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China Elevator Stories
Interview with Nicole Webb (Author of China Blonde)
Read my latest interview with Nicole Webb, author of China Blonde.
15/02/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
Ruth: “Dear Nicole, I am happy to sit down with you virtually today to do this interview. Some of my readers may know you as the author of the book ‘China Blonde’, but for those who don’t, could you introduce yourself to my readers?”
Nicole: “Hi Ruth, thanks so much for having me. Yes, for those who don’t know me, I am a journalist by trade. I worked in Australian television for 20 years…part of that as a news reader, which I loved. In 2010, my husband who’s in hotels got offered a job in Hong Kong and we decided to do it! You only live once! It was the best decision we ever made. Four years later we moved to Xi’an, China, which was quite an experience! It’s where I started writing my book China Blonde. When we moved back to Sydney two years later, I published it. Fast forward and we currently live in Singapore.”
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Ruth: “To many of my readers, Xi’an is known as the city where the Terracotta Army was discovered. Did you know anything about Xi’an before you moved there?”
Nicole: “I didn’t know anything at all! We were looking at our next move as James, my husband wanted to get his next role as General Manager of a hotel. China was building so many hotels, it was the logical place to go. A few cities in China came up, including Wuhan, but didn’t work out. Eventually Xi’an came up and I remember Googling it and it looked like a very quintessential Chinese city, at least aesthetically. Lots of beautiful architecture and yes, of course the famous Terracotta Warriors. We decided to just do it!”
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Ruth: “Your book was published in 2020. Where do you currently live?”
Nicole: “We moved back to Sydney in 2017 after 2.5 years in Xi’an. In Sydney I was able to do quite a lot of writing courses (because as I found out, being a journalist and writing a book are two very different things!) I eventually published my memoir of our life in China in 2020. At the end of 2022, a job came up in Singapore for James and we decided ‘Why not?’”
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Ruth: “How did you come up with the idea to write a book? Have you always wanted to write a book, or was this a new idea?”
Nicole: “Yes, I think as a journalist, I always had a book in me, I just didn’t know what it would be about. The minute I stepped on Chinese soil, I knew there was a book in it. It was such a fascinating place and we learned such a lot about the culture and had the time of our lives!”
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Ruth: “You write about your life in Xi’an as an expat. How did you experience the transition of moving from Hong Kong to Xi’an? Did you find it to be a challenging time for you and your family?”
Nicole: “Yes, to be honest it was very challenging. In comparison to Hong Kong, there wasn’t much English spoken, none of the street signs had English and there were very few expats around, at least compared to Hong Kong, so I really felt like a fish out of water. It took quite a long time to feel at home and adjust but we did and had experiences we could only have dreamed about.”
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Ruth: “How did your daughter adjust to life in Xi’an? Which languages did she speak at that time, and was the move challenging for her, or did she adjust easily?”
Nicole: “She was just four when we moved and went to quite a big school which was initially very daunting for her. It was an international school but she was only one of a handful of westerners. It was also tough whenever we went outside because she was so blonde with fair skin and blue eyes, the locals (many whom had never seen a westerner in real life) were fascinated with her and would crowd around us taking photos. We learned not to stop and stand still for too long!”
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Ruth: “In your book, you write that most people assumed moving to Mainland China was your husband’s idea, but actually, it wasn’t. What made you make that decision?”
Nicole: “Yes, true. Well, most people assumed moving to Hong Kong was his idea too, but while it was for James’ job, ultimately we made the decision together. It was a life changing moment and while I loved working at Sky News, I was stuck in a rut and this was a way to really do something completely different and jump out of comfort zones. When it came to Xi’an, while we loved Hong Kong and had made it our home, I knew we’d eventually have to move and once we made the decision it was going to be to China, I just thought let’s just go for it!!”
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Ruth: “In China Blonde, you mention your family’s motto is ‘Us against the world’. Can you explain how you came up with this motto for my readers?”
Nicole: “I think it was really about being a team. I was lucky to meet James on a blind date at 35…and he proposed 11 months later. I knew he would always have my back and vice versa…and doing something like moving countries meant we had to be on the same page or it wouldn’t work. That’s still our motto to this day (plus one with Ava)!”
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Ruth: “You write that you met your husband on a blind date in Sydney. He is British, and after experiencing a ‘string of painful first dates,‘ you were positively surprised by his ‘normal-ness,‘ including ‘his ability to have a conversation that cuts both ways, the ability to understand where a person is coming from, and to be present in the moment willingly.‘ How is your relationship today?”
Nicole: “Oh yes, ha ha, as above…I had been on a few ‘interesting’ dates (and this was before Tinder or any other online dating sites! I remember driving to meet James, thinking – this is definitely the last date I’m going on, it’s way too stressful!! Thankfully he was the last person I dated!! Yes, he was refreshingly ‘normal’ and so easy to get along with. We are stronger than ever today. He is my best friend and 17 years later we still have a fantastic time together and always work as a team, lifting each other up and supporting each other. We got very lucky. I think ‘accepting each other for who we are’ is one of the most important things in any relationship. James allows me to be me, quirks and all…and vice versa.”
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Ruth: “You mention in your book that friends in Hong Kong cautioned against moving to Mainland China. What were their concerns?”
Nicole: “Yes, a lot of people in Hong Kong said, ‘Oh no, you don’t want to go to China, you’ll never survive!’ I think it’s because there was such a cultural divide between Hong Kong and China. Hong Kong had been a British Colony for the best part of 50 years until the handover in 1997, so it had that western influence.”
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Ruth: “Did moving to another city create a stronger bond between you an your husband, or did it put pressure on your marriage?”
Nicole: “There were definitely times when the pressure was very apparent…particularly when w e first moved to Hong Kong and I was also pregnant; I wasn’t working and didn’t know anybody, so I felt quite isolated. James had a new job and was very busy and I do remember feeling resentful but I think that is part and parcel of moving to a new country. It just takes time to adjust, for everyone. James has always been very supportive of my career, so it was a matter of working out what I wanted to do going forward. Having a baby three months into the journey meant I couldn’t do a lot initially but eventually I started dipping my toes back into the water with some gigs hosting events, media training and writing articles. It gave me a sense of purpose and helped me to forge my own identity overseas.”
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Ruth: “How long had you known your husband before moving to Xi’an, and did the move change any of the dynamics in your relationship?”
Nicole: “We had known each other two years and married for one, so really not long in the scheme of things! We definitely learned a lot about each other in that first move to Hong Kong. Initially it was strange for me as I had been such a career woman and suddenly I had ‘house wife’ on my visa application. It was a bitter pill to swallow but once I realised it didn’t mean the end of my career, it was just a blip, it was ok. By the time we moved to China and they put house wife on my visa again, I was able to laugh about it.”
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Ruth: “You used to work as a news reader with Sky News Australia before moving to Hong Kong. You mention you were a bit wary about being able to build a new career from scratch. How are you doing today, career-wise?”
Nicole: “After publishing China Blonde I did my own media publicity, purely because I had been a journalist and knew what the media wanted and I also had a lot of friends in the industry. After that, a good friend suggested I should start doing publicity for other authors. Initially I wasn’t convinced but fast forward four years and it has become a full time business for me that I can do anywhere in the world. It is the perfect culmination of all the skills I’ve learned over the years and I love it!”
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Ruth: “Moving to another country as a trailing spouse means having to give
up everything—your work, your home, the stability of having friends and family close by. Were you ever worried you wouldn’t be able to manage all the challenges that come with living abroad?”
Nicole: “Yes, definitely. There were times I thought, gosh I can’t do this. Especially in China. It took me longer to settle in and find friends but it also taught me that it really just takes time and you have to be patient. You can’t rush the process as much as you want to shut your eyes and wake up in six months with your life all sorted, it doesn’t work that way. The same thing happened when we arrived in Singapore but I knew I had to trust the process and eventually things would fall into place and it would feel like home.
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Ruth: “What are your plans for the future? Are you planning on writing another book?”
Nicole: “That’s a good question. Life is so unpredictable but we would be more than happy to stay in Singapore until Ava finishes high school in four years. It’s a very easy city to live in and it is close to so many other countries, we want to make the most of it and to do a lot of travelling. My business is going from strength to strength so I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon. Will I write another book? I have the first (messy) draft of a fiction book based on expat life written but I have put it away in the drawer for now as there’s not enough time in the day. Who knows, one day I may go back to it.”
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Ruth: “You didn’t speak any Chinese when you moved to Xi’an. How did you experience the language barrier? Was it a problem, or was it easy to deal with?”
Nicole: “It wasn’t too bad as we lived in the hotel James managed and a lot of the staff had some English, but the minute I stepped outside it was all Chinese. I had started lessons before moving to Xi’an and realised I would have to ramp those up. I started having two lessons a week and by the time I left Xi’an I could have a reasonable conversation.”
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Ruth: “Would you recommend Xi’an to other expats wanting to move to China?”
Nicole: “Yes, I think if you’re going to any city, Xi’an is in a league of its own. It really feels like the China of old with the ancient city wall, the exquisite Bell Tower, the Muslim Quarter and Warriors. It’s a great mixture of East meets West.”
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Ruth: “Can you explain to my readers what the city’s soul is like? What makes Xi’an special?”
Nicole: “I think it is special because it has so much history, stretching back thousands of years. You can really feel that when you’re there and the people are so proud of their city. It’s very authentic and unlike Beijing or Shanghai it still has remnants of its past woven into its tapestry.”
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Ruth: “If you could make that choice again now, knowing what Xi’an is like, would you still make the decision to move there?”
Nicole: “Yes, I think so. While it was hard, it was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. We look back and think, ‘Wow that was our life! We did that!’ Moving countries, especially those that have such a different culture can really make you feel like you are truly living life!”
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Ruth: “What was publishing your first book like, and how did people resonate with it?”
Nicole: “It was a daunting but fascinating experience and a very different industry to any I had known; one that I had to learn about quickly. I’m so pleased I did it though, and we will always have a record of our time living in China. I published it during Covid, so I couldn’t have a big launch like I had always hoped, which was disappointing but I had lots of mini launches and everyone was very supportive. China Blonde has found a new audience in Singapore and a lot of expats here are reading it which is lovely. I haven’t read it since I published it but feel like I’m almost ready to dive back in and read it from an outsider’s perspective.”
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Ruth: “Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your insights.”
Nicole: “My Pleasure! Thanks for having me.”
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Have you read the book China Blonde?
On a side note:
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