Their life in Beijing

Editor's note:

How is life in Beijing for foreigners? A group of foreign friends, including students, artists, writers, share their stories and dreams with cityofbeijing website readers.

Enjoy our special and you are welcome to share your Beijing stories with us.

The black pearl

As long as she has the ability to walk, she's going to use it to help those in need. That's the pledge made by 24-year-old model and dancer Mariatu Kargbo.

The tall, bright-eyed entertainer has used her celebrity status as a nationally known dancer in Sierra Leone and as the 59th Miss Sierra Leone contestant for the Miss World competition to donate thousands to those in need, back in her home country.

Mariatu received a interview with China Daily, talked about her career and life in China.

Man finds home for dogs

Chris Barden is an American who has lived in China since 1998. Despite the fact that he was graduated from Yale and was admitted to Harvard, the 45-year-old found passion in rescuing dogs in China. He has now provided shelter for 120 dogs.

Barden recently opened an animal adoption center, and is urging people not to buy dogs, because there are so many lovely, friendly and healthy dogs to be adopted.

Here is Chris Barden's story.

Follow me @beijingemily

Emily, 24, an American girl living in Beijing, spends much of her time bike riding through the city's hutong and snapping photos with her smart phone. She uses a photo-sharing application called Instagram, on which she has an audience of more than 73,000 people.

Emily said gaining so many followers has changed the way she uses Instagram. While she used to post photos of her new shoes or friends, for example, Emily now feels she has a responsibility to her followers. Since most of her audience is Chinese, she is more thoughtful now about how she portrays life in China through her phone's camera lens.

This is her story.

Living animation

When Brian Dowrick arrived in China, he planned to stay for three months. Intimidated by culture shock, he changed his expectation to three weeks.

That was five years ago. Dorwick now owns his own animation studio in Beijing – Eclipse Studio. He also opened a school to teach Chinese people how to become animators.

Where does Dorwick find his inspiration? Why did he settle his business in Beijing? And what does it take to be a good animator?

This is Brian Dorwick's story.

The feverish ambitions of young Chinese seeking entry to the prosperous film industry also infects foreigners, especially those with Asian roots.

This year, the Beijing Film Academy, regarded as the cradle for film stars in China, received 25 applications from across the world, up from last year's 18.

"There are more opportunities for Asian faces in China than in the United States," says 17-year-old Chinese-American Grace Lee Grant, who has applied to two Chinese film institutions.

The 2012 Miss California's Outstanding Teen has been impressive as a ballerina, but due to an ankle injury, she decided to focus on acting just one month ago and flew to China directly to take the entrance exams and interviews required by film institutions.

It's her fourth visit to the country.

"I can speak Chinese well but can only read a little," says Grant, adding that she still has difficulty understanding Chinese culture despite her ethnic-Chinese family.

Before she flew to China, Grant's father helped her practice Chinese for one month.

"I had heard Chinese applicants trained a long time for the entrance exam, but I believe my ballet will help me stand out," says Grant, who played a role in the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker.

For Mia Thayer, it was an incredible experience to stand with 30 applicants in a room to read poems one by one during an initial test held by the Central Academy of Drama.

Living in China all her life, the 17-year-old American says she loved theater and China.

She is in the 12th grade in Hong Kong, and came to Beijing for the exams.

"The world is talking about China. I just wanted to experience learning acting here," Thayer says.

"There's no plan B. If I fail the tests, I have to figure it out after all things finish," she adds, looking toward her father, who flew to Beijing to support her.

However, Chinese-Japanese Kiyomi Fujimoto says she will try again next year if she fails.

The 19-year-old was born in Japan and studies dance in the US. She had spent a few years living in Beijing when she was a little girl.

"I can speak Japanese, Chinese and English. It helps add to my charm in the Chinese film industry," Fujimoto says.

To better prepare for the threshold exam, she took part in a 20-day training course to practice impromptu performing and singing.

"I also applied to film institutions in the US, but I really want to be an actress in China," she says.

The idea of learning acting at the Beijing Film Academy is ingrained in Peter Wang from Philadelphia.

The 18-year-old Chinese-American has already had some acting experiences in Chinese films and TV series. He also says he will try again if he fails this year.

"It's not easy for Asian faces like me to crack the door to Hollywood. But in China, there will be more chances," the young man says.

Wang learned martial arts for years and likes kung fu movies, but he prefers the acting arts.

"The Americans only know Chinese stars for their kung fu. I hope I can change their stereotype of Chinese actors one day," he says. [>>>more]

Clemence le Borgne, 21, got a degree in business administration at the university this year and won an award at its 2012 Laowai Idol for singing.

The Laowai Idol was an opportunity to realize her dream of singing in China. Since then she has sung for a Beijing-based band with four girls from Canada, Uganda and China. [>>>more]

By day Angiers is an English-Chinese translator, but cross talk is his passion.

"It's really funny. So it's really fun to study and it's good for our language," Angiers says.

Ding picks Angiers and another student, Yegor Shyshov, an Ukrainian, to perform in front of the class. [>>>more]

Selander is one of the participants of the just-finished 2013 Beijing International Screenwriting Competition.

The 29-year-old is among seven winners in the short-film category who will be financed to make their scripts into movies in Beijing. [>>>more]

Christine Cayol, who has dedicated herself to creating cultural exchanges between China and France, was awarded the Knight Badge.

She founded Beijing Yishu 8 in 2009, which serves as a platform for the Chinese to acquire European culture through art exhibitions and lectures. [>>>more]