"Nowadays 'personalism' trumps professionalism," he says of the success of his "Foreigners Perspective" videos. "Many expats have thanked me for showing them what price a tailor made suit should be. It's from the heart, it's real experience."

A new project he's working on involves a video series where users can choose their own ending. "Web video can be interactive now, but no one's done it. I hope to see this idea launched."

Even now in Shanghai, most of his friends are local Chinese who don't speak English.

It's a deliberate decision he says, as is travelling all over China from tier-one cities to the poorest countryside villages. It's part of that elusive challenge of really understanding China.

"It will be a lifelong goal, I'll never get there completely."

Meanwhile, the funny and bizarre stories keep accumulating and he has even considered writing a memoir. When asked why he finds so many interesting situations Weathers reflects and says: "I guess I'm the common denominator, I'm adventurous or stupid enough to follow random friends into vehicles going where I don't know."

Steven Weathers

Nationality: US

Age: 36

Profession: TV host and video producer

Q&A

Self-description:Optimistic, ideas-generator, adventurous.

Favorite place: Japanese Teppenyaki place near my home.

Perfect weekend:

En route to a new part of China - each new place I visit reveals a new facet of Chinese culture. I feel sorry for the foreigners who just stay in Shanghai or Beijing because they miss the other thousands of sides to the diamond.

Strangest sight: Live chickens running around on the Metro. The strangest thing was nobody else thought it was strange.

Motto for life:Life without fear.

How to improve Shanghai:

Wake up all the sleeping drivers and remove their parked cars from the bike lanes. This will allow buses and bikes to move much more quickly and efficiently through the city.

Advice to newcomers:Develop friendships with local Chinese - it's not enough to just learn the language. You need these relationships to be really connected to the place otherwise you will always be an outsider looking in.

(Shanghai Daily August 19, 2009)