Episode 460

Learning Chinese With Peter Young

Peter Young is the managing director of the Free Cities Foundation, an organization which seeks to promote economic development by providing greater security than is normally provided by governments, at a price far lower than ordinary taxes.

Years ago, Peter was studying in York in England, and decided to teach English so he could travel more. He decided to move to China, where he ended up living for 10 years.

At first, he was amazed when he heard foreigners speaking even a small amount of Chinese, ordering food in a restaurant. Soon enough, he decided to start learning the language and engage himself in the culture, even studying the etymology of Chinese characters and the ancient texts that they reference.

Of course, living in a foreign country and attempting to assimilate comes with its challenges, and you can hear about them in this interview.