Growing up in fancy Shanghai, Harry Shen wasn’t exposed to the marginalised sections of China. His perceptions changed when he went on a tour nationwide after graduating with a marketing degree in 2021. This journey led him to pursue further studies to understand how he can make a change with an MA in Media Practice for Development and Social Change at the University of Sussex.
“When I went on the Southeast China tour, I thought my country was rich! But when I went to the mountain villages of Western China, I saw kids who didn’t have enough money to eat proper food,” Harry recounted. “The kids didn’t know many things they were supposed to learn in school. The parents of these kids work in big cities to make a living, and their children are left with their grandparents in the village. These kids can only study for ten years, and then they can’t go to a university. I want to help these kids”, he said. Since he didn’t have enough savings to study abroad, he worked as an international salesman for two years and then came to the UK in September 2023.
“When I boarded a train towards the university from Gatwick Airport, I felt lonely as everything was new for me, and everyone talked in English. Then, I met an elderly lady on the train. I shared my experiences with her, and she advised me about how to live in the UK. This made me feel comfortable”, Harry said. “I think elderly people are very kind in the UK.”
Harry talked about his struggle adjusting to the UK due to cultural shock. “I had never met so many people from different countries in China. I had only seen foreigners in childhood, so initially, it was difficult. But then I made a Turkish friend at the university who made me feel comfortable. Most of the people I met in the UK were good to me. They didn’t care about the language barrier. Most people don’t know much about Chinese culture, so I want to share my experiences with them”. Harry thought the air was pure, the sky was blue, and the city was green, but everything was expensive!
Harry tells why he came to Sussex: “I chose this university because it’s very diverse. Before coming here, I feared how I would be treated in the UK. But I think the staff respect every student and we can have our own voice. This makes me feel like it’s a small global village where cultures can be exchanged anytime.”
Do you think this course will help you with your dreams, I asked Harry. He said, “To be honest, yes! This course has provided me with more diverse perspectives. I heard words like asylum seekers and Global South for the first time. I didn’t know the circumstances these people face. Last term, I worked on a documentary about migration, which allowed me to see the living conditions of refugees and asylum seekers from different races in the UK. The biggest advantage of studying here is that the seminars allow more space for discussion with other students and promote the exchange of ideas.”
Harry was always interested in arts and photography, but his undergrad degree in marketing didn’t leave him with many opportunities to explore his creative side. “I chose photography classes in my course at Sussex to learn it professionally rather than figuring it out alone. I hope to improve my theoretical knowledge of photography and use it in practice. I want to catch some moment in life which helps in social development”, he detailed.
What do you want to do after going back to China? I asked Harry, to which he replied, “I want to do business for at least three years. After I have enough money, I want to help students directly by giving them books and being a teacher. I want to teach them photography and about different cultures of the world.”
