As China marks its National Day holiday, an American expatriate stands out with a Chinese name closely tied to the occasion. Scotty Robert Cox, whose Chinese name is Ke Guoqing, literally meaning "National Day", was given the unique moniker simply because his birthday falls on October 1.
"I come from Kalamazoo, Michigan in the United States. I've lived in China now for 15 years. When I first began learning Chinese, my first Chinese teacher gave me that Chinese name, because my birthday was Oct. 1. Before she gave me that name, I had no idea that Oct. 1 was National Day in China. In America, Oct. 1 is just a regular day," said Cox.
Cox's bond with China dates back to 2010, when he was an elementary school teacher in Michigan and met his future wife, a native of the coastal city of Dalian in northeast China. This fateful encounter eventually brought him to China and paved the way for his long-cherished acting dream.
"Before, I was a stage actor and a musical theater actor in the United States for nine years. And upon coming to China, I was very surprised that when an opportunity like that fell into my lap. I had a friend of mine here, he asked me, has said 'would you be interested in being in a movie?' He sent me the name. I was reading it and I didn't understand. And then I showed it to my wife, who is my fiancee then, and she was like 'wow! Feng Xiaogang! You have to go!'" he said.
The opportunity marked Cox's acting debut in China under the guidance of Feng, one of the most renowned filmmakers. In the years since, he has appeared in more than 100 films and television productions.
"When I first came here, I remember that a lot of Hollywood movies would be some of the top blockbusters in the Chinese film market every year. And now we see probably out of the 10 highest grossing movies in China, 10 of them are made in China. Now in China, we have such a huge film industry that can make Chinese stories for Chinese citizens. That's great. And I'm happy to be a part of it," he said.
Currently living in Dalian with his family, Cox has long regarded the city as his second home rather than merely a place to live.
"I love Dalian. I love the mountains, the ocean. I love the weather. I think this is a wonderful place to raise a family. I love the people here. They're so friendly, they're honest and direct. I've been here now for 15 years. So this has been at least 1/4 of my life that's been spent here. If I'm lucky enough, I'd like to spend another 15 years here," said the actor.
U.S. expat named after China's National Day shares love for life in China
