ANDREW

Andrew grew up in Gloucester in the West of England, before moving to Manchester to study Chinese Studies. Prior to learning Mandarin, he had already studied European languages in school, but the challenge of learning Chinese is one he has stuck with until today.

Since 2007 he has spent nearly seven years in China. This has included four years working for the UK government in Chongqing and Beijing, in which he supported the visits of David Cameron and Prince William to China. Andrew’s highlight from this period was working with Chinese charities on issues including gender equality, mental health and left-behind children.

Andrew’s favourite part of China is the south-west, not in any small part due to his love of Sichuan and Yunnan food. He also has brilliant memories of the rice-fields, gorges and mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou where he made his first solo backpacker trip in 2007.

Now back in the UK, Andrew is excited to be living in multicultural London, a city which helps him to feel connected to the rest of the world. In his spare time, he likes to mix sports with reading, meditating, learning piano and closely following the Premier League and UK politics.