Asian Studies Alumni Spotlight with Fongyee Walker

Interested in what you can do with a degree in Asian Studies? In our Alumni Spotlight Interview Series, we ask our alumni about their career paths, how they became interested in Asian Studies and for any advice they would give to current students. This Interview features Fongyee Walker, UBC Asian Studies BA 1996. Fongyee is the Co-founder of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, Beijing’s first and fully independent wine consulting and education service.

Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? What are you currently doing?

I live in Beijing and I run my own company, Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting, which offers wine education and wine consultancy services. I do a lot of wine teaching – every weekend! I also organized large wine tastings and also smaller corporate wine tastings. I help trade bodies with promotion in China (like Wines of Australia) and also help wineries understand this developing market.

How did you start working abroad? Where there any programs/people that helped you?

My husband and I moved to Beijing when he was offered a job with Tsinghua University. In our first year, we decided to also set up a wine education and consultancy business as it seemed to be a good opportunity. I had studied in Beijing before (with the IUProgramme while I was at UBC) and my mother is from north China, so I have felt very at home here ever since I arrived.

How is working and living abroad as a foreigner?

I’ve really never felt a native of any country in particular so I’m very comfortable with it. In fact, it would feel strange if I did feel like I had a native country!! Living in Beijing has ups (excitement, positive energy and dynamism) and its downs (crowds and pollution) but in the end, for us, the opportunities and the excitement of this market outweigh any cons.

Any Advice for other alumni that are hoping to go abroad?

Be prepared to roll with anything that is thrown at you and never ever believe in ‘universal truths’. That way in lies ex-pat perdition. There are no cultural universalities and everything that people do is very much shaped by their culture – be flexible and have a sense of humour, even when your environment is driving you crazy. Dealing with Chinese businesses, you have to be willing to understand that they play by their own rules.

And can you recommend your favorite location in your region?

I personally love Beijing, but I can see why many foreigners prefer Shanghai. It’s easier to get about, cleaner and more modern in outlook – but I am essentially a wheat-eating garlickly northerner at heart.

What is one of your funniest or awkward mistakes as a foreigner?

I often get word order incorrect in Chinese – which normally isn’t too embarrassing except when I tend to describe sweet wines as smelling of ‘bees’ rather than ‘honey’ (mifeng rather than fengmi!). Also, I spent an entire lecture mis-calling the stony soil of the Haut-medoc as the ‘tongue-y soil of the Haut Medoc’ (She-tou versus Shi-tou). The image of lots of little tongues sticking out of the ground was rather weird…