Laowai of the land

Expats share the highs and lows of their lives in fast-changing China

In 2011, Hans Martin Galliker and his partner Amihan Zemp founded Neemic, a Beijing-based eco-fashion brand. Galliker gave up an accounting job at IBM in his homeland Switzerland earlier to come to China and pursue his dream of doing something related to sustainable agriculture.

In his early youth, the now 35-year-old lanky man used to be a farmer back home. When Galliker made a short trip to China in 2008, he was heartbroken to find how agriculture in the country had been affected by pollution and he wanted to use his knowledge of farming to help reverse the situation.