The Surging News reporter Fan Jialai intern Li Xiang
"The little dumplings... Shanghai's! "Snail powder from Guangxi!" "This is Lanzhou ramen!" On the screen are authentic Chinese snacks, but the first to report the name of the dish is a few blonde foreign friends. They come from different continents, different countries, but eventually gather in China, fall in love with this land and culture, and put down roots here.
On August 29th, the "I'm Fine in China" book sharing meeting was held at the flagship store of Duoyun Academy on the 52nd floor of Shanghai Tower. The book brings together "22 Stories of The Fate of Foreigners and China", and at the event, Merlot, the editor-in-chief of the book from France, together with three of the authors: Anasi, Eileen and Diego, shared with readers the stories of their encounters with China.
In the book, the appearance characteristics, eating habits, dressing styles, religious beliefs, and cultural backgrounds of 22 foreign friends are different, and in the process of integrating into China, they adapt and blend through their own unique experiences, and a series of wonderful stories are born.
"I no longer think of myself as a foreigner"
Anasi left her hometown of Latvia at the age of 19 to study in Shanghai alone, and by coincidence, stayed in China for 17 years, spending nearly half of her life in China, witnessing the development of Shanghai. "When I came here, I didn't have the 'top of Shanghai' at my feet, and Starbucks was far less ubiquitous than it is now."
After graduating from Fudan University majoring in law, she chose to become a "special dean of the nursing home", which is responsible for taking care of more than 220 elderly people, most of whom are over 80 years old, more than 50 elderly people have exceeded 90 years old, and the oldest one is already 99 years old. "Although they are older, they are still in good physical condition. We often organize activities such as handicrafts, singing, and rehabilitation exercises, and the nursing home is full of positive energy. Anasi said.
For foreigners living in China, "nursing home director" can be described as a special profession, cultural differences are difficult to avoid, will you encounter communication problems with the elderly in China? In this regard, Anasi frankly said: "I have long since stopped treating myself as a foreigner, but think like Chinese, every time I come to a different nursing home, I will investigate the local customs and culture in advance, even if it is so close to Qingpu and Chongming, the old people in the two places have different temperaments, and there will be great differences in habits and needs." ”
Anasi chatted with the old man
The Frenchman's relationship with China began with the Chinese songs played by the teacher in class, and Na Ying's "Dream" was her favorite. She formed bands with her French majors and helped each other learn the language, gaining great success in transnational friendships. "When I came to China, I felt very lonely at the beginning, but these friends taught me a lot, and now my life in China is very convenient and happy, and I have learned to buy shoes on Taobao."
Today, she has begun to cover Chinese songs in French and upload them to Douyin, and now has 170,000 followers. "I recently covered songs such as "Confession Balloon" and "I Am a Fish", and the most popular is Jay Chou's new song "Mojito", which has received more than 500,000 likes, which makes me very inspired and moved. The fans appreciated the format and encouraged me to continue to do more French versions of Chinese songs. ”
Miao Hongcai, president of Shanghai Education Publishing House, said in his opening speech, "These foreign friends studying, living and working in China, and sharing their experiences with true feelings is the embodiment of the embodiment of the community of human destiny. In the short period of three or five years, the long is more than ten years, and in the long flow of life, they "learn to live in China", and also try to think like Chinese, and as a bridge for cultural exchange, they do their best to break the barriers of communication and eliminate inherent prejudices.
Ai Li participated in the Chinese Singing Competition for Foreigners
What is it like to be a "giant panda nurse"?
"This is my 'Panda Daddy'!" Merlot pointed to the photos on the screen and introduced to everyone that she and her father were born with a pair of dark circles, so they both thought they looked like giant pandas, "I have called my father 'giant panda daddy' since I was a child, and he called me 'baby panda'. Because she likes pandas, she was selected to go to chengdu giant panda breeding research base to participate in the second "Global Giant Panda Daddy and Grandma Experience Activity" and become a glorious giant panda guardian.
During the two-week experience, she worked with local keepers to feed the pandas, clean their little homes, and tease them with apples... "Sichuan is the home of giant pandas." Here, giant panda elements can be seen everywhere, making people fully feel the Chinese's love for national treasures. Seeing them at the Chengdu Giant Panda Base made me feel an indescribable joy, and I always felt that I had a fate with them. Merlot said.
"Fate" not only brought her a cute panda, but also brought her the other half of her life, after which she stayed in China to work, fell in love with her husband at first sight, and has lived in Xiamen ever since. She laughed and said that her husband usually called her "giant panda", "Maybe he also thinks I look like a giant panda." I am now a very happy Chinese daughter-in-law, and happiness is sometimes so simple and pure! ”
Merlot with her Chinese husband
Merlot and the red panda talk
Diego, from Brazil, is not as fluent as others Chinese, but he has traveled through many Chinese cities to try a variety of Chinese cuisines, and a photo of "challenging fried scorpions" at a night market has caused a heated discussion at the scene. "Brazil is far from China, but Brazilians and Chinese have a lot of similarities in their diets, we all eat rice, pork, and my mother's favorite chicken feet."
"For me, the experience and life in China was wonderful. Thank you to China and Chinese for welcoming me so much and giving me so many good opportunities. I learned a lot from everyone. No matter where I go in the future, I will take this knowledge, these good memories. I hope that more people can come to China to understand China's rich culture, get to know the enthusiastic Chinese, and go to see China's stunning and beautiful scenery. Diego said.
Diego took a photo by the landscape of Guilin
"China is my second home!" At the end of the sharing session, Merlot enthusiastically expressed her love for China, and she also looked forward to the book being translated into English and more widely disseminated, "I hope that through this book, more people can understand the real China, and also understand the love of foreigners for China." ”
Editor-in-Charge: Chen Shihuai
Proofreader: Luan Meng