When you, as a Chinese person, meet someone who is ethnically Chinese but grew up abroad, how do you connect? How do you not connect? What does it really mean to belong somewhere? And how do third culture kids answer the question “Where are you from?” when the answer is… complicated? Why is this uniquely complicated when living between two cultures, one of which is Chinese?

 

In this discussion, Céline, who is ethnically Chinese, culturally French, and grew up moving between both worlds, uses her own lived experience as a starting point to explore identity, belonging, and the quiet challenges of living between cultures. Now back in France, she brings an honest, reflective perspective on how carrying more than one culture can feel both deeply enriching and persistently confusing.

 

The session begins with a short personal story from Céline and opens into a guided, conversational salon rather than a lecture. Together, we’ll talk about universal themes many of us recognise: the idea of “home,” unspoken social rules, food and family identity, and what living abroad teaches us about ourselves. Designed as a safe, inclusive space, this discussion invites anyone who has lived between cultures, knows people who did, or simply felt out of place at times, to share, listen, and connect through thoughtful, meaningful conversation.

 

当你作为一个在中国长大的中国人，遇到一个同样是华裔、但却在海外长大的人时，你们是怎么建立连接的？又是在哪些地方发现彼此其实很难真正对上频道？“归属感”这件事，到底意味着什么？而那些所谓的“第三文化孩子”，在被问到“你是哪里人”的时候，又该怎么回答这个本来就很复杂的问题？为什么当两种文化中有一种是中国文化时，这种复杂感会被放大得特别明显？

 

在这场讨论中，塞琳——一位族裔认同是华人、文化背景偏法国、从小在两种文化之间来回成长的人——会从自己的真实经历出发，聊身份认同、归属感，以及夹在不同文化之间那些安静却长期存在的挑战。如今生活在法国的她，会带来一种坦诚、克制但很有力量的视角，讲述同时承载多种文化，既可能让人感到丰盛，也可能持续带来困惑的真实感受。这一场会从塞琳的一段个人故事开始，随后自然展开成一场被引导的沙龙式对谈，而不是单向输出的讲座。大家会一起聊很多我们都不陌生的主题：什么是“家”的感觉，那些说不出口却默认存在的社会规则，食物与家庭身份的关系，以及在海外生活如何反过来塑造我们对自己的理解。这是一个安全、包容的空间，欢迎所有曾经生活在多种文化之间的人、认识这样的人，或者只是偶尔感到格格不入的人，一起分享、倾听，并通过真诚、有深度的对话建立连接。