How an American became a famous hutong volunteer

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‍By CGTN's The Point

“I came from a very proper New England background, but my fate has been China,” said Terry Crossman, a 62-year-old American. He described his China story as “yuanfen” – a kind of “already, always connectedness”.

His connection to China began when he started learning Mandarin 44 years ago, majoring in Chinese studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

When he was 18 years old, he hopped on a slow boat for his first trip to China and kept finding reasons to return. Now he has been living in Beijing for 22 years.

“China’s really been a big part of my life,” he said.

“I’m addicted to the unpredictable. And China, if anything, is unpredictable. Every day is an adventure for me.”

After retiring from the executive search business, he turned his back on the office stress in search of new adventures. He moved into the hutongs, traditional Chinese courtyard homes in downtown Beijing, and joined his neighborhood “Xicheng Dama,” a group of community volunteers.

Although these groups are generally made up of old local Beijing women, they decided to let this curious American man join the ranks. “We do have old men as well. As a brand name, we are called the big mothers,” Crossman explained.

Crossman lives in one of the most historical areas of Beijing. All the buildings are at least 400 years old.

“Mostly what I do is give people directions or pour water for people. Once a week, for a couple of hours every afternoon, I go and sit in the little red booth and give people directions.”

Crossman said his life has become centered around making people happy, which in turn makes his happy as well.

Crossman’s status as the only foreign volunteer in the group propelled him into internet stardom when a video of him went viral online.

“In Chinese, we have a saying that people are afraid of being famous, like a pig being afraid of being fat. Because if you are fat, you will get butchered.”

Crossman confessed that although fame has fostered a mix of feelings, he has enjoyed this “amazing road” as well. “I would never believe that I would have been on TV so many times. Twenty different newspapers interviewed me. My mom called me out of the blue, saying how come you didn’t tell me you’ve become famous?”

Crossman said he enjoys the feeling of being free from the expectations of the society from where he came.

“In China, when you want to get something done, there is always a way to get it done.”

The Point with Liu Xin is a 30-minute current affairs program on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 9:30 p.m. BJT (1330GMT), with rebroadcasts at 5:30 a.m. (2130GMT) and 10:30 a.m. (0230GMT).

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