An engineering student's journey into the real China

Anayat Ali,水泥行业安全新闻网 a content creator from India, shares his story at the forum –Telling Stories Well: From Empathetic Communication to Cultural Identity on March 28, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

When Anayat Ali first arrived in China as a PhD student at Tongji University, the simple acts of reading a menu or hailing a taxi felt like insurmountable challenges. Three years later, the engineering student has transformed into a seasoned travel blogger, dedicated to uncovering the real China.

Ali shared his journey from confusion to a sense of belonging at the forum–Telling Stories Well: From Empathetic Communication to Cultural Identity held in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province on Saturday.

Ali and other guests, dressed in traditional attire, pose for a selfie at the Sui-Tang Dynasties Luoyang City National Heritage Park in Luoyang, Henan province, on March 24, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

His insights were fresh, coming just days after a media tour through Henan, retracing the path of Edgar Snow, the US journalist who introduced China to the world nearly a century ago. The tour started from the high-speed railway station in Zhengzhou to the ancient archaeological park in Luoyang, giving participants a glimpse of both the modern and historical sides of China.

Ali and a reporter listen to the history of the three bridges over the Yellow River, as explained by a bridge staff member, along the riverbanks in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on March 23, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

For Ali, one stop stood out above all others: the "three bridges convergence" at the Yellow River Culture Park in Zhengzhou, where three bridges from different eras span the river side by side.

"Most people saw a beautiful view,"Ali said.

"I saw three different generations of structural engineering standing together. China didn't tear down the old bridge to build the new one. That says something profound about how this country views progress. It's not about replacing the past, it's about building upon it."

Ali takes a picture of the YTO Group's production line in Luoyang, Henan province, on March 24, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

That same perspective came into focus again at the YTO Group in Luoyang, standing before China's first tractor production line—a site that once powered the nation's agricultural transformation. "I wasn't just seeing a factory," he said.

"I was seeing the engineering foundation that fed a nation."

For an engineer, he explained, every place tells two stories: the one everyone can see, and the one hidden in the structure.

Yet for all his appreciation of infrastructure — with high-speed trains that runs with such precision you can balance a coin on a table, the digital systems that let him pay, translate, and navigate with a phone — Ali insists that what truly makes traveling in China unforgettable is the people.

Ali takes a selfie with a group of students from Chanhe Experimental School in front of the Sui-Tang Dynasties Grand Canal Museum in Luoyang, Henan province, on March 25, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

During the Henan tour, a moment outside the Grand Canal Museum in Luoyang left Ali with a lasting impression. A group of schoolchildren from Chanhe Experimental School approached and greeted the foreign visitors.

"They started telling us about Luoyang, about its history, with so much confidence and pride. These kids became our tour guides on the spot," said Ali.

Ali poses for a picture with a group of students from Chanhe Experimental School in front of the Sui-Tang Dynasties Grand Canal Museum in Luoyang, Henan province, on March 25, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

For Ali, these encounters capture a side of China that outsiders often misunderstand.

"It's not just the high-speed rail or the Great Wall. It's the stranger who helps you order food when your Chinese isn't good enough. It's a country of 1.4 billion people who are genuinely curious about the world and genuinely welcoming to anyone who shows up with an open heart."

Ali shares his perspectives on China at the forum–Telling Stories Well: From Empathetic Communication to Cultural Identity on March 28, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

That insight lies at the core of his message at the forum.

"The best way to understand China is not through headlines or textbooks," he says, "but through your own feet, your own eyes, and an open heart."

Ali shares his views on the real China at the forum –Telling Stories Well: From Empathetic Communication to Cultural Identity on March 28, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Ali admires artifacts at the Sui-Tang Dynasties Grand Canal Culture Museum in Luoyang, Henan province, on March 25, 2026. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]