From war-torn Shanghai to his role as head of Hong Kong's Catholics, Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun believes his journey has been blessed by the grace of God.
'Of course people experience happiness and unhappiness but I have never had any really low points in my life. I am blessed and my path has always been smooth,' he said.
Confident, yet humble but sometimes seen as a little bit too stubborn, Bishop Zen has been a media darling since becoming deputy to Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung in 1996.
But Bishop Zen's harsh criticisms of the government and the mainland in recent years over the right-of-abode saga, the Falun Gong sect and the anti-subversion law proposals have not been toned down since the cardinal's death last September.
Donning an old dark suit with a roman collar and stepping into a pair of traditional Chinese soft shoes, the grey-haired bishop walked into his office after an afternoon stroll, frequently looking at his watch.
In his softly-spoken accented Cantonese, he said: 'I am very busy, and I am getting far less sleep than I need these days.'
But once in his office, the dreamy stares which seemed to suggest his mind was elsewhere disappeared. Frequently waving his arms while talking, the intelligent sparkle returned to the bishop's eyes.