(New Year at the Grassroots Level) The British boy Reith's Spring Festival holiday: traveling around China with "Shanxi Stomach"
Chinanews.com, Taiyuan, February 4th, title: The British boy Reith's Spring Festival holiday: Traveling around China with "Shanxi Stomach"
Author Gao Yuqing
"I love life in China. I can experience new things here and travel around China." From Shanxi in the north to Yunnan and Guangdong in the south, Rees, a British "post-90s" guy, checks in after working and living in China for the past few years Over 30 cities.
During the Spring Festival this year, Ruisi embarked on a journey again to southern China. He wanted to take advantage of the holidays to take a walk and see the diverse China with his feet.
Shanxi people like to eat vinegar, which gave Ruisi, who has lived and worked in Shanxi for a long time, a "Shanxi stomach".
"When I travel around China, I always want to add a few drops of Shanxi mature vinegar to my food."
Reith, 26, is from the UK and is now a foreign teacher at Shanxi Taiyuan University of Technology.
When he was a child, he accidentally learned about China from documentaries, and since then a "Chinese dream" has been planted in his heart.
At the age of 20, Reith had the opportunity to travel to China.
Two years later, he was invited to Shanxi Taiyuan University of Technology to participate in the summer teaching program, thus starting his life in China.
Reith has been in China for more than three years, and this year is his third Spring Festival in China.
On New Year's Eve, he went to the countryside to do as the Romans do, hanging couplets at the door of his dormitory and making dumplings for himself.
"I know Chinese people love to eat dumplings, and I love them because of the variety of fillings, flavors and textures."
I like to study food, and I am more keen on traveling. Every holiday, Reith will reward himself with a trip.
This year's Spring Festival is no exception, Ruisi made a travel strategy early.
"In the past, I would go to some cities with a long history or beautiful scenery." Reith said that this year he chose to "go south" to Xiamen, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong to enjoy the holiday time with friends.
In Guangdong, Ruisi was deeply attracted by the local large-scale industrial park.
"It's amazing to think that many of the things made in China that I had in my childhood could be produced here." When he arrived in Hong Kong, he felt the cultural charm of the city that combines Chinese and Western cultures.
Walk and watch, feel and share.
Wherever he goes, Ruisi is used to recording it in words or videos, and posting what he sees and hears in various parts of China on social platforms.
"I really like to share what I see with others, and I hope they can understand a different China through me."
In recent years, he has locked his tourist destinations in China.
Wuhan, Changsha, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chongqing, Dali... He has visited more than 30 Chinese cities so far.
In Shanxi, Reith also visited many places.
In the summer of 2022, he participated in an immersive experience program on Shanxi Satellite TV. As an experience officer, he walked into Datong, Shuozhou, Jinzhong, Linfen and other places to deeply perceive Shanxi from multiple fields.
In Datong, Shanxi, Rui Si and local villagers dried yellow flowers together.
Photo courtesy of Shanxi Radio and Television Station
"For a long time, in my impression, Shanxi is a province with a long history and culture." Ruisi told reporters that from this experience, 5G coking technology, green power plants, etc., let him feel the "new" side of Shanxi .
Talking about his place of residence in Taiyuan, Reith said, "I'm very happy to stay here."
On weekdays, he likes to visit the local Fenhe Park, and now, cycling along the river has become his daily hobby.
Reith said, "Living here for several years has given me a better understanding of the daily life of the Chinese people and the local traditional culture."
The Chinese Lunar Year of the Rabbit is coming, and Reith has three wishes: to better integrate into local life, work hard for her students, and continue to introduce Shanxi to the world.
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