SHECH 人 | Story — 顺 “Shùn”: Dandan on Living with the Flow
SHECH 人 | Story — 顺 “Shùn”: Dandan on Living with the Flow
London being London, the weather does whatever it likes. Four seasons in one day is normal — one second it’s full summer, the next it’s a downpour, with no warning in between. Sunshine entirely at the mercy of the clouds.
We shot Dandan’s video on one of those unpredictable spring days. The sun was finally making more of an effort, the sky had patches of actual blue, and the wind was strong enough to make your eyes water. But watching her through the lens, there was something about her that made you feel settled.
She had it all back home. So why London?
I’ve always called her “Teacher Dandan.” Her knowledge of jewellery — antique jewellery especially — is something else. The kind of depth where she can talk about any piece, any era, and make it feel alive. What I admire just as much is how she explains things. She has a way of taking something dense and making it click.
Which is why I’d always wondered: things were genuinely going well for her back in China — career, reputation, all of it. So what made her leave?
The story starts at graduation. She posted two things to her mother at the same time: a graduate school acceptance from a top university, and a civil service offer. Along with a note saying she was moving to Australia to study. Alone. Her mother had no idea she had it in her.
As it happened, Dandan’s mother was visiting London while we were filming, and I got to hear a bit more about how Dandan grew up. The quick mind and curiosity — that came from her father. The stubbornness and work ethic, the kind that doesn’t really switch off — that came entirely from her mother, Professor Cheng, who taught at university and was a class mentor for years.
It made sense to me then. That drive to keep getting better — it’s passed down. And honestly, it made me think about myself too. Whatever’s going on around me, I don’t want to be someone who just coasts.
From who everyone wanted her to be, to who she actually is.
She said something to me once that I keep coming back to:
“When we’re young, we want to be who our mothers hoped we’d be. Then we grow up and start chasing whatever the world says success looks like. And then eventually — finally — we figure out who we actually want to be. Not performing for anyone. Not beating ourselves up over every mistake. Not white-knuckling our way toward some impossible version of perfect.”
That hit differently. She became, in my mind, a real example of what strength looks like in a woman — not just in the big moments, but in the ordinary ones too.
On the first day of Lunar New Year, I went to hers for a proper New Year’s feast. She’d made everything herself: hand-folded dumplings, both meat and vegetarian, every dish plated beautifully, drinks paired thoughtfully. The whole table was just stunning.
Afterwards, Professor Cheng mentioned, almost casually, that Dandan had barely cooked before she moved to London. I didn’t see that coming. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
Learning doesn’t stop. It doesn’t matter what you’re learning or when you start — as long as you still actually care about living well.
For Dandan, life was never about doing more of what she was already good at. It was always about finding the next thing to figure out.
Her gift to herself — and to SHECH: the character 顺
We’re so grateful Dandan gave us this word.
In Chinese, 顺 (shùn) carries a lot. The left side of the character, 川, suggests flowing water. The right side, 页, in classical usage referred to a person’s face. Together, they describe someone moving through life the way water moves — following the natural course of things, not forcing, not fighting.
In Chinese philosophy, the smartest response to life has never been to push harder against it. It’s been to move with it:
•With time: Go with the current, and things take less effort than you’d expect.
•With people: Stop needing to be right. Actually listen. Things go more smoothly.
•With your own mind: Get clear on what you think. Keep learning. Let things unfold.
•With outcomes: Do your honest best, then let go. There’s an old phrase for it — 得之我幸，失之我命 — roughly: “if it comes to me, I’m lucky; if it doesn’t, that’s just how it was.”
Go with time. Go with change. Go with what’s true inside you. Try hard. Hold it loosely.
Because of what she shared with us, we’re turning the character 顺 — written in Dandan’s own handwriting — into a new SHECH jewellery piece. It will be fully hallmarked at the London Assay Office. The year letter for 2026 is B. This first piece, carrying both time and wisdom within it, will be given as the most treasured of gifts — to Dandan herself.
May we all flow like water: finding our way, naturally, to where we’re meant to be.
SHECH 人 | Story
顺 · Dandan on Living with the Flow
Timeless beauty, quietly told.
古老的美，从不喧哗。
🎥 Watch the video story here:
https://youtu.be/gy5Nu3fUYQ8?si=3QziIk4pCLMudJfk
We’d love to hear from you: info@shech.com
🎊🎊🎊
SHECH 人 | Story 顺：
听“丹丹”说：人生至味是顺意
伦敦依然是伦敦——天气总是不按常理出牌，可以一日四季，在“一秒入夏”和“一秒暴雨”之间无缝切换，晴雨全凭太阳的心情。 我和丹丹的 video 拍摄，就是在这种天气的春天完成的。那时阳光开始变得慷慨，天空也终于有了蓝色的模样，太阳在云层里游走，风很大，吹得人有些睁不开眼。但镜头里的丹丹，却有着一种让人安定的力量。
