Cynthia Corona is a Mexican graphic designer and travel creator. She has lived abroad for more than 11 years, in countries like Spain, Belgium, England and China. Her hunger to travel and experience new cultures has led her to document her life daily and create an online community. She focuses on a positive mindset and uses social media to share her travel experiences and express herself through her other passions, the art of photography and videography. She seeks to inspire people to pursue their dreams, travelling and living abroad as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

INTRODUCTION – Personal relationship with China

How did your experience with China begin? Was it a casual meeting, related to your work, for pleasure?

Back in 2018, my husband got an opportunity from work and we thought that could be a good experience for our lives. We didn’t know what to expect and this was our first time in the country. 

How has your relationship with China evolved over time?

The first year was a challenge, everything was new, language barriers, food, and many things we didn’t know beforehand.

However after 6 months I started to understanding how life works, I started travelling and trying many different things, all kinds of food and then I realized that China is a very interesting place, more than what we see on the media. At that moment I started enjoying and discovering many different places in this country.

What has your personal experience in this splendid country taught you?

To be patient, that things will be solved and there is nothing to worry about. If there is one thing I learnt in China is that everything is possible and there is always a way 😀

BUSINESS in China and with China

How has China changed compared to its early years from a business perspective in your specific sector? What are the differences that most affected you positively and negatively?

I am a travel content creator and graphic designer. From my designer project, it didn’t affect me and I had more and more projects. From my travel content creation, it was hard during the past years because of the pandemic. After all, it was a hard time for a lot of people, although the travel industry in China was affected significantly after the borders were closed. On the other hand, I could explore this country and more people were interested in knowing about China from the outside but it was hard to grow in that sector. It was not until early 2023 that the workflow changed and now it is so much better.

Tell us about your experience in Shanghai. What is your role and what are the main results you have achieved over the years?

Shanghai became my second home after 6 years of living here, I fell in love with the everyday life and food. Now you can see a lot of Shanghai in my content, I think that every traveler should visit this city at least once. And after all, was the base of every travel and my home.

How important is it to know the local culture and language in your business?

Very important, I share mostly my travel experiences and I always encourage my audience to enjoy the local life and culture. After all this is one reason why we love exploring and travelling, learning from other people and cultures is so enriching.

Have you noticed any changes in recent years compared to your arrival from a work point of view? If so, what were the most significant?

As a content creator, I feel that China is already advanced with social media, it was before when I first arrived and I still see it now. Perhaps the industry is more organised now and online marketing is getting stronger than before. But I see this happening in many other countries.

How did the pandemic affect your business and what strategies have you implemented since its outbreak to respond to the crisis?

I’d say all the travel industry was affected and took a while to feel comfortable and share about travel again. In some point when things got better I was trying to be reasonable with what is ok to share and what not. It was hard times but I tried to always be consistent and that helped me in the future.

What are the main challenges you have encountered in your experience in China? What are the positive surprises?

Language barriers and cultural differences, many times you might understand what people say but you don’t understand why things are done that way. If your mind is closed it will be hard but at some point,, I got used to and I let it be.

China is so convenient, things happen fast, anything you want is at your door and the most important part of it is that is very safe, as a woman is something you appreciate and get used to very easily.

How important is the role of technology in your business?

Social media is always changing and evolving, and is very important for me to always be updated and I am sure in some years my work will evolve in something else.

My name is Cynthia, a Mexican travel content creator who has been living in Shanghai for 6 years. During all this time I explored as many places as I could in Asia but especially in China. Shanghai stole my heart and I decided to show the most beautiful corners and places of this city to my audience, my second home far away from home If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen that I have collected a lot of memories and lifetime experiences from my life in Shanghai. You might see me wandering in the streets with my dog Eva and admiring the local life that we all love in Shanghai. I hope you enjoy my travel guides and see you somewhere in the world!

Interview by Marco Bonaglia