Liu Encheng’s experience of traveling to New Zealand on a working holiday visa was a life changer: “It’s about having a chance to understand yourself better, to find out what you really want.”

一次新西兰工作假期签证之旅改变了刘恩成（音译）的生活，用他的话说：“这是一次深入了解自己的机会，去发现自己真正想要的东西。”

As soon as New Zealand’s government announced its plan to offer 1,000 working holiday visas to Chinese residents a year in 2010, Liu, then 27, applied.

2010年时，新西兰政府启动了一项计划：每年会向中国公民发放1000个工作假期签证，当时27岁的刘恩成申请了该签证。

Back then, Liu had worked as a reporter for the Kunming Daily for five years, after graduating from a tourism management major at Central South University of Forestry and Technology.

从中南林业科技大学旅游管理系毕业后，刘恩成在《昆明日报》做了五年的记者。

Rural taste

田园风光

Liu arrived in New Zealand in December and was impressed by the summer Christmas.

去年12月，刘恩成抵达新西兰，夏日圣诞令他印象深刻。

“Many fruits are ready to harvest, so it’s easy to find a job in the orchards before getting there. Since New Zealand is an agricultural country, working in rural areas helps you understand the country better,” says Liu.

他说：“多数水果到了丰收季节，因此在动身前很容易就能找到一份果园的工作。新西兰是个农业大国，在乡村工作能帮助你深入了解这个国家。”

The most important thing, according to Liu, is to live independently. He needed to balance work and travel, because on a working holiday visa you’re only allowed to stay in a job for a maximum of three months. So when Liu had nearly finished a job, it was time to think about what to do next.

刘恩成认为，最关键的是要学会独立生活。因为持工作假期签证，同一份工作的最长期限为3个月，他需要在工作与旅行之间寻求平衡点。因此当他快要完成一份工作时，就到了制定下一步计划的时候了。