Recording Work and Life in China

Hey everyone, it’s Grace here! Welcome to my series, Living in China. I’m just a regular working gal grinding it out in Shenzhen, China. The three years of the pandemic? Yeah, that hit me hard—it was right when I had my second kid. Imagine this: wearing a mask every single day, getting COVID tests non-stop, stuck in that work-home loop, terrified that me or my baby might catch it. Why? Because back then, if your kid got COVID—no matter how tiny they were—they’d take them away. Isolated. Handed over to strangers in white coats. I lived in constant fear of being separated from my child. When the pandemic finally ended, I thought, “Okay, things will bounce back.” But nope—life just keeps getting tougher every year. My company started slashing salaries, laying people off. Anxiety hit me like a truck. I can’t sleep, worrying I won’t be able to give my kids a decent life, a safe future. Why does it weigh on me so much? Well, I lost my dad before I even finished college. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, so when I graduated, I was on my own—no parental safety net—just me, my resume, and a whole lot of hustle. It’s been exhausting. Now, with no hope of things turning around anytime soon, I’m spiraling. So, I decided to do something about it—I want to see how others are making it work. In this series, I’ll be talking to everyday folks—the grassroots, people from all walks of life—digging into how they keep pushing forward. I’m hoping their stories will spark some hope in me, give me that push to shake off this anxiety. Today, I finally found the guts to introduce myself. I’d love your support—your encouragement could mean the world to me.