The book 'Gravity' - A Mexican Girl's Journey to China
I never thought I would come here until I 'ran into' this book. It made me fall in love with China, it's a romantic story
In December of this year, 22-year-old Mexican girl Paulina embarked on a journey to China. She did not expect that a Ningbo writer's book, Hot Pot Love rice dumpling, would become her "cultural guide" to explore this land.
Knowing each other knows no distance, even thousands of miles are neighbors. "A book, like a powerful and mysterious attraction, leads her closer to a distant city and touches the" poetry and distance "from China.
Origin——
Because a book travels to a city
There is a Latin American proverb: "A true friend can touch your heart from the other side of the world
A few months ago, Bao Linna's Chinese friend Feng Junfeng gave her a book called "Hot Pot Loves rice dumpling". This novel written by Ningbo writer Ye Yijian tells a romantic love story that spans mountains and seas.
"What's the taste of rice dumpling? How lively the New Year's Eve dinner is? What's the meaning of 'organizing' and 'receiving'…" Bao Linna was immediately attracted.
The exotic charm revealed between the lines of the book calls for Paulina to "touch" that country on the other side of the ocean. With the help of translation software, she read over 160 pages of the book in one go.
Previously, Bao Linna's impression of China was the heroine in the movie Mulan, the world of martial arts in Kung Fu Panda, and China's "trendy brand" Huawei… Maybe it was because of her professional background. Bao Linna, who had just graduated from the University of Ibero America in Mexico with a major in cultural management, had a keen sense of smell.
She believes that the daily life, customs and emotional world of Chinese people seen in the book is the most vivid China.
Do you want to go to China to meet the author and learn about China? "Feng Junfeng immediately suggested. He is the founder of the Mexico China Center, passionate about cultural exchange, and very willing to facilitate this journey.
People often yearn for the places written in literary works, and even travel thousands of miles to "pursue their dreams"… And Paulina's journey to China is not only an exploration of a distant country, but also a longing for friendship.
In the book, with food as the "carrier", Chongqing, the "mountain city", and Ningbo, the "sea city", are connected by a love story between a young couple;
Outside the book, Bao Lina, who lives in Mexico City, and Ye Yijian, who is rooted in Ninghai, Ningbo, meet each other due to the "universal attraction" of culture, using the book as a "link".
Leading fate is a book, continuing fate is in people. On the evening of December 16, as soon as the plane landed, Ye Yijian, who asked to be the "cultural ambassador", prepared a reception dinner of "the same style" in the book - hot pot with rice dumpling. Hot and hot hot pot, with round rice dumpling, warm in cold weather, and beads falling on the jade plate, seems "very Chinese".
Ye Yijian said: "As it is written in the book, Chinese people always have deep feelings for distant visitors and old friends to meet again. It is a traditional Chinese etiquette to welcome friends."
He told Paulina that there is also an old saying in China, 'It's a pleasure to have friends come from afar.'.
Explore——
Falling in love with this' treasure book 'of China
Friends need to age, and good wine needs to age. The profound friendship between China and Mexico, accumulated over time, is like aged tequila, which becomes more fragrant over time.
Across the magnificent Pacific Ocean, the two peoples have very different temperaments and customs. But what deeply touched Paulina was not only the taste buds, but also the affinity between the two peoples.
Baolinna said that treating family and friends with kindness and sincerity is the most similar aspect of the cultures between the two countries.
Accompanying Paulina across the ocean, there is also a ceramic gourd bottle intricately painted with patterns such as the sun and moon in golden paint, exuding a strong Latin American charm. She said, "The sun and moon have special meanings in Mexico, and I specially prepared this ceramic artwork to give to Ye Yijian
Coincidentally, while searching in Nanyang Fuyuan, Ninghai County, Baolinna was attracted by a handicraft shop specializing in gourd carving. She was pleasantly surprised to find that her gift almost collided with the gourd of this store. "Whether in Mexico or China, people think gourds have a good meaning."
The deeper she knows, the more tacit understanding she has. Baolinna is like a treasure trove of "similar ideas and shared hearts" between China and Mexico. She joked, 'This is my major!'
This kind of cultural collision gives Paulina the feeling that it is not only hot and spicy like hotpot, sweet and greasy like rice dumpling, but also thick like aged wine.
In the display cabinet of Hemudu Culture at Ningbo Museum, charred rice and pottery fragments tell the story of ancient agricultural civilization. "Food is an important part of our human story. The Chinese first started to plant rice, while the Mexicans first started to plant corn." Paulina shared with her Chinese friends that corn is the protagonist of the same "niche" in Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology.
At Baihua Theater, Ninghai Pingdiao actress Lv Yana teaches live. Bao Lina was dressed in golden armor, carrying a majestic flag on her back, wearing "thin soled boots", holding a drum and a drumstick, and dressed up as the protagonist "Liang Hongyu" of the opera "Drumming Battle for Jinshan" before entering the play in one second.
Compared to the regret of missing out on traditional Chinese musicals a few months ago, this time Paulina has fully satisfied her acting addiction. She exclaimed, "Chinese opera is magical, beautiful, and full of creativity
The most unforgettable moment for Paulina is the winter solstice in China. The festive atmosphere is filled with joy. She immersed herself in traditional customs such as making dumplings, writing blessings, and pasting spring couplets, as if she had passed the Chinese New Year ahead of time. The rich and colorful cultural exchanges and collisions have enabled Baolinna and her Chinese friends to get to know each other, date and blend together.
Baolinna said emotionally, "China is like an ancient 'big book'. Although it's difficult to understand, I really want to read on
Continued writing——
More stories about 'updating' in communication and mutual learning
Entering deep winter, Ningbo Zhoushan Port remains busy. The cold wind rolled up white waves, crashing against the ocean going cargo ships on the shore. A cargo ship named "Yixing Fuji" is loaded with goods and is about to sail towards Mexico.
This adds a touch of romance to Paulina's trip to China. Her description is also very beautiful - 'What a touching stroke of fate!'
But there are not so many coincidences in the world. This route connects the deep friendship between the two countries. As early as the middle of the 16th century, China and Mexico "joined hands", and some Chinese boarded the Manila yacht to sail through the sea fog. The sailboat is often referred to as the "Chinese ship" by Mexicans. American scholar William Leiter Schultz described it as follows: "No airline can last so long
Only by benefiting the world can we benefit our own country. "In 1972, China and Mexico officially established diplomatic relations; In 2013, China Mexico relations were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Since 2012, China has become the second largest trading partner in Latin America. The economic and trade exchanges between China and Latin America are surging, cultural exchanges are fruitful, and scientific and technological cooperation is deepening.
At the Extreme Krypton automobile factory in Hangzhou Bay, Baolinna truly felt the "magic" of China's smart factories. Shuttling through the vast workshop, hardly any workers can be seen, replaced by hundreds of robots working in an orderly manner.
In addition to being shocked, she took these pictures and passed them on to her family and friends: 'I really want to drive a car home right away!' In fact, the streets and alleys of Mexico are already filled with Chinese made cars. Our products are exported to 37 countries and regions, including Mexico, "said Yang Hui, Manufacturing Director of Jike Automobile Factory
Those who share the same aspirations do not consider mountains and seas as distant. It was Feng Junfeng, who saw through this surging blue ocean and had years of experience in international cooperation and exchange, who co founded the Mexico China Center with his partner Mento Tihrina Martinez.
In addition to promoting cultural exchanges among the people, he is committed to exploring the complementarity and connectivity between China and Mexico in terms of economy and technology. We hope to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in areas such as digitization, greening, and intelligence, and create more innovative application scenarios
I have visited China twice and was amazed by its development and changes, "said Mento.
Remembering how long the past is, we can see how far the future is, "said Fu Xiao, Secretary of the Party Group and Chairman (Dean) of the Ningbo Social Science Federation (Municipal Academy of Social Sciences). China and Latin America have a long history of cultural exchanges and mutual learning. China and Latin America are important partners in cooperation, and we hope to create more communication platforms and interpret more new stories of friendly exchanges in Ningbo and China in the future.
Under the warm winter sun, Chinese calligraphy teachers brush their hands and ink, sending blessings to everyone. Paulina also picked up a brush and wrote "courage" in Spanish.
A person without courage will never climb mountains and cross the sea. "This ancient Latin American proverb witnessed her journey to" climb mountains and cross the sea "in China. She said, 'I still want to visit other cities in China, I really can't bear to leave.' I believe that the warm stories of China will continue to be updated.