English Essays
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Why Is It So Difficult for Brand Stories to Become Part of the Price in China?
Why can brand storytelling become part of a product’s value in Germany, yet struggle to do the same in China? Using Snocks as a starting point, this essay explores how platform design, consumer expectations, market competition and different social rhythms… Continue reading
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I Went into Bìguān¹ for Five Months—and Unexpectedly Found the Path I Truly Wanted to Follow
For five months, I stepped away from social media and thought I had failed again. Instead, writing helped me untangle years of anxiety, understand what I truly wanted to create, and see my website not as another platform, but as… Continue reading
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When Desire Is Stronger Than Self-Control, Stop Fighting It Head-On
When desire, habit and immediate reward are stronger than willpower, forcing ourselves into a head-on battle often makes failure more likely. Drawing on Mao Zedong’s strategic thinking, this essay explores how understanding the real structure of a problem, changing the… Continue reading
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In a Multilingual Family, Languages Do Not Compete — Each Has Its Place
In a multilingual family, languages are not simply stronger or weaker versions of one another. Each language can connect a child to a different person, relationship and part of life, and that emotional place may matter just as much as… Continue reading
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Many Children Don’t Suddenly Get Worse at Chinese — Their Chinese Simply Stops Growing
Many multilingual children do not suddenly become worse at their minority language; the language simply stops growing when it no longer has a stable place in everyday life. Drawing on several families’ experiences, this essay explores why short-term immersion and… Continue reading
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Why Can a Relatively Unknown Brand Charge So Much for the Same Kind of Men’s Underwear?
Why can a relatively unknown brand charge far more than its competitors for an ordinary pair of men’s underwear? Drawing on her own experience in the underwear business, Jane examines the German brand Snocks and the difference between product value… Continue reading
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Why Is There No Second Google in China?
China’s lack of a second Google cannot be explained by technology or censorship alone. Google once operated in mainland China, while Baidu became the country’s dominant local search engine after Google ended its mainland search service in 2010. Yet China’s… Continue reading
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What Does It Actually Feel Like to Have Two Mother Tongues? My Husband Used a Vivid Metaphor: It’s Like Opening Drawers
Having two mother tongues is not simply a matter of speaking two languages fluently. It means being able to access each language directly, without first translating from another—like opening the right drawer for a particular person, relationship, or situation. Through… Continue reading
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Why Do So Many Mothers Eventually Conclude That a Child Can Have Only One Mother Tongue?
Many Chinese-speaking mothers in Germany watch their children use less and less Chinese after starting kindergarten or school, while German gradually becomes the easiest and most natural language for everyday life. This often leads parents to conclude that a child… Continue reading
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2025 | A Christmas Eve Without a Christmas Tree
On a quiet Christmas Eve without a tree or celebration, illness and uncertainty reshape one family’s holiday. As her daughter begins to understand that parents are the ones behind Christmas magic, her husband struggles simply to get through the day,… Continue reading
Jane Sonnenschein | A Chinese Way of Seeing 