[Cambodia] Oun Vey, Guizhou University

“The road to Sichuan is as difficult as climbing to the sky!” What kind of road can be as difficult as climbing to the sky? I can’t imagine it at all.

When we participated in a classic reading activity at school, we recited the poem “The Road to Sichuan is Difficult.” This poem was really vivid, but I always felt that the Chinese people were too exaggerated. They even compared the road to climbing to the sky!

Until I picked up my luggage and embarked on a journey to explore China. Standing on the plank road of Mount Emei, I saw the rugged and steep mountains and the majestic billowing sea of clouds. It turned out that this is the so-called “one man can guard the barrier, and ten thousand people cannot open it.”

Perhaps it is this mountainous terrain that has created the brave character of Sichuan people who refuse to admit defeat and dare to climb steep mountains. I walked into the alleys of Chengdu and tasted the spicy Sichuan cuisines that I couldn’t stop eating. Although the hot pot in Sichuan is always boiling, the people here have the most leisurely attitude towards life. In the bowl of tea and amid the sound of mahjong, they enjoy life leisurely. Don’t be jealous of them as they have the cutest animal (giant panda) in the world!

Local soil and water support the local people. However, the dangerous peak I climbed was a completely different picture. The Yulong Mountain in Lijiang, Yunnan Province is covered with snow that never melts all year round. Under the clearest sky, the mountain is dressed in dust-free white. And at the foot of such a mountain that is far away from the world, there also lives a group of Naxi people who are the most simple and pure ones. They guard rivers, mountains and an ancient city, and welcome every guest from afar with singing and dancing, and the snow-like Hada.

China, which fascinates me so much, has not only the magnificent mountains and rivers, but also the unique little flower windows that span thousands of years and hidden among the rocks and trees.

Standing in front of every window of the Zhuozheng Garden in Suzhou, and in every waterside pavilion and terrace of the garden, I feel like I am walking into a picture called “Poetic Jiangnan.” There is scenery everywhere, but they are different everywhere. It turns out that in the small scenery there is also a universe. I strolled by the West Lake where the willows making waves while the orioles singing, intoxicated by the unique aroma of Longjing tea, and experienced the ingenious Suzhou embroidery. I can’t help but think, no wonder the ancients said, “There is heaven above, and there are Suzhou and Hangzhou below.” If the South of Yangtze River is like this, how can we not remember the South?

The South is always gentle, but the history and architecture from the north are grand. Every day when I explore Beijing, the capital of China, everything here shows me that this is an ancient oriental country with a long history. In the Forbidden City, the Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and hutongs or alleys, there are endless sights everywhere. Every place has a history and wonderful things that I can’t finish hearing about. But the most amazing thing is that everything here seems to be rich in history, while everything here has the vitality of the New Era.

In fact, the buildings that are more than 600 years old have already combined with technology, creating new sparks. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality are used in every aspect of the tour, and people here seem to have long been accustomed to all this. After all, in China now, payments, reservations and other aspects closely related to life have already been moved to the internet. Therefore, you may also be able to imagine that China today is filled with the development scene of high-rise buildings.

And among these prosperous buildings, I always remember the brightly lit Guangzhou TV Tower on the Pearl River Bay. I remember the happiness and joy of waving a fan while sitting on the street eating late-night snacks under the brilliant neon lights. The scenes are clearly no different from what were recorded in the pictures of the Lingnan Culture Museum. This is the beauty of China, it is modern yet ancient, so colorful yet so unique, so orderly yet so vivid! Its charm is not only found in one place, but in every part of this land, just like the place where I live and study – Guizhou. It also has miraculous mountains and waterfalls, unique ethnic minorities, bustling and noisy urban street scene, and a clean and tidy new countryside.

During these days in China, I walked through mountains and rivers in the south and north seeing its vastness; passed through row upon row of streets and watched its development; heard about ancient and modern stories and understood their heritage; and saw the local customs and felt its diversity. Finally, I sit in a lively hot pot restaurant in a commercial street next to Guizhou University, amid the enthusiastic courtesy shouts and noisy heat, and see the countless fresh things that belong to each individual, in a magnificent crowd.

For me, traveling in China is not only a journey of exploration, but also a dialogue with myself. I believe that every place will bring me new experiences and revelations, broadening my horizons and ways of thinking. However, I can’t help but think of the people in my hometown, Cambodia, where people always sit together and eat hot pot. With the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more Chinese companies have settled in Cambodia. I hope that in the future, I will not only be able to fulfill my dream of traveling through China, but more and more Cambodian families and friends will be able to come to China and feel the charm and energy that this ancient and magical country has given me.