​Brandy Spohn's cross-cultural daily practice in Guangzhou: 'The greatest culture shock is our similarity'

The first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Communication Competition for College Students concluded on May 17 at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, with nine student teams from SYSU earning remarkable awards. Their works, exploring diverse themes like China's modernization, artificial intelligence, environmental issues, and daily life, highlight innovative storytelling and cultural exchange.

Below is the first-prize work in the Written Reports category: Brandy Spohn's Cross-Cultural Daily Practice in Guangzhou: ‘The Greatest Culture Shock Is Our Similarity’. Read the full text below to explore the insights and perspectives that earned this recognition.

Over a dozen individuals sat in a circle, “Let's get comfortable first, so let's take turns introducing ourselves.” The women sat in the center said. She is Brandy, the host of this “impro” event and the protagonist of our story today.

After self-introductions and warm-up games，participants were divided into pairs, standing face-to-face to engage in a special interactive exercise. In every pair, one person would continuously change the gestures and the movement of their arms, while the other quickly mirrored their actions. What exactly are they doing?

Two participants doing “mirroring”

This exercise is called “mirroring,” aptly named for requiring participants to fully replicate each other's movements and trajectories. It was one of the activities in today’s impro  session.

Upon closer observation, you can see Brandy moving among the pairs, offering guidance and advice. “Improv is called improvisation, which is about creating in the moment—you don’t need a script, a plan, or preparation. You simply act on what comes to mind.” Brandy explained. This marked the first time her comedy label, Tough Cookie, had hosted such an improvisation event.

Impro Sunday held by Tough Cookie

Eight months ago, Brandy founded Tough Cookie, which has since held diverse activities every Sunday. People from different countries, professions, and age groups gather here, with some even traveling long distances to attend. English, Chinese, Cantonese, and other languages converge in lively exchanges. Brandy’s vision for Tough Cookie was to use language as a bridge to connect people, fostering cultural exchange and communication through innovative and fun comedy activities, while building a friendly community. Her efforts have not only enriched participants’ lives but also created a platform for cross-cultural understanding and friendship.

Language Learning: Cross-Cultural Practice Under Multiple Identities

As an American who has lived in China for 20 years, Brandy embodies multiple identities. She is not only the voice behind Guangzhou Metro’s English announcements but also a talented comedian, music creator, and performer.

About five or six years ago, Brandy was offered the opportunity to record voiceovers for the Guangzhou Metro. Since then, her warm, elegant voice has accompanied countless passengers through their daily journeys—morning rush hours, leisurely afternoons, and quiet late nights. This experience has brought her closer to Guangzhou people, but what trully brought Guangzhou closer to her, is every taxi ride her takes through this beautiful metropolis.

Brandy in recording booth

Brandy loves practicing her Chinese with taxi drivers. Guangdong, as a vast province filled with migrant workers, makes these interactions particularly diverse and enriching. “Sometimes I don't wanna talk to them, because they always ask the same questions. Like, Where are you from? What do you do?” Brandy laughed. However, she quickly found a creative solution. Each time she's asked the familiar questions, she challenges herself to expand her answers, enriching her Chinese vocabulary along the way. “I'm from America. I'm from Georgia in the southern part of America. I'm from a city about an hour south of Atlanta...” This playful “expansion game” has significantly improved her fluency of Chinese, turning repetitive conversations into meaningful language practice.

She also improves her vocabulary by asking guided questions to drivers. “Now I try to get into deeper conversations out of my level. Like, oh, tell me about that. And then let them just talk so I can pick up new vocabulary here. So I'd like I guide the conversation to make them my teachers.”

Brandy is also passionate about music creation and frequently performs on live house stages. She works with the band, singing English songs, Chinese songs and even Cantonese songs. Currently, she is working on four music albums. Producing songs in a studio can be time-consuming and costly, but with the help of AI, she can effortlessly and quickly create hundreds of songs, turning ideas in her head into reality. “AI just really made it where I could finally get some of these dreams out of my head and into reality.” Brandy said.

Brandy singing and playing on stage

Interestingly, two of Brandy’s albums focus on learning Chinese and English. When asked why she created language-learning albums, Brandy shared that she learned much of her Chinese in KTVs. “Take it linguistically, if you’re trying to memorize a new word or phrase without rhythm, it’s difficult. Your brain loves rhythms. Your brain loves patterns. You can remember a song better than anything on your test.” Brandy hopes that by making these songs, the interesting melodies and rhythms can help Chinese people better learn English and foreigners better learn Chinese. Unfortunately, making language learning songs in a truly systematic way is a complex undertaking, “If I make the songs, I also have to make the vocabulary test and the workbook and the things and like a whole curriculum around it. And that's more than one person can do in their spare time.” Brandy said regretfully. So she just post some of them on rednote and see how the audience responds, maybe we'll be able to hear more of them in the future.

Growing Roots Across Cultural Resonances

For Brandy, China isn’t just where she’s lived for almost two decades—it’s where she’s grown into herself, experiencing the dizzying pace of urban transformation firsthand. She often jokes about experiencing an identity crisis, playfully describing it as being “reborn.” “I always make the joke, I have a 19 year old Chinese girl in my brain,” she laughs. Arriving in this vibrant oriental environment just as she reached adulthood, Brandy quickly found that everything she’d learned in America about being an adult seemed inadequate amidst a culture so vastly different. Ever since, she’s been growing and evolving alongside this young, dynamic city.

Brandy’s long years in Guangdong also has revealed surprising similarities between Cantonese culture and her childhood experiences in Georgia. “Actually what was shocking was a lot of things were similar.” Both cultures cherish community comfort, share a deep passion for delicious food, and appreciate the value of slowing down to enjoy life’s moments. The culture maybe different, but at the end of day, people are just people.

Brandy also encountered other foreigners who have come to China for several years but still don’t know how speak Chinese or keep certain stereotypes about Chinese people. Rather than maintaining stereotypes out of a misguided sense of superiority, Brandy believes everyone should reflect and empathize more deeply. “Drop your preconceived notions, experience some.” She claimed. While cultural differences can indeed lead to misunderstandings or even biases, not all such instances can be solely attributed to culture. Culture influences individuals, but it is ultimately up to each person to either perpetuate cultural norms or challenge traditional frameworks.

Understanding and embracing Chinese culture now has become an automatical part of her life. “If I didn't like this country, I wouldn't live here. If I didn't believe in some of the values it stood for, again, I wouldn't be here.” As she continues her journey exploring China, Brandy remains curious and open-hearted, embracing each day with genuine enthusiasm.

Brandy photoed with a model of Canton Tower

Building Cultural Bridges in the Greater Bay Area

When talking about internationalization, Brandy laughs warmly. “Being from America in a small town, I wasn't prepared for the internationalization of China even back then.” Even back in 2006, Guangzhou was a bustling center of global trade, bringing people from all corners of the world into her everyday life. To thrive, she quickly learned to navigate interactions with diverse individuals and cultures. Now in 2025, Brandy has become a fierce advocate for meaningful cultural exchange that go deeper than superficial encounters. Through her multicultural events like comedy and improv, she actively creates welcoming spaces for people to connect genuinely, fostering friendships that span continents.

Brandy’s journey highlights the transformative power of sincere openness in cross-cultural exchange. Her genuine curiosity and willingness to embrace differences have shaped her life, fostering friendships that transcend borders.

Today, as she continues organizing multicultural events and creating spaces for genuine connection, Brandy sees herself as part of a larger story unfolding in southern China. Guangzhou, thriving in the Greater Bay Area's inclusive environment, has attracted many foreigners like her who contribute to its vibrant international character. As Guangzhou continues to evolve as a global metropolis, Brandy's experience demonstrates how cultural bridges are built not just through major initiatives, but through countless small, sincere interactions.

Reporter: Zhang Yiwen, Li Ruiquan

Photos are provided by Brandy Spohn.

Relevant report: https://www.sysu.edu.cn/sysuen/info/2971/56431.htm