Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
When I was young, I had two dreams: to become a professional dancer or a teacher, although reflecting back, the two choices seem far apart. I was an active member in my school’s dancing group from the age of six. I cherished the memories of performing ‘Jingle Bells’ at school, which still gives me a sense of pride. My heart sank when I learnt that I was not tall enough to pursue a professional dancing career; thus plan B.
Having done well academically at school, I was always asked by the teacher to give tutorials to classmates after school. I was fascinated by the idea of being given the privilege to stand on the platform and use the chalk to write on the blackboard. My parents never discovered the secret of my insistent demand for a pair of glasses! I wanted to appear like a ‘real’ teacher.
During those days when my university friends were indecisive about jobs, I had already made up my mind what I wanted to do in my life. Ever since then, I have passionately pursued my teaching career. I would also describe myself as a focused, persistent and well organised person. Once I set a goal, I will make every effort to achieve it.
What is your area of academic interest and which courses are you involved in?
My academic interest is in cross-cultural communication and adaptation. This arises from my own learning experiences of being an international student in both the UK and Spain; and now working together with colleagues coming from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The module I am leading is BIBM701 Business Research Methods for MA International Business and Management. Most of the modules I am involved in are in the area of human resources and people management. My first publication dates back to 1996; and over the next decade I have published a number of journal articles in both English and Chinese, owing a debt of gratitude to the reviewers and editors.
What was your first job? What did you learn from it?
My first job was teaching English to a group of 20 children in a prestigious kindergarten in China. It took me nearly 3 hours to travel by bus to the kindergarten for half an hour session. To attract the attention of the 4-year-old children and keep them interested in learning a different language was indeed a challenge. I designed all sorts of exercises, making pictures and props, and even trying my hands as an actress! The joy was beyond words when they could converse in simple English; and I really prided myself on my skills in communicating with children. Every job is challenging; and hard work will be duly rewarded once one puts one’s heart into it.
What did you do in your career before coming to WBS?
I worked as an associate professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies before I joined WBS in 2009. My leadership skills were developed when I was the head of the English department.
The enthusiasm and curiosity in exploring my potential and trying new and different things led me to join friends in setting up a garment business. Never portraying myself as an entrepreneur, I devoted a lot of leisure time travelling to the factories, discussing with the designer about the style and colour of jumpers, recruiting sales assistants, designing the shops, and negotiating with customers who always asked for discounts. This experience allowed me to have the chance to come into contact with people from various social backgrounds. More importantly it lets me have a taste of joyfulness and setbacks of a courageous adventure in business.
What do you think is special about WBS?
WBS is culturally diverse, where we have opportunities to develop cross-cultural intelligence, which has become increasingly important nowadays.
If you were asked to give one piece of advice to students then what would it be?
Learn a new thing each day. Learning is happening all the time, when we encounter people on the train, when we read a magazine, when we watch a video on Youtube, when we chat with a classmate…This can be a new skill, new word, new way of looking at things, etc.
How do you relax out of work? What are your interests/leisure activities?
One’s leisure activities change with time and place. Gardening, swimming and walking in the countryside are my favorite spare time activities now. I love flowers, plants and trees. In my garden, I have cherry trees, apple trees, magnolia, acer tree, camellia, roses, a red robin shrub and various herbs. I would like to join a flower-arranging course to learn more about horticulture, and develop skills and knowledge of floral design. What I have learnt from the life of plants is how important adaptability and flexibility are in coping with the environment.
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