Tesh Sharif, a Kurd from the UK, moved to China in order to learn Chinese. Eventually marrying a Chinese woman, they now have three children, two girls and a boy. A language teacher by trade, Sharif is currently the Research and Development Director for Kido Kindergarten and Daycare in China.

“Twelve years ago, after returning to the UK from Kurdistan, I realized that life wasn’t as fulfilling as it had been in Erbil, whether in terms of disposable income, work-life balance, or the chance to build something from nothing. I wanted to recapture that feeling,” Sharif told Kurdistan Chronicle.

Shared values

“The biggest challenge I set for myself was to move to a country with a completely different culture, language, and writing system. I started from the bottom, earning about 10% of what I made in Erbil, and slowly worked my way up. Surprisingly, I found that Chinese cultural values aren’t so different from Kurdish ones. At the core, both cultures emphasize respect for the family and working hard to ensure the next generation does better. That understanding helped me gain respect in the Chinese community early on,” he said.

In the beginning his family was quite concerned about him being so far away, in a place none of them could relate to.

“The only connection to China in my family was my brother’s Kung Fu club in London, where he developed a deep respect for Chinese culture through martial arts. But they knew that if something were to happen to me here, it would be hard for them to help.

“That said, I’ve also had many clients from Kurdistan who trust me to handle their business dealings in China. Being Kurdish and fluent in both Kurdish and Chinese makes it easier for me to negotiate discounts and priority purchases, so I’m often trusted in that regard,” Sharif added.

Immersed in languages

Furthermore, as a bilingual speaker of Kurdish and English, picking up a third language was not too difficult for Sharif. “That said, I know many foreigners in China who have been here longer than I have and still haven’t learned the language.

“The key difference for me is that I spend a lot of time with Chinese people who don’t speak English. It’s easy to stick to your own kind when you move to a new country, but I made a point not to do that. I’ve seen many Kurdish families in the UK stay within their own communities, and even after 10-15 years, they still struggle with English. I was determined to avoid that, and it has paid off.”

Sharif also married a Chinese woman after living there for five years. “I don’t have another frame of reference for marriage in a different context, but being married in a country that places such a high value on family is very fulfilling,” he said.

“Having a family here, far from my own parents and siblings, is a source of comfort. I do worry about missing out on my nieces and nephews growing up, but technology helps bridge that gap – we’re only a video call away.”

Currently, he is teaching his children both English and Chinese. “Once they’ve mastered those, I plan to introduce them to Kurdish, Arabic, and French. With these languages, they’ll be able to navigate most parts of the world with ease.”

Media fame

Sharif’s unique story also gained attention from the Chinese media, especially his passion for Chinese opera.

“I’ve always had a passion for the performing arts, and when the chance came to learn a specific form of Chinese opera unique to my city, I jumped at it. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to master – even by local standards – but it came fairly naturally to me. When the national television station heard about it, they did a thorough background check and eventually began offering me screen time,” he said.

“In the past month alone, I’ve appeared on local and national news platforms over 15 times, and I’ve been told my performances have been viewed over five million times. While that seemed unbelievable at first, I remembered that China has a population of over 1.4 billion people. Appearing on CCTV is a matter of great pride, especially for a foreigner.”

Chinese-Kurdish bridges

Sharif also noted that in his job as a language teacher, he has started incorporating Kurdish culture into his lessons. “Teaching about Newroz to people who generally have no knowledge of it was fascinating – they had so many questions. That said, I’m cautious about discussing anything related to separatism in China, so I steer clear of Kurdish political topics.”

He also stated that Chinese people do not often ask about his Kurdish background. “People are generally more interested in how well I’ve integrated into the local culture rather than my background.

“As the culture and communications ambassador for my local district in China, my ultimate goal is to work with the government of Kurdistan to introduce a system of childhood education modeled after the Chinese system into Kurdish society,” he added.

“There is so much that Kurdistan can learn from China’s approach to education, and I hope to serve as a bridge between the two cultures, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration. Getting established in China hasn’t been straightforward, but it’s been an invaluable learning journey,” he concluded.