I’m Michael Schjerbeck Jensen, and I’m taking a different approach to telling my story. I’m like to start with telling everyone about what I gave up to come to China. The thought being simply that if everyone understands what I left behind then they might have a bit of understanding about how much more I would need in my life to leave it all behind to be right here in Guangdong.
I’m from Copenhagen (København in Danish). A city with 1000 years of history with it’s name deriving from Kaupmannahǫfn in old Norse, and Kaupmannahöfn in Icelandic. It means “Merchants’ Harbour”, so dont believe any of that English cognate claiming it comes from “Chapman’s Haven”.
Traditionally and in written records, Copenhagen’s founding is dated to Bishop Absalon in 1167, but most people believe the city dates back to the viking age, founded by Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark from 986 to 1014.
Quality of Life in Copenhagen
Copenhagen is always ranked very highly in the global rankings for quality of life. It has a stable economy, world class education, a really good public transport infrastructure, and it is recnognised as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world. As a city it will be carbon neutral by the end of 2025.
There are parks and open spaces everywhere, from the King’s Garden (which has in excess of 2.5 million visitors every year) through lots of other parks including Fælledparken, Frederiksberg Gardens, Havneparken, Islands Brygge, Copenhagen Harbour Baths, and Amager Strandpark. Since 2015, everyone in Copenhagen is never more than a 15 minute walk away from a park.
Since 2020, Copenhagen has municipal fruit tress where anyone can pick blueberries, blackberries and apples for free! Name any other city in the world where this happens!
Tourism in Copenhagen
Tourism is a huge thing in Copenhagen. Not just for the million people a year that come into Copenhagen via a cruise. But the millions of people that come to visit to soak up the history, the culture, the architecutre, the landmarks, the museums, the concert halls, the art galleries and (this will surprise most of you) the cuisine. There are 24 Michelin stars in Copenhagen, across 14 restaurants with two of them having 3 Michelin stars.
Copenhagen is also one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world, with more bicycles than people that actually live there. There are over 400 kilometers of cycle paths, that are not shared with cars or pedestrians.
Copenhagen also has the oldest, and the third oldest amusement parks in the world. Dyrehavsbakken, a fair-ground and pleasure-park established in 1583. Additionally there is Tivoli Gardens, which opened in 1843, making it the third-oldest amusement park in the world (the second being Wurstelprater in Vienna).
As for the nightlife. Copenhagen has the highest number of bars and restaurants per capita in the world, with nightclubs typically staying open until 5 or 6 in the morning. Then there are the summer festivals. Copenhagen festival in Fælledparken with 120 live bands, 2,000 dancers and 100,000 attendess.
Coming to China
To give up everything that Copenhagen has to offer wasn’t a decision that I took lightly. It could be really easy for someone to leave a less fortunate country to create a new life in China, but to give up a place as amazing as my home city took a lot of consideration and of course confidence.
But 22 years ago, China, especially in the Pearl River Delta area, seemed to be the most exciting and energised place in the world. Everything was changing, literally by the day. Buildings growing faster than mushrooms after a heavy rain. People coming in from all 4 corners of the world to be a part of a once in a lifetime change in the world. It was addictive, and once you’d been part of it, it was almost impossible to walk away from it.
My career in China
I’m currently based in Guangzhou where I am the General Manager for F&H Group’s sourcing and quality office. My primary responsibilities involve overseeing all aspects of the company’s procurement and quality assurance operations.
I’m responsible for managing a team of buyers, inspectors, and logistics specialists who work to source quality products from local and international suppliers. A large part of my role is ensuring our products meet rigorous quality standards through comprehensive testing and auditing procedures.
Additionally, I serve as the main liaison between our China-based operations and the company’s global headquarters in Denmark, communicating key updates and coordinating cross-functional initiatives. My goal is to optimize our sourcing and quality processes to deliver world-class products to our customers worldwide.
What makes China better than Copenhagen
Better is probably the wrong word because we’re talking about subjective opinions. China is different. But different in a positive way. I will always have a strong connection to my home city, and I go back there at least once a year to visit. But I feel that I can get all of the positives about Copenhagen right here in China, and then more too.
Why Nine Rivers Distillery?
Like every investment that most people would ever make, it’s about making money right? But uniquely, it’s about making money from something I’m interested in, whisky.
Lots of people enjoy whisky, and logically so, as it can be such a diverse spirit that there really can be something for everyone. But as an investor in the project I get to know a lot more about the business and the industry than simply someone that enjoys a glass or two on an evening to wind down.
I’m good friends with one of the board members (as we both serve on the Danish Chamber of Commerce) and we have known each other for a long time. Whenever we caught up together, I’d get to see his face grinning with pride about the latest milestone on the project and eventually I just wanted to share in that kind of happiness.
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