Looking for adventure in a place as profoundly different as possible from her native green and peaceful England, Helena Iveson set out for China at the age of 22. Aside from a yearlong spell in London finishing her master’s degree in International Journalism, she has since proudly called the colorful, occasionally chaotic, but always compelling country home.

Helena spent a year in Shanghai before settling in Beijing, watching the city change before her eyes in the build-up to the Olympics. For two years, she was a presenter on China’s international TV station CCTV 9 before going back to her first love, writing.

While never giving up in her constant battle to master the Chinese language, Helena freelances for English-language newspapers such as the South China Morning Post, Asia Weekly, the Australian, the Independent on Sunday, and the Guardian, as well as for the BBC and travel guidebooks. She travels throughout China and Southeast Asia as much as her budget will allow—taking frequent trips back to the English countryside to see her beloved family, now long used to her wandering ways.

Currently, Helena is launching a new business, Bespoke Beijing, which will offer travel advice tailor-made to any budget.