Known as the “Mayor of Xiamen” Jose Noel Halili Antivola, better known as Bong Ants shares his experience of living in Xiamen and China at large!
Jose Noel Halili Antivola（被称为“厦门市长”和 Bong Ants）分享了他在厦门及整个中国的生活经历！

个人简介：
Name : Jose Noel Halili Antivola(otherwise known as Bong Ants)
姓名：Jose Noel Halili Antivola（也被称为Bong Ants）
Country of Origin : Republic of the Philippines
国籍：菲律宾共和国
Occupation : Creator of B.A.D. Lab for Landy International
职业：厦门莱恩迪贸易发展有限公司市场总监
Years in China : 14 years, 5 months and 24 days
在华居住时间：14 年 5 个月 24 天

How did your journey in China begin?
你的中国之旅是怎样开始的?

On November 9th 2006, I met two Americans in Manila, Philippines named Stevens Vaughn and Rodney Cone. They were on vacation that time and were looking for a personal assistant for Stevens. I was then working as Executive Assistant to the President at Folded and Hung. When they offered me the job at Golden Bears Design Studio, I accepted it and came to Xiamen on December 2, 2006… and the rest is history.
2006 年 11 月 9 日，我在菲律宾马尼拉遇到了两位美国人，分别是史蒂文斯·沃恩（Stevens Vaughn）和罗德尼·科恩（Rodney Cone）。他们当时正在度假，并且想为史蒂文斯寻找一位私人助理。那时我担任Folded and Hung总裁的行政助理。我接受了他们给我的金熊设计工作室的工作机会，并于 2006 年 12 月 2 日来到厦门……之后开始了我的中国之旅。

What do you like most about your city and China as a whole?
你所在的城市，哪一点最吸引你？你最喜欢中国的什么呢？

Xiamen is my Paradise – my place of contentment and fulfillment. The weather is similar to that of the Philippines though a bit colder in winter. The people are welcoming and the community is generally helpful to each other. I also love getting involved with various art projects at the Nordic Contemporary Art Center and Xiatenwei Wetland Park. And last but not the least… PARTIES!
厦门是给我带来满足感和成就感的天堂。这里的天气和菲律宾很相似，只是冬天会更冷一些。人们都很热情，社区里的人经常互帮互助。我也非常喜欢参与厦门北欧当代艺术中心和下潭尾湿地公园的各种艺术项目。最后，我非常喜欢这里的……派对！

What fascinated you the most about living in China?
生活在中国，最吸引你的是什么?

The most fascinating thing for me is how the Chinese government handled the COVID-19 pandemic. At the onset of the situation, they acted swiftly and made drastic decisions to close the borders. The system of contact tracing, preventive measures, distribution of vaccines are things other countries can definitely learn from.
最令我感触的是中国政府应对新冠肺炎疫情的方式。疫情一开始，中国政府迅速采取行动，做出关闭边境的重大决定。接着建立接触者追踪系统、采取预防措施、开始分发疫苗……这些举措绝对值得其他国家学习。

What is your unique China story?
你有什么独特的中国故事？

I guess being called by most people in the city as “The Mayor of Xiamen” is the most unique for me. I’m also elated to be given recognition from fellow expat creative JQNation as the “2020 Artist of the Year”, Gold Awardee from the Asia Pacific Youth Performing Art Championship 2020 (Malaysia) together with Celine, Hanna and team.
对我而言，被大多数人称为“厦门市长”是最独特的事。此外，我也很高兴能与 Celine、Hanna 和团队一起获得 2020 年亚太青年文化艺术锦标赛（马来西亚）金奖，并获得外籍创意公司 JQNation 授予的“2020 年度艺术家”称号。

Some background on his home country.
介绍一下Bong的祖国背景。

Originally from Bacolod City, Negros Island this town is known as “The City of Smiles”. It is famous for sugar – probably why people are sweet and happy. Every October, locals and visitors alike celebrate the Masskara Festival where revelers adorn themselves in creative masks and costumes.
内格罗斯岛的巴科洛德市，以“微笑之城”而闻名。这里的糖果十分出名——也许这就能解释为什么这里的人都是甜蜜幸福的。每年 10 月，当地人和游客都会戴上富有创意的面具和服装，一起狂欢庆祝面具节。

作者：Bong 翻译：邓忠悦

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