City stories from streets of inspiration

Wahed Ahmadzai usually starts his day with a morning run along the Liangma River. The man in his 20s from Afghanistan has lived in Beijing's Chaoyang district for nine years.

"I come here once in a while to chat with my friends," Ahmadzai says. "And then sometimes I might take my computer with me, and sit on those benches in the neighborhood to work.

"Whenever here, you will get a feeling that life doesn't have to be that fast. You can slow down," he adds.

As he finishes the morning routine, he goes to Sanlitun where he runs his business, NHUB Beijing Infinity Port Culture Technology Co, which aims to help Chinese companies faster expand their overseas presence.

"I set up my office in Sanlitun, because within 1 kilometer, there are more than 500 restaurants, where people can enjoy food from all over the world," he says.

When Ahmadzai needs to take a break, he usually goes to the coffee shops.

"Coffee has now become an essential part of my life. For me, it's a button that helps me switch into the work mode, and there are so many coffee shops here with a nice environment," he says.

Those daily moments of Ahmadzai made their way into a short video recently that stood out at the 100 Reasons to Love Beijing short video competition at the end of last month.

The event was hosted by the Information Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and has been held annually since 2020.

"100 Reasons to Love Beijing is not just a short video competition but also a platform for sharing stories and conveying emotions," says Xu Hejian, director of the Beijing information office.

"We invite friends from both domestic and international backgrounds to share their impressions of Beijing and express their feelings toward the city, so more people can listen to Beijing, experience and perceive it."

Over the course of this year's competition, the organizing committee received more than 1,000 submissions from international participants.

After a rigorous preliminary review and final evaluation by experts, the committee selected winners for one grand prize, two special prizes, three first prizes and numerous individual awards.

The organizing committee plans to translate 100 outstanding works from the entries into various languages and broadcast them on multiple media platforms.

At the awards ceremony, Xu said he has been touched by many moments from the participants' works, ranging from a Swedish artist who dreamed of coming back to Beijing to continue learning about folk art in the capital city to a Mexican woman who expressed her longing for Beijing in a rendition of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem.

"People have their own reasons for falling in love with Beijing. Some love its beautiful scenery and delicious food, others love its grand inclusiveness, entrepreneurial vitality, or diverse culture," Xu says.

"Today, through short videos and inspiring quotes, we listen to everyone's stories about Beijing and share the reasons why we all love this city."

In the future, more effort will be made to adapt to the trends of mobile, social and visual international communication to tell the stories of Beijing and convey the voice of the city, according to the authorities.

"The innovative development of culture requires the participation of more friends. We look forward to welcoming more international friends to Beijing, discovering the treasures of Beijing," Xu says.

The competition has altogether attracted more than 3,000 participants from around the globe and nearly 5,000 short video entries since the first edition.

The overall quality of the works that made the shortlist is consistently at a high level, says Zhan Xinhui, a professor from the School of Journalism, Communication University of China, and a judge of the competition.

She says she is impressed by the diverse topics and the nice delivery of stories, especially when considering some of the works were made during the pandemic control.

"Participants are from different countries and walks of life, such as restaurant owner, yoga trainer, teacher, journalist, scholar from Asia, Europe, Africa and South America," Zhan says.

"We can clearly appreciate their creative ideas and earnest feelings, especially a compelling desire to tell a good story about Beijing," she adds.

The winning works have also displayed a strong storytelling logic, in-depth plots and innovative visual expressions in terms of video editing and audio applications.

Stuart Wiggin from the United Kingdom was among the awardees. He uses his unique British sense of humor to tell stories of China through cultural, tourism, science, sports and life-themed videos.

Wiggin says he aims to present the most authentic and down-to-earth stories of Beijing and China to his viewers.

Liljana Arsovska, a Sinologist and translator from Mexico, also shared her deep connections with Beijing at the awards ceremony.

"Beijing can be considered the capital of my life," Arsovska says.

"I spent the most wonderful years of my education here and even met my beloved at Badaling (Great Wall)."

Now, due to her work in Chinese studies and translation, she often has the opportunity to return to Beijing.

"It feels like coming home, with a sense of familiarity," she says.

Ahmadzai believes there are more than 100 reasons to love the Chinese capital city.

"I did the video to help more international people to better understand how supportive Beijing can be and how the city offers a great number of opportunities," he says, adding that the city provides a very open, inclusive and international environment for business and innovation.

Ahmadzai started his first business when he was studying at the University of International Business and Economics in 2015 to help Chinese universities enroll international students and aid overseas students by building a service platform for them in China.

In 2020, he discussed opportunities with his classmates in the Belt and Road Initiative and it got him thinking about his opportunities in China.

Thereafter, he started his current business.

"Efficiently, within a few months, I had registered my new company, and then there was a big team which constantly communicated with me," Ahmadzai recalls.

The team offered him pertinent guidance and support, teaching him how to start a business in Chaoyang district.

He says he was very touched and has encouraged many of his friends to come and try their chances in Beijing.

"I feel so lucky to live in a very pleasant, natural and beautiful place to work, learn and improve myself," Ahmadzai says.

"As long as you have an idea, you can realize your entrepreneurial dream here," he says.