Where are you from and why did you decide to leave your country for China?
I’m from a small city located on the countryside of Denmark. When I grew up I was always longing for something “bigger” and as soon as I turned 18 I moved to the capital Copenhagen. Later I studied on year in London and took an internship in New York City.
When I, in 2012, got an offer to come work in Shanghai I hesitated as I thought China was still a developing country in the traditional sense – with no internet and Lattes haha. I did some research and read that Shanghai was like “China’s New York” and as I had just returned from New York which I absolutely loved, I thought: It can’t be that bad then. I took a change and now I’m still here 3 years later.
What was your family’s reaction when you told them that you were coming here?
Besides for my aunt who immigrated to England, my entire family lives back home in Denmark. Especially my mom’s side of the family is a travel-family with an amazing appetite for experiencing and exploring the world but East West Home Best. I’m not sure my family always understood what drove me to always get out of comfortable Denmark and out of my own comfort zone but they are so supportive and have visited me during the years abroad. And that broadens their own view as well: especially my close family gets inspired and motivated to do something different and “get out there”. Life is so short.
Was it difficult for you to adapt to life in China and what was the biggest challenge? How did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was never really adapting to the culture or the "big move". I feel Shanghai is such a melting pot of different people, cultures and lifestyles so there’s nothing really to adapt to. But obviously it’s not Denmark and there’s always some sacrifices you have to make: lack of fresh air and lack of organic living, when speaking of Shanghai.
My biggest challenges were beating the pollution, balancing the intense lifestyle here and the lack of motivation for being healthy.
To overcome it, I started my own blog Shanghaihabits.com ( click on it to visit this great blog!) to explore the healthy scene in Shanghai as well as motivate myself to stay healthy, stay active and make sure to get out of Shanghai every month to see something different.
What was the biggest culture shock that you would like to warn other people, especially from Northern Europe, about?
When living in Shanghai you get out of your comfort zone every day. Patience and understanding are must-qualities if you want to have a good time and good life here. Getting annoyed, angry or disgusted with “weird habits” out here only harms yourself. Culture shock is very individual so instead of a warning, I’d probably give a recommendation that applies to all individuals moving here: “come with an open mind and an open heart”. China will give so much back to you if you manage to do that.
You are a classic Norther European beauty - blonde eyes and blue eyes - China's favorite. Have you ever found yourself in some funny situation because of that?
Especially out of Shanghai it creates attention so lots of photo moments when we travel. Funniest/weirdest was probably when I went alone to Le Shan in South Sichuan last year, to see the biggest Stone Buddha in the world. It was doing National Holiday and super busy with tourists from all over China. I got a lot of attention but most Chinese people just look/stare without approaching... Suddenly 2 young giggling girls approached me for a photo and this just created a copy-effect throughout the Buddha watching crowds so there ended up being a line to take photos with me. I’m very polite but in the end I had to say I had a train to catch and leave, it would have gone on forever haha.
Many people come here by themselves and very often it is difficult for them to make real friends here – how was it for you? How can someone meet new people here who share same interests as you?
I came all by myself with just 1 suitcase and was located in Jinqiao, 20k out of city centre, which was a quite tough start. From day 1 I was super active in participating in events and socializing. Danish Chamber of Commerce was a good way to start and I participated in Danish Drinks every month and got involved in The Danish Young Professionals.
You are also the founder of the blog SHANGHAI HABITS – how and when did you come up with this idea and what exactly are ‘Shanghai Habits?’
It’s my space online, sharing my personal experiences with traveling out of Shanghai and all over China. As well as daily healthy lifestyle habits in Shanghai. With time I made it more into guide format: travel guides, running routes and healthy eating directory.
Do you have any new habits you gained in China/Shanghai?
Yes, I got into Traditional Chinese Medicine while living here and took a 12 weeks course at Humanity Hospital where I also go for acupuncture and general TCM treatments. I’ve learned so much from this – habits which I’ll take with me for the rest of the life. I won’t getting started on sharing them here, but stay tuned on Shanghaihabits where I’m starting a TCM topic this autum!
What are your top 3 favorite travel destinations in China? And what are the next places to visit( in China) on your list?
1. My most amazing trip was the one me and my Boyfriend just came back from: From North Sichuan to Gansu where we visited several Tibetan areas and went horse trekking with Tibetan Nomads on the Tibetan Plateau.
2. Last year exactly the same time as now with last week’s full moon, my boyfriend and I went with 4 friends to Yangshuo in Guilin. It was an amazing trip and if you’re going to Yangshuo please search for the articles on Shanghaihabits and find so many awesome recommendations!
3. In spring 2014 we went to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province – close to the borders of Myanmar and Cambodia. We hiked in the tea mountains and stayed at the most local villages with local people from Chinese minority groups. This was so interesting and such a good trip. I loved Yunnan and really want to go back.
Besides Shanghai Habits, you are also the co-founder of an app Shanghai Bloggers that Shanghai City Girl is a part of. How did you come up with it and what do you want the goal of the app to be?
My partner Nando is the technical genius behind the App. He got the idea from his wife’s blog – he wanted to create a way her readers could easily follow her blog and other blogs on the go. He contacted me with his idea and I loved it and was super eager to support and help with my contacts and experience. It was basically Nando’s idea and I think with my inputs and vision, the project got much bigger than he was expecting. Now we have almost 50 bloggers and an amazing app which we are very proud of sharing for free with bloggers & readers in China.
How do you think bloggers can benefit from being part of the app?
In 3 main ways:
A: Easier for their readers to follow them every day and don’t miss a post
B: Sharing their posts on wechat, facebook and other social media through the app
C: By being part of Shanghai Bloggers they can connect with other bloggers, businesses and media.
How do you combine writing your blog with responsibilities regarding running the app and all other things you do? How do you stay organized?
Planning is essential for example:
A: a simple excel sheet with ideas for topics and scheduled posts
B: reminders on my phone for quick IG posts or FB updates
C: Prioritize – No matter how busy my day will be, I always take time to do my yoga or have my breakfast without stressing (or trying not to). With a calm mindset from the morning and a smile, I can overcome so much more and be super efficient like posting in taxis on the way to meetings etc.
What’s next for Shanghai bloggers? How do you want it to develop?
With the new update that just came out, we have a very good-quality product. Our current strategy and priority no 1 is to make sure to keep it like that.
What is the most difficult thing behind developing an app/brand?
Developing a brand in Shanghai is easy – it feels like anyone can start something in very short time and there’ll be support and involvement from everywhere. The difficult thing is to break out of the center of the “expat bubble” and getting Chinese people interested. I think everyone starting something up here, is looking for a recipe how to do that.
Do you think that speaking Chinese is a must if someone wants to develop professionally in China?
More and more yes. The Chinese people get better at English and more Westernized in the sense that they understand Western companies and management styles. We as Westerners need to “move” as well – towards the Chinese market and Chinese consumers. Here language is a big factor.
If you could summarize what you have experienced so far in China in one sentence, what would it be?
That there’s so many ways to live our life, don’t let “society” or “expectations” shape your life choices and your life!
How would you motivate all the girls out there, who want to create their brand but sometimes get discouraged by obstacles?
Do a little bit everyday. Maybe you work for someone else, but find the time to work on your own thing at least 30 minutes every day. Maybe there’s a quiet moment at work or maybe you have to wake up 1 hour earlier. But there’s nothing like lying in your bed at night with the feeling that today I did something for myself and my own thing.
Make sure you’r passionate about it, don’t do it just because you think it’s a million dollar business or someone told you so. Even the most exciting business becomes every-day-life, boring and challenging. Don’t deal with all this unless you are passionate about the core of the business.
Click on these links to visit Lina's blog : shanghaihabits.com and shanghaibloggers.com to download this awesome app!