My China obsession started when I was in my early teens and Deng Xiaoping came to Seattle in 1979. Already interested in becoming a lawyer, the discussion in late 70’s/early 80’s Seattle of how China was opening to the West made me think there might be a need for American lawyers who spoke Chinese. In university I started to learn about China and study Chinese, then did intensive language study in Taiwan in the late 80’s, and eventually became a China-focused corporate lawyer. 

My long-running campaign to move to China finally succeeded in 2004. For over 11 years, my family and I lived in Shanghai, while I worked as a partner at large international law firms and immersed myself in learning about pre-World War II Shanghai. It was a fantastic and energizing time to be in China, particularly in Shanghai.

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