My love for China and its culture has been a quiet, steady flame burning for years. Long before I ever set foot in Shenzhen or Hong Kong, I dreamed of living and teaching in China when I was in my mid-twenties. I tried to make the move then, but life had other plans. Timing, as I’ve come to learn, is everything. Often, it’s only in hindsight that we understand why certain doors didn’t open when we knocked.
Years passed, and though I didn’t live in China, I carried pieces of it with me. I had a few dresses tailored in the qipao style, and I had others with the signature “high Chinese collar”, and tight-fitting silhouettes. In a way, they were expressions of admiration.
The moment that truly touched me though, came unexpectedly when a dear friend of mine, an artist too, shipped me one of his finest works: a portrait titled China Girl. The moment I laid eyes on it, I was captivated. Her gaze, her poise, the subtle strength in her expression; that painting on canvas really displayed femininity and grace. He gifted it to me, and I hung it with pride, never imagining that one day, I’d be living in the very culture that inspired it.
Artwork: China Girl, Steven White
When I was in my thirties, the timing finally aligned. I moved to Shenzhen, and later to Hong Kong, stepping into a life that had once felt out of reach. Teaching here has been more than a profession. It’s been a fulfillment. I walk through streets adorned with lanterns and I can recognise effortlessly now, the differences between Cantonese and Mandarin.
Looking back, I understand now that the delay wasn’t denial. It was preparation. I arrived not just as a visitor, but as someone ready to receive the experience fully. China didn’t just become my second home, but it became a part of my story, told through art, fabric, and the unfolding of perfect timing.
