ANDRZEJ Zawadzki-Liang doesn’t do things in half measures. The Polish-born website writer decided to completely immerse himself in Chinese culture when he moved to Shanghai. And part of that integration saw him take his Chinese wife’s surname, “Liang,” as his own.

The decision to take his wife’s name surprised his friends but the 63-year-old, who has lived in Shanghai for 20 years now, believes it was the right thing to do to integrate himself into the local community.

“My foreign friends always say ‘Liang is Chinese.’ Yes, I think I go too deeply, but I have a Chinese heart. If it was possible, I would change my passport into a Chinese one,” he said.

“I often try to understand things in the Chinese way, what you do and the meaning of it.”

A consultant for a Polish-Chinese website, Zawadzki-Liang has an active, busy life inside and outside the office. And he loves nothing more than spending time with his Chinese granddaughter Xiu Xiu.

“Most of my daily life, during the weekdays, is around my granddaughter,” he said with a warm smile. “I take her to school in the morning, pick her up in the afternoon and supervise her homework.”

Q: What brought you to China and settle in Shanghai?

A: There were a few moments when I prolonged my decision to settle down. I first came to China to work for a Polish company in Nanjing in 1988. Then I worked for a Chinese company in Hong Kong in 1995. But I moved back to Nanjing because I didn’t like Hong Kong.

I met my wife in Shanghai in 2000. And after we got married in 2012, there was the dilemma of where to live — Shanghai or Europe?

We could have moved wherever we wanted to but my wife, a typical Shanghainese, is conservative. She has a daughter, who is married. After marriage, she had a baby. So I’m not just a husband, but a grandfather too. In the end I let my wife decide. You can see I am a little bit like a Chinese man — the woman decided what we would do.

Q: How did you feel the moment you first arrived in Shanghai?

A: It was very awkward and crazy. I took part at the first East China Fair in 1991 in Shanghai. At that time, Yan’an Road was under construction.

Whenever I took a taxi, the driver would close the windows because of the construction, and they just complained and complained. It was really funny.

Many buildings at that time didn’t exist. They were just under construction and they connected a long distance. It’s very impressive the way things turned out.

Q: How do you spend your weekends in Shanghai?

A: I usually go to meet my Chinese friends. We will talk and have meals if I have time.

Sometimes I visit universities because the crowds aren’t as big at a campus. I also like to read. I read not only Chinese news on Chinese media, but I also try to compare them with Western media. This helps me write weekly China event review for the website.

Q: Do you see any differences between the Chinese and foreign communities in Shanghai?

A: I’ve lived in the Gubei area for a long time but now I live in a typical Chinese community in Putuo District.

Gubei gets the international environment and the people from different cultures, even the Chinese people there are more open.

In comparison, the Chinese community where I’m living now, behave in different ways. People here just wait for decisions to be made. They are not active. For example, a gate in my building had been broken for 18 months. But the watchman downstairs, whom I know very well, was just afraid to do something about it. I said, ‘Okay, I will pay the money to get it fixed, my money.’

This is an example of different ideas. I don’t blame the residents, I blame the management. Why not just tell the people that if they pay, the problem can be fixed.

Q: What makes you like Shanghai?

A: Three points. It is a lively, bright and green city.

This is a lively city. I don’t say it is like the New York that never sleeps. It sleeps after midnight. The best part about this city is that it doesn’t sleep at 8pm or 9pm. You see shops opening longer and the street is still alive. Secondly, the lights. The city lights up in the dark. You feel that even in evening time. Thirdly, it is green. This city has several green areas to keep cool, calm and clean.

Q: Is there anything you don’t like in Shanghai? Any suggestions to change it or make it better?

A: Say no to garbage!

I like clean. I don’t like rubbish. I think the problem can easily be resolved although I understand you can’t solve it in a day.

You have to be strict to cleaners, although the problem is not just cleaners. You can make stricter rules, but this is just a temporary solution. And it will cost you money.

Pay attention to simple steps — install more rubbish bins, like at bus stops, the subways, and make it convenient for people to put rubbish in rubbish bins. This is the key point. It will be much better.

Q: Do you have any impressive memory of your life?

A: I am 63 years old now. So many events, so many cases happened. And one of the most impressive memories during my life was when my mother passed away. I went with the Chinese way and she was cremated.

Another case is with my lawyer friend. He opened my mind to Chinese culture and the way they do things.

When I came here, we ate together and talked all day. I don’t even remember what we ate, but I remember so deeply how he tried to explain to me that I must see China from different angles.

With him, I began to understand the Chinese mind and the meaning of it.

There is another story about the mother of my wife who passed away. Her mom was never scared of me at the very beginning, even her hearing was not so good, and her language was intangible.

She always smiled and we communicated in a simple way. She always held my hands when I sat down beside her. I will always cherish this moment of ours.

When she passed away this year, she was 93. Before me, she had never seen any foreigners in her life except on TV. But by her side, I never ever felt I was a foreigner. I came to her house, and she would give me a cup of tea which was very unimaginable.