Name: Raj
Years in China: 21 Years
Occupation: Interior Designer
Country of Origin: Singapore, of 3rd Generation Singaporean Indian
How did your journey in China begin?
The first time I step foot on Chinese soil was in 1997 when I went to Beijing for a work trip regarding the design of a hotel there. Coming here for the first time helped to dispel a lot of the misconceptions in my head and the rumors that I heard about living here. I heard that China was so crowded absolutely everywhere, that people misbehaved, that there were no proper toilets! Well, of course, it was all wrong.
For the first years, I would travel constantly in and out of China for work, getting a visa was quite easy, but I officially decided to settle here in 2008 when I moved to Ningxia, where I stayed for two years. Ningxia is a state just off of Inner Mongolia; it is part of Dongbei and has a large Muslim population.
Being there in the early 2000s reminded me of 1970s Singapore with dusty roads, no taxis, really cheap amenities and extremely friendly locals. Their kaorou ( 烤肉 meat barbeque), served in a huge pan, is very famous. In winter, the nights were so long and cold that locals would fight the cold with 78% alcohol baijiu (白酒 is a Chinese colorless liquor high alcohol in volume), it tasted like diesel to me! But wearing many layers was not enough; this was their way to fight the cold.
Another impressive fact of Ningxia was the desert storms. Do you remember that scene of “Mission Impossible 6” where Tom Cruise runs across a hotel and there is a desert storm passing through? Well, it was just like that in Ningxia. They would announce there was a desert storm coming; and I was terrified, I had not experienced anything like it before! It was beautiful, a real desert experience. Spring was even exciting with array of blooming flowers everywhere.
After Ningxia, I headed to Shanghai for a short while and then my former HBA colleague that I worked for asked me if I wanted to come to Xiamen to run the company. I heard Xiamen was and island city, surrounded by the sea like Singapore, so I leapt at the opportunity. June 6th 2012 is when I landed in Xiamen and I have been here ever since! It’s been almost ten years, I never left!
What do you like the most about Xiamen?
The beauty of Xiamen never stops to amaze me and I constantly fall in love with this city every single day. Interestingly enough, I was raised in a Minnan village in Singapore, so my mom and dad spoke Minnan language, the local dialect of Xiamen! Moreover, I was exposed to a Chinese way of life from an early age.
The first time I came to Xiamen I was staying in a hotel-villa behind Nanputuo Temple and I heard the monks chanting beautifully in the early morning, I felt like I was in Shangri-La! If you stay near Xiada (Xiamen University) and hear the morning chanting, it is definitely something you’ll never forget, it’s so spiritual.
That day, I came out in the street and overheard a conversation in Minnan language the same language my family spoke back in Singapore! I was so glad I understood everything! I immediately engaged in conversation with the locals and it was amazing, they still get surprised every time and it definitely has made my experience and adaptation to Xiamen so much easier.
Language note by Raj: The hardest language to learn is Kejia (Hakka) that is spoken by everyone in Longyan, you can learn Cantonese if you are going to stay in Guandong province, but Minnan language in Xiamen is similar to the one spoken in Taiwan, the Minnan language spoken in Quanzhou is a bit slang, so I can’t understand so much.
So I encourage everyone in Xiamen to learn Minnan dialect, it is not difficult at all!
What is your unique China story?
To be frank, I found another Singapore in Xiamen! Remarkably, the culture around me in Singapore is closely related to Xiamen so it was here I learnt a lot of the sharing of cultures and I can appreciate our Chinese heritage in Singapore. It’s been my 10years in Xiamen and yes it’s my second home now; I don’t think I will ever be leaving at all!
The people here are extremely friendly and when I converse in Minnan language they feel so pleased! First they speak to me in Mandarin, then I reply in Minnan, and when they see my foreign face they go: “You?!?!” and I go: “Yes!” We sit down and chat during the weekends and I learn so much about our common history and culture.
Realistically, I didn’t expect people here to understand me when I speak, but they do! It is almost the same language, it is rather simple! It is super easy for me to fit in and I didn’t expect to stay here for so long, but my work as an interior designer here is my passion!
Most of my design projects are referred by friends and business partners. I like working this way as I understand where they come from and how difficult it is to get a designer that listens to your needs and understands your vision, and that is what I do. In other words, we have lots of fun doing this!
On top of that, I also find many activities to engage in that make my experience in Xiamen so enjoyable. Engaging in outdoor sports and in the activities organized by the local animal shelter and volunteering in some of Guanren Community Projects are some of my hobbies.
Here are some of my rescued furry relatives. Ell (Left), who is handicapped, was rescued one late evening in 2018. I thought she was injured and brought her to the vet to realize she had lost 3 paws and had been abandoned for some time which prompted me to ponder over the stray dogs’ welfare and the TNR programme. I was then head-hunted to work in Dubai but instead decided to stay in Xiamen.
Raj volunteering in animal rescue foster campaign with the Afu Expat Rescue Group of Xiamen.
This charity group is now renamed “Paws”. Raj is the brains behind the logo for his friend Lee, founder of Paws.
vegetable garden.
I would say, in Xiamen I care about the community and the multi-national people living here. They are our friends and become part of our family. There won’t be any instance that I would not volunteer when the need arises even when I’m overloaded with my projects as I always find time.
Raj volunteering with Guanren Community One World’s Zuzana during the recent lockdown which ended 3am in the early morning.
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