Nanyang HengXiang Chemicals<\/a>, in such a positive vibe, that I feel loved and respected. I\u2019ve been proud before, I\u2019ve made mistakes, I\u2019ve said things that hurt people without meaning to. But time taught me to grow. Now if I\u2019m wrong, I can say, \u201cSorry, I was wrong.\u201d If I don\u2019t know something, I just say, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d And I don\u2019t feel ashamed. When I do things just because I enjoy them, without expecting anything back, I don\u2019t get disappointed. That makes me feel strong, even unstoppable. Learning English is like that, learning coding is like that, even learning how to love people is like that. When I don\u2019t expect anything in return, I feel like I\u2019ve learned to love myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut people are social, right? I also want to share my life and happiness with my friends. I\u2019m not trying to show off. At 38, I\u2019ve learned to treat people sincerely, stay humble, respect others and respect life. And sometimes just a little pride, a small win, makes me really happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did everything I thought I should do. Honestly, I\u2019m just a country guy, and this was my first time in Shanghai. I felt like if I wasn\u2019t careful, I\u2019d get completely lost. I spent over 10 hours with my clients, running around, and I had no idea where I was\u2014east, west, who knows? I only downloaded Didi two days ago and just started learning how to use it. Stuff that\u2019s simple for other people feels hard for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took my clients all over, showed them the \u201cShanghai’s Three Towers\u201d landmarks. They were so happy, and I just wanted them to enjoy themselves. I carried their clothes, took group photos for them. They were excited, amazed by everything in Shanghai\u2014snapping pictures, selfies, praising how modern the city is and how beautiful China is. I felt the same way, though deep down I missed my wife and kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were really grateful. Later they even took photos and videos of me. I felt embarrassed, so I told them, \u201cJust take a few, keep it as a memory. At least it proves we came here\u2014it\u2019s not like we came and left with nothing to remember.\u201d I didn\u2019t know what else to say, so I just blurted out: Money can’t buy everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The client suddenly got emotional, started speaking in his own language, which I couldn\u2019t understand. They saw the boats on the river and asked me: Steven, How to access that boat? I want to go to that boat. I said I\u2019d ask around since I wasn\u2019t familiar. I asked a bunch of people, but they all said: \u201cWe\u2019re just visiting too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They really wanted to take the boat. Finally I found a ticket booth. We stood at the door, and the client asked how much for three tickets. I told him 120 RMB each, about $17. He asked me to check if they took US dollars. The lady said: no, only RMB. At that time I didn\u2019t have much money in my account, so I said: you two go, I\u2019ll wait here. They said: no, no, Steven. I want you come with us, I will pay for that money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He only had about 300 RMB cash. He paid that, leaving less than 20 RMB. 360 RMB was a lot, and honestly I wouldn\u2019t normally spend that myself. But I chipped in 60 RMB too. The ticket lady told us to keep walking straight, the boat leaves at 8:30. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We kept walking under the platform. Then the client said: Steven, I think it should be upstairs. I thought: yeah, the dock must be up there! We ran up, but didn\u2019t see it on either side. I asked at least 10 people, but they all said: we don\u2019t know, we\u2019re not locals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We went back down, saw other ticket windows. I showed them our tickets and asked: where\u2019s the dock? They said: keep walking straight. I asked: how far? They said: just keep going. I was dizzy, but kept running forward. I asked some cleaning ladies and uncles, and they said: it\u2019s just ahead. I\u2019m really bad with directions. I was panting, running ahead, while the clients followed behind. Maybe his wife complained why he didn\u2019t just follow me instead of wandering around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 8:20 I was worried we\u2019d miss the boat. They were a bit behind me, and I waited for them. I thought maybe they were worried about safety, since it was dark. I reassured them: don\u2019t worry, China is very safe\u2014even at 2 or 3 a.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We finally made it to the dock around 8:26, passed security, and saw the boat. Honestly, I\u2019d never been on a boat in my life. My first time was with foreign friends. No matter where they\u2019re from, I just want to treat people sincerely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first I was supposed to be their guide, but they ended up filming me, recording me. One of them said: Life is short, money can’t buy happiness, we are grateful for your company. And right then, I just broke down. Couldn\u2019t hold it in. I felt wronged, but also happy. I hugged him, he hugged me back. I said: Thank you so much, brother. I told him I came from a small city, from a rural village, and this was my first time in Shanghai. I never thought a foreigner would say something like that to me. I couldn\u2019t control myself\u2014I was sad and happy at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I told him: this time I came to Shanghai for work, but next time I\u2019ll bring my wife and kids here for vacation, without the stress of work. At least now I\u2019ve got some experience. He comforted me, joking that it felt like he was the local and I was the foreigner, even though I was supposed to be his guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said: Steven, I really appreciate you staying with us so long, because 90% of people wouldn\u2019t treat a stranger like you did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We talked about all kinds of things\u2014life, family, everything. A lot of times I got stuck, had to check the dictionary or search quickly, couldn\u2019t get the words out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the boat ride, I wanted to take them for a meal. While leading him to the restroom, I told his wife: \u201cIn China we have a saying: the more a man spoils his wife, the more successful he\u2019ll be. Your husband is really wonderful, you must be the happiest woman in the world.\u201d She laughed. That was my real thought, though of course I also wanted to compliment her. People like hearing nice words, and I wasn\u2019t lying\u2014I truly believed it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He treated his wife so well. On the boat ride back he held her hand the whole time. I saw him covering his chest with his right hand, so I asked: are you uncomfortable? Hungry? He said: no, no. He gestured that he was just holding his wife\u2019s hand. I realized and felt a bit awkward, but it made sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were lots of restaurants near the Bund, but I didn\u2019t dare go into the fancy ones\u2014I didn\u2019t know if they were expensive, and I didn\u2019t dare invite them there. On my way earlier I had seen a Lanzhou noodle shop. I thought: they\u2019re Muslim, they don\u2019t eat pork, so beef noodles should be fine. But maybe his wife wouldn\u2019t like it. I wasn\u2019t sure about their culture. Later they suggested KFC. I said okay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ordered a Didi, and we met a lady driving a tricycle. We agreed on 12 RMB, and she dropped us at the nearest McDonald\u2019s. When we went in, it was empty\u2014just a couple people and some machines. I asked a couple eating there, \u201cHey, is there really no staff here? Just machines?\u201d They said, \u201cYeah, it\u2019s self\u2011service.\u201d I had just finished ordering when suddenly the system shut down\u2014it closed for the night! Man, talk about bad luck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I told my clients, \u201cLet\u2019s grab a Didi and head to another KFC.\u201d They said, \u201cSure.\u201d At that KFC I asked what time they closed, and they said 11 p.m. We still had half an hour. I wanted to wait while they ate, but maybe they felt awkward, so they asked to take the food back to the hotel instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I got into a Didi and felt so relieved. I chatted with the driver, told him I\u2019d only started using Didi these past two days. I dropped my clients at their hotel first, then asked the driver to wait a few minutes to take me back. He said, \u201cNo need, just change the destination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the hotel, I shook hands with my clients, hugged them, said goodbye, then headed back to where I was staying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the way back, I told the driver this was probably my fourth or fifth taxi today, and funny enough, almost every driver I met was from Henan, my hometown. He laughed and said, \u201cYeah, big data is smart now\u2014it matches you with drivers. And honestly, there are a lot of Henan drivers out here.\u201d I hadn\u2019t known that, but it felt good running into folks from back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be honest, some of those drivers sounded a bit rough at first, kind of blunt. But once we started chatting, they warmed up and were super friendly. They even gave me tips, like which restaurants are cheap and good for regular people. I really appreciated that, and I always gave them good ratings. Because just like me, they\u2019re working hard, and life isn\u2019t easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After all this, I feel like I\u2019ve grown. I feel exactly like my friend once posted on his Moments: the whole world feels like it\u2019s under my feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I haven\u2019t posted on Moments for years. Back when I first graduated, I used to post all the time\u2014on QQ Zone, on WeChat Moments\u2014like every single day. Sometimes I\u2019d post dozens of updates. But as I got older, I stopped. At first I posted less, then I just quit. Honestly, you never know who\u2019s watching\u2014some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Steven at Chinacoat 2025 Shanghai - TiO2 Industry Exhibitor & Landmark Experiences","description":"Discover Steven\u2019s personal journey as a Chinacoat exhibitor in Shanghai. From guiding clients through city landmarks to sharing insights from the TiO2 industry, this story blends professional experience with authentic cross\u2011cultural connections at the Chinacoat exhibition."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[537],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stevens-journey"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3352"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3389,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3352\/revisions\/3389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.hxtio2.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}