STORY:  French expat in China shares love of nature with local children
DATELINE: July 27, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:05
LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Johannes Sylvain Faure-Brac working in mountainous areas in China
2. SOUNDBITE (English): JOHANNES SYLVAIN FAURE-BRAC, French industrial designer
 
STORYLINE:
 
SOUNDBITE (English): JOHANNES SYLVAIN FAURE-BRAC, French industrial designer
"My name is Johan. I am from Provence, the south of France. The French Alps were my childhood playground. Nature has taught me a lot about life. By the time I was 7 years old, I already mastered the basic survival skills of navigating by the stars.
 
My father was a shepherd and a carpenter, and my mother a teacher and an artist. When I was young, we often explored the forests together, rock-climbing, foraging for wild produce, and building shelters with logs. My father told me how to make my own toys, so I could make anything I wanted.
 
As a teenager, I was a competitive cross-country skier, and I trained with Olympic athletes. Because of my love for the environment, I chose industrial design as my major at university, and I learnt to create sustainable products.
 
In 2012, I came to China for work, and I was immediately drawn to this country. China has been actively promoting sustainable development and I wanted to contribute to it. Here, I meet a group of like-minded friends who also love nature. Now, I spend my time between the Alps and Zhongshan.
 
I am the director of sustainable design and development at Flow. Flow is an educational farm and animal sanctuary with a strong mission to help people fall in love with the natural world, which is also my personal mission. I hope to share with children here in China the magic and fun that I experienced growing up in beautiful, pristine nature.
 
I think a great education for children is when nature becomes their mentor, and to integrate ecological wisdom into fun games. If I am not mistaken, Chinese culture and Taoism emphasize the harmonious co-existence between man and nature.
 
We are all children of the earth. Whether it is between man and nature, or between man and man, the highest state of getting along is mutual respect and appreciation."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zhongshan, China.
(XHTV)