About Ting & A Bright Place
To my soul friends,
I’m your home retreat host, Ting.
In 2022, 38-year-old me made the most unexpected, risky decision in life.
I left everything behind, and uprooted myself from Singapore - a comfortable place where I call home - to this remote mountain village in China.
Full of uncertainties, I built this house from scratch, on an abandoned slope where no one was interested in back then.
And this has became A Bright Place, the home space I am sharing with you now.
The longer version of the story, and heart messages from me to you are shared below the video.
Thank you for being here. xx
With a one way ticket, following a strong heart call, I embarked on a journey to the unknown Shaxi, in 2021 during Covid.
Instead of returning Singapore after this plant-dye learning trip, I uprooted myself from the place called home for 22 years. Built a house from scratch in this mountain village, with zero experience.
What I left behind was a comfortable life, a sustainable photography business, a stable 6-year marriage, a peaceful house of our own; last but not least, everything I was familiar with and in-love with.
People asked, "What gave you such courage to walk away and start anew?"
It feels my entire life built me up to this decision.
I could say there was a desire to live the way felt fully myself, after being well-protected since young; and after seeing my father sacrificing all his personal passion, creating a stable life for the family.
I could say deep within me I wanted to cut open what looked fine from the surface, and check if everything really aligns within.
I could say, I was inspired by a book with this sentence, "rather regret doing, than regret not doing".
Or maybe, I just didn't want life to be so predicable as it seemed.
A Bright Place is a gift from me to myself, and to soul friends like you, who resonate and are exploring your unique way of living.
It is a safe space for you to fully be yourself, enjoy the harmony of nature, and try something different without needing to go through what I did.
In this space, all of us are equal, despite our social titles or achievements in the world's eyes. We are just children, curious, loving, expressing, and playing.
I wish for our energy to flow, to sparkle creative thoughts, warm one another's heart with genuine talks, strengthen what serves us, make peace with our feelings, and grow a little bit more toward fearless.
I wish A Bright Place is a garden that withholds flowers that are ready to bloom. And all-together, we will be spring.