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Overview

  • 101 references 74 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in Chinese, English, Spanish; learning French, Italian
  • 33, Male
  • Member since 2009
  • I run a travel business
  • Oxford Uni + Tsinghua Beijing + SOAS
  • From Oxford
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

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disclaimer:
Most of the below is inaccurate and outdated, written on and off over 15 years. I keep it as its fun/archive.

Anyway message me if you are in Oxford.
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-I like to share space with people and am quite sociable and like to hear people's stories. I offer accommodation to nice travellers when I can.

I can't hang out except in evenings. Right now I work 10am-9pm schedule 7days a week. If you would like to have a nice place to stay then come along, but i cannot do any tour guiding etc - but I'll give some tips. If you are happy with that, then please stay.

GENERAL: I spend half the year in Asia (Thailand,China,Bali,Hong Kong) and half in the UK.

CURRENT MISSION I am happy to host !

有朋自远方来不亦乐乎 .

ABOUT ME I like travelling, seeing and experiencing new things, I'm interested in the many different cultures, histories, books and people that there are. I love food and beer/wine etc.

PHILOSOPHY I like to keep a balanced view when possible. I respect perspectivism, relativism, skepticism and things from the Zhuangzi texts. I was raised in the values of the UK Europe. I am spiritual but believe 道可道非常道 - I was raised in the Christian faith so my spiritual ideas are rooted in the wisdom therein - but I am skeptical and open minded!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
I first hosted in 2009 - telling my parents it was a friend's cousin. Since then I've hosted alot with my various flat mates. Living in London, I'd shared my big catamaran on the Thames. In Beijing I had 3 or 4 couches and floor space and hosted 200+people...Now I am in Oxford and will host when possible.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

lots and lots and lots, never had a bad experience. Every one was interesting somehow.

Interests

Reading: I read all sorts of things. Random books I've enjoyed over the years include: all of Graham Greene, some F.Scott.Fitzgerald. Laurie Lee's stuff about his lone travels around Spain was formative for me.

I like experiencing diverse things, I have no over-riding hobbies so this quote from Hilton's Shangri La makes me feel happy haha,"the exhaustion of the passion is the beginning of wisdom"

  • culture
  • books
  • dining
  • cooking
  • wine
  • beer
  • reading
  • traveling
  • language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

FILMS (i wrote this 10years ago now.): L'Auberge Espagnol was formative in the Erasmus days...Jamon Jamon has an exciting/jarring ending....things by Almodovar are fun. Jia Zhangke and Zhang Yimou (red sorghum is great!)....The boat that rocked/aka Good Morning England has a nice soundtrack...anything really...

BOOKS&AUTHORS: I read the complete works of Graham Greene (nearly), he is great. f.scott.fitzgerald writes beautifully, indulgent books. I like books that make sense based on where im living or what im going through so in the past I enjoyed orientalist world of suzy wong, Oxford obsessed brideshead revisited and shangrilan lost horizon ...then I suppose in no particular order to specify some titles/authors: Tender is the Night...The Sun Also Rises...harry potter. Authors: Evelyn Waugh,Zhang Ailing, Mu Shiying, Shen Congwen, Ling shuhua, Mark Kitto's bios.

MUSIC: ...anything, mainly Radiohead...ZHOU XUAN. Bebe. Country Music that tells a story. Global music that I can learn language through. Most music is beautiful

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living on a catamaran boat in central London, running a hostel like airbnb in Hong Kong Lamma Island. Travelling to every province in China. Cumulative experiences of living in Beijing,Madrid,Yangshuo, Oxford is good...Hosting 200 surfers with my housemates was an adventure!

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to read, cook, drink, chat. I speak Mandarin and am interested in China.

I like to chat about most things!

I can take you to the pub!--bar

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Korea, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, France, Hong Kong, Spain, United Kingdom

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