A view of Xiuying Port in Haikou, South China"s Hainan Province. Photo: VCG

　　"Hello, please translate this document into English." In an office space in Haikou, capital of South China"s Hainan Province, the clacking of keyboards mingled with the occasional conversation. The man moving between the workstations - the "boss" with a foreign face yet speaking fluent Chinese - was David Adrian Janke. Born in the UK, he came to China to study in 2007 and has since developed a lasting bond with the country.

　　Janke, a British national who runs a translation company in Haikou, told the Global Times that since settling in the Hainan Free Trade Port, he has planted the seeds of his dreams — building a life and career that exemplify how foreign expatriates can grow and thrive in China.

　　"The Chinese Ministry of Education provided me with a full scholarship, allowing me to complete my university studies smoothly," Janke recalled. At the age of 19, Janke enrolled at Nanjing University in Nanjing, East China"s Jiangsu Province, majoring in Chinese language and literature. He says he fell deeply in love with China from that moment on. Over the next 17 years he moved between Nanjing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and other Chinese cities, finally settling in Hainan in 2020. "China is my second home," he said.

　　David Janke visits Maona village in Wuzhishan, South China"s Hainan Province, to experience the lifestyle and customs of the Li ethnic group in May 2022. Photo: Courtesy of David Janke