✍️ Last Updated: October 21, 2025

Hey there! I'm Xiaochang 🌭
It's time for my weekly letter to grow a little together with you!

This time I decided to go to Hong Kong on impulse (decided today, departing the day after tomorrow), with no itinerary planned whatsoever—I left everything to fate. I gained so much life wisdom (it was truly an amazing trip), making me fall even more in love with digital nomadism and want to move to Hong Kong long-term! This edition of the Gut Talk Newsletter is essentially my personal travel journal, and I hope you'll enjoy this conversational style of correspondence～

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My Connection with Hong Kong

This spontaneous week-long trip to Hong Kong was actually because I met someone in mid-March in Taiwan who told me "the way I am right now is already perfect」、「I deserve to be treated well"Hong Kong person, and I was curious about this kind, wonderful person—what his upbringing was like, what he thinks and feels, what he sees and hears, and what challenges he currently faces.

Is there anything I could help with? For example, bringing the 'happiness' & 'joy' he experienced in Taiwan back to Hong Kong for him? So I set off! There's no particular reason—I just felt like it was some kind of opportunity and destiny pushing me forward.

I've always felt a deep connection to Hong Kong. It's the country I've visited most in my life—my whole family went when Disneyland opened, I went alone the year my boyfriend and I broke up three years ago, I've attended over 10 site inspections & meetings organizing events at the Hong Kong Convention Center, but this time was the only time I truly immersed myself in daily life, experiencing what it's like to be a Hong Kong person, with absolutely no itinerary planned, leaving everything to fate (I'm basically addicted to 'Love is Blind' XDD).

I discovered that this land of Hong Kong carries life stories from all corners of the world.
And I want to share the miracles and insights I encountered on this journey.

Ibsen, an international caregiver from Malaysia living in Australia

My encounter with Ibsen taught me that the world's love knows no bounds.

He was flying back to Australia the next day, so we hastily planned to grab a drink that evening. He asked me amusingly: 'I'm a caregiver—can I bring the child with an intellectual disability I'm caring for?' Of course! I used to be an origami teacher at a care home, and I thought it was incredibly meaningful to meet such a connection abroad, so the three of us went to a soccer bar for beer together.

Young Ben is hilarious—he hadn't gone on a date with a girl in forever (?) and was sharing his feelings like crazy, though I didn't understand a word of his English XDD. Ibsen has been caring for him for three years, and they've become best friends who can talk about anything and even banter with each other—not a caregiver-care receiver relationship. Sometimes the love and attention Ben gives Ibsen is equally abundant.

Ben said he came to Hong Kong to see his favorite Disney villains, like Scar, because he thinks all Disney villains are handsome and remind him of himself 😆. Ibsen is incredibly patient, happily accompanying him to watch the same Lion King show at Disneyland for two or three days straight without complaining, and even enjoying it. Ben told me I look like Mulan XDDD. The memory is so vivid and absolutely adorable.

We originally thought that Hong Kong, being such a crowded city, would cause some inconvenience for Ben's travels. In reality, we worried too much—Hong Kong people are incredibly warm and take wonderful care of Ben! I really love Hong Kong people.

The story of Ibsen and Ben taught me that the relationship between caring and being cared for is symbiotic. You may think you're the primary caregiver, but you might actually be the one being healed.

Later, Ibsen and I made a plan—I absolutely have to visit him and Ben in Australia in the future!

David, a geography and history scholar who just finished traveling around the world

Over the course of one meal, I immediately realized how blessed and fortunate I am to be born in Taiwan.

Just the matter of "freedom"—freedom of speech, residence, economy, travel... all kinds of freedom I can easily enjoy in Taiwan. In other countries, that's not guaranteed. Some people's passports might even be confiscated for absurd reasons, preventing them from ever leaving their country to see the world and dance with the earth.

In Taiwan, my only worries are managing two brands, my company operations, my own belly, and my parents' health. That's it! No other worries at all!!!

I don't have to worry about where my next meal comes from, whether my laptop will be stolen off the table, whether my passport will be confiscated, whether I'll be punished for speaking freely, whether there are camping, diving, surfing, or river-tracing areas in the countryside, or how fresh the air is. We're truly fortunate to be born in Taiwan.

Freedom is the most precious thing, and the fact that you can open your phone to check messages right now is the greatest happiness, because you are free and safe.

Judy, a Hong Kong tour expert from Xiamen

Remember how I didn't plan my itinerary at all? On the third day, Judy approached me and lent me money (2 Hong Kong dollars) haha. She's read tons of Hong Kong travel guides on social media and visits Hong Kong every year. She knows the tourism scene inside and out, and she's an amazing photographer who gives great emotional support—plus she's an English teacher.

Since meeting her, I've visited spots that locals rarely go to—Stanley High Street, Hong Kong Park, nighttime viewing areas on rooftops, and various Instagram-worthy locations. She also took me to the one drink shop I wanted to visit—Lan Fang Yuan—the only request I made to the universe about Hong Kong, and it came true immediately! I didn't even open the map to see where we were going! I just followed along without thinking and had an amazing time.

Instead of doing the research myself, the universe sent someone who had done all the preparation to guide me. This is what I often brag about—'I'm really lucky!'

That's how manifestation works—the only secret is that you have to first believe you're incredibly lucky.

A sporty Hong Kong woman at Central MTR Exit D1 who helped me rent a power bank

Another super lucky story: Judy and I arranged to meet at a Starbucks in Central. When I arrived, I discovered my phone was completely dead and I couldn't find the Starbucks anywhere. After hesitating a moment, I approached a woman who looked incredibly trustworthy—a sporty Hong Kong local. Once she understood my situation, she took me to look for the Starbucks, but we still couldn't find it. So she just took me to a 7-11 and rented a power bank for me to use. It would have cost 30 Hong Kong dollars to activate, but she didn't charge me a single cent!

From her perspective, she just said that if she were traveling and encountered this situation, she'd definitely be flustered, so this small amount was no big deal. But to me, she was an angel! (Unfortunately, I forgot to get her contact information ☹️)

Thank you to this world full of love, and thank you for this Hong Kong trip that showed me so much beauty.

Manna, a Hong Kong coding teacher I met through Timeleft, & Ivy, an American flight attendant

A fun group! I chose English as the language at Timeleft (even though my English is terrible XD). Throughout the evening, I relied on Manna to translate so I could have proper conversations with strangers. After spending the entire night together, we made plans to eat at a 'dai pai dong' the next day. That's when I learned it's Hong Kong's equivalent of Taiwan's "stir-fry restaurant"!

Manna showed me that Hong Kong people also have a need for Knowledge Management. She proactively said she wanted to learn about my courses and services and wanted to chat more with me, which made me feel the potential in Hong Kong is huge! Seriously, I don't see any Hong Kong influencers in the Knowledge Management category, which gives me motivation to really pursue this market (What are the odds of running into your target audience while solo traveling abroad?)

And Ivy, an American flight attendant, was hilarious too! Three of us women eating at a dai pai dong but talking about relationships XDD haha. Ivy told me, if a guy makes you wait, just say goodbye and move to the next one! There's no time—time is the most precious resource.

It's true, time is precious. But if I can bring some love to another person and they're willing to do the same, then I think it's all worth it 😄 I'm not afraid to wait, but I won't wait forever.

Conclusion

I didn't leave the country at all last year, and this year I've set a goal to stay in one country for at least two weeks. This is a small breakthrough for me lately, and I rarely share this kind of weekly reflection. I hope you'll enjoy this format! Hong Kong has so much more I want to share and reflect on—I'll save it for next week's letter! It's like we're sending messages back and forth like carrier pigeons haha. I'd love to hear your response.

This newsletter occasionally shares my life, Knowledge Management insights, and learning reflections. Don't worry—I won't send you nonsense. Every issue of Gut Talk Newsletter will definitely teach you something, even if it's just a little bit.

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I hope this newsletter helps you learn something, feel more connected to the world, and grow a little!
If you have any feedback, suggestions, thoughts to share, or recommendations for me, please reply to this email. I'll respond to you thoughtfully.

See you next week in "Gut Talk Newsletter" again~ 😘
by KnowledgeGutfounder Xiaochang

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Xiaochang is meticulous about typography; if you spot typos or formatting issues, please reach out to Xiaochang's IG Contact! All articles come from Heptabase Xiaochang's Second Brain🧠 Content is purely human-written, never AI-generated.

If you have any questions about the article content, or if there are any parts you'd like me to elaborate on, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know～
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by Knowledge Management Mentor Xiaochang🌭