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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A longtime Yellowknife accountant and tax consultant is heading on a lecturing tour across China this fall.

Yellowknife tax consultant Andy Wong, pictured here at the MacKay LLP Chartered Accountants board room on Monday, is off to China for three months to guest lecture at Chinese universities. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

Andy Wong of MacKay LLP Chartered Accountants leaves this month to guest lecture at 10 universities in China, starting in Beijing Oct. 16, teaching certified general accounting (CGA) courses.

"I absolutely love what I do and this is simply an opportunity to learn more," Wong told Yellowknifer on Monday. "This is going to be an awesome adventure. I'm really looking forward to it."

Wong and his wife, Linda Zachariassen, have travelled to China to teach in the past but this will be his first professional accounting stint abroad since he started public practice accounting in the North more than 25 years ago.

Wong is expected to lecture before hundreds of students across 10 cities in mostly North and Eastern China.

Chinese universities are often seeking English-speaking lecturers with teaching skills and real life accounting experience, Wong learned, explaining how he decided to take the working holiday.

"I have a passion for travel, teaching, learning, having the opportunities to meet new people, new cultures - and this gig kind of puts it all together," he said. "I think this is an opportunity to do more than just teach English, but to use my technical skills and be able to touch a bigger audience."

His work experience in the North has broadened his professional perspective he said, working with companies from mom and pop organizations to large scale corporations in Yellowknife.

"One of the advantages of being in the North is you're able to work with your clients on the big picture issues all the time, regardless of the business size," he said.

Following the six-week university tour and following English school teaching in China in December, Wong plans to return to Yellowknife with his wife and 12-year-old son Liam.

Wong, who has also organized Yellowknife's Full Iron Tri ironman competition, does seminars and has written a Tax Break column in News/North for several years.

While lecturing across China this fall, Wong also plans to promote NWT tourism by screening movie clips that were also shown by Premier Bob McLeod during the GNWT's recent trade mission to China.

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