My hidden talent

I’ve been playing the erhu since I was seven, and my primary school hired an erhu teacher to teach our music class. I took to it straight away, so when my parents offered to give me extra lessons after school, I jumped at the chance.

The erhu is a very versatile instrument that allows me to play Chinese music using the 宫商角徵羽 scale and also Western music, even though it isn’t tuned to the CDEFGAB scale. The rhythm and melody you can achieve are amazing.

I played all through college and was a leader in the university orchestra, but I recently moved to Shanghai so, until I find a new group, I mostly play on my own. I took my erhu to Bristol (UK) and Madrid (Spain) when studying in both places and made several friends through playing it. People seem to find traditional Chinese music very interesting.

Playing the erhu requires patience and creativity, as well as an ability to work with a team when you’re playing with others. These are all skills that help in my day-to-day life.

It was the 1980s and my father, a programmer who was fascinated by all things electronic, bought the family an Atari. The adults grew tired of the gaming “fad” but I was hooked, playing Nintendo, SEGA, PlayStation and Xbox until I started primarily PC gaming about 20 years ago.

Gaming gives me a real sense of achievement. There are times when I’m working incrementally towards a goal that feels very far away and I have to find a way to push through. Using some of my spare time to master a game sharpens my mind and helps refill my motivational reserves. In group-based games, it’s exponentially better because you can share these accomplishments with your teammates. You get to work towards a common goal with people from all over the world, each of whom have different personalities and strengths. You have to problem-solve together along the way: was the strategy wrong, do we just need practice, do we need to swap who is doing which tasks, for example. The dynamics are quite similar to my job at ICIS!

I’m currently working two nights a week with a 10-person group through all the raid achievements in a game called Guild Wars 2. After that, anything is possible.

I started junior high at 11 years old and decided to join the school orchestra. Initially, I wanted to play the flute but I was told it might not suit me, so I switched to the cello. I became semi-professional four years ago.

The cello is regarded as the closest musical instrument to the human voice. It lets you express your personality and feelings very naturally. I play various types of music, alone or with others, each of which are fun in different ways. With chamber and orchestral music, I enjoy the exchange of feelings and insight you get with other musicians.

As an analyst, I’m used to using desk research and conversations with the market to find the story hiding behind the data and then communicating it to customers. I bring those same skills to playing the cello. A cellist delves deeply to find the story hiding behind the notes, analysing the score and researching the composition and other musicians’ interpretations of it, before communicating it to an audience. I think playing the cello helps me be a better analyst and vice versa.

It was my 35th birthday and 2019 was turning out to be a very difficult year. I decided to do something different for my birthday, so I made a list of 35 things that had brought me joy throughout my life (a lot of little things like eating ice cream or watching my favourite film) - and roller skating made the list. 

I hadn’t skated since I was a kid, but I took my sister along to my local roller rink and a month later, I invested in some new skates. I haven’t stopped since!

Roller skating is liberating. Up until the moment I start, the stresses from the day are still with me. I’m scared I might fall or anxious that other people will see me, but then everything else disappears and I just focus on moving to the music. Afterwards, it feels like such an accomplishment, because I overcame all those negative thoughts and any physical tiredness or soreness. It’s also my favourite activity with my dog, Jubilee, who runs alongside me.

It’s made me stronger physically and mentally. Roller skating has allowed me to come out of my shell and become more confident. It’s also something I’m passionate about sharing with friends and colleagues! I’m now considering getting into another form of roller skating, such as dance skating, roller derby or speed skating. 

In my previous life before petrochemicals, I was in music A&R (Artists & Repertoire). I’d spent a lot of my youth in a recording studio, writing songs and mucking about with instruments. Then I realised I was much better at keeping an ear out for interesting music than I was at making it.

I co-founded and ran an independent record label for six years. We branched out into creating playlists for businesses, such as a chain of coffee shops, and I still love discovering new music and thinking about how best to share it. What music would resonate with someone on a Friday when they’re crunching out a deadline-day report, say? Or while shopping, dining or at an event?

I spend a lot of time listening to music, doing research and listening to other tastemakers online share their opinions, to find music that I think would fit a particular vibe. I have to be able to appreciate varying opinions, appraise different qualities and ultimately gauge the likely commercial appeal of a piece of music. Creating consensus and swaying opinions - these aspects have a lot in common with my job!

I began doing traditional Chinese watercolours when I was a child. I stopped painting when I went to middle school at the age of 12 and was too busy doing other things. Then, when I graduated from university and started working full-time, I took up painting again along with calligraphy. I discovered that I really loved doing it and found myself teachers.  

My parents had wanted me to learn because they thought these were good skills for children to have. This picture took me more than a week to do. It is in the style of ancient Chinese artists from around 1,000 years ago. The style is symbolic of artists at that time who chose to retreat to the mountains rather than be employed at the Emperor’s court. Trees, stones and a simple hut symbolize the tranquillity and minimalism of scholarly life at that time.

I really enjoy the time I spend painting and doing calligraphy because it is so peaceful, and such a great way to rest after work. I always want to create a masterpiece! I’m hoping to keep on getting better and better until some day, I’d love to host an exhibition of my work.