Xianmin Chang

Originally from Beijing, Xianmin Chang is no stranger to living in a big polluted city. Recently though, he began a three-year fellowship at Orkney College where he is finding there is more than enough fresh air to satisfy him.

Xianmin not only enjoys the clean environmentally friendly lifestyle of Orkney but he is also working on projects including work on Bio Diesel and herbal remedies.

"I'm from Beijing, the capital of China." he says "I really see a huge difference between Beijing and Kirkwall. The environment here is better. The air in some big cities can leave your clothes and skin feeling dirty.

"I have only been here about three weeks but already I can see the people are very friendly and welcoming, and that's really important.

"I don't have any plans yet to do any sightseeing. I have just begun my post here at Orkney College and in China it is traditional for new staff to get stuck in at work first. So for the first few months my plans are really to work!

"I have noticed that in Scotland family comes first and work second. China has a very different way of thinking and work comes first above everything. It's a great chance for me to work in different countries and experience these differences.

"If I was to give advice to anyone from China coming to Scotland I would say they need to study hard at English. Some accents are harder to understand than others. Sometimes like here in Orkney there is a strong local language. There are words that are only used on Orkney which is interesting but hard to get used to at first.

"Coming here is a great opportunity. In my case there is just so much work to do that you can really make a difference and achieve a lot. In this institute you have to open your eyes and not focus on too narrow an area of research. The type of work I am doing requires collaboration with companies, growers and users.

"I am interested in trying to bring some of the plants used in herbal remedies in China here to Scotland. How well they would grow depends on the environment and, of course, the project would only work if there was a demand in the marketplace.

"I will be in Kirkwall for three years so there is hopefully enough time to get this kind of work underway along with research into bio fuels and helping renew old crops and continue with improving the environment."

Related links

• Orkney College