On July 8th, the third season of Insight, a multilingual public-speaking series produced by the Hainan International Media Centre, was launched at the Wormhole Library in Haikou.
The event themed Across Borders: Belonging in Hainan, featured six international professionals who shared personal stories of life and work on the island.
The program is produced in cooperation with Hainan Broadcasting Station, the Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and the Hainan Provincial Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, under the guidance of the Information Office of Hainan Province.
With Hainan’s Free Trade Port set to become fully operational in 2025, the province is positioning itself as a growing hub for international talent and cross-cultural exchange. Insight Season III offers a platform to explore what that transformation means on a human level.
Diverse Stories, Shared Perspectives:
Speakers from the UK, US, Belgium, Ireland, Malaysia, and beyond reflected on their connection to Hainan, whether through heritage, professional work, or personal choice.
They included a government-affiliated investment adviser, a media entrepreneur, a photographer, a language consultant, and others. Their experiences highlight both the opportunities and challenges of integrating into life in Hainan during a period of rapid economic and infrastructural change.
Highlights from the Speakers:
Jared A. Faa, a video content creator with a large online following, described his return to Hainan as both a personal and creative journey. He captures the island’s daily life, from historic alleyways in Haikou to family gatherings and local culinary traditions, presenting Hainan through a lens of memory and transformation.
Dr. Zyro Wong, a Malaysian of Hainanese descent, shared his efforts to connect young overseas Chinese with their heritage. As president of The Knights Award, an international leadership platform, he has worked to strengthen business and cultural ties between Malaysia and Hainan, particularly in the context of the Free Trade Port’s development.
Tommy Dale Coleman, a long-term resident originally from the United States, spoke about the importance of storytelling in building cultural understanding. Having lived in Hainan for over 15 years, his work focuses on capturing the daily experiences and human connections that define local life.
David Adrian Janke, founder of Hainan Idiom Language Services, discussed the nuances of cross-cultural communication and translation in a rapidly changing province. His company has helped adapt key policy terms and place names into accessible English, and he has contributed to several resources aimed at helping international residents navigate life in Hainan.
Charlotte Magnette, from Belgium, works in Sanya’s Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, where she was the first foreign hire in a local government-affiliated role. Her efforts have helped bring in foreign investment and international partnerships, including a football training initiative with Paris Saint-Germain.
Patrick Quinn, a photographer from Ireland, spoke about his work documenting the island’s cultural heritage. Through his website tropicalhainan.com, he has helped bring traditional Li and Miao crafts and maritime culture to wider audiences via exhibitions and media projects.
Several local officials attended the launch, including Mr. Liu Huanxing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Hainan Broadcasting Station, who described Insight as “a platform for global audiences to better understand Hainan’s development.” He emphasized the station’s ongoing role in sharing stories of the Free Trade Port’s progress.
Ms. Ru Yingying, Deputy Head of the International Communication Office of the Hainan Provincial Committee’s Publicity Department, highlighted the role of international professionals in contributing to Hainan’s development. “Openness is the foundation of the Free Trade Port,” she said. “And talent is its most valuable asset.”
A Platform for Dialogue:
Insight is the first multilingual public-speaking program launched in Hainan and has completed two prior seasons. Season I focused on international education, while Season II, produced in collaboration with the British Consulate in Guangzhou, marked the 50th anniversary of UK-China ambassadorial relations and featured conservation efforts for the Hainan gibbon.
Season III continues the format of combining live talks with broad media distribution. It will premiere later this month on Hainan Broadcasting Station and affiliated global channels. This season’s stories reflect a wider reality: that Hainan’s transformation is not only economic but also cultural, shaped in part by the experiences and contributions of those who’ve chosen to make it home.
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