Since my year of working holidaying in Japan in 2014, I have decided to keep moving and experience life in different places. So starting from May 2018, I will be journeying Europe, and Couchsurf along the way.

Born and brought up in British Hong Kong, I am a curious mix of Chinese and western cultures. I love reading, and am trying to write my own novel, at the same time working a practitioner in contemporary visual arts and some freelance writing and translation. I spent one year in London for my MA, and one year in Japan on a working holiday. I love living abroad (as opposed to short trips) and am thinking of making it a way of life. Usually quiet and thoughtful, I delight in good company and quality conversation.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I did my first Couchsurfing in the summer of 2017 when I travelled Germany and I had a wonderful time meeting great people. Normally I love travelling alone but I also enjoy meeting people along the way. These chance encounters are part of the beauty of travelling and give it a new dimension. Not only that hospitality and friendship between people of different cultures are especially valuable in today's world of increasing segregation and xenophobia, same with exchange of services in non-monetary terms in a capitalist world. And then of course, and sadly, being a cultural practitioner doesn't always make a fortune. A friendly and warm couch is always more preferable to a hostel dormitory.

Though I have benefited from hospitality from friends around the world, and much that I want to give back, unfortunately living spaces in Hong Kong are extremely small, to the extent of inhumanity - I think we rank on the top of the world in terms of smallness and expensiveness (not that we are proud of it). So I regret not being able to host anyone now, but I do hope some day I will be.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• fashion
• traveling
• history
• languages
• philosophy
• solo travel
• budget travel
• film
• museums
• alternative lifestyles
• alternative living

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I am not a very musical person and I rely a lot on my friends. In my teens I listened to Japanese rock and pop a lot, and now I've grown out of it. Currently I am more into alternative/indie rock, whatever that means......

Movies: Too many to be listed...... other than science fiction movies I am now watching for a research project, I am more into art house than Hollywood, and am beginning to find interest in documentaries. Some directors I like: Wong Kar Wai, Shunji Iwai, Akira Kurozawa, Charlie Chaplin, François Truffaut, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Jacques Demy, David Lynch, Pedro Almodóvar, Wim Wenders, Ang Lee, Christopher Nolan, Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Michael Haneke, Lars von Trier, Tom Tykwer, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wes Anderson, François Ozon, Tim Burton, Michael Moore, Ki-duk Kim, Takeshi Kitano, Tetsuya Nakashima, Satoshi Kon, Studio Ghibli. Recently watched Japanese indie film 'March Comes in Like a Lion' by Hitoshi Yazaki.

Books/Authors: Too many. I studied the English classics at school but I am trying to pick up on contemporary works and works from Asia and around the world. Science fiction for my research project, histories and cultural theories (not too hard). Jane Austen and Kazuo Ishiguro my constant loves. Currently reading Albert Camus and books about France/by French writers.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One year working holidaying in Japan, without the working part (except for one month in a farm in Shikoku). I am more cultural than sportive so I don't jump off cliffs (I did once jump off a bridge into the river when in Japan though), but all the same my sojourn in Japan already shocked many conservative and pragmatic Hong Kongese.

If that doesn't count, than writing/producing books and running an alternative art space.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you some Cantonese - rather useless dialect since you can only use it in Hong Kong and the southern provinces in China. But if you are into Jackie Chan/Stephen Chow/Wong Kar Wai movies then picking up some Cantonese slangs might be a nice idea. I am ready to learn about different cultures and share mine.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My experience, conversation, translation service, Chinese tea...... and my hands. I always try to bring something for the hosts when my luggage space allows, or I make do with immaterial ones. I enjoy housekeeping and I do not mind some dishwashing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Macao, Monaco, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom