Anita Shum

You need to have a real passion for what you are doing

Founder and Principal Mini Mandarins

After moving to Australia as a child, Anita Shum found herself lost without a national identity. Growing up, she was called ‘banana girl’ – someone with yellow skin but with a white mindset. Fuelled by this, she decided to create Mini Mandarins, a school where children can connect with Chinese culture and language.

“Since opening my school, I have engaged with over 5,000 students across Hong Kong,” says Shum. “Mini Mandarins is the first government approved language school to be accredited in international schools.”

Aside from this, she is also the first Mandarin educator columnist to be featured in the South China Morning Post, where she shares her thoughts on multilingualism and suggestions for nurturing youth Chinese literacy. In fact, for Shum, Hong Kong continues to be the gateway of China to the world. “As we head into globalisation many families will love their children to learn more about Chinese culture and language.”

While money is a motivator for many people, Shum believes subscribes to something more. “You need to have a real passion for what you are doing and as a leader you need to ensure that you take care of your team.”

Her passion has enabled her to stand with her team this year and help them find different strategies to continue classes including Zoom and private classes.