The author of a South China Morning Post opinion piece says a planned 3-month law-firm stint in China turned into 10 years, with the writer still based in Shanghai after living in five cities. [1]
The piece frames that long stay against changing UK-China, EU-China and US-China relations, using the author’s own path to show how personal and political ties have shifted over the decade. [1]
The author says a partner at the law firm told them, "You could do with some international exposure. China, maybe," before the trip that was meant to last only 3 months. [1]
The article also draws on the writer’s background as a British Vietnamese-Cantonese-Hakka third-generation diaspora member, saying they were a minority in the UK and placing that identity alongside their years in China. [1]
It says the author is still in Shanghai and has lived in 5 cities over the decade, a span that the piece presents as part of a broader personal and geopolitical shift. [1]
The article ends with the author still in China after that 10-year stretch, with the Shanghai base as the latest concrete point in the account. [1]
