In 2010 Simon became an Ambassador for Asia Literacy for the Australian government. In 2012, after visiting the Shaolin Temple in Henan, his interest in China's historical culture intensified, and in 2013 he gratefully received an Australian Government Endeavour Executive Fellowship to study Screenwriting for Film & TV Animation in China. He was even invited by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to attend a dinner being held for her in Beijing!
After committing to a long stay in China, Simon was appointed a 'Foreign Expert', a designation that dates back to Marco Polo, and began working with Crane Animation of Guilin. As that company's writing team coach and creative director of their flagship series Cocoa and Little Love, Simon helped launch what has become a cultural icon in East Asia.
He was also instrumental in Crane Animation securing international ties and joint projects with foreign sister companies and government arts development groups from around the world. After hosting delegations from France, Britain, New Zealand, India, Cambodia, Israel, Myanmar, South Korea and Mongolia, Simon was invited to attend China-Asean Cultural Forums as a delegate and guest speaker. In one speech he observed, 'When nations share art of any medium, co-creating or adapting, barriers come down and deep human connections are forged. That's why it's been such a privilege to see Cocoa and Little Love not only charm China, but be welcomed into many other cultures.'
Having now surpassed 500 episodes, the animated show with its zany humour and wholesome traditional values plays on all CCTV Chinese government channels, plus over 1000 other TV stations across China. Adorable twins Cocoa and Little Love and their talking animal friends are also watched on planes, buses, subway and bullet trains, and even giant Times Square-style digital screens mounted on skyscrapers in every Chinese supercity. 'All writers fantasize about a huge audience,' Simon told Chinese journalists in 2015, 'but I never imagined that up to a 5th of the human race might one day be laughing at my gags.'