His Chinese name is Jiang Senhai, a big British guy taller than 180 cm. Jiang has lived in Beijing for 19 years. "If you learn Chinese here, you can talk with people and you will find it interesting," Jiang said.

Jiang came to Beijing in 1993 and lived with a local family, learning Chinese from them. In 2006, he opened the first Plastered 8, a shop chain selling creative thinking sealed on t-shirts, on Nanluoguxiang, a famous street for cultural curios in downtown Beijing.

Jiang has another two shops: one in Beijing's 798 Art Zone, and another in Tianzifang, an art street in Shanghai. In addition, he is working together with young designers, not only for his business, but also for encouraging young people to think in an innovative way.

His good ideas often come from daily life. "I like collecting things, especially old ones," Jiang said. Among his collections, there are subway tickets, food ration coupons, and relics of China's planned economy. "They represent old Beijing in my eyes," he added.

As a father of four children, Jiang sees Beijing as a second home. He met his wife and settled down here. "I love Beijing because of people here. You can go to those nice places, but you won't stay if you don't like people there," he said. "As you understand the history and culture of Beijing, you will love the city."