When Tajik college student Khusenov Farzinshoh looked out over Shanghai's skyline, he saw more than skyscrapers and river views; he saw a possible future.
A geology student at the China University of Petroleum, Farzinshoh arrived in the city with questions many foreign visitors wonder: Can I overcome the language and cultural barriers? How hard would it be to find a job? Could I eventually build a life here?
Rather than simply strolling along the Huangpu River, he visited a local community, attended an employment guidance class, and toured subsidized apartments in Putuo district offered to recent international graduates. In one apartment, he sat on a bed and pressed down on the mattress, testing whether it was soft or firm enough for him.
That moment is featured in the short-video series "SCO: Youth in Action", produced by China Media Group to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental organization established in 2001 by six countries: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Later, Pakistan, Belarus, Iran, and India became member states.
In addition to the series, CMG, China's largest State-owned broadcaster, has cooperated with Kyrgyzstan's National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation to launch a two-episode documentary, Building a Shared Home, for the anniversary, with versions in Chinese and Russian. The documentary was broadcast in Kyrgyzstan in late October.
Bringing together young people from the SCO's 10 member states, SCO: Youth in Action takes participants to multiple Chinese cities — including Shanghai; Xi'an, Shaanxi province; Qingdao, Shandong province; Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; and Changzhou, Jiangsu province — to explore topics ranging from technological innovation and cultural heritage to the everyday concerns that shape people's lives.
