A Chinese tea house in coffee-loving Croatia: Two expats cross paths in documentary film

The Scrapbook of life – Wang Zongyuan

Since landing in Zagreb in 2014 and as a storyteller and documentary filmmaker, Theresa Khalil has been able to share stories of many interesting expats and locals through her lens and her platform UniqueTV.

In her new documentary “The Scrapbook of life” two expats in Croatia cross path in Zagreb. 

Theresa, an Egyptian who moved to Zagreb for love meeting a Chinese who once upon a time visited Croatia and fall in love with it. He then decided to move to it with his small family and open a Chinese tea house although Croatians are known for their love for coffee.

“In the film I tell the life story of 王宗圆 Wang Zongyuan, reflecting on his birth, childhood, his career, love story and his struggles once he decided to move to Croatia and how converting to Buddhism helped him overcome his fear of moving to a far foreign land. As an expat myself and a questioner on my own journey to understand life and live it the best possible way, I engage with Wang Zongyuan in a long conversation trying to understand his belief and philosophy which is helping him face his challenges and integrate in his new home ”Croatia”. To tell this story I used graphics, animation, home video and family photos in a new approach,” Theresa explained. 

Theresa Khalil drinking tea at Wang’s tea house

“The Scrapbook of life, Wang Zongyuan” is the first in a documentary series where Theresa will be meeting more people and discovering their culture, lifestyle and belief through which they are living their best life.

The film was premiered few days ago on YouTube and can be watched below.