Chinese-American Danni Huang is originally from Buffalo, New York. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, she pursued an acting career, booking various productions in Hollywood and New York City. Huang is also professionally known as “Danni Lang,” a stage name rooted in her favorite comic book character: Lana Lang from Superman. While visiting her grandmother in Beijing, a series of fortunate events led to her current job as a weather presenter for CCTV News. In her spare time, Huang enjoys yoga, watching the Discovery Channel, visiting modern art galleries, skydiving, and meditation. Recently, she spoke to a class at Harrow International School Beijing about all sorts of weather-related phenomena.
Angela Li, 10, Canada
Why did you choose this job?
I get to learn a lot about the weather. We work at the [China Meteorological Administration in Haidian District,] so the experts there answer any questions that we could possibly have. It’s very enlightening.
Zhuoying Dai, 10, China
Were you nervous the first time?
Yes, definitely. I’m actually very nervous now, talking in front of you! Just remember to breathe very deeply into your stomach; it’s good to be nervous, because it pushes you.
Fionamay Hayes, 10, UK/China
How do you know the weather?
We get the weather from the personnel at the meteorology center. They read the radar, get satellite images, and then translate it for us.
Sophia Kim, 10, South Korea
Do you have to memorize what you say?
We don’t have a teleprompter like news anchors do, because our show is only two minutes long. So, we have to do it by memory.
Stijn Lek, 10, Netherlands
How do you know what you’re pointing at on the greenscreen?
When it seems like I’m looking at the weather map, I’m actually looking at a monitor off-screen that shows all the [satellite]images.
Liliana Smith, 9, UK/Bulgaria
Have you ever made a big mistake?
I have. Usually, the show is pretaped, but if there’s a big event like a typhoon, we’ll have a live show. I said “day highs” instead of “day lows” and had to [correct myself on the air].
Maggie Chang, 10, Taiwan/New Zealand
What’s the longest it took you to report the weather?
When I first started, I kept saying the first line and forgetting the rest of [them]. Usually we have an hour and a half to do the show, but it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Michael Chung, 10, South Korea
What time do you wake up?
Before this job, I was on a really irregular schedule. But now, even without an alarm clock, I wake up at exactly 7.34am. I think it’s because I’m afraid I’ll be late!
Peter Evers, 10, Netherlands
What time do you go to work?
I have to be there at 9.30am, because that’s when the meteorologists start to tell us the weather.
Josh Feloy, 10, UK
Do you travel a lot?
I’ve only traveled to three countries. Other than that, I really try to study the maps, because it’s important to know which body of water is where and how that affects the situation.
Jenny Yeung, 10, Hong Kong
Have you ever thought about doing another job?
For now, I really like the job. But you never know what will happen in the future, so
possibly this will open other doors or my interests will change.
Crystal Kim, 10, South Korea
What was your dream job as a kid?
I went to school for biology, so my dream job was to be a detective and do forensics. I wanted to process evidence at a crime scene and help put criminals in jail.
Keven Du, 10, China
Do you prefer sunny or rainy weather?
I like a little breeze, with sunshine that’s not overbearing and a little bit of cloud cover.
This article is excerpted from beijingkids September 2012 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.
