Life in China

This section is the one that doesn't fit neatly into a consulting pitch. That's the point. Beijing is where I live, not just where I work — and the living part informs everything else.

Daily rhythms

Morning cycling through hutong alleys. Markets where the vendors know your order. Seasons that actually feel different from each other — the brutal clarity of a Beijing winter, the sudden warmth of spring that lasts about a week before summer arrives. A city of 21 million that somehow has neighborhood rhythms.

Cross-cultural life

Being married to Yu — a Chinese photographer and filmmaker — means I don't experience China through an expat filter. Our life is bilingual, bicultural, and occasionally confusing in the best possible way. It's also the reason I understand cross-cultural dynamics at a level that goes beyond professional frameworks.

Beyond the expat bubble

There's a version of expatriate life in Beijing that involves imported cheese, international school fundraisers, and counting down the months until your posting ends. That's not this. After ten years, the question isn't “when do I leave?” — it's “what am I learning this week?”

The things that stay with you

Food that rewards curiosity. Art scenes that operate outside the gallery system. Conversations with taxi drivers who have better geopolitical takes than most analysts. The particular quality of light on a clear autumn day when you can see the Western Hills from Chaoyang. These aren't anecdotes — they're the texture of a life that shapes how I think about everything else.