Chris Gassner | November 28, 2025 |
My name is Chris Gassner, actually it is Christian, but that turned out to be far too complicated for most people here, so after a few heroic attempts at saying my name I accepted my fate and became Chris. I am a German engineer who has been living in China for over twenty years which still surprises me because I originally came here for a short adventure and China simply refused to let me leave. I earn my living in manufacturing and in this country that means you live somewhere between impressive technology, creative chaos and those wonderful moments when something that should absolutely not work somehow works anyway, and everyone nods as if this was the plan from the beginning. Over the years I have worked in many different areas and built a life that is a mix of routine, surprises and stories that only make sense if you have lived in China yourself. I am also a complete TV series junkie but only for funny shows because life is too short to waste it on things that do not make you laugh.
Shenzhen became the center of everything because this city refuses to sit still. It updates itself faster than most people update their wardrobes. One day you walk past an empty space and a short time later there is a tower, a shop, a new trend or at least a coffee place pretending to be the future of beverages. The energy, the speed and the friendly chaos make it impossible not to be fascinated. That is why I write about it. Shenzhen feels like a living engine that never drops below full power and still manages to surprise you on a random Tuesday morning.
One of my favourite things here is driving which might sound strange but for me it is a small piece of freedom. Sitting in a car in China feels like a quiet action movie without explosions. Every drive is an adventure and every corner can turn into something unexpected. You learn reflexes you did not know you had and you learn to read traffic like weather forecasts. And still, I must admit that there is one thing from Germany I truly miss. The Autobahn. There is nothing like the feeling of pushing the car faster than recommended and pretending this is completely normal because there is no speed limit. Here you are officially not supposed to drive fast at all which might be healthier but is definitely less fun. Sometimes when I sit in traffic in Shenzhen, I catch myself daydreaming about the Autobahn where the fast lane actually means fast and not just slightly motivated. If Germany ever decided to hand out loyalty cards for Autobahn fans, I would definitely have platinum status by now.
Another part of my life that fits perfectly into this beautiful madness is my passion for whisky. After a long day filled with machines, ideas, people, surprises and the occasional mystery there is nothing better than a good whisky to reset the system. Some people meditate, some do yoga, I open a bottle I planned to save for a special moment and suddenly the day makes a lot more sense. It is a hobby that makes even engineers relax for a moment and talk about flavours, and character instead of numbers and deadlines which is honestly a very welcome change of pace. I love sharing whisky, discovering new bottles and sometimes buying ones I absolutely do not need but still convince myself are essential for my balance as a human being.
Living here has shaped me more than I ever expected. China surprises you, challenges you, confuses you and rewards you all at once. It has a rhythm you eventually learn to understand even if you never really control it. After all these years I still enjoy the madness, the movement, the ideas, the energy and the strange charm of this place. And yes, sometimes I still get lost even in areas where I should know my way, but I simply walk with confidence and pretend that exploring was the plan all along.
And the reason I like writing about China is simple. This place produces more stories in one week than most countries create in a whole year, and if I do not write them down, I forget half of them and the other half sounds so unbelievable that people think I am making everything up. China has this special talent of turning completely normal days into episodes of a series where the writers decided to ignore logic and just have fun. One moment everything is calm and the next moment an entire street has changed, a new rule appears out of nowhere, a delivery driver arrives with fifteen packages stacked higher than his own head, and a grandma overtakes me on an electric scooter at a speed that should require a license. If I did not write about all this, I would eventually lose track of what actually happened and what I only imagined, which in this country is sometimes shockingly close together.
And if you ever feel like you missed a story just scroll down, and you will find all of my previous adventures waiting for you.
Chris Gassner
Where Scooters Refuel Faster Than Your Coffee Order
China’s Rainy Season: A Monsoon Adventure in Shenzhen
The Great Bubble Tea Street: A Parade of Plastic Cups
Everyday Life in the Accelerator
Smartphones in Shenzhen – the Digital Permanent Organ
The Great Chinese Mall Symphony
Sea World Shekou and the Ship That Never Left Port
11.11: The Day China Holds Its Breath, Then Buys a Wi-Fi Toaster
In a City Built for Instant Everything, Patience is the Last Virtue
November 28, 2025