Ollivier Jean-Baptiste, 25, a vlogger from France living in China, delivered a speech on the latest episode of the China Daily Youth Power series on Jan 30. In his speech, Jean-Baptiste spoke about his initial impressions of China. Just like his family and friends, he saw China as a mysterious place with a culture entirely different from Western countries.

The idea of visiting China first came to him when his uncle, who worked in China, returned with endless praise for the Chinese lifestyle. “Everything, from the food to the scenery, was incredibly appealing,” he recalled.

Later, a Chinese woman introduced him personally to the everyday life of Chinese people, which exposed him to a different way of living. The woman later became his wife, and they moved to Beijing in 2022, which Jean-Baptiste described as “eye-opening” for him. “She took me to see the flag-raising ceremony. Witnessing countless people rushing toward the flag, I was deeply moved. It’s a country of strength, unity, and love,” he said.

When Jean-Baptiste went to his wife’s hometown, the beautiful countryside located in Southwest China, for the first time, a group of locals started shouting “waiguoren”, which means “foreigner”, and ran after him. He understood that this was their way of showing interest and hospitality. “Many, even those who spoke little English, would say ‘welcome to China’. I felt the warmth of home in a foreign country,” he said.

These experiences made Jean-Baptiste eager to spread Chinese culture. When he returned to France for vacation and shared photos in China with his family, they were also excited. After learning about the 15-day visa-free travel from France to China, they couldn’t wait to book their trip to China. “I’m overjoyed to host them showcasing China’s modern development and rich history,” he said. “I may be just an ordinary person with limited influence, but everyone can be a cultural ambassador.”

MEXICO CITY, April 1（Xinhua）——Discoveries at the legendary Sanxingdui ruins in southwest China show that the region’s ancient Shu state civilization shared similarities with the Maya, according to the director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco Antonio Santos.

The Sanxingdui ruins, located in the city of Guanghan, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu, belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years. China announced on March 20 that archaeologists uncovered gold, ivory and jade objects dating back about 3,000 years in six sacrificial pits.

Santos told Xinhua that the bronze-made remains of trees buried at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom recall the Maya’s sacred ceiba tree, which symbolized the union of heaven, earth and the underworld for the civilization that flourished in Mesoamerica. “They are very important similarities.” said Santos, stressing that “the representations of trees in both cultures provide us with a symbolism that is very similar”.

“One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui was the interdisciplinary（跨学科的）work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists.” said Santos. “The technology allowed the unearthing of artifacts as fragile as silk remains, which other types of less careful excavation methods would not have been able to manage.” he said. “Cooperation between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Maya world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of objects.” said Santos.

“Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be sister cultures, and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental.” said Santos.

After spending a term in Spain, I have been trying to work out which common impressions on Spain have some truth in them and which don't.【小题1】

Spain is always warm and sunny. This is not true. The city I stayed in, which is in central Spain, often becomes colder than London in winter. However, the city receives little rain all year round and gets very hot in summer.【小题2】In Andalusia of southern Spain, for example, temperature can be cool but pleasant in winter, but becomes very high in summer.

The Spanish love to have fun.【小题3】The Spanish people I meet tend to be very warm and open. Spaniards love to celebrate life through different festivals throughout the year. As well as religious festivals, they celebrate others such as La Tomatina, a festival in Valencia where people throw tomatoes at each other.

【小题4】This is true. Both locals and tourists enjoy watching Flamenco shows just as much, especially in Andalusia. It is also possible to see them in Madrid and Barcelona, but they tend to be more for tourists. I recommend seeing a Flamenco show in Cadiz or Jerez de la Frontera. The flamenco in Cadiz takes on a more cheerful style. Maybe this is because the people of Cadiz live by the sea and have access to beautiful sandy beaches.

Spain is a fascinating country, in which you are sure to have lots of fun. I find that a lot of the common impressions on Spain hold some truth.【小题5】Spanish culture is very complex and the traditions and culture, as well as food and weather, can vary between regions.