Motivated by curiosity

Bouman did not embark on this journey on a whim. It was a long-lingering idea that became clear and increasingly concrete over the last two years as he started making mental, physical, legal and financial preparations.

In addition to taking long daily walks and two-hour cycling trips to maintain his physical condition, Bouman points out that the most important preparation was to think of a "narrative" or "story "that would continuously motivate him to the finish line.

"I had the intellectual curiosity to learn more about the East since the 1990s. As a cultural historian, I would like to know more about the relationship and interconnection between the East and the West, so curiosity is my motivation," says Bouman.

Bouman has lived in China for around 10 years since he served as the creative director of the Urbanism and Architecture Bi-City Biennale of Shenzhen and Hong Kong in 2013. Before his teaching role at Tongji University, Bouman was the founding director of the Design Society, an initiative of China Merchants Group and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which opened in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in December 2017.

"I think many people go from one world to another because of opportunity. The Design Society as a cultural platform was an unbelievable, high-speed project for me and one of my most exciting chapters. I caught this chance and felt so fascinated by the reason and the whole history behind it," says Bouman.

He further explains that he has always been interested in the background and context of things, which makes him want to better understand the deeper drive of his choice to live here. "It does not just mean to be dropped in the middle of Shenzhen or Shanghai but to experience what it takes to go step by step toward the East, to be slowly embraced by the East and to see how the journey would change my mindset. That was an important personal motivation."