02/08/2023
Sharing a rare introduction!
Whether you’ve been following since 2018, or are new to this account, a self introduction is overdue. Here are 10 things about me:
1. This is my family of 4 (soon to be 5!) My older two are 6yo and 3yo.
2. I started in 2018. It began with a single board book about Hong Kong, that I intended to gift my daughter for her first birthday. There was never a plan to print more or start a publishing business!
3. My background is in graphic design. I used to write for design and architecture publications, before spending the last decade in tech as a designer for websites and apps. Publishing has been my side hustle and creative outlet for the last 5 years.
4. My biracial kids are half Ukrainian, half Chinese. We’re teaching them to speak, read, and write in Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and English. The older two are fluent for their ages, and we plan on introducing the same 4 languages to our youngest.
5. I grew up in Hong Kong and went to a traditional British school (think Hogwarts without the magic.) I learned Cantonese simply by living in Hong Kong but did not have any formal instruction. I picked up Mandarin as a language later.
6. I am proudly Cantonese and Shanghainese. Shanghainese food is easily my favorite Chinese cuisine as it reminds me most of home.
7. My family speak Shanghainese among each other but we have no plans to pass that down to my kids. They know a few phrases here and there.
8. I spent 5 or more years living in each of these cities: Hong Kong, Toronto, New York, and now San Francisco.
9. is my first time writing in Chinese for publication. It’s so different, it’s so niche, but I’m excited to release it next month and see what you all think. The process of putting it together has been full of joy for me, especially getting to involve my 6yo as a co-editor, proofreader, and consultant.
10. My inspiration for almost always comes from conversations, observations, and reading with my two kids. At every age, their curiosity and interests have sparked ideas for me to create something that’s missing for them and kids just like them.
Now tell me a little about you!
