It has been more than 10 months since I began living in Beijing. I was very excited when I got selected as a scholar to obtain my master's degree from China through Pakistan-China Cultural Exchange Scholarship Program.

Along with being excited to get this opportunity, I was a little afraid about whether I can adjust or not in this completely different society.

I had a misconception that Chinese people are self-centered and impolite; and that they don't care about other people, especially non-Chinese speakers.

I have found people really very friendly and cooperative. They are a little shy at breaking the ice, but once you start conversation with them, their response is very polite and pleasant.

What has attracted me most until now is the cute Chinese kids - especially their friendly and bold attitude. Their innocent and daring way to interact with people and play around makes them very lovable. I always find them very smart and attentive in whatever they do. And what I have observed is their attitude is always positive; they never are disappointed even if they fail to do something.

Once I went to ski at Badaling Skiing Resort in Beijing and I was completely surprised when I saw many kids between the ages of 4 and 8 putting on the skiing kits. I came to know that few of those kids were on the skiing tracks for very first time.

The way kids were enjoying themselves really inspired me a lot. I noticed one of the kids for some time and I found that every time he fell down, he had a cute smile on his face and tried to get up, brushed the snow off his clothes and be ready for his next attempt.

At our campus, many parents and grandparents bring their kids to play on the playground every day. Apart from playing, I found them very friendly at interacting with people as well. They don't feel shy or hesitate while greeting strangers, even foreigners; rather, they react very confidently. I really love the way I'm often greeted by passerby kids, saying "Hello" or "Hi".

Due to introduction of English in kindergarten, many kids can speak some basic English, so they feel very excited when they see any foreigners and greet them - you have certainly experienced it if you have spent some time in China.

Whenever I go for an outing, I never miss any chance to take some photographs with these smart kids because it's very cute when they make victory sign with their hands, which is the most common pose for photography among Chinese. Their response impressed me as well because normally kids in my hometown feel very shy or afraid if any stranger asks to take a photograph with them. Xiao pengyou (the salutation used to address kids in Chinese, meaning "little friend") truly fits to these friendly sweeties.

I really feel short of words to describe my feelings for these little lovely stars. These kids are my favorite Chinese friends and they are what I like most in China.

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China Daily

(China Daily 07/24/2011 page5)