Twenty years after my own family left post-war Netherlands in search of a better life, Linda Li’s family found refuge there after fleeing the hardships of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Linda’s family were the only Chinese people in a small Dutch village near the German border, and racial taunts were an unavoidable part of Linda’s childhood. Linda and her brother and sister helped their parents to run a Chinese restaurant in the village, then during a five-week holiday in China, Linda became interested in Mandarin, and eventually decided to become a translator. She spent summers in Beijing, then was awarded a scholarship to study in Shanghai, and after graduation she accepted a job with a Fortune 500 company in that city.
While in the Netherlands Linda had been seen as a Chinese, on moving to China she found that she was considered neither Chinese nor Dutch. Expat colleagues would treat her like an assistant, and Chinese people would reprimand her for not speaking Mandarin fluently enough. She slowly grew to accept this reality, and surrounded herself with like-minded friends.
Linda eventually became a successful project manager with a creative agency, but her success came at a cost. After suffering from burnout, depression and suicidal ideation, Linda started to concentrate on the things that truly lifted her up. After starting with short walks with her dogs, Linda worked her way up to running marathons and triathlons, and she now has her own business, teaching other people how to work with their bodies to stay strong, vital and alive.
Linda now lives with her wife and dog in Beijing, and the three of them dream of living in a cottage with a little garden in Spain.
Please enjoy this conversation with the inspirational Linda Li.
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