Ribbons plans book on Helen Snow after playing her in TV series

Elyse Ribbons might be a US citizen, but she claims that she is practically half-Chinese.

The 36-year-old is proficient in the Chinese language, highly knowledgeable about Traditional Chinese Medicine theories and the holder of a degree in Peking Opera, She likes to joke about how she has invested half her life in China.

Speaking at a creative hub that used to be the site of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Ribbons likened her connection with China to a "Tar Heel", the nickname for her home state of North Carolina and a term that was used during the US Civil War to describe stubborn soldiers who refused to retreat on the battlefield.