Born in Changsha in Hunan province in central China, as a young girl Li had no inkling that one day she would live anywhere other than her home town. Although Changsha is a large city and the provincial capital, Li lived in a quiet neighbourhood with ready access to the natural environment. Closeby was a large park where the young Li was free to explore and play with her friends for much of the year, except for the harsh winter months. Li had no siblings, but then nobody her age in China did, because of the nation’s One-Child Policy, a government mandate in effect from 1980 to 2015, that limited most families to one child to control population growth. Li believes her childhood was quite normal, with her father being a government officer and her mother a high school teacher. Li knew she was loved, but her parents were not demonstrative, especially her father, a strict disciplinarian who had spent many years flying bombers in the Air Force. Neither of her parents were particularly artistic though her maternal grandparents were local chefs of considerable renown. Sadly, their skills were never taught to Li’s mother as the family’s secret recipes were passed only to the sons of the family, as tradition of the time dictated.

Li’s reticence around people she doesn’t know well is likely a product of her upbringing. Li’s parents are both now deceased, but there were tensions in the household when Li was a child which sometimes cast shadows over her youthful exuberance for life. She does recall one particularly happy day, taking a family trip to Lotus Lake, riding in the boat with the flowers towering over their heads as they explored the lake’s beauty, all three without a care in the world.

At school, Li gave the impression that she was a very quiet and well-behaved student, yet inside she was the opposite of a conformist. Her rebellion was not a conflagration, but rather a secret flame she tended carefully. From an early age, where she was expected to emulate her teachers as closely as possible, Li wanted to do things well, but in her own particular way, not theirs. This aligns more with western practice and belief than the traditional Chinese one. However, at the same time, Li was, is and always will be incredibly proud of her Chinese heritage. She may not always agree with the current policies of the government, but that doesn’t blind her to the millennia of Chinese art and culture that she intends to explore, study and promote through her artistic endeavours, wherever in the world she may choose to live. Li would never consider renouncing her Chinese citizenship.

Li’s tertiary education was at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, but, somewhat surprisingly to those who have met her in Hua Hin, not in the decorative arts, but instead in Fashion Design. Li chose to study fashion as she had always been interested in human styling, colour and how people interact with their surroundings. Li’s Bachelor’s degree took from 1998 to 2002 and later she returned to study from 2006 to 2010 for her Master’s degree. After her first graduation, Li was invited by the British Consulate to join an exchange program at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. This was an amazing experience for Li as it was her first trip outside China and the opportunity to visit so many museums and galleries across London opened Li’s eyes to the enormity of the world and piqued her desire to learn so much more about it. This cultural exchange planted the seeds for what Li is working on to this very day. Wisely, between her periods of study, Li immersed herself in the fashion industry, working for well-known and respected fashion brands, both Chinese and international. Originally Li’s focus was women’s wear, but she eventually moved to sweater design, always searching to expand on her skill set.

One key aspect of her employment has been to liaise between the design teams of brands such as Diesel, Zara, H&M and Miss Sixty, to name a few, and the Chinese-based production facilities in which the garments were constructed.  This role afforded Li a very intimate, practical, detailed and hands-on understanding of the fast-fashion industry, an understanding that became the cornerstone of her teaching, later in her career, when she became a college teacher. Li cites her effective teaching and the consequent positive achievements of her college students as perhaps her greatest personal achievement to date, despite having run her own fashion brand, JASER, for some time. The brand is no longer in existence, Li admitting that although her English was improving, she didn’t have the full skill set and business-savvy to ensure its on-going success. Li is a creative rather than a business woman.

By 2014, Li was suffering as a result of the high-pressure nature of her job so she decided to take herself off to SE Asia on a solo adventure, beginning in Cambodia, a part of the world which she still loves, since it was where she first realised that the world is full of possibilities. It was in 2014 that Li first encountered Hua Hin. She tells a delightful anecdote about her reason for visiting the town. Others who were not born in Hua Hin detail travelling to the town for its beach environment, its mountains, national parks and wildlife, or its thriving expat community. Li came to see the historic Hua Hin railway station with her own eyes, an experience which became etched in her memory and drew her back when she was ready to embrace life outside China with her mother and five-year-old daughter in 2020. It was during this trip to Hua Hin in 2014 that Li met a Thai/German couple who took her to Wat Huay Mongkol and its famous black-hued statue of the revered monk Luang Phor Thuad, known for working miracles. The couple directed Li towards a small pavilion with a tree holding the image of a lady and encouraged Li to ask for her heart’s desire. Li firmly believes that her now 10-year-old daughter, Tour, is her wish, granted as a result of that prayer, a reason Hua Hin will always have a strong place in Li’s heart, despite the fact that Li’s marriage to Tour’s father lasted less than six months.

 Since coming to Hua Hin, Li has worked in a number of positions, perhaps the most personally rewarding as art teacher in a primary school. Li believes one of her key strengths is her ability to observe people and read their needs. Rather than teach people of any age how to do art, she brings enjoyment to people through enabling them to release their own creativity. Sure, Li can teach countless techniques, methods and tricks, but it is the job of the individual to locate and release their own inner artist. Although Li now works with empowering the artistic efforts of people of all ages, she has a particular fondness of working with youngsters, who often surprise even themselves with what they produced when their inner magic is set free. Li treasured these moments with her young charges, and built mutual relationships of respect with them. However, some people couldn’t understand or accept Li’s creative way of teaching, which eventually saw that job brought to an end. Undeterred, Li decided to start her own company to continue sharing art in her own unique way.

Li considers herself a lifelong learner and wants to becoming adept at mastering simple building maintenance jobs. On a personal level, Li is working at improving her language skills as well as her EQ - the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions to facilitate improved interpersonal communications. This is a worthy self-improvement goal for any person. She is particularly thankful for the kind and caring people in Hua Hin, from diverse cultural backgrounds, who have helped her in the past and continue to support her in her newly relocated LE Studio. Li is profoundly grateful to Yunita and MY Honeypie for allowing her the use of that venue before she had one of her own and also to Kru Nang from the Artist’s Village for welcoming Li into the local art scene.

Li’s new studio will have multiple purposes and is the culmination of her desire to be something of a Chinese cultural heritage ambassador. She would love to pass on some of the skills she has learnt in ancient Chinese arts such as calligraphy, lacquer work and cloisonné to locals, whether they be Thai or foreigners. One element of this desire to share, and to promote all artistic endeavours in Hua Hin, is the Facebook group of nearly a thousand members, Hua Hin Art and Craft events ศิลปะและงานฝีมือ, that Li has created for artistic promotion within the community.

As parent of a “tweenager”, Li is aware of the limited secondary education options available to non-Thai youngsters in Hua Hin, and has noted the distinct uptake in homeschooling, many times out of pure necessity. While a solid homeschooling curriculum can go a long way towards meeting the educational needs of teens, Li feels that Hua Hin lacks venues to meet the social interaction needs of teens. One particular aim is for LE Studio to become an activity centre for teens and to this end Li offers a wide variety of art and craft activities suitable for all children regardless of gender, as well as a venue to indulge in game playing, of the board variety, not the digital or online kind, an exercise in relationship building for teens who may be experiencing social isolation.

Li has been finding that individuals of all ages have been spending extended lengths of time in the studio, so with help from an associate, there are now modestly priced food and drink options available to keep patrons at LE art and craft 樂工坊 (LE-Studio) well-fuelled. While Li has already begun some groups based on shared interests, patrons are able to drop in any day except Tueday, to experiment with Li’s wide range of art supplies. Anyone who can’t find inspiration in her fully-stocked studio is in need of real help, fast. A monthly membership package is also reasonably priced and is particularly popular with parents of homeschooled children, looking to provide them with a regular artistic and social outlet.

As a mother, and quite a protective one at that, Li is determined to be an even better parent than either of her own. She consciously has no expectations of her daughter, other than hoping for Tour to experience a happy and peaceful life. Li’s daily schedule is very full at the moment, but through work, she is able to relax. Even on her sole day off, you could find Li in the studio, alone but not lonely. It’s a more appealing option than housework! Within the next six or eight years, prior to Tour being ready to spread her wings into adulthood, Li has just a single bucket-list item to tick off. She’d love to get a motor home, to take an extended world trip, just the two of them together, to appreciate the beauty of the small things that make Li smile, like a squirrel running along a branch or a snake sunning itself on a rock. The ability to live in the moment is one important gift Li hopes to bestow on Tour. Being taught to appreciate the simple things in life, such as the wok hei of the rice noodles from a street food seller in your home town, is also an invaluable gift from a loving mother to her child.