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Gregory J. Gaynor

Hey, I’m Gregory.

By day I’m Lead AI Developer at Alltech, building AI agents that run real business processes. The rest of the time I’m a bilingual coder, martial artist and lifelong productivity nerd.

I spent nearly two decades in China  Gregory J. Gaynor holding a tai chi stance in a subway station while commuters blur past, trained at the Shaolin Temple  Gregory J. Gaynor in a kung fu stance on the steps of the Shaolin Temple gate, between red lanterns, occasionally officiated weddings on TV, homeschooled my son in Latin, and these days I’m learning Tibetan  The rooftops of Dungkardo, a Tibetan border town built in Godot, under prayer flags with mountains behind for fun.

The Long Version

文

Two Decades in China

I read Chinese at Leeds, moved to China at 21, and studied Trade & Economics, in Chinese, at Nankai University in Tianjin. I stayed nearly twenty years. Along the way I appeared in a CCTV documentary about Lao Shan, did voiceover and advertising work, and recorded the English listening test for Tianjin’s university entrance exam. Fluent in Mandarin, conversational in Tibetan, and still studying it.

武

Martial Arts

I started Taekwondo at six and had a black belt by twelve, then moved into kung fu, Tai Chi and Chinese kickboxing. I’ve trained at the Shaolin Temple, studied Chen-style Tai Chi under Chen Yu, and picked up Wing Chun, San Da and Muay Thai along the way. Martial arts have shaped how I think, how I move through the world, and even how I structure my day.

行

Everest Base Camp

In 2015 I trekked to Everest Base Camp, 5,364 metres up, and it changed me. I’ve documented Asia with a camera for years, from Kathmandu and Lumbini to Siem Reap and the Shaolin Temple, and cooked my way through its cuisines along the way.

Photography

开

FOSS Enthusiast

My own projects are free and open source. I publish them on GitHub under the MIT licence or the GPL, so anyone can read the code, learn from it and build on it. At home I run Arch Linux with my own build of dwm, and self-host what I can. By day I’m Lead AI Developer at Alltech, building agents and apps on Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric and Dynamics 365.

See my work

Off the Clock

Hover or tap a tile to turn it over.

信Faith

My Christian faith is at the heart of how I live. It guides how I treat people, how I spend my time, and what I prioritise.

书Entrepreneur & Writer

I founded FaceDragons.com for personal development, wrote a Chinese textbook for homeschoolers, and have written for online publications.

事Productivity

Twenty-plus years of GTD, Getting Things Done, run on apps I built myself.

力Lifting Weights

Simple, honest work that balances the mental effort of coding and writing, and gives me time to reset.

巧Juggler & Cardician

Five balls on a good day, which is weirdly meditative. And card magic, which is like coding for people’s imaginations.

棋The Game of Go

Strategic, meditative and endlessly humbling. It’s martial arts for the mind.

画Chinese Brush Painting

Twenty years, on and off, of guohua: the Four Gentlemen of plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, and now my own compositions.

乐Music & CDs

I play guitar and collect CDs, actual physical discs, and I built my own app to catalogue the collection.

Timeline

Keep scrollingAge 12 → 2026
Age 12Black beltMartial artsBlack beltI started Taekwondo at six and had my black belt by twelve.
2001Kung fu in the gardenMartial artsKung fu in the gardenAfter Taekwondo came kung fu, and the back garden became my training hall.
2006A film picks TianjinChinaA film picks TianjinReading Chinese at Leeds, I chose Tianjin for my year abroad because of Jet Li’s film Fearless.Read the story →
2007China · MarOn CCTVI appeared in a CCTV documentary about Lao Shan, complete with costume and a stick-on beard.
2007Moving to ChinaChina · AugMoving to ChinaAt 21 I moved to Tianjin, and for years found my way home by the TV Tower.Read the post →
2011Graduating from NankaiChinaGraduating from NankaiI studied Trade and Economics, in Chinese, at Nankai University in Tianjin.
2011CigarDiaryCodeCigarDiaryOne of my first Java programs: a Swing app on SQLite for keeping a humidor, with tasting notes and stats.
2011Floor FallerCode · NovFloor FallerA Java game: run left and right to ride the rising platforms away from a ceiling of spikes. You can play the 2011 original and the 2026 rebuild.Play it →2012Efficient ChineseCodeEfficient ChineseMy first website, hand-built in PHP, HTML and CSS, with Java applets for reading Chinese faster: a paced speed reader, a word spacer and a vocabulary finder.Try the speed reader →2012Full-time LinuxCodeFull-time LinuxI’d started on Ubuntu while learning Java, and in 2012 I wiped the Windows partition for good. These days it’s Arch with my own build of dwm.My dwm build →2013密CodeMy own password managerThe first version of a tool I still use every day, now on GitHub.On GitHub →
2014Chen-style tai chiMartial artsChen-style tai chiStudying under Chen Yu, and practising push hands with Wang Haoran.
2015Everest Base CampTravel · OctEverest Base CampI trekked to Everest Base Camp, 5,364 metres up, then flew south to Lumbini, where the Buddha was born.See the photos →
2016书WritingDecade in ChinaI started writing a book about my years in China. It’s still a work in progress.
2017Learning TibetanChina · MarLearning TibetanI started learning Tibetan alongside my Chinese, first with flashcards and then weekly lessons.My study app →2017My own GTD appCodeMy own GTD appA Getting Things Done app on plain-text files. Its latest descendant is Dantian, the app I run my life from.On GitHub →2017Huo Yuanjia’s villageMartial arts · JulHuo Yuanjia’s villageI finally went to Xiaonanhe, where Huo Yuanjia was born, and stood beside his statue in an empty memorial park.Read the story →2017Overland through South-East AsiaTravel · NovOverland through South-East AsiaFrom Phuket and Bangkok through Siem Reap to Luang Prabang and Vientiane, camera in hand.See the photos →2018The Shaolin TempleMartial arts · MayThe Shaolin TempleAfter a lifetime of kung fu I made the pilgrimage to the Shaolin Temple and trained there.Read the post →
2019Chinese Homeschool CurriculumWritingChinese Homeschool CurriculumI co-wrote First Form Chinese, a Chinese textbook for homeschooling families.
2019A month in DharamshalaTravel · SepA month in DharamshalaA month in India, studying Tibetan every day at the Esukhia school.
2020The Crumpet ManLifeThe Crumpet ManDuring the Tianjin lockdowns I baked British crumpets for the city’s expats, and it became a business.Read the story →2021Face DragonsWriting · OctFace DragonsI launched FaceDragons.com, a personal development site that has grown to over 340 articles.Visit the site →2024Back to England, back to AlltechWorkBack to England, back to AlltechAfter seventeen years in China I moved home to England and came back to Alltech, as a Business Engagement Manager.An English winter →2024Writing on Chinese farmingWriting · DecWriting on Chinese farmingA blog series on how China farms and feeds itself, from the San Nong problem to food security.Read the series →2026智WorkLead AI DeveloperI now lead AI development at Alltech, building agents that run real business processes.See the work →2026Projects on GitHubCode · OctProjects on GitHubYears of side projects, gathered in one place: a walkable Tibetan town, an Android workout tracker, Mario Kart 64 netplay and more.On GitHub →
AND NOW

Where things stand this month

This month

Now

What I’m building, learning, practising and reading.

The tools

Uses

The computers, software and kit behind the work.

Online

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