Thanks to the help of Bernard Chan, then Lingnan University’s council chairman, she landed a role in the investment department of his company Asia Financial Holdings. After one and a half years, she had thoroughly adapted to Hong Kong society and culture. Her dream came true in 2008 when she was admitted to the liberal arts university. A lover of Chinese culture, she was impressed by the campus of Lingnan University, which is known for its garden landscape.

Heeding advice from her uncle who worked in the financial sector, Duan, an arts student who enjoyed visits to museums, abandoned her plan to study history and anthropology at university and opted for finance. Maturity has been the hallmark of her character since her childhood: starting from Form 1, she had lived in a dormitory, studying from 6am to 10pm as most mainland teenagers do. Born in Hunan, she moved to Zhongshan with parents when she was two and a half years old. Wearing a broad smile on her face, she arrives five minutes earlier than scheduled. On a windy day, Duan and I meet in The Peak conference room at RBC.

During a panel discussion on corporate social responsibility, the intelligent young investment strategist from the local branch of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) shared her points eloquently, her observations minute and tinged with a feminine subtlety. I saw Jasmine Duan for the first time at a conference on sustainable development hosted by the South China Morning Post.

Wheel of fortune in chinese