The Gothenburg – Shanghai stories

Sven Yu

A personal audio diary from a gay Chinese immigrant building a life in Sweden. Explore themes of LGBTQ identity, cross-cultural marriage to a Turkish partner, and the journey of finding community and home between Shanghai and Gothenburg. A story about love, culture, and becoming.

Episodes

  1. 11/09/2025

    S1E6: Back to China After 6 Years -- How Religion Shapes Everyday Life

    During my recent trip to China, after a six-year break, I started noticing how religion quietly shapes everyday life. In this episode, my husband, my friend, and I visit Putuo Shan, one of China’s most famous Buddhist mountains. We share a bit of our experience there on how Buddhist culture influences local life. And how the religious landscape varies across different regions of China.And finally, we touch on something intriguing — what happens when politics and faith cross paths. #ChineseCulture

    10 min

  2. 10/26/2025

    S1E5: Questions I get as a Chinese millennial abroad

    We all carry certain stereotypes about people — shaped by where they’re from, what religion they follow, or what social media tells us. But what happens when you step outside your own world and start meeting people face-to-face? In this episode, I share some of the most common (and sometimes surprising) questions I’ve been asked as someone who grew up in China and now lives in Sweden. From “Why do Chinese people work so hard?” — and even deeper questions about the One-Child Policy and China’s “Down to the Countryside Movement.” #ChineseCulture

    10 min

  3. 10/19/2025

    S1E4: Back to China After 6 Years — Rediscovering Home & the Blind Date Market

    After six years away, I return to China with two friends — rediscovering the city I once called home. From high-speed trains and digital culture shocks to a real-life blind dating market in Shanghai, this episode explores what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how it feels to come home as both a local and a foreigner. #ChineseCulture

    10 min

  4. 10/08/2025

    S1E3: From the first Grindr date to the marriage

    Before I met my husband and decided to stay in Sweden, another important reason was my belief that gay life here would be much simpler and easier compared to China. Swedish society is very open toward gay people, however what does reality actually look like? Is it really the paradise I imagined?

    8 min

  5. 10/05/2025

    S1E2: The Student Who Stayed: My First 10 Years in Sweden

    You don't need to be a top student or being rich or a seasoned traveler to build a life abroad. This is the playbook for the rest of us—from how I figured things out with limited English, no connections, and a whole lot of confusion eventually I decided to settle in this beautiful and peaceful country.

    10 min

  6. 10/05/2025

    S1E1:Trailer

    Ten years ago, I arrived in Sweden as a student from Shanghai. This is 'The Gothenburg Shanghai story'—my audio diary about a decade of change, navigating identity across cultures, and what it's like to find love and community in the North. It's a story of being Chinese, and becoming... whatever comes next. Subscribe for honest, short reflections.

    1 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

A personal audio diary from a gay Chinese immigrant building a life in Sweden. Explore themes of LGBTQ identity, cross-cultural marriage to a Turkish partner, and the journey of finding community and home between Shanghai and Gothenburg. A story about love, culture, and becoming.

Information