Antonio Coll: A Spaniard at GDUFS

    Antonio or as his artistic name 'Nino' is 25 years old and from Spain. He is one of GDUFs’ most peculiar and bold examples of adapting to China and has managed to even get higher and further in life via his experiences here. He came to China in 2012 ‘only for a semester’ at first. He came with zero knowledge of Chinese; and he chose Mandarin as an elective subject so as to get extra credits toward the scholarship that his university back in Spain was offering for an exchange program with GDUFS.

Antonio Coll's portrait. By Paloma Cheng

“To be in another country challenges you to change; to change your point of view and to learn and absorb faster than what your mind is used to back home. Why? Because, every day you have to live and evolve with different people and cultures.”

His major, Marketing, has helped him already to stand out. What’s more, he’s got a talent for painting but beyond that, he is also a musician and that’s the big, main reason why he has returned to China after finishing his studies back home. He, as many others do, expected a very traditional China as in the Hollywood movies, before coming. Yet, he was totally impressed with how beautiful and stunning the university alone is.

Antonio playing one of his songs for a video-documental by Paloma Cheng

“My strongest impression from the first days at GDUFS was to see how the library is always 24/7 full of students studying intensively. I got very motivated thanks to that image.”

In April of 2012, Antonio was the very first foreign contestant of a singing contest at the university. For him was a key moment that helped him realise and find his passion for music as a career. Also, to see the Chinese people competing in such a healthy, willing and fierce way encouraged him profoundly.

Ad promoting one of Coll's partaken singing contests

He spent the next year back in Spain trying to figure out life and start his new post-graduate life. He recorded his first album of music: “We were there”, but couldn’t help to feel he was losing time. So he applied for a second scholarship in order to return to China.

“I came back to China to follow my one true devotion.” Antonio has been taking part on different national TV shows in China such as ‘Hello Zhongguo’, believing it will help develop his career, contacts and opportunities.

“In Spain everything is slow and complicated and feels like it is impossible to do anything. But in China I always get about three job offers after taking part in each TV show.”

He sees his near future in China, or at least Asia. “Music is my refuge, a world apart where I can create my own things and stories. My dream is that what I create supports people in their lives.”

Coming to China has helped him to push himself beyond where before he thought impossible.