Work and Lifestyle Space JinShang Kicks off WonderSoul Talk Series, Mar 18

March doesn’t just mark International Women’s Day, but Women’s History Month. That’s right, this entire month is dedicated to women’s history – and one space in the capital is looking to recent history to inspire others with a new series of talks -- the first of them featuring four inspiring women.

Called Wonder Soul, the new series is meant to be a place where people who wonder can congregate and share ideas, all with the goal of inspiring attendees to better themselves.

To find out more about Wonder Soul’s inaugural event, we spoke with Lilian Tian, founder and design director of JinShang, formerly SHANG Beijing, where the event will take place.

Tell us more about this event. Why the name Wonder Soul, and what’s in store?
JinShang Wonder Soul Community came out of a need for a center where people who wonder can gather together to share stories, celebrate knowledge, promote insightful conversations on various topics, discover new possibilities, nurture our intellectual curiosities, amplify creativity, empower each other and essentially flourish as a community.  

The name is also inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s show Super Soul, on which she invites world-renowned leaders, actresses, writers, and spiritual leaders to talk about life, health, wisdom, and spread inspiration.

We initially explored different names that speak to our values, our intention, and our goals. Wonder Soul was a unanimous choice because it indicates the innate wonder and curiosity that humans are born with. This name doesn’t limit but rather it explores the unlimited human potential, thus making our world so rich and diverse.

We believe that human beings are intrinsically born to be curious, to wonder, and to seek happiness. We constantly hunger for wisdom, seek growth, and long for deeply meaningful connections with the world around us. So, the name WonderSoul is inclusive of every soul and individual.

Can you tell us more about the speakers?
For this first Wonder Soul event, we’re excited to kick things off during Women’s History Month, to celebrate and honor women’s stories. We have had the honor to invite four amazing women to take part. They are entrepreneur Yingying Li, founder of Yingfluence, Inc., a cross-cultural consultancy firm based in Beijing and San Francisco; Chinese-Canadian artist and entrepreneur Jen Rao, co-founder of Beijing-based music label nugget records and nugget café; South African entrepreneur Latoya Gabriel, founder of skincare brand Grace & Gina’s; and British educator Helen Boyle, OBE, founder and director of the Migrant Children’s Fund (MCF).

Turning to the event series as a whole, what is it about and how many more are planned?
We will host a series of Wonder Soul events that include salons, speaking engagements, meaningful networking occasions, cultural and musical festivities, happy hour gatherings, art exhibitions, and movie screenings. Our goal is basically to host a themed event each month.

We’ll invite and feature both established and emerging entrepreneurs, educators, designers, artists, and storytellers to share their journeys, wisdom, challenges, and insights to nourish the mind, body, and spirit. We will promote their personal stories and their professional careers on our platform, social media, and within our network.

How does the event relate to JinShang?
JinShang is not only directly involved as the sponsor for the Wonder Soul series, but it plays an organizer role as well. Everyone at JinShang has been super supportive of the idea of Wonder Soul, and we cannot wait to get involved and witness how this community grows and expands.

You’ve said JinShang isn’t so much a work and lifestyle space so much as it’s a “community that elevates and encourages all its inhabitants.” How is that and how do you intend to make it an inclusive community?
Yes, JinShang is a people-centered community where we have designed spaces that go beyond simply being a space. We break boundaries and limitations, explore endless possibilities that allow us to push our limits, and cultivate a growth environment where our community members learn, evolve, and thrive.

JinShang is not only an organic growing community that has become a powerhouse of vigor, but it also promotes eco-friendly living that is integrated with premier design, modern high-tech, art, poetry, and the humanities.

Our tenants range from international restaurants, cultural centers, and design firms to charity groups and fashion companies that enrich our community on a daily basis. We usually sponsor numerous events including culture, movies, arts, design, architecture, plays, and exhibitions from diverse groups of people and organizations.

Now that we are expanding with the WonderSoul series, we are planning to create a bigger platform where we invite individuals from diverse backgrounds, share stories, make connections, and merge with greater and stronger networks of individuals.
 
What’s in store for JinShang in the future?
JinShang is an ever-growing community. We are so excited for what’s coming in this year, JinShang’s fourth project, JinShang Lan, which is located across from the Chaoyang Park. It’s a huge milestone for JinShang. We not only have been constantly expanding our reach by creating and designing more locations here at home and beyond, but we’ve also been expanding our community by recruiting more talents globally.

We emphasize the importance of constantly growing, learning and moving in the direction where we can increase our impact on the lives of people, “putting a dent in the universe” as Steve Jobs put it.

Wonder Soul will take place on Friday, Mar 18 from 7pm at JinShangYuan. Entry is free. To register and get more info, scan the QR code in the poster.

READ: Women of Beijing: These Are the Groups, Organizations, and Clubs You Need to Know

Images courtesy of JinShang