Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times
Since China optimized its COVID-19 measures at the end of 2022, airports in major cities have become busier day by day as business and tourist trips have quickly resumed. This can be seen on social media, where a lot of foreign online influencers have been sharing videos of their latest trips in China.
As they explore big cities like Shanghai or Hangzhou and scenic spots like the Great Wall or lush mountains, a constant theme in their vlogs is how different the country and its people are from what they thought before arriving here.
"I never thought China would be like this" is a line appearing in almost every foreign newcomer's vlogs.
It's nothing new that China has long been depicted by corporate media in Western countries and their followers as being miserable and menacing, and its people close-minded and unwelcoming. The last three years exacerbated this bias due to vilification of the country's pandemic response by Western media. As a result, many foreign visitors' anticipation of what they would get in China was predictably low and their true experience even more contrasting and pleasantly surprising.
Besides the fact that China's infrastructure never disappoints, including the must-experience high-speed trains, how ordinary Chinese people live their lives and their friendly response to foreigners are particularly interesting to see in these vloggers' works.
Seeing vloggers comment on the high visibility of electric cars on the streets compared with their home countries, I was reminded how fast China has changed, and that what we take for granted in everyday life may well be a peculiarity for another person.
Among the many foreign backpackers in China, at least three Indian vloggers stand out. They are traveling around the country on different routes and some of their China series videos have gained more than 1 million views on YouTube with 20,000 likes.
China's infrastructure and especially the cleanliness of the cities shown in the videos have gained the most enthusiastic response from their followers. The Indian vloggers were interested in Wuhan, the much-demonized city in international media in the past years, and one vlogger's experience of being helped out by a patient staff member at the Xi'an train station gained much applause in the comment section. There is hardly any "negative" experience recorded in their videos, except complaints that not many people speak English when they need help.
At a time when Chinese and other foreign businesses complain they are unfairly treated by New Delhi and China-India border disputes are constantly hyped by some politicians, a lot of Indian netizens commented that these vloggers' videos presenting China from inside "are actually turning out to be a myth buster in this age of misinformation and hatred." This only highlights the importance of people-to-people exchanges in order not to be blinded by hypocrites.
Besides new arrivals, numerous "resident foreigners" in China continue recording their lives and their understanding of China, including those from Vietnam, the UK and the US. A man from Ghana interacts with both Chinese urbanites and villagers and presents their reactions online. His videos showing people's friendliness and warmth are among the most inspiring and touching videos featuring cultural exchanges between Chinese and Africans.
From a Chinese perspective, an interesting part of foreign visitors' vlogs is the "culture shock" they experience and - more interestingly - how they perceive and interpret such differences.
Most of the time, the tourists record the encounters and observations of local people and life objectively and try to understand them. Although some of their takes on cultural differences may not always be the true situation - like some Chinese people "staring" at a foreigner out of curiosity - experiencing it in an unfamiliar land is in itself a brave and laudable action as long as we all hold goodwill.
I personally want to thank these vloggers for presenting my country as it is - not necessarily flawless - and as I try to see the surroundings I'm in from their fresh perspectives and their approach to an unfamiliar situation, I, too, gain a fresh understanding of my country and people.
The author is an editor of the Global Times. [email protected]
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