A.K.A. Darren (L3), has been in China for many years since his first arrival in Beijing in 2004. Photo from JIN Magazine

Many foreign people come to China each year just to study, do business or to visit. One person has done this and even more. 達人 A.K.A. Darren (his English name), has been in China for many years since his first arrival in Beijing in 2004. Lets take a moment to meet with him and got a sense of how local he really is.

Where are you from?

I'm from America and I have homes in Hawaii, Georgia and California to name a few. These areas have some of the finest beaches in the world. I love sitting next to or on the beach and enjoying the view and fresh air.

What brings you to China?

Originally, I came to China because the plane landed here. I was planning to go from England to the U.S.A but the plane was full for several weeks so I asked if the other way around the world was open and they said yes and that I could connect in Beijing and then on to Hong Kong, etc. and then over to the U.S.A. So I got a visa and went to Beijing. After a several months, my partner in the America decided China would be a good base of operations and an investment & consulting company was setup over here in Tianjin. That was over 6 years ago. In addition to this company, I also run an I.T. company in the U.S.A. that makes software for small and very large companies. I also ran a cafe for a while, but sold it as it is hard to make money on a cafe since the surrounding area can change very quickly as Tianjin develops. And let’ face it, no one gets drunk-over on coffee.

What does your company in Tianjin do?

I am the boss of a consulting and investment company that helps other companies understand cultural and language differences between China and other nations they do business with or expect to have their staff travel to. We consult with our clients to give business tips and tricks to make them fit the international quality requirements. We also help with Investment services for firms desiring to invest in China and others desiring to invest in America. Our website is HRK-ENT.com

I see you are doing acting now. Can you tell me how it feels to be a foreign actor in China?

Yes, I have been involved in a few acting gigs and now you will see me appear in some documentary films on Tianjin TVand other Vhannels as well as a new drama coming out in Hunan TV next year called Si Shi Jiu Ri Ji (四十九日祭) which stars Zhang Jia Yi （張嘉譯）and a few other famous Chinese celebrities. I am also in some commercials, web-based marketing and I have been used by several companies for voice-overs.

I enjoy acting tremendously. Acting allows me the opportunity to be another person for a period of time. Sometimes I wait for a few hours while things are being prepared or for the extras to arrive. But once the shooting begins, I really never know what will be asked of me. There are always surprises. For example, I was once asked if I can swim shortly before filming once. My role for that film required that I abandon a sinking ship. Luckily, I could swim and swim we did...for about 5 hours. We were either in the water or completely soaked. That lead me to ponder what the shooting was like for the actors in the filming of Titanic – it must be much more extreme for them.

Now is the Chinese New Year. What do you think of our festival?

I have been here for many years and I must say that there is no New Years festival quite like the Chinese New Years. In New York, New Years Day is just singing and confetti; however, here in China, New Years Day seems much more alive – fireworks are everywhere and I can hear crackling and popping all over the place. I now know where the saying “paint the town red” comes from – the streets of China looks literally red the next morning. I am glad that I do not have to clean up the trash the next day. It is difficult, for me though, to think about all the money spent on something that is so quickly burn up in smoke.

Now lets talk about those new years dumplings...I have to say, that was quite an experience. It so happened that I was ask to participate in a very traditional Chinese dumpling making ceremony as an honored guest. We chopped, mixed, minced and stuffed all the while enjoying a lighthearted conversation. Finally, the time came and the opportunity to taste the dumpling arrived. It was delicious – definitely contrary to what I imagined since the mixture wasn't very appealing to the eyes. Reflecting back, I believe the dumpling skin served not only to hold the contents together, but to cover the unappealing look of the mixture.

I have heard you have a lot of QQ and wechat friends, is that right?

Yes, I now have over 1900+ QQ/Wei Xin chat friends. 90% or more of them I have met personally and still remember. 9% or so added me but I am not really sure why. And the final 1% are usually those that add me directly to sell Tea or other exciting things that really just should not be on QQ. I do business extensively on QQ since there are 748 Million approximate QQ members in China, it is figured by me that most business people have it even if they have not used it in a while. Usually about 5 to 10 people a day chat with me which is not too hard to handle. QQ usually translates from Chinese to English so it makes it easy for me to communicate. Some people might think QQ is for gaming or just for fun, but when you have a community of that many people together, it is a future opportunity which has yet to be determined and I want to be a part of it. According to the Wiki site the website of QQ.com is the 9th most visited website in the world as of March 2013. My Wei Xin / QQ # is 860508435.

So if you could be anywhere in the world, why do you stay in Tianjin?

Tianjin & China is growing leaps and bounds and I desire to be where the growth is. Making money is my prime objective. Relaxing and enjoying is my second. Also, the people are really friendly in Tianjin. They will really try their hardest to show the best Tianjin has to offer. I also enjoy driving my new car here since you never know when a person will dart into the road or a big hole will open up in the road and you have to avoid it. It is like an obstacle course. The air quality is about the only thing that really needs some fixing.

What are your plans for the future?

First, I will collect the money that is owed to me by a few people here in Tianjin. Second, I will grow the business here in Tianjin and get more clients. Third, I am planning my next Fiji, Thailand and Round-The-World trips.