PLZ CALL ME Chengyuan (Think "Chain + UN", but smoother), Antoine (An-two-one) or Yusuf (‎يوسف) — pick your favourite!
🙏 Swear to God, if someone calls me Anthony, I’ll freak out 😅

I started my first solo trip around Western Europe at 18. Since then, moved to the UK in 2022 — and to keep exploring the world.

Now, I’m finally a happy Londoner. (Maybe not that happy cause I have to WORK😇)

Easygoing, open-minded, chill, up for good conversation (bonus points if it's about movies or random life craps).

🎥 Movie nerd — 1000+ films later, still not tired.
🎹 Ex-pianist — 10+ years, retired only because I don’t own a piano anymore (plotting my comeback with some weird regional instrument).
⚽ Football fan (Barça!) — can’t play after a bad injury, but I love watching matches, especially in stadiums or noisy pubs.

Most Importantly: Low budget travel and local style ;

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Here to meet interesting and unique people — and, most importantly, to experience local life wherever I go. For me, every encounter is a way to understand this world (and myself) a little better.

The spirit, for me, is all about sharing and exploring. The world is a goldmine, and this community is the pickaxe. I’m always looking for fragments of stories and connections across the globe — maybe you’re holding one of those pieces.

Interests

• culture
• books
• photography
• drinking
• movies
• swimming
• languages
• food
• football

Music, Movies, and Books

🎬 Movie Enthusiast (to say the least!)
I’ve watched 1000+ films from all over the world — horror, features, and art house cinema are my guilty pleasures. I’m absolutely obsessed with European cinema (sorry, Hollywood, it’s not you, it’s me 😅). French and Polish films are my greatest loves, though I’m also drawn to the sharp, uncompromising styles of Nordic and Balkan directors.

📖 Books I’m into
I read the kind of books that make you question life, argue with yourself, and underline way too many sentences. Existential philosophy, Russian realism (weird? maybe 🤷🏻‍♂️), magical realism from Latin America, and the occasional poetry binge — that’s my comfort zone. (Yes, I voluntarily read Dostoevsky. Yes, I read Rimbaud and Dylan’s poems for fun. And no, I don’t think this is “normal” either.) Books, for me, are like strange but loyal travel companions.

🎵 Music
Honestly, music is probably my weakest “artistic achievement” 😂. I think my taste is strange — but recently I’ve been into Britpop, soft rock, and some electronic beats. And hey, I’d love if you could share some of your regional music with me — it’s always the best way to understand a place.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Solo trip to Syria during Eid Al-Adha and had an amazing time 🇸🇾
Watched the great Persepolis (Iranian Arsenal) comeback in Azadi Stadium 🇮🇷
Drove through Middle and Northern Serbia, dealt with six different Serbian official departments to get our car back from the police within half day 🇷🇸
Chased sunset in Wadi-Rum Jordan 🇯🇴
Slept for one hour in the basement of the National Museum of Beirut (without being caught by the security guards still counted as amazing) 🇱🇧
Watched 13 movies within 3 days in Cannes Film Festival 🇫🇷
Founded my own Film Studio in my home town and operated in 6 locations 🇨🇳🇬🇧🇫🇷
Worked for TikTok as an intern to decide which of you could become the top influencer (ask me for inside info🤓) 🇨🇳

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share stories about cultures, adventures, identity and belonging that probably won’t change your life — or teach you how to brush your teeth properly, which just might.

I want to learn new things — especially languages. Linguistics is one of my little obsessions, and I go a bit crazy whenever I hear the patterns and sounds of local tongues. Each word feels like a secret doorway into a culture.

And what I really want to share are stories. The kind that are beautiful, strange, unique — because at the end of the day, we’re all just fragments of stories walking around. Meeting each other is a way of piecing those fragments together.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I’m very flexible — good chats, stories, a curious spirit. If you need someone to walk your dog, water your plants, or even wash some dishes, I’m not against it 😅.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Belgium, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Syrian Arab Republic, United Kingdom