FRANCE changes people. It touched the late Ernest Hemingway who savoured his lean and hungry years in Paris.
Gertrude Stein surrendered her American roots for the intellectual society of the Left Bank, then, for a plot in the cemetery of Pere-Lachaise, a stroll away from another expat, rock legend Jim Morrison.
In 1989, both the country and culture welcomed the Shanghai-born artist, and embraced him. In seven months, he grew and flourished.
But his wife, raising the three children in Columbus, Ohio and holding down a university professorship, didn't exactly care for France's fingerprints on her husband.
''When I got home after my seven-month stay, she was angry,'' explained the 39-year-old, of his American-born spouse. ''She said I had changed. I was so unsatisfied with things, I felt more independent, more opinionated.'' The French flair for style rubbed off a bit. He started to be more careful about his appearance. American fast food lost what little appeal it had while fresh food became more than just fuel.
And, while the ink on his citizenship papers was still wet, Han began to question American values and viewed politics with disdain.