Pittsburgherabroad.com chronicles Gavin as he lives in Shenzhen, China and works as a Conversational English teacher. This is Gavin’s second school year teaching in China. The site also features some of his fictional work and some videos. Gavin’s videos have appeared on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” and WTAE Action 4 News. Before moving to China, Gavin was a journalist for five years.
Just over thirty years ago, Shenzhen, located along the Pearl River Delta on the Hong Kong border, was a tiny fishing village. Then, the Cultural Revolution ended, and Reform and Opening began, allowing Shenzhen to become one of five Special Economic Zones, where capitalism thrived. Today, Shenzhen boasts a population of approximately 12 million. Shenzhen is the poster city for how far China has come since 1978, and if it continues at its current pace, it will become a major hub for global industry, business, and culture throughout this century.