As the executive adviser to the president of Bureau Veritas' marine \r\nand offshore division, Claude Maillot helps the company collaborate with\r\n Chinese shipbuilders to improve industry standards.

Bureau Veritas, which first entered Shanghai in the late 19th century, currently has more than 17,000 employees in China.

"For us, it's a must to be in Shanghai, because it is the place where\r\n the biggest and most famous shipbuilding and designing institutes are \r\nlocated," he said.

Maillot was recently featured in the "Shanghai Through Our Eyes" \r\nvideo series in which he also spoke about his love for Chinese culture.

"I am interested in the cultural aspects of China, which is so broad \r\nand rich," said Maillot, who read one of his favorite poems written by \r\nLi Bai in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in the interview:

"The northern wind rises from end of the sky. What do you think of it\r\n in your mind and your eye…I particularly like poets of the Tang \r\nDynasty," he said. "Their poems are really the essence of Chinese \r\nculture."

Maillot is also a fan of ancient Chinese architecture. He has bought \r\nmany books on it, and has been particularly attracted by roofs which use\r\n glazed tiles and have sculptures of creatures such as dragons and lions\r\n as decorations.

"Whenever I go somewhere, I'm very eager to take pictures of the roof," he said.