Maltese writer's China dream comes true

VALLETTA－There is always more to discover no matter how many times you visit China, Maltese writer Fiona Vella says.

"Sometimes the media does not give a true picture. You have to see with your own eyes," Vella, who has visited China twice, says.

Vella is currently working on a book that compiles the stories of Maltese people visiting China for the first time.

Before she visited China for the first time in 2014, Vella thought China was "faraway and strange". After her first visit, however, she said China had become "a close friend".

"I have always been interested in China, but it is such a faraway country, with a different culture and a different language. So initially, it was just a dream for me to visit China," Vella explains.

She says she knew almost nothing about China before her first visit, except what she found in books or in the media－although she had written some articles about the country.

Vella realized her dream of visiting China in 2014 as part of a Maltese group who were invited by the China Cultural Center in Malta. During their two-week stay, Vella and her traveling companions visited Beijing and Shanghai. They went to ancient heritage sites such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, as well as enjoyed modern lifestyles in both cities.

"China was awesome," Vella says. "My experience was so amazing that I didn't want to keep it for myself. I wanted to tell everyone."

During her voyage of discovery, not only did Vella fill the gaps in her knowledge about China, but she says she was also impressed by the hospitality, trustworthiness and diligence of the Chinese people.

"If Chinese people promise you something and you agree to do it, you will have what they have promised," Vella says. "They are people who keep their word."

Five years later, Vella visited China again, participating in a seminar on cultural heritage protection held in Beijing. She says that although it was the first time she had traveled abroad alone, she felt she was visiting a friend.

Her second visit to China lasted around a month. During her trip, Vella had the opportunity to travel to Yunnan province. "I was really surprised to see that so many ethnic minorities with different characteristics and cultures live together in harmony in Yunnan."

Comparing her two trips to China, Vella says between her first and second trips to China, the country has become more open to foreign visitors. It is also rapidly developing on a social and economic level, with wide access to high technology and good living standards across the country.

"China is so massive and is really running with rapid development," she says. The country has attracted people from many countries around the world, she says.

Vella says her 19-year-old daughter also hopes to visit China, and maybe even work and live there in the future. Vella and her daughter are both currently learning Chinese.

"China has given me a lot, and I want to give something back to China," Vella says.

Xinhua