Cross-cultural relationships boost mutual understanding

'Best friends'

Xie Yiping, a resident of a neighboring village, is of a similar age to Nabuliya, so they quickly became guimi, which means "best friends."

Villager Jia Qin said that after school, the children did their homework together. Because Nabuliya couldn't understand the Chinese textbooks, the children helped her learn the language so she could help them study.

In 2019, by chance, Nabuliya learned how to use Douyin and started sharing her daily life, showing the audience how to cook Henan cuisine, recording her experiences of growing peppercorns and many more topics.

Xie Xiaowei said: "We were very happy, so we decided to share things casually. We didn't expect to gain in excess of 100,000 fans."

What surprised Nabuliya even more was that she met a number of compatriots via Douyin: some were studying in China, while others had also started families in the country. They often communicate online, and that contact has helped Nabuliya overcome her occasional bouts of homesickness.

As for the future, Nabuliya and Xie Xiaowei don't have grand dreams. They said they wanted to find an opportunity to visit Nabuliya's family and see her elderly relatives. They hope to continue improving their lives through hard work, and to watch their two sons grow up healthy and happy.

Contact the writers at yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn