Text丨Traveler Aru
Editor丨Aru the Traveler
Preamble:
When globalization has become an irreversible trend, people's lives have become colorful because of cross-border exchanges and integration.
As a "seasoned international friend" living in the digital age with more and more cross-cultural experiences, I have gradually become accustomed to sharing stories and customs about the world with my friends.
And this time, I had the pleasure of inviting one of my Swiss girlfriends to China to experience the unique charm of this ancient oriental country with me.
When she left China and returned to Switzerland, I unexpectedly received a voice message from her: "I've been crying for two days, I really can't stand Switzerland, it's too far from China!" ”
Hearing this, I couldn't help but fall into deep thought. In this era of globalization, there are indeed huge differences between different countries, so what are the differences that make a Swiss girl feel so emotional?
From my own personal experience, for example, I think there are many obvious differences between China and Switzerland, and it is these differences that make up the unique national charm of China and Switzerland.
So, this time, I will share with you in the first person, with myself as the center, what are the differences between China and Sweden that this Swiss girlfriend feels!
Ease of transportation
As a "Beijing Speed Party" living in the metropolis of Beijing, I think I can fully hold the convenience of transportation.
In China, we have a variety of convenient means of transportation such as subways and high-speed rail, and basically as long as you go out and walk a few steps, you can easily take any place you want to reach, and it basically does not take too much time to commute.
However, when my Swiss girlfriend came to China and saw the crowded subway entrance in Beijing for the first time, she was very surprised and even asked me directly: "Is this a subway entrance?" How does it feel like running a marathon? "At first I thought it was very funny, but then my Swiss girlfriend complained to me that in Switzerland, there is no need to grab a floor shop at the subway entrance, and there is no need to worry about not being able to squeeze into the train, and the whole process seems very orderly.
When they want to take the train, they can also check the arrival time of the train and the location of the remaining seats in real time through the ticket app on their mobile phones in advance, and the punctuality rate of the train is also very high, so there is no need to worry about delays due to transportation delays. It is precisely because of this that she has such great interest and curiosity in Beijing's subway system.
Diversity of food culture
In fact, when it comes to the diversity of food cultures, both China and Switzerland have advantages that cannot be ignored in this regard.
In China, we have a variety of delicious traditional Chinese delicacies such as spicy hot pot, Peking duck, Guangdong roast meat, etc., each of which has a rich cultural connotation and historical accumulation, allowing people to experience China's 5,000-year-old history and culture through tasting food.
And in Switzerland, they also have their own unique food culture, such as the most famous Swiss cheese fondue, as well as various mouth-watering delicacies such as Swiss chocolate and Swiss sausage.
So, when my Swiss girlfriend first tasted Chinese spicy hot pot, she was taken aback and thought that Chinese food culture is really too rich and diverse.
She even said to me directly: "When you eat hot pot in Switzerland, you only need to dip it in the cheese, and China's spicy hot pot is just another new delicious experience, I can't believe that hot pot can still be eaten like this!" Because there is indeed a big gap between the food culture of China and Switzerland, it is only after tasting Chinese food that she will develop a deeper interest and yearning for Chinese food culture.
The accumulation of ancient history and culture
As an ancient country with a long history and cultural accumulation, China has countless precious historical relics and cultural monuments, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, etc., all of which tell the wisdom and perseverance of the ancients, and can allow people to feel China's long-standing ancient civilization by viewing historical relics.
Switzerland, on the other hand, is represented by medieval ancient cities, which condense the essence of European medieval architecture and exude a strong atmosphere of European classical art.
At first, my Swiss girlfriend didn't have much understanding of China's ancient history and culture, and even had some misunderstandings about China's ancient history and culture, thinking that China's ancient historical relics were just a simple superposition of bricks and tiles, which could not be compared with the medieval cities of Europe.
And when I took her into the Forbidden City, when I told her many allusions and stories behind the Forbidden City, she gradually developed a strong interest and yearning for China's ancient history and culture, because through the visit to the Forbidden City, she really appreciated the unique charm of ancient Chinese architecture, and also understood the reason why ancient Chinese history and culture can be long-standing.
Through this Sino-Swiss cultural exchange trip, I not only got to know Switzerland more deeply, but also made my Swiss girlfriend have a very deep impression and interest in China.
Perhaps in her eyes, there are indeed many huge differences between China and Switzerland, but it is precisely these differences that allow us to learn more from each other and understand more about the customs of different countries.
Therefore, whether it is between China and Sweden, or between different countries in the world, I hope that everyone can appreciate each other's beauty with an inclusive mind, and accept different cultures with an open heart, I believe that only in this way can our world be more colorful and beautiful.