HONG KONG, October 28, 2014 — At the public launch of her new book The Farther I Walk, The Closer I Get To Me, Hong Mei shared at Asia Society Hong Kong Center her adventures and travels across India along with her photographer husband, Tom Carter. Despite feeling nervous lecturing for the first time, Mei relayed interesting anecdotes and discoveries taking turns speaking with her husband.

With photos of their travels playing in the background, Mei remarked the lack of published travel logs between China and India, though both being neighboring countries, and this led to a “tragic cultural gulf between modern China and modern India.” With little or no Chinese travelling into the land of India, Mei encountered greetings in Korean and Japanese upon her arrival. Upon her revealing her nationality, the Indians revealed that they’ve never met a Chinese before, giving Mei a feeling of being the first Chinese to set foot on the civilization despite the few precedents before her.

Asia Society interview with Hong Mei and Tom Carter

Video: Watch the complete program (1 hr., 4 min.)