JiaJie

Engineer. Explorer. Creator.

Hey, I’m JiaJie.

A curious life, a few creative detours. Stories, travels, music, and the chapters still unfolding.

01 My story

A few chapters.
Still unfolding.

Not a straight line. A story of places, people, and choosing what comes next.

From building systems
to telling stories.

Part of seeing the world is learning how much I’ve misunderstood about it. I want to keep meeting people, listening to their stories, and questioning the assumptions I bring with me, especially the ones I’ve never thought to question.On seeing the world: inspired by 关于未知远方的梦.

  1. The beginningYantai, China

    Roots by the sea.

    I grew up in Yantai, Shandong. My story starts there.

  2. At eighteenShanghai, China

    A bigger city. A new direction.

    I moved to Shanghai to study software engineering at Fudan University.

  3. The next moveCalifornia, USA

    Across the Pacific.

    I earned a master’s in computer science at the University of California, Irvine.

  4. The engineering yearsFacebook

    Building things that scale.

    I spent several years working on large distributed systems at Facebook.

  5. Fall 2021North Carolina A&T

    On the other side of the classroom.

    As a visiting professor, I taught a computer science course.

  6. The startup chapterRockset → a career break

    Choosing a different next step.

    After 2½ years at Rockset and its acquisition by OpenAI, I chose a career break.

  7. Now & nextBeyond one job title

    Making room for more.

    Travel, music, and television. Including a new chapter as executive producer and actor in Boys Like Us Season 2.

02 The world, a little closer

My way
around the world.

Some places on a map.
A few moments to keep.

Loading globe…

The places so far

84–88

countries & regions

Depending on how you count.

As of September 3, 2026
Latest additions
  • Estonia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Bangladesh
  • Nepal
  • Sri Lanka
  • Bhutan
  • Rwanda
  • Uganda
  • Burundi
  • Suriname
  • Honduras
  • Nicaragua
  • Morocco
  • Senegal
  • the Gambia
  • Cote d'Ivoire

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Travel data from BeenEverywhere ↗

Globe powered by MapLibre GL JS ↗

Clothes & culture

Dressed for the journey.

JiaJie in a red and gold Áo Dài on a leafy street. Áo Dài

Vietnam

The Áo Dài (Vietnamese for ‘long shirt’) expresses Vietnamese identity and marks cherished occasions, from Tết celebrations to weddings.

Photographer: @imlilypg_

JiaJie in a geometric-patterned West African Kaftan beneath a large canopy in an open square. West African Kaftan

Made in Kigali

This Kaftan celebrates the exchange of dress traditions and craftsmanship between West Africa and Rwanda.

Designer: @kigalikaftan

Photographer: @sympathy_studio_250

JiaJie wearing Latvian Tautastērps, with a dark vest and light shirt, in a sunlit cobbled square in Estonia. Tautastērps

Latvia · Photographed in Estonia

The Tautastērps connects regional craftsmanship with a shared sense of Latvian national identity.

JiaJie in a white and striped Charles&M outfit, leaning on a wooden ladder in a studio. Charles&M

Côte d’Ivoire

This Charles&M design celebrates contemporary Ivorian creativity and fashion as a form of cultural expression.

Designer: @Charles&M

Photographer: @78studio

JiaJie in a white shirt and patterned Sarong beside a railing, with contemporary buildings behind him. Sarong

Sri Lanka

The Sarong (සරම in Sinhala) keeps Sri Lankan clothing traditions part of everyday life, connecting generations through a familiar garment.

JiaJie in a colorful matching Thread King shirt and trousers at a stall filled with woven baskets. Thread King

Nigeria

This Thread King design celebrates Nigerian fashion as a living culture shaped by contemporary creativity.

JiaJie in a bright geometric-patterned Banja Koto beside the steps of a building. Banja Koto

Suriname

The Banja Koto carries the textile heritage and cultural identity of Suriname’s Maroon communities.

Designer: @Claire Kropie

JiaJie in white and gold Kente cloth and a black hat in a garden. Kente

Côte d’Ivoire

Kente communicates identity, social standing, and inherited wisdom through patterns associated with stories and proverbs.

Stylist: @Charles&M

Kente: @femi_kente

Photographer: @memoria_x_studios

Photo editor: @sorce_usa

JiaJie in a striped Gho by a mountain overlook in Bhutan, with buildings on the cliff behind him. Gho

Bhutan

The Gho (གོ in Dzongkha) brings Bhutan’s national identity into daily life while sustaining generations of textile craftsmanship.

JiaJie in a Charro Suit in Mexico City, with the Palacio de Bellas Artes in the background. Charro Suit

Mexico City, Mexico

The Charro Suit (Traje de Charro in Spanish) honors Mexico’s charrería tradition, where horsemanship and artisan craftsmanship express community identity.

JiaJie seated in a black-and-white striped embroidered Agbada with a pointed ceremonial hat in a studio. Agbada

Lagos, Nigeria

Agbada is a flowing West African garment closely associated with Yoruba culture, worn for celebrations and formal occasions.

Clothing: @threadking_studios

Photographer: @willens__

JiaJie in a white Galabeya and patterned headscarf beside a camel, with the pyramids of Giza behind him. Galabeya

Giza, Egypt

The Galabeya (جلابية in Arabic) is a long, loose robe worn in Egypt and beyond, among the diverse robe traditions across Africa and the Middle East, where names and styles vary by region.

Postcards from the road.

Tap a photograph to step inside.
Travel photograph near a pyramid in Egypt.Cairo, EgyptSeptember 2024

Photographer: @hossam_artistic

Travel portrait beside the Louvre pyramid in Paris.Paris, FranceSeptember 2022

Photographer: @fotografaemparis.jb

Clothing: @buffalo_jackson

Scarf: @denholmmunn

Travel portrait on a cobbled street in Prague.Prague, Czech RepublicJuly 2024

Photographer: @pragueful

Travel photograph on a sunny street in Mombasa.Mombasa, KenyaNovember 2024
Travel portrait by the waterfront in Istanbul.Istanbul, TurkeyAugust 2024
Travel portrait beside a canal and bridge in Venice.Venice, ItalyJuly 2024
Travel portrait beneath the Supertrees in Singapore.SingaporeOctober 2024
JiaJie wearing a patchwork denim jacket by the Rio waterfront.Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Photographer: @soumarianamonteiro

Clothing: @hip_hop_cargo

JiaJie in colorful striped swim shorts on a beach with the Rio coastline behind him.Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Photographer: @soumarianamonteiro

JiaJie in a white shirt and black hat beside a church with a tall stone spire.Copenhagen, Denmark
JiaJie in an open patterned shirt at a viewpoint over red rooftops.Lisbon, Portugal
JiaJie wearing a pink tropical shirt and leafy lei at a coastal overlook.Oahu, Hawaii

Photographer: @hawaii_daytour

JiaJie in a white patterned shirt with mounted guards behind him.Madrid, Spain
JiaJie in a black-and-white shirt beside a pond with Santiago’s skyline behind him.Santiago, Chile

Photographer: @lola_photo_art

JiaJie in a turquoise denim outfit on a street lined with balconies in Panama City.Panama City, Panama
JiaJie in a patterned jacket beside golden metalwork and colorful stalls in a Marrakech market.Marrakech, Morocco

Clothing: @nkandayatu

JiaJie in a black shirt and white shorts crossing a busy Tokyo street beneath illuminated signs.Tokyo, JapanApril 2024
JiaJie in a black graphic T-shirt in a square lined with pastel buildings in Salvador.Salvador, Brazil
JiaJie in a yellow shirt with his arms raised beneath the Maboneng sign on a Johannesburg street.Johannesburg, South Africa

Photographer: @tyme.media

JiaJie wearing denim overalls beside a brick wall and stone steps in Taipei.Taipei, Taiwan

Photographer: @mason.tpe.photographer

JiaJie wearing a denim jacket with gray sleeves on a stone-lined street in Barcelona.Barcelona, Spain

Photographer: @whosyourbrad

Barber: @max_classic_22

JiaJie in a dark coat and knit hat on a bridge above an Amsterdam canal lined with boats and autumn trees.Amsterdam, Netherlands
JiaJie in a white T-shirt and shorts on a sunny Shanghai street beside historic buildings.Shanghai, ChinaMay 2024
JiaJie relaxing in a beach chair with the Burj Al Arab behind him in Dubai.Dubai, United Arab EmiratesOctober 2024
JiaJie in a black hat and leather jacket beside Big Ben in London.London, United KingdomApril 2022

Photographer: @shane_kchung

JiaJie in a black jacket and white trousers beneath a stone archway in Dublin.Dublin, IrelandApril 2022

Photographer: @fabricejolivetphotography

JiaJie walking along a palm-lined sidewalk beside colorful buildings in Miami.Miami, FloridaMay 2022
JiaJie seated on waterfront rocks with the Manhattan Bridge behind him in Brooklyn, New York.Brooklyn, New York

Photographer: @iamchadbailey

JiaJie with his arms folded beside a mint-green streetcar in San Francisco.San Francisco, California

Photographer: @sanfrancisco.photo

JiaJie in a red varsity jacket overlooking the stone terraces and mountains of Machu Picchu, Peru.Machu Picchu, PeruSeptember 2023
JiaJie beside the Bogotá sign at a hilltop overlook above the city in Colombia.Bogotá, ColombiaSeptember 2023
JiaJie holding a mug on a desert patio at dusk in Joshua Tree, California.Joshua Tree, CaliforniaOctober 2023

The map keeps growing. So do I.

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Body Positive — learning to love my own body.
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A little of everything. Always becoming.

The next chapter?

There’s always room for a good conversation.

Instagram Back to the beginning
The listening room

Featured single

Arise O’ Compatriots

JiaJie · 2026 · 3:14

My rendition of Nigeria’s former national anthem.

Music production: @realpaulallison

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The photo journal