METRO SHANGHAI / METRO SHANGHAI
Spanish-speaking Chinese pursues her dream as a cultural messenger, radio host and teacher
Buenos dias!
"A good day starts with a good morning," says a sweet voice coming from live-streaming hostess Helen Huang, who is currently broadcasting from her own apartment in Shanghai.
Huang, 28, originally from Lishui, East China's Zhejiang Province, lived in Spain for over 10 years before returning to China in 2015 to pursue her Chinese Dream.
She enjoyed her life in Spain, where she lived with her family, but finally decided to return to her motherland, because "I think it's my destiny to come back to China because I'm a Chinese."
Like many Chinese immigrants, Huang's mother sought better opportunities overseas, where she thought she could create a better life for her family. But life abroad is not always that easy.
Huang's mother immigrated to Spain in the year 2000, where she earned less than 3,000 yuan ($474.87) per month washing dishes in restaurants, which was viewed as a low-level job and income.
Nonetheless, she worked hard and saved money until she could open her own small businesses (clothing shops, grocery stores). Luckily, her entrepreneurialism was successful - at least enough to live in Spain.
Huang and her father followed their mother to Spain five years later, in 2005. "My mother indeed sacrificed a lot for our family," Huang told the Global Times.
She went to high school and college there and eventually graduated from the University of Valencia with a master's degree in economics. Thanks to the unique living and learning experiences, Huang can now speak excellent Spanish and English.
However, by 2008, the property bubble in Spain had burst, the growth has fallen to 0.9 percent, according to Reuters. Huang's family businesses suffered during the crisis.
Working in China
"I'm a lucky person," Huang said. In 2015, she was granted a job interview with an embassy located in Beijing. Although she finally didn't accept the job, she got a chance to know China more.
One day, while chatting with her friends at a job market in Shanghai, a Peruvian and a Spanish approached her saying they were looking for a Chinese who could speak Spanish fluently. They offered her a job at the Economic and Commercial Office of Peru in Shanghai, to promote Peruvian tourism and businesses to China.
"This job really gives me lots of opportunities to know more people and cultures around the world," Huang told the Global Times. "Top officials from Peru are quite nice, which impressed me a lot."
Indeed, being fluent in Spanish, English and Chinese, Huang can handle her work well. When (recently resigned) Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski visited China in November 2016, Huang was one of the translators of the Peruvian government representatives.
Besides her full-time job, she also serves as a part-time Spanish teacher and a radio host. She opened a radio account named "Spanish female anchor" on Himalaya FM, a Chinese online radio platform, to introduce Spanish culture and teach the language.
A decade of changes
Huang admits that she has deep-seated feelings of China that trace back to her childhood memories. She still remembers eating a bowl of noodles for only about 5 yuan in her hometown, which today would cost around 20 yuan.
When she returned to China in 2015, she only had several hundred euros in her pocket, which she thought could afford her daily life here. However, she was astonished that she had to pay 3,500 yuan every month just to rent a single room in a shared three-bedroom apartment in Beijing.
In 2000, when Huang's mother immigrated to Spain, China's per capita disposable income of urban residents stood at 6,280 yuan; the figure was 36,396 yuan in 2017, up 6.5 percent in real terms after deducting price factors compared with 2016, according to the national statistics bureau.
"Our life indeed improved a lot. My parents also encouraged me to return to China, as they think China now has more opportunities for us than overseas," Huang said.
Young people in big Chinese cities such as Shanghai work harder than those she knows in European countries, Huang noted, adding that she has to keep the pace with her peers in China. Huang hasn't changed her Chinese nationality.
"I have good impressions of China. Although some friends in Spain don't understand why I chose to come back here, I have persuaded them by my actions. I found a good job here and enjoy my life in Shanghai," Huang recalled.
"My parents also want to go back to China someday. After all, this is their home," Huang smiled.
Huang, 28, originally from Lishui, East China's Zhejiang Province, lived in Spain for over 10 years before returning to China in 2015 to pursue her Chinese Dream.
She enjoyed her life in Spain, where she lived with her family, but finally decided to return to her motherland, because "I think it's my destiny to come back to China because I'm a Chinese."
Like many Chinese immigrants, Huang's mother sought better opportunities overseas, where she thought she could create a better life for her family. But life abroad is not always that easy.
Huang's mother immigrated to Spain in the year 2000, where she earned less than 3,000 yuan ($474.87) per month washing dishes in restaurants, which was viewed as a low-level job and income.
Nonetheless, she worked hard and saved money until she could open her own small businesses (clothing shops, grocery stores). Luckily, her entrepreneurialism was successful - at least enough to live in Spain.
Huang and her father followed their mother to Spain five years later, in 2005. "My mother indeed sacrificed a lot for our family," Huang told the Global Times.
She went to high school and college there and eventually graduated from the University of Valencia with a master's degree in economics. Thanks to the unique living and learning experiences, Huang can now speak excellent Spanish and English.
However, by 2008, the property bubble in Spain had burst, the growth has fallen to 0.9 percent, according to Reuters. Huang's family businesses suffered during the crisis.
Working in China
"I'm a lucky person," Huang said. In 2015, she was granted a job interview with an embassy located in Beijing. Although she finally didn't accept the job, she got a chance to know China more.
One day, while chatting with her friends at a job market in Shanghai, a Peruvian and a Spanish approached her saying they were looking for a Chinese who could speak Spanish fluently. They offered her a job at the Economic and Commercial Office of Peru in Shanghai, to promote Peruvian tourism and businesses to China.
"This job really gives me lots of opportunities to know more people and cultures around the world," Huang told the Global Times. "Top officials from Peru are quite nice, which impressed me a lot."
Indeed, being fluent in Spanish, English and Chinese, Huang can handle her work well. When (recently resigned) Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski visited China in November 2016, Huang was one of the translators of the Peruvian government representatives.
Besides her full-time job, she also serves as a part-time Spanish teacher and a radio host. She opened a radio account named "Spanish female anchor" on Himalaya FM, a Chinese online radio platform, to introduce Spanish culture and teach the language.
A decade of changes
Huang admits that she has deep-seated feelings of China that trace back to her childhood memories. She still remembers eating a bowl of noodles for only about 5 yuan in her hometown, which today would cost around 20 yuan.
When she returned to China in 2015, she only had several hundred euros in her pocket, which she thought could afford her daily life here. However, she was astonished that she had to pay 3,500 yuan every month just to rent a single room in a shared three-bedroom apartment in Beijing.
In 2000, when Huang's mother immigrated to Spain, China's per capita disposable income of urban residents stood at 6,280 yuan; the figure was 36,396 yuan in 2017, up 6.5 percent in real terms after deducting price factors compared with 2016, according to the national statistics bureau.
"Our life indeed improved a lot. My parents also encouraged me to return to China, as they think China now has more opportunities for us than overseas," Huang said.
Young people in big Chinese cities such as Shanghai work harder than those she knows in European countries, Huang noted, adding that she has to keep the pace with her peers in China. Huang hasn't changed her Chinese nationality.
"I have good impressions of China. Although some friends in Spain don't understand why I chose to come back here, I have persuaded them by my actions. I found a good job here and enjoy my life in Shanghai," Huang recalled.
"My parents also want to go back to China someday. After all, this is their home," Huang smiled.
Helen Huang Photo: Chen Xia/GT
Huang and her family members in Spain Photo: Courtesy of Helen Huang
