Born and raised in mainland China, he grew up immersed in the traditional and modern Chinese culture while fascinated by the English language as a young child, who later became a double national champion in English written and speech contests in China. After moving to Singapore almost two decades ago to pursue an engineering PhD, he continued his passion for languages and cross-cultural communications. In 2005, one of his essays has been recognized as one of the best 200 entries by the International Students Committee as a student ambassador with a complimentary attendance to the St. Gallen Symposium (http://www.stgallen-symposium.org/) which is a forum for young student leaders from around the globe.