Foreign journalists gain new perspectives revisiting China

Chongqing (People's Daily)- Foreign media guests from Asia, Africa and Europe said they gained fresh perspectives while touring Yunnan and Chongqing this week as part of the 2025 Belt and Road Media Workshop. Some were visiting China for the second or third time.

The journalists had just attended the 2025 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

Branko Zujovic, a foreign policy journalist at Serbia's Pecat Weekly, plans to bring Yunnan coffee beans as gifts for his family.

"I lived for about five years in Beijing, so I'm not new here, not new to China," he said.

Zujovic was a shortlisted winner of the first Silk Road Global News Awards in 2023 for a commentary on Belt and Road cooperation between Serbia and China. During a 2023 Belt and Road Media Workshop trip to Guangzhou, he co-created ink wash paintings and calligraphy featuring kapok flowers and the Chinese character "Fu" (meaning "good blessing"), sending wishes for the Belt and Road development.

Branko Zujovic paints red silk-cotton with other journalists at the 2023 Belt and Road Media Workshop in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, October 25, 2023. (Photo: People's Daily/Yang Shuobi and Wang Yan)

"Usually we think of Yunnan as a place for flowers and coffee," he said, "but I was really impressed by the technologies here."

His trip included visits to a liquid metal company and wind farms.

"Yunnan is rushing toward the future," Zujovic added.

Branko Zujovic poses in front of Chongqing Qiansimen Jialing River Bridge, Chongqing, September 22, 2025. (Photo: People's Daily/Li Yidan)

Leila Atitallah, director of Tunisia's The Voice of Africa radio station, said she was determined to learn Chinese after her first visit to China in 2024.

She was captivated by advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, along with China’s clean streets and rich cultural history.

"But what impressed me most was the hospitality of the people," she said.

"When you say Beijing, you think of civilization, technological progress and a bustling city," Atitallah said.

"When you say Yunnan, you think of breathtaking natural beauty and kind people."

Leila Atitallah sings at the renovated demonstration block of Qujing Old Street, Qujing, Yunnan Province, September 21, 2025. (Photo: People's Daily/Li Yidan)

"The more I study Chinese, the more I admire this great civilization," Atitallah said.

Her children are also learning Chinese. Her 18-year-old son studied Chinese at the Bourguiba Institute of Languages in Tunis this summer and plans to continue his studies in China after completing his baccalaureate.

Atitallah's 8-year-old daughter can sing the traditional Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower."

"I advise all Arab youth to learn this language," Atitallah said.

"It is undoubtedly the language of the future."

Isac Boman, senior editor of Sweden's Nya Dagbladet, accepted a photo request from a Chinese passerby who said, "You look like Harry Potter! Can we take a picture?"

Boman joked he would bring his wand next time. It was his third visit to China.

His experiences this time included Kunming's mild climate, nature conservation efforts and acupuncture.

In September 2024, he traveled to Mount Emei with other media workers to attend the Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road in Sichuan Province.

Isac Boman is practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the 2024 Belt and Road Media Workshop, Emei, Sichuan Province, September 6, 2024. (Photo: People's Daily/Liu Xiaoli)

After learning about Emei martial arts, Boman and Per Markus Andersson, an editor at The Nordic Times in Sweden, showcased submission grappling as a cultural exchange of martial arts. Boman said he first learned about Yunnan from the James Hilton novel Lost Horizon, which described the mystical paradise of Shangri-La.

Isac Boman visits the Dounan Flower Market, Kunming, Yunnan Province, September 19, 2025. (Photo: People's Daily/Li Yidan)

"Cultures are so different," Boman said.

"Exchange between East and West is a recipe for world peace and a happy future."

Friendship, much like wine, matures with age and deepens in richness over time. It is also a flower of affection that blooms from the deepest soil of the heart. The forums and workshops provided excellent opportunities for global media professionals to build friendships and connect with Chinese culture, enabling them to share more stories about China with the world.

Participants of the 2025 Belt and Road Media Workshop pose at the Changan Automobile Global R&D Center in Chongqing on September 22, 2025. (Photo: People's Daily/Li Yidan)

Coordinator: Li Fang

Proofreader: Xiong Jian, Yang Ou

Planning: Shi Pengfei

Reporters: Huang Jingwei, Zhan Huilan

Supervisor: Shi Pengfei

Director: Li Yidan

Producers: Yang Yang, Fu Junjie

Video editors: Yin Jiaqi, Chen Liping, Pei Guobin and Wang Hao

Photographers: Li Yidan, Chen Liping