies and end clients in markets including the Middle East.
浦乐诺仍然喜欢自己的工作，也继续参与最初吸引他来到中国的基础设施行业。如今，喜科正与中国建设企业及海外客户合作，在中东等市场拓展业务。
He also enjoys watching people he trained become the ones leading projects, signing contracts and delivering major deals. Many members of the team have now spent 10 or 20 years in the field.
他也很享受看到曾经由自己培养的同事成长为项目负责人，能够独立签约并交付重要项目。团队中不少人已经在设备管理领域积累十年到二十年经验。
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BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
"My life is good," he says, "when I want, I can go canoeing."
“我的生活很美好，”他说，“我想去划独木舟的时候，就可以去。”
His personal answer is simpler. He lives beside a canal in a Shanghai suburb, goes canoeing when he wants, and sees his grown children often.
工作之外，他住在上海郊区的运河边，想划船时可以随时出门。孩子们已经长大，也会经常回来。
A life built in Shanghai over more than twenty-five years. 二十五年间在上海建立的生活。
The overseas posting that brought him to Shanghai in 1999 is now a distant memory. The business stayed. The family stayed. And Bruno stayed.
1999年把他带到上海的海外派驻早已成为久远的记忆。事业留了下来，家庭留了下来，浦乐诺也留了下来。
❝
BRUNO · INTERVIEW QUOTE / 采访原话
“China is home, as it has been for a long time.”
“中国就是家，很久以来一直如此。”
Planning to Stay in China for the Long Run?
There is a big difference between coming to China and building a long-term life here.
Whether you're navigating a visa or work permit, considering permanent residence, setting up a foreign-invested company or planning your business and immigration arrangements for the years ahead, getting the structure right early can save considerable time and unnecessary trial and error.
AnyHelper supports foreign nationals and foreign-invested companies with
✓ Visa & Work Permit ✓ Residence Permit ✓ Permanent Residence ✓ Foreign-Invested Company Registration ✓ Relocation & Related Support
If China is becoming more than a temporary chapter for you, talk to AnyShanghai about what you should be planning now.
准备在中国长期生活或经营企业
AnyHelper可协助办理签证、工作与居留许可、永久居留、外资企业注册及相关安居服务。
If you have any questions about China visa applications (work visa, company registration and more), please contact our visa consultant Emma.
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