The Filipino farm boy chasing rainbows
Print Edition
JOHN Kelvin Co arrived in Shanghai from the Philippines, via Beijing, on a mission — to use his creative mind.
After years of working on a farm, a couple of hours’ drive away from Manila, Co decided he’d had enough toiling on the land and wanted to test himself in a diverse, multi-cultural metropolis. He succeeded in doing just that, working for a private agency in Shanghai.
In his leisure time, the former farm boy likes nothing better than exploring the hidden beauty of Shanghai and rowing dragon boats is one of them.
“I joined a group called Shanghai Dragons, a dragon boat team in Pudong,” the 30-year-old reveals. “I also like to go and explore the outskirts of Shanghai. You see a different kind of life not usually seen in the center of Shanghai.”
Yet despite his obvious love for the city, the Filipino believes there are a couple of things Shanghai could improve upon.
“I think Shanghai is lacking in passion and compassion,” he says. “For me, if you’re passionate, you will do anything to make things come true.”
Q: You said you have been in China for more than three years, so before Shanghai, where else have you been and what did you do?
A: I was in Beijing. I had a senior position in a digital creative agency. Culturally speaking, it was a new world for me. I couldn’t speak Mandarin and had a hard time adjusting.
Fortunately, my friends and office mates helped me adjust faster than I imagined.
Q: What made you decide to move to Shanghai from Beijing?
A: I think Beijing is a very comfortable place. The life there was a little bit laid back, even though we were doing digital, awesome stuff.
But I came to China to make myself better and reach my potential.
Shanghai is a melting pot of traditions, cultures and peoples. When I landed here, the people were very welcoming. They seemed to have lots of knowledge. When I heard all of the stories that happened in the past decades, I was inspired.
Q: Do you remember the moment you first came to Shanghai?
A: The first time I came to Shanghai, I realized, very quickly, that everything here was so much faster. People walk very fast and speak very fast. I had difficulty adjusting to the changes immediately because I felt so stressed.
But the funny thing was, in Wukang Road, everything slowed down, which was so different from the other streets.
Q: What impressed you most in Shanghai?
A: The buildings impressed me the most. The old buildings are very beautifully preserved.
If you love history, you can read everything about them in books. But obviously it is better that they still remain a name of mystery.
Living in Shanghai gives me the permission to walk through the past. I can feel it — it’s like a time machine.
Q: Which place do you like best in Shanghai?
A: My favorite place in Shanghai is probably the West Bund. There you can do a lot of things. It’s a big, open space with a lot of facilities. You can jog; you can work out; you can relax. There are even space for skateboarding and other things.
I also like the Power Station of Art. I like the idea that the old power station was turned into an art gallery instead of having it destroyed.
Q: What else really makes you happy here?
A: The diversity and different stories that are happening here every day. You can go to a place where you meet someone from other parts of China, and experience a mix of things. There is always a fusion of things here. Shanghai food with a touch of Europe for example.
Most especially I like the transportation in the city. If you have a hard time getting a taxi, you can get a Didi (a popular taxi app). If you have a hard time taking a Didi, you can use a bike, Metro, a bus or just walk .There are so many options.
Q: Do you have anything you dislike here?
A: There are two things that I dislike, but it’s not a physical thing. I think Shanghai is lacking in passion and compassion.
I’ve noticed it when I am talking with my office mates. If they see, for example a migrant worker approaching, they immediately think the person is not working hard or he is begging for money. For me, I think they just want someone to understand them. Why not be nice to them?
For passion, I think that’s one of the main problems I’ve seen here. Shanghai is a place where you can fulfil your dreams, if you want.
But once people arrive in Shanghai, their main agenda turns to material things, such as getting the highest pay check that they can achieve. It’s not really about being passionate.
Q: Compared to your country, are there any shortages in Shanghai?
A: Probably the lacking in compassion and passion. Shanghai is a very comfortable city, but when you’re living comfortably — I think there are consequences of living a comfortable life, compared to people who experience hardships or lead a chaotic kind of life.
Q: Do you have any impressing memory during your life?
A: It’s pretty weird because I grew up on a farm. My father is an immigrant. He’s Chinese. He’s from Xiamen (Fujian Province). The life was really different on the farm.
I was really happy with my life there. I could play in a tree house. Sometimes we planted vegetables, like eggplants, and we cooked them in our tree house with friends, and we’d also hunt for birds!
My mother is from Vizayas Islands (one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines). When they moved to Manila, they had a hard time.
They taught me how to be strong. They said: “Money is nothing if you are weak.” Because money will be gone after you spend it. But when you are strong, even if your money is gone, you will still find a way to earn it.
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