Yuan Zhang

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Writer, Photographer, Singer

Asian Economic Policy Program (’11)

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Please tell us about your career path so far.

From 2004-2014, I worked in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China as program officer and later deputy director. In 2014, I left NBS to become a diplomat. I was posted in Greece as second secretary in the Economics and Commercial Counselor’s Office.

After I finished my tenure in Athens, I decided to switch my career into an entirely different direction, and do something I had been longing for for quite a long time. Since then I have been working as a professional writer, photographer and sometimes a singer.

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You used to work as a government official for quite many years. What made you decide to change career paths to writing, photography and singing?

Every action corresponds to another and our life is a chain of all these actions. When I was working in the public sector, I used to take photos as an amateur and used to send my essays and fiction writing to some magazines in China. I was much encouraged when many of my essays were published in “LifeWeek”, the most popular weekly magazine in China. In the summer of 2014, my photos “In Tibet” participated in a big art festival in Athens, Greece, and in early 2015, my Essays and Photographic Set “Diary in Japan” was published in China. My photos and writings were well-received by publishing houses and readers, which gave me a great push to make the decision to change my career path to professional writing and photography. As for singing, thanks to my readers and fans, their cheers gave me the courage to stand on the stage.

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You have just published your third book in less than four years. That is amazing. Please tell us more about these books. And are they available in English?

In 2014, I published my first book “Diary in Japan”, that was a collection of photos I took in Japan and essays I wrote about Japan. “Diary in Japan” was well-received by many Chinese readers who are fond of Japanese culture and lifestyles.

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In 2016, my second book, a novel, “Once in a Lifetime” was published. “Once in a Lifetime” is a story about a lady traveler who experienced the huge earthquakes in 2011 in Japan. Her journey led her later on to Nepal, a country which suffered from another huge earthquake in 2015. The sorrows and pains in other’s lives made her life into a different dimension, which led not only to self-enlightenment but also to the compassion with others.

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My third book, “Voice of the Forrest” was published in January 2019. It is a book of my thoughts about life, about relationships and about how to keep the inner peace in one’s heart and soul. In the book there are dozens of photos which I took during my stay in Greece.

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With these three books, fortunately, I have established a considerable readership in China and recently I have been quite busy giving talks and workshops at universities, book stores and other places where I share my life experiences and thoughts with my readers. So far, all my books are available in the Chinese language only. I would love to have my books translated into English, Japanese or other languages. It would be my great pleasure to see my books being introduced to readers in other countries.

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What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your work? And what have been the most interesting or rewarding aspects of your career thus far?

The biggest challenges in my work and life have always been the uncertainty. I never know what will happen the next day. However, it is always very inspiring and exciting to be an adventurer in work and life.? ?

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In 2017, for instance, I was invited to participate in the so-called CPEC Cultural Caravan Project, a creative caravan of artists, musicians and film makers from China and Pakistan traversing the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and documenting art and culture en-route. This brought me to the most wonderful places and resulted in a photo exhibition, a TV interview and other media exposure. I am also proud to have received the Honoured Seal of CPEC Cultural Caravan.

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Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

As I always welcome every possibility in life, I don’t know exactly where and how I will be in 10 years. There is one thing I know for sure, that is, I will keep on writing and sharing my writings.

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What led you to GRIPS??What is the most important thing you got out of your studies here, and how has your experience at GRIPS prepared you for future endeavours?

In 2010, I applied for the IMF-sponsored “Asian Economic Policy Program” in GRIPS hoping to achieve a break-through in my career but it has finally turned out to be a completely life-changing experience.

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During my study in GRIPS, I experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The earthquakes completely shook up my outlook of life, quite literally so. From that day onwards, I have been thinking about how fragile life can be and how strong human beings can be. I put these thoughts into my second book “Once in a Lifetime”, which is a novel about the journey of a Chinese lady in Japan, Nepal and Greece. I have to admit that the novel is kind of an autobiography of my own experience. In this book, readers may also find the narratives of my professors and my peer students in GRIPS, as their accounts also contribute to the whole story.

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As a writer, the best thing I can do to my beloved GRIPS is to have these experiences recorded in my books and share it with as many readers as possible.

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Have you had any involvement, professional or otherwise, with Japan since your graduation?

I have used Japanese culture and my experience in Japan as the themes of my first two books. Making more readers more aware of the beauty of Japan is always one of the main drives of my writing.

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How do you maintain a balance between your work and the rest of your life? And what is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?

Being a writer and photographer, I don’t think I have any time off. Either I am writing or photographing or I am thinking about writing and photographing. It is enjoyable for me to devote all my time to my profession.

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When I am not sitting in front of the laptop, I spent most of my spare time with some charity foundations, making donations or taking photos for them. The empty?nesters?and?lost?only-child?elderlies are the main focus of my support. I am also working with some groups to help stray animals and to save the lives of fur animals.

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What are some of your fondest memories of your time spent at GRIPS? And what do you miss about Japan?

Luckily or unluckily, my experience in GRIPS and in Japan was tightly connected with the huge Tohoku earthquakes in 2011. The shocks from natural disasters, the shocks from the discipline of Japanese society, and the shocks from the vulnerability of human beings made me to double think about the meaning of life. My experience in Japan during the earthquake, and the many aftershocks that followed, was beyond good, bad or fond. It became a major watershed in my life that made me walking towards a different domain.

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If you could give one piece of advice to anyone considering studying at GRIPS what would it be?

Don’t hesitate to grasp the opportunity to study in GRIPS! Every second you spend in GRIPS will benefit your future life and you will thank this school and this country for what you are going to get from them.

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How would you like to maintain involved with the School? What do you expect from GRIPS as an alumnus and do you have any suggestions on how to further utilize the GRIPS alumni network?

I am used to get updated from the alumni in Facebook and through the emails from our lovely Alumni Office.

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As a writer and photographer, I am very much interested in the career paths of our alumni. It would be very impressive if we can have a report of how the study in GRIPS benefits the alumni after we finish our study and go back to our home countries.

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As an alumnus working as writer and photographer, I would be grateful if GRIPS, the Alumni Office or some of our alumni could help me to introduce my works into Japan or other countries. My writings and photos are the common memories of our stay in GRIPS and in Japan, I sincerely wish that they can be shared with more people, especially with the target students and the alumni-to-be.

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Thanks a lot.

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