<p>In many countries, including China, tertiary education students are taught by foreign educators, which can deepen cross-cultural learning, but also create misunderstandings. In mid-2025, a qualitative research project was designed, which was guided by the question ‘How do New Zealand trained design educators perceive teaching and the learning tensions in the Chinese context.’ Six design educators were asked to take up to six photographs with their phone cameras that best exemplified their experiences of teaching design in Chinese tertiary education classrooms and subsequently, discuss these images in a photo-elicitation interview. An inductive analysis of the data was then undertaken by the research team. Numerous themes were identified, which were grouped into three overarching categories including cultural mismatches, freeing the creative process, and motivation. Many participants’ comments centred on their perceived differences in students’ behaviour, academic integrity, problem-solving, purpose of design and design processes, skills and motivation. Many of these comments are lacking in cultural understanding, while the reported student behaviours need to be contextualised to China’s education model and cultural milieu. Prior to teaching in China, educators should be provided with professional development focussed on cultural differences when teaching, as well as how they can mediate these, through self-reflection and cultural awareness.</p>