Show notes
I returned to Boston on June 14th after a 5-week vacation with some work in China. It was a luxury to be able to unplug for so long! I was able to slow down and reflect on life and career for both my mom and myself.
I was born and raised in Beijing, China and came to the United States at the age of 17. These days, people like to ask me how often I travel back, and if I feel differently somehow. The answer is that I've never felt closer to my origin, my roots.
This trip was a particularly rewarding one for me. My mom and I spent 2 weeks in Shanghai, 2 weeks in Beijing and 1 week in Tsingtao (Shangdong Province) where the famous beer factory resides. Neither one of us drinks but we did visit the famous Beer Street outside of the factory that runs about a mile long. Think busy nightlife, beer in every color and lots of seafood (some of which you probably don't recognize)...
My mom Xiang Li and I were in Tsingtao for another reason. Three years ago, she sold her Dream of the Red Chamber collection to a large organization in Tsingtao. Having acted as her agent and negotiator for a while, we decided that her collection was going to be displayed in a museum inside a cultural park. It took much longer than expected for the exhibition to go live but it's finally there now.
Above: picture of mom and I in front of the museum for the opening ceremony
Below: a walk inside the museum
My friends recently asked me about the most rewarding part of my trip. The art exhibit opening ceremony? Or something else?
Perhaps I thought my first email to my readers and podcaster friends on this email list would be to share more podcasting insights. Well, here's a change for you and for me.
The most rewarding part of my trip, as it turned out, was to help my mom find her way home to Beijing after spending the past 3 years on the road working as an artist. The move included packing and unpacking dozens of large packages. As soon as we got home, I also helped renovated our condo and made it much more comfortable and livable for mom.
When my dad passed away nearly 10 years ago, many of my mom's friends were worried about her. With good intentions, they tried to talk her into retiring from painting. But it wasn't what she wanted.
Instead, she kept on researching and painting new collections, including the first Chinese Empresses featuring 120+ empresses from multiple Chinese dynasties. Not a single artist in the history of China has attempted to take up such a massive project without a clear monetary benefit. Mom simply feels that the history of women in China and worldwide is not to be forgotten, but to be celebrated. With her skills as a master artist from the Forbidden City of Beijing, China., she has a much better chance to take it on, and to do it right. And I'm just thrilled to be able to witness the process and to support her.
We are currently seeking partnerships with corporate sponsors, museums and curators to bring forward this collection and an unforgettable experience for visitors.
Empress Luo Shen from Xiang Li's Chinese Empresses Collection
That's my update for now! I'm back in the game to keep pushing Feisworld forward with its services, mastermind, docuseries and a new book for immigrants, workers and students living in America.
I'd like to hear from you! Who knows, you may be my next interview subject for the new book.
Smiles,
Fei
Freelancer and Podcaster at Feisworld LLC
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