China, from exploration to my home

My China journey started in 2009 when I first traveled around China for four weeks to commemorate my 30th birthday. My journey took me from Beijing, to the Central West, the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges, Wuhan, and finally Shanghai. I will never forget the feeling I had when I arrived in Shanghai. On one hand it felt electric, and on the other I felt a sense of calm, like I had been there before in a past life. I was immediately attracted and knew that one day I would move to Shanghai, how I would get there I wasn't sure. Whilst exploring Shanghai I accidentally stumbled across an apartment complex that was a natural escape from the bustling city surrounding it, and told myself that if I had the opportunity to move to Shanghai, I would live there.

When I returned from my China trip, I was offered an opportunity, working at a media agency in Sydney, responsible for the coordination of all APAC markets, including China. It was through this connection that I first met Ruoyan, who was working at the same media agency in the Beijing office.

Ruoyan and I were colleagues working at the same agency, on the same account, but in different hemispheres. We would have several email exchanges and conference calls weekly, but we never physically met each other.

Fast forward to the end of 2010, and after 10 years living and working in Beijing, Ruoyan decided she wanted to re-locate to Shanghai, and so she received an opportunity to work at the same agency's Shanghai office. After this we lost contact with each other.

In February 2011, I was offered an opportunity to re-locate to Singapore. I declined the opportunity and started to explore new roles in publishing in Sydney. But it didn't work out. I remember taking it as a sign that a big change was coming, and I needed to expand my horizons, so the next day I spoke to my boss, and asked if there were any opportunities in China. It turned out that there was a lead role available in the Shanghai office. At the end of February, I traveled to Shanghai to do my recee.

It wasn't until I arrived in the Shanghai office during my recce that I remembered Ruoyan. I asked the person assisting me if they could introduce me to her. I still remember her beautifully cropped, silky black hair, emerald colored knitwear she wore with silver necklace and jade earrings. She was a sight of pure elegance. Our conversation picked up where we left it at the end of 2010. The connection was instant, real, and natural. By the end of my recce week I was offered the lead role. Ruoyan and I would be colleagues again, but this time in the same city. It was the 25th February 2011, the day of my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. I called my parents with the news. They were very happy for me, and knew that this would be a life changing experience for me.

Over the next six weeks, I packed up my life in Sydney and moved to Shanghai on 10th April, 2011, which happened to also be my 10th career anniversary. The stars felt like they were aligning.

It was June 2011, and Ruoyan made plans to visit Beijing. The day she was meant to travel, Beijing was hit with one of the worst storms on record, so her trip got cancelled. That night we met for dinner, and the rest is history.

We got married on 12 December 2012, the year of the Dragon, in Nanchang, China, Ruoyan's hometown. My parents, who never traveled to China before, along with 20 friends, came to celebrate our wedding. It was the first time my father traveled since he moved to Australia from Italy in 1966.

We've built a life together in the same apartment complex I accidentally stumbled across in 2009. It has been our home for the last 10 years. Life has flourished with our three children all born in Shanghai — two girls aged six and four, and a boy, born at the end of January 2020 the time of the pandemic. He was our beacon of hope. We also got a dog, at the start of our relationship.

I look back at the last 10 years with fulfillment, growth, happiness, and immense gratitude. The admiration grew from the first day I arrived, from the incredible efficiency, to the people's will to always learn to improve themselves, their family, and their country. However, the most impressive is the speed of transformation, the fastest of any country, that the country and its people have under-gone since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and particularly the last 40 years, propelling it to the 2nd largest economy in the world!

I feel proud and lucky to have witnessed just a part of China's amazing rise over the last 10 years, including the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, rapid urbanization and economic growth, eradicating poverty, the first China International Import Expo, society going cashless, China becoming the #1 e-commerce market in the world, China's commitment to environmental awareness, the start of the sharing economy with ebikes, the abolishment of one child policy, becoming a leader in space exploration, and ultimately China as a true world leader providing humanitarian aid to many countries around the world, especially during the pandemic.

I look forward to many more years of prosperity, stability, and China's inevitable rise to the top. Thank you for welcoming me from the start and giving me a life far beyond what I imagined — personally and professionally. It's been the best 10 years of my life, and for that I love and owe so much to China, my home 中国，我的家.

I am of Italian and Maltese heritage with Australian and EU citizenship. I grew up in Sydney, Australia.

I have 20 years' career experience with 10 years in China, arriving in April 2011.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.