Let the reporter be moved, Chengdu Universiade | A letter from an unfamiliar child | Seine | Chengdu | Letter

Chengdu, August 8th, Xinhua News Agency (Xinhua) - A letter from an unfamiliar child makes the reporter emotional

Xinhua News Agency reporter

Zhan Xinjia.

The last time journalist Diaconda Senne from the International Association of Sports Journalists received a handwritten letter was in high school.

After nearly two days, she flew from Senegal to Chengdu via a connecting flight and was not aware of the long journey, only excited about the upcoming journey. Another trip to China 12 years later, a city I have never been to before, a reunion with old friends, and countless possibilities to explore new things and make new friends. But among all these expectations, not including a handwritten letter.

On July 27th, Saine arrived at the Chengdu Universiade Media Hotel and received his media bag from the front desk. She took out items from her bag one by one: media guides, notebooks, raincoats... and a three fold hard cardboard with a silver lettering on the cover, "A letter to a media journalist.". Taking off the envelope and smoothing the letter, the curiosity inside the letter instantly turned into joy - it was actually a handwritten letter in both Chinese and English, with a giant panda and a red heart painted on it.

This is the first handwritten letter from Ye Zihan, a sophomore student at Shishi Middle School in Chengdu.

Born after the millennium, he grew up in an era where everyone had a smartphone, and the term "swan geese transmitting letters" was too distant. But he agrees that the emotions and sincerity contained between the lines of the letter cannot be carried by online chat.

Using letters as a "primitive" and sincere way, allowing local children to pick up the beautiful local cuisine and recommend it to global media friends, in order to spread friendship and establish connections, is the idea of Ma Xueqi, the media service project leader of the Chengdu Universiade, and the team.

Once the idea was put forward, it received a warm response from the school, with high schools, primary schools, and even kindergartens competing to express their willingness to participate. The final project team selected Shishi Middle School, which has a long history. Almost all the students in the school submitted letters, and Ma Xueqi and her team read them one by one. They selected 300 letters, polished the words and phrases, and asked each student to transcribe 12. Over 3000 unique gifts were completed in this way.

White paper was spread out, and 17-year-old Ye Zihan embarked on a "novel experience". He decided to introduce Chengdu's landmark attractions and unique culture.

"If you are unfamiliar with Chengdu, I suggest you go to the first stop, the Jinsha Museum. Here, you can see how Chengdu's history connects everyone in the world."

Inclusiveness and imagination are the biggest shining points in Ye Zihan's eyes of Chengdu. From the bronze vertical masks at the Jinsha site to the way people in Chengdu enjoy life today, this characteristic is inherited in one continuous line.

"Modern Chengdu inherits the weight of history and has also nurtured a new leisurely atmosphere. Strolling through the swaying stone streets of bamboo forests, watching the pedestrians strolling in the streets and alleys, listening to the constant barking of dogs, being calm and composed will replace your unfamiliarity with Chengdu."

Opening the letter, Sai Nei was deeply attracted by Chengdu's culture and people's way of life. In her leisure time, she strolls through the Chengdu depicted by Ye Zihan.

Enter the Jinsha Site Museum and have a look at the Sun God Bird gold jewelry and ancient Shu bronze artifacts; Serve a covered bowl of tea and applaud for the Sichuan Opera face changing and fire spitting performances; Visiting the giant panda base, seeing for the first time the round and rolling Chinese national treasure; Strolling through the bustling streets, the twin towers outline the skyline of modern Chengdu behind us

Ancient and modern collide to create graceful notes in the land of abundance. All of this far exceeded Senne's expectations. "The beauty of Chengdu surprised me. I really like the scenery here. This green city also has colorful flowers."

She sighed at how much this ancient Eastern country values its history and traditions, and was amazed by the openness of modern China and the Chinese people. "I used to think that Chinese people were very shy and not good at socializing with strangers. But when I came here, I found that people were very open-minded. Wherever I went, they were very friendly and wanted to eat with me and wave at me."

What's even more special is that she made a new friend. In a teahouse on Tiexiangsi Water Street, Sai Nei and Ye Zihan met. Previously, Saine contacted the writer through the organizing committee and sent him an interview invitation.

Seeing the boy walking with a backpack from afar, Senei stood up excitedly. After greeting, Ye Zihan hurriedly opened his backpack, took out a teddy bear doll, and handed it to Senei, telling her that it was a school souvenir he had specially bought. "Wow! It's so cute!" Saine exclaimed in surprise, deeply moved once again.

Attempting to find the writer, Senne was not the first to do so. Some of the reporters who received the letter wrote this story into an article, some expressed their thoughts on personal social media, and some wrote a reply letter to Ma Xueqi to express their gratitude. Ma Xueqi still remembers that when she first saw someone posting a photo of a letter on social media, and many strangers below liked it all, tears welled up in her eyes.

The story of the handwritten letter is also recorded in Seine's article. "We should remind people not to forget about human contact with each other. Especially in today's world and era, many times even family members consider each other's interests."

Enhancing communication is precisely the significance of hosting large-scale sports events in Senne's eyes. "This is an opportunity for people from all over the world to come together. We have all experienced the pandemic, and I think the world should have gained some insights from it. That is, we need each other, we need to interact, we need to understand each other. Because when we stand together, we are weak. To let the younger generation understand what kind of path the world is going to take, we need each other to move forward together. Because when we stand together, we are strong."

Saine has interviewed several major international sports events, including the Shenzhen Universiade and the London Olympics. The International Sports Journalists Association reporting team she is in has three members, and as the only African member, she is mainly responsible for tracking and reporting on the performance of 24 African delegations. In 2026, Africa will welcome a milestone event - the Dakar Youth Olympics, which will be the first Olympic series of sports to be held on the African continent.

Seine is a bit scared about this. "Because I know it requires a lot of investment, organization, and preparation work, and our country is not yet accustomed to hosting such events. This will bring challenges, but it will be an opportunity to show the world that we can do the same thing in different ways."

If you also want to write a letter to introduce Dakar to foreign friends, how would Senne write it?

"I would recommend everyone to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Dakar, feel the enthusiasm of the people of Dakar, and experience the 'heat wave of love'. We also have some zoos, although there are no giant pandas, Africa has lions, elephants..."

Paper is short, love is long.

Chief planner: Sun Chengbin, Li Zhengyu

Producer: Yu Xiaozhong, Xu Jiren, Wang Ding

Producer: Zhou Jie, Yang Sanjun

Co-ordination: Ji Ye, Shen Nan, Chen Ji

Video: Shen Nan, Xue Chentian, Guangyu

Reporter: Ding Wenxian, Wang Qinou

Translation: Shen Nan and Dong Yixing

Produced by the Sports Department of Xinhua News Agency and the Sichuan Branch of Xinhua News Agency

Produced by Xinhua News Agency