He couldn't bear to part: I am from Yunnan, "Generation Z" depicts China "| when I left Shangri La. My friend | Bolivia | Generation

Beijing, July 2nd (Xinhua) - "I don't want to leave, let's go back to the hotel." Sitting on the bench in the waiting room of Shangri La in Yunnan, Bolivian boy Chris clenched the handle of his suitcase, pitifully like a child.

On June 30th, the "Generation Z Portrait of China" online interactive activity Yunnan Station came to a successful conclusion. In the afternoon, young people from different countries boarded the return flight. Just falling in love with Yunnan means facing separation, which made Chris have a little temper.

"I really like the scenery, the pace of life, and the people here. I don't want to go back," Chris said angrily. "I want to stay in China and not return to Bolivia in the future."

Five days ago, in the same waiting room, the mature and elegant gentleman shrugged and said, "My friend said that Yunnan and Bolivia are very similar, and I want to see with my own eyes how much they are."

The reluctance to part ways goes against the original purpose of coming to Yunnan, perhaps this is the unique charm of the Colorful Cloud South.

Chris is in the Feilai Temple Scenic Area of Deqin County, Yunnan Province. Photo by Chang Xinyu

A Journey of Pursuing "Second Hometown"

At the first meeting, Chris showed the reporter the photos on his phone.

"My friend showed me a picture and he said, 'Look, Yunnan and Bolivia are very similar, right?' Chris wrote seriously in his eyes, 'Yunnan has a high altitude, and Bolivia is also very high. Bolivians are very similar to the ethnic minorities in Yunnan, in terms of appearance and clothing.'"

"It's strange why Bolivia is another country, just like Yunnan, so it's very interesting."

Therefore, Chris's keyword before embarking on this trip was "curiosity", and he was extremely curious about how much the southwestern border of China in front of him resembled his hometown.

Chris showed the reporter pictures of Bolivia on his phone. Photo by Liu Yue from China News Network

With this goal in mind, in the first few days, Chris seemed to be playing a reverse game of "everyone finding fault", enthusiastic about finding similarities between Yunnan and Bolivia.

When he first arrived in Shangri La, he felt the high altitude air and said, "Bolivia also has such a high altitude, and there is a large temperature difference between day and night."

In the ancient city of Dukezong, as he watched the tourists dressed in Tibetan clothes coming and going, he excitedly pulled and gazed at Zhidu Lake. His eyes lit up and he said, "There are also many mountains next to the lake in my hometown, and there are also boats like this."

Too many coincidences made Chris regard Yunnan as his "second hometown", and this mentality reached its peak when young people went to Sangzhu Bieyuan to experience Tibetan customs and culture.

Chris is watching the "Folk Song Grand View". Photo by Liu Yue from China News Network

Here, Chris tasted butter tea for the first time in his life. "My hometown also has milk tea, but it's sweet," he enthusiastically shared with reporters a Bolivian custom: "In Bolivia, if you participate in such an event, the locals will take a glass of wine and sprinkle it on the ground, thanking the land for growing food and vegetables."

Can you find the same style in Yunnan with such unique habits? The Tibetan girl who was adding butter tea to everyone's bowls smiled and said, "We will sprinkle butter tea with our hands in the morning and thank nature for its gift."

After being surprised, Chris began to seriously contemplate the reasons behind the numerous coincidences: "Why are countries so far apart so similar? The Earth is round, but there used to be a saying that at the beginning, all continents and countries were connected."

As if he had discovered some new continent, he struck a decisive note and said, "I know, I might be from Yunnan!"

He saw a different scenery

When did everything change?

Perhaps it started with those deep blue eyes no longer fixated on searching for the shadow of their hometown, or perhaps it started with more and more Chinese faces in Chris's camera.

Under his camera, there is a more beautiful Yunnan scene with beautiful mountains, water, and people: the ancient city of Dukezong is bustling with people, and young men and women are devoutly making wishes around the prayer wheel; The Pudacuo Forest Park is shaded by green trees, and the little girl dressed in a fiery red Tibetan robe has a smile like a flower; The tiger leaps into the canyon and the startled waves hit the shore, capturing the fluttering hair tips of the girls on the shore; In the history exhibition of the Red Army's Long March Museum in Diqing, he fixed the solemn profile of the interpreter

The little girl in Tibetan clothes under Chris's camera. Respondents provide pictures

At the Balagzong Scenic Area, Chris almost forgot about his favorite photography, not because it was not beautiful enough, but because all his mind was occupied by the story of a Balagzong road repairman.

Snadingzhu was born in Bala Village, a poverty-stricken village with no access to water or electricity. She had to walk for a full five days to see a doctor, which caused the 10-year-old Snadingzhu to lose one eye. At the age of 13, he went out to explore and had some assets before returning to his hometown. It took him 10 years to carve out a path on the cliffs of his hometown.

At the exchange meeting with Snadingzhu, Chris hesitated and asked the following question: "Do you want to turn this place into a tourist attraction? How will the Balagzong develop in the future?"

When leaving Baragzong, Chris remained silent for a rare moment before telling

A photo of Chris and Snadinger. Photo by Liu Yue from China News Network

"He went out to work at the age of 13, left home when he was young, and then came back to repair a road, putting in a lot of effort. So I want to know what his dream is, and what his plans are for the future of the Bharagjong?"

Chris said he wants to do something for this Tibetan dad: "If he wants to turn this place into a tourist attraction, we can help him. The best advertisement is to talk to people, such as posting some videos on social media to tell our friends about the beauty here. I want to help him develop this place."

Tourists who stay briefly only pay attention to the scenery of a certain place, but when Chris began to seek development for the future of Balagzong, he had truly regarded Yunnan as his "second hometown".

Chris and His Second Hometown

Chris saw his own shadow on Snadinger.

"When he went home to repair the road, many people opposed it. I also encountered a situation where in Bolivia, when I was going to China to study, many people said, 'Why did you go, what did you do? You will definitely fail'."

Chris comes from a family of diplomats. His father was responsible for Bolivia's diplomatic affairs in China. This is also the reason why Chris drifted across the sea from distant South America to the land of China many years ago.

"My family consists of four people, my parents, sister, and me. One day, when my dad returned home from work, he said, 'We'll go to China next month.' At first, Chris thought it was a joke: 'We thought it was fake and didn't believe it. It wasn't until later that he said he needed to pack his luggage and we set off next week.'"

A photo of Chris with his family. Respondents provide pictures

After truly stepping onto the land of China, Chris finally woke up from his dream, and everything in front of him overturned his previous impression of China.

"Many people used to tell me that the air in Beijing is not good, and everything in China is not good. But when I arrived in Beijing, I wanted to say, 'Where is not good?'" Kristen said. Many Western media outlets even falsify their reports in order to attack China: 'Their reports on China are fake, and many of them are synthesized using PS technology. China is very safe and beautiful, so I also told my friends that you can come to China and see for yourself.' "

Although impressed by the beauty of China, when Chris first arrived in China, he made a joke about the cultural differences between the two countries: "When I first came to China, my friends and I went to a coffee shop, and we didn't speak Chinese. The waiter asked us what we wanted to drink, and we said coffee."

Recalling this, Chris laughed heartily and said, "The waiter brought us one, two, three, and six cups of coffee because in Bolivia, when we express' drink ', we make a teapot gesture, but we don't know that this gesture represents' six' in China. So the waiter brought us six cups of coffee."

Chris's master's degree photo at Beijing Jiaotong University. Respondents provide pictures

Chris, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Beijing Jiaotong University, is already a "China expert" who can converse with passersby on the streets. In this trip to Yunnan, he once again encountered interesting things like "six cups of coffee".

On a sunny afternoon, young people from various countries came to Shangri La Sangzhu Bieyuan to taste Tibetan afternoon tea. Chris drank half a bowl of butter tea in one breath and then focused on enjoying the "folk song spectacle" - until the Tibetan girl holding a teapot bypassed the empty bowl in front of him and refilled his bowl with butter tea.

"On our Tibetan side, it's not allowed to drink a bowl of butter tea, we need to add more," she explained. Facing Chris, the reporter added, "In Tibetan customs, it is necessary to add tea while drinking, so she will continue to add tea to you."

Chris holding butter tea. Respondents provide pictures

"I haven't had such an experience in Beijing before, it's my first time, so I'm very happy." Chris likes the hospitable Yunnan people and also loves the beautiful and peaceful scenery of Yunnan. "Life in Beijing is fast, but here it's slow and quiet. There are more than 20 ethnic minorities in Yunnan, and I need more time to learn about them. I hope to have the opportunity to continue coming to Yunnan."

On June 25th, when the plane arrived in Shangri La, a brilliant rainbow appeared in the sky.

At that time, Chris, who was the first to discover the traces of the rainbow, was extremely excited and took several photos. He told reporters that in Bolivia, rainbows have a special meaning: "Rainbows represent financial luck, and if you can find their source, you will have a lot of money."

Chris's persistence in financial luck is traceable. At the Balagezong Scenic Area, he touched several thousand year old Bodhi trees that could bring wealth and made a wish.

Chris in Shangri La. Respondents provide pictures

"In the future, I will immigrate to China and open restaurants, schools, international trade companies, logistics companies..." Chris said, "Although I was born in Bolivia, I feel like I am a Chinese."

On the day of his return journey, Chris saw the rare "Sunshine Golden Mountain". Not only that, when everyone was taking a bus and preparing to leave the scenic area of Deqin Feilai County, a rainbow once again visited the distant mountains.

"On the first day we came, we saw a rainbow, and on the last day, we saw a rainbow again. The first day was to welcome us, and the last day was to wish us a safe journey."

Will Chris's wish come true in the future? We don't know. But something happened after arriving safely at Beijing Daxing International Airport, which made him happy again after he had a temper tantrum after leaving Yunnan.

After the plane landed and a ladder was erected, Chris ran into a Chinese elderly man who had given up his seat on the airport shuttle three hours ago.

"Hello, thank you!" The old man waved at him, while a young girl next to him smiled and said, "Welcome to China!".

In the night of 11:30 pm Beijing time, Chris grinned like a child.

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