Western journalists have been trying to track down Mark Obama Ndesandjo, the Shenzhen-based brother of United States President Barack Obama, for a long time now, but he’s been notoriously reluctant to give interviews.

Ndesandjo and the President share the same father, but have (obviously) taken very different paths in life. Ndesandjo came to Shenzhen in 2002 and set up a happy life here as classical pianist, author, and is part owner of incorrectly rumoured to be involved with barbecue chain Cabin BBQ. He is married to a Chinese woman and speaks the language fluently.

Ndesandjo was finally pinned down recently by Guangdong Television for an English language interview where he talks about his life in China, relationship with his father, and his “bittersweet” meeting with the US President in Beijing. His first book was published in 2009 and is called Nairobi to Shenzhen; he’s now promoting his forthcoming second book An Obama’s Journey: My Odyssey of Self-Discovery Across Three Cultures.