Leaving Germany’s work-life balance for Hong Kong and China’s buzzing ambition

Hong Kong. The city that never sleeps.

Here, people live fast, walk fast, eat fast, speak fast, and work fast.

As a global financial centre with a competitive business environment, it’s unsurprising that Hong Kong and its people don’t slow down. Combine that with the city’s history as a bridge between the Western and Eastern business worlds and you get one of the top-ranked economies in the world. 

While this fast-paced lifestyle isn’t for everyone, some aren’t phased by it. In fact, they even crave it, much like German national Franz Richard Hohmann.

“I want to get into the fast-paced and high-pressure environment of Hong Kong rather than the laid-back lifestyle of Germany,” says Hohmann. “This desire has always been inside of me.”

Hard work reaps good results

Growing up from a humble background with a single mum, Hohmann decided early on that he would do his utmost to help support her,

He started working at supermarkets at a very young age, using the money he earned to invest in stocks. On the side, he also ran a holiday flat, where those earnings would be reinvested into buying and renovating flats in Germany with his friends.  

It was seeing success in his hard work and effort that shaped Hohmann’s path for the future. 

“If you work hard, you’ll see how your life improves. And when you work even harder, your life improves even more,” he says. 

“It’s addictive, so you’re just going to want more and more. You want to keep pressing on, and then you’ll realise that when you can achieve whatever you want, you’ll be willing to make sacrifices.”

With that in mind, Hohmann started his university life at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management where he pursued a bachelor’s in business administration. 

Still, that wasn’t enough to satiate his hunger for more — that is, until he discovered Hong Kong.

So, despite having no clear plans for a future in Hong Kong and after going on a student exchange programme to Taiwan with Rotary International, Hohmann began teaching himself one of the hardest languages in the world: Mandarin. 

Duolingo and a language podcast were Hohmann’s tutors in learning the hardest language in the world, Chinese, while studying at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Source: Franz Richard Hohmann

How learning a language gives you more opportunities, literally

The US Department of State labels Mandarin and Cantonese as “category 5 languages,” which simply means that they are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers to learn.

Category 5 languages require about 2,200 class hours or 88 weeks, while category 1 languages, like Spanish, Italian, or Dutch, only require 600 to 750 hours.

This didn’t put off Hohmann at all.

While pursuing his undergraduate studies, Hohmann decided to teach himself the language because he did not have the financial means to hire a tutor. “I downloaded some apps such as Duolingo, then quickly transitioned to other apps,” he says. 

Commutes to and from his university were often spent studying vocabulary and grammar. He started listening to a Chinese podcast called ChinesePod too. Between that, Hohmann would even be on free language exchange platforms, where he taught someone German in exchange for Mandarin lessons. 

Soon, his dedication to studying the language paid off.

In August 2021, the German Academic Scholarship Foundation selected Hohmann to participate in the China Scholarship for its Intensive Chinese Language Programme at Trier University in Germany.

And that was what really got the ball rolling for Hohmann.

In October 2021 to February 2022, Hohmann attended Goethe University Frankfurt for a Mandarin preparation course. 

There, he prepared for Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), commonly known as the Chinese Proficiency Test, where he attempted the second hardest level, Level 5, in listening, reading, and writing.

This advanced level assesses test takers’ abilities in applying everyday Chinese. Students who pass the HSK Level 5 tests can read Chinese newspapers, enjoy Chinese films without subtitles, and give a full-length speech in the language. 

Hohmann passed the exam and was ready for his next and anticipated challenge: a study exchange in Hong Kong.

Hohmann admired his professors at the University of Hong Kong and the country’s ambitious citizens. Source: Franz Richard Hohmann

‘To study in Hong Kong was the best experience one could ask for’

In August 2022, Hohmann earned the privilege and opportunity to study in Hong Kong.

It was a dream come true.

“Being in Hong Kong, just seeing that everyone has the same mindset and drive, was like, wow. I didn’t know a place like this existed,” says Hohmann.

“It’s a completely different world because people there are highly energetic, young, and ambitious. They’re really smart, very well educated, and everyone is thriving towards something. Everyone has a goal, and you can feel this understanding that everything is possible as long as you work hard for it.”

It was even more so at Hohmann’s host university for the semester – the University of Hong Kong, which ranks #17 on QS World University Rankings 2025 and #2 on QS Asian University Rankings 2025.

“I had outstanding professors, both in how they taught and their technical knowledge,” says Hohmann. “Their ability to break down complex topics into simple steps so students could understand them was outstanding. They could answer any questions and go further than the actual context of the class.”

But it wasn’t just the lecturer’s teaching capabilities that impressed Hohmann; their educational background wasn’t something to scoff at either. 

“They were all coming from either top-notch educational programmes from top universities or number-one companies, bringing in valuable practical experiences which also gave us students a bit more understanding,” he says. 

”Why are we learning this? Why and when do we need this? It’s a good mix between academic components and practical applicability of knowledge during lectures.”

Suffice to say, Hohmann had a very fruitful time in Hong Kong, and while the time was short, it was more than enough to inspire Hohmann to reach even greater heights.

While he boasts several achievements he earned throughout his life, Hohmann comes from a humble background filled with hardships that drove him to want to build a better life. Source: Franz Richard Hohmann

The chase to create a better life

Even before his semester abroad in Hong Kong, Hohmann had already completed two internships: one at Deutsche Bank as a Commercial Banking and Spring Intern and another at KPMG as a Summer Corporate Audit Intern.

Geared up even more from a life-changing trip, he returned to Frankfurt to complete the rest of his undergraduate degree, and before completing it, he added three more internships under his belt: Off-Cycle Intern at Consus Partner, Distressed Debt Trading Intern at Deutsche Bank, and Legal Intern at Sullivan and Cromwell LLP. 

And of course, being the go-getter and high achiever that he is, Hohmann also tacked on a few more things to his CV, including:

• Co-founding and leading a Frankfurt School student initiative called “FS Asia Society.”
• Founding and managing a real estate company.
• Leading running groups with more than 100 participants during his student exchange in Hong Kong.
• Becoming a spokesperson for Toastmasters International.

Still, Hohmann is far from being done.

During his time in Hong Kong, Hohmann has led running groups with over 100 participants. Source: Franz Richard Hohmann

While studying at Frankfurt School, Hohmann actually enrolled in Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Germany’s number one law school.

Come 2025, he will graduate from LMU with a law degree and a German national license as a barrister.

Though that might mark the end of his undergraduate studies, there are still many more experiences to be had, especially in Hohmann’s master’s studies. 

Just before graduating from Frankfurt School, Hohmann was one of the 150 students to receive the most prestigious scholarship in the world, the Schwarzman Scholarship, for an all-expense paid one-year Master’s in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

“I went through the description and curriculum of the Schwarzman Scholarship, and I realised it’s perfect for me because one of my desires is to preach about the rising differences and misunderstandings between China and the West because, unfortunately, in Europe, the view of China is still negative,” he says.

The Schwarzman Scholarship also attracted Hohmann through its access to Mandarin lessons to connect with the local community, engage with an extensive network of highly influential mentors, and venture out on practical projects in China where students can meet Chinese leaders.

“Everyone’s telling me the only way to understand China is to study there .. so getting accepted to Tsinghua was a dream come true,” says Hohmann.