German actor Julian Gaertner. [Photo/Sina Weibo account of Julian Gaertner]

When German Julian Gaertner first met Chinese travelers in Europe when he was 17, he didn't know his life would be bound with the eastern country in the future.

Fifteen years on, Gaertner, now an actor, has found another home in South China's Hong Kong, where he hopes to play more roles and be a bridge of cultural exchange between the East and the West.

"Home is where you put hats in"

On a cruise ship in Norway, a group of Chinese travelers was playing cards, cracking melon seeds and chatting with friends. This was Gaertner's first impression of China, and left him with both amusement and curiousness.

They looked relaxed and entertained, which was a totally different life from what he had in Germany. Gaertner recalled, "I was wondering how life is going on in China."

Born in a doctor's family in Bavaria in 1987, Gaertner left his hometown to pursue a bachelor's degree at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2008.

Since then, he has immersed himself in Chinese culture and language.

He speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, and has a Chinese name, Yi Yuhang. In Chinese, Yi means "easy" and Yuhang is "space navigation." He defines his name as "a person who can find a suitable place to live in the universe, and make some contributions."

Having moved from a cramped apartment in downtown Hong Kong Island to a three-storey villa with a garden in Peng Chau, a one square kilometer island away from the urban glamor for four years, Gaertner has explored almost every corner of the tiny island. To better adapt to life on the car-free island, Gaertner bought a bicycle.

A few months ago, he injured his right knee while filming and had to walk with crutches. Before going to visit the doctor on the day, he stopped by a fruit shop, bargained with the owner in Cantonese, and bought a fruit basket for his doctor and a papaya for a friend.

"Hong Kong changed me. I didn't buy gifts before having a visit in Germany," he grinned, fastening the fruit basket to the nylon clasp of his backpack.

"In a Bavarian saying, 'home is a place where you can put hats in.' And I put my hats in Hong Kong too," he said. "I have friends here, I love Hong Kong and I want to see how it is growing and be part of it, for I have found a sense of belonging."

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world with a fast-paced lifestyle. Having lived in the hustle and bustle for more than a decade, he had moments when he felt lost, but never considered leaving.

"Could there be a better place in the world to fuse eastern and western cultures?"

"Hong Kong is a place where the cultures can meet, and it is like living in the soup of life and the soup of things that happen to you."