Electrical Engineering

Now that I have been living in China for almost ten years and I call this country home, I find it difficult to imagine living elsewhere.

Alessandro belongs to the first group of students participating in a double degree program at XJTU, after graduating in Electrical Engineering he moved to Hong Kong.

As a student I always wanted to spend a study period abroad, to the point that one of the main reasons why I chose Politecnico was the wide offer of mobility programs. However, I would never have imagined choosing China as my destination. Different factors lead me to this choice, but mainly it was the attraction towards a culture so distant from mine.  The first impact with China, especially because of the differences with Italy, from the language to the way of living, was not positive and during the first weeks I kept on asking myself whether I made the right choice. With the passing of the time however I started considering the differences as a source of inspiration and difficulties as opportunities. Now that I have been living in China for almost ten years and I call this country home, I find it difficult to imagine living elsewhere.

During my studies in Xi’an I was impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese people, the widespread optimism and the tenacity they are capable of in order to emerge in a very competitive environment. I thought that this kind of environment would have a positive impact on the kickoff of my professional career and therefore I decided to keep living in China, at first carrying out an internship and then working for a multinational consulting enterprise.

I am currently based in Hong Kong, a bridge between the West and the East, a door towards mainland China. It is difficult to describe the dynamism and resilience of this city without living it in first person. I am sure that, regardless of the pandemic, the social conflicts and any other problem, the opportunities that this place offers are almost unlimited for whom is able to keep an open mentality and is willing to taking some risks.