What they say

You can call me by my Chinese name, Ye Shengli. I arrived in China as a wide-eyed student. The magic of Chinese culture, the warmth of its people, and a sprinkle of opportunities turned me into a full-fledged language master and cultural ambassador.

I started my own gig, the Qazaqland cross-cultural platform, and spread Kazakh culture with my sister on social media platforms like WeChat, Douyin and Xiaohongshu. We made videos in Chinese about everything Kazakhstan — culture, products, news and all the cool opportunities. It hit me like a happy surprise that I was the bridge connecting Kazakh and Chinese hearts, just like Zhang Qian's modern-day apprentice with a digital twist.

Botakoz Yelshibek

A 24-year-old Kazakh student studying in China and popular netizen on Chinese social media

As one of the Belt and Road Initiative countries, Russia is a very important strategic partner in China's cooperation in building the Belt and Road. During the Chinese Culture Festival in Russia in 2023, the orchestra of China's National Grand Theater plans to visit Russia this year, and the Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra has also arranged a tour to China. This is a process of cultural collaboration and mutual learning.

During my study period, I have been to the heroic city of Wuhan; enjoyed the best scenery at the Suzhou Garden and the charm of the Magic City under the Huangpu River; felt the customs of the north in the streets of Harbin; and traveled through Weifang, Jining, and Jinan in the culturally rich Shandong province. In each of these cities, I came into contact with the romantic and diversified side of Chinese people.

Yulia

A Russian student studying at Tsinghua University

Salem Dostar! It means: Hello, friends! This is the first sentence I learned in the Kazakh language. Five years ago, thinking of the bright prospect that the Belt and Road Initiative will bring for the people of China, Kazakhstan and even the world, I chose to learn the Kazakh language.

I have only been in Kazakhstan for less than a week. But this week, I have met a lot of people on the road, saying, 'I know you!' This is because I shared my studying abroad experience on my TikTok account.

My TikTok account's name is "Xue Gege who speaks Kazakh language". It can be seen that I am from the Manchu ethnic group, from Northeast China. Kazakh and Manchu have been related since ancient times; I think this may really be fate.

Xue Rui

An international student at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and a TikTok blogger