Teaching Chinese Culture from the Outside In with Nic Doering and AJ Donnelly

China is one of the challenging countries to get into. The same speaks truly of the Chinese culture.

What benefit would you gain from learning the Chinese culture and tradition?

Understanding and learning them improves your way of life and impacts greatly the way you connect and relate with people every day.

Nic Doering and AJ Donnelly are the British husband and wife team who co-founded Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre, a Beijing-based start-up that teaches traditional Chinese culture to companies and individuals.

In this episode, Nic and AJ share their experiences -- both the bad and the good-- living in a challenging country like China. Here, you get to take a glean on how they are making a good time, turning around those difficult situations into opportunities for learning and growth. The mindset they displayed shows a lot of the qualities needed of someone living in a foreign place. That there’s no reason to complain, that it’s better to come from a place of humbleness, of curiosity, and willingness to learn so you have that worthwhile experience of things surrounding you. Most importantly, learn to smile, it always goes a long way. And that, believe there is always a way, there surely is, no matter what your best way is.

 

What you will learn from this episode:

• Find out helpful ways you can explore, enjoy, and embrace the Chinese culture and be a successful ex-pat in a challenging country like China
• Find out the positive qualities to imbibe as ex-pats to get you through the day and treat any difficult situation as an opportunity to learn and be appreciative of the place you are in
• Learn how to have that leap of faith that no matter what, there will always be people who are willing to help and things will turn out well in the end

 

“Chinese culture is the most important thing to me. And that's the basis of how I live my life and what we do with our company. We try to let people understand the value that is in traditional Chinese culture and how it can improve their lives.”

- Nic Doering and AJ Donnelly

 

Topics Covered:

01:47 - How Nic came to Beijing

02:26 - AJ recalling how he came and stayed in China

03:30 - Nic comparing Beijing from the place she used to live in the personal and business perspectives

04:06 - Having the convenience of the city just an hour away and a slower more traditional pace and aspect of life in the suburb

05:59 - What gives AJ the idea of starting Cultural Keys

08:33 - How is it like coping with being far away from their place of origin

10:27 - Ways you can be a successful ex-pat in China

12:16 - What to them are the advantages and disadvantages of being an ex-pat

14:53 - How having faith in people turn around difficult situations while living in China for many years 

15:59 - There is always a way -- no matter what the best way for you

17:43 - An inconvenient but funny experience they went through as a couple

20:08 - AJ’s funny experience -- mistakenly took what he said as terrorist for a tourist with him arrested for questioning

23:25 - Why Nic would keep a diary if she’s given the chance to go back when she first started in China

25:45 - What's the value in learning Chinese culture?

 

Key Takeaways:

“You live in Beijing city, you're part of that metropolis, that city life. Out here, we have the convenience of the city as an hour down the road but we also have that slower pace of life, and more traditional aspects of life living out here.” - AJ Donnelly

“I really want to do something, to help people understand more about China, to access China, because I'm a big believer in the idea that if you understand the culture if you understand the history, you understand the people in the modern world better.” - AJ Donnelly

“If you know where you want to go, if you know what you want to achieve, you will find a way to do it. Never believe that there is no way. There sure is.” - AJ Donnelly

“I think I wish I'd learned the language before I moved here. That would have made my life infinitely different. I would never have had to rely on other people. And I would always have known what was going on and I think I would have settled in much, much quicker if I'd had the language sooner.” - AJ Donnelly

“I would say it's the ability to accept the unpredictable, you can't be afraid of just totally random things, particularly in China. I think that's the key to surviving in a place like China.” - Nic Doering

“I think for me, it would be, you know, write things down as a diary or whatever and take more photos. Because I think it's always interesting to sort of look back and see, not only what decisions you made because you probably remember what you decided to do, but you might not remember why you made that decision.” - Nic Doering

“I think, in any new situation, it requires a leap of faith, and the vast majority of times it is going to work out for you. Maybe not in the way you thought, but it will.” - Nic Doering

 

Ways to Connect with Nic Doering and AJ Donnelly:

•       Website: https://www.culturalkeys.cn/
•       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-donnelly/
•       Twitter: https://twitter.com/CulturalKeysCN
•       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturalkeys/
•       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulturalKeysChina?

 

Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson:

•       Website: https://www.wealthwithoutborders.net/
•       Podcast: https://www.wealthwithoutborders.net/podcast/
•       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardwhiteson