Once overlooked, a province blessed with stunning natural beauty is rediscovered by a group of international university students in China.
Between the majestic mountains of the Nujiang Grand Canyon in Yunnan province, the river flows swiftly and the green hills stretch endlessly. A group of young people — diverse in languages and cultural backgrounds — traverse this landscape, not only captivated by its beauty but also deeply engaging with the local community.
These international students from Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) come from Canada, Russia, Belarus, France, Mongolia, South Korea, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo.
From March 31 to April 1, they traveled to the Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture to participate in a national educational practice program, where they learned about China's path to rural revitalization and witnessed vivid examples of targeted poverty alleviation.
Located on Yunnan's border with Myanmar, the area is known for its ethnic diversity and ecological richness. It is home to dozens of ethnic groups, including the Dulong and Lisu, who have lived here for generations.
The students visited villages of the Lisu, Nu, and Dulong peoples, immersing themselves in traditional handicrafts, ethnic dances, and folk ceremonies, while gaining an appreciation for local cultural preservation efforts.
"The beauty of Nujiang is breathtaking — its endless mountains and rushing waters far exceeded my imagination," said Gao Rita, 20, from Canada, who has lived in China for six years. "I thought rural China would be more isolated, but the development and vitality here really opened my eyes."
From March 30 to April 1, international students from Beijing Foreign Studies University visited the Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture, Yunnan, where they explored the Nujiang Grand Canyon, enjoyed traditional folk instruments, and visited the Harmonious Community in Lushui.[Photo provided by Wang Yichen/For China Daily]
Beyond economics
Nujiang prefecture was once one of the toughest challenges in China's battle against poverty, with 98 percent of its land consisting of mountainous canyons.
Zhu Jun, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Education of BFSU and one of the organizers of the activity, explained that Nujiang was chosen as the destination because of its "historic leap from deep poverty".
"Selecting Nujiang for this social practice allows young people from various countries to experience the reality of ethnic unity here in everyday exchanges and understand how China has achieved social stability in a multicultural environment," he said.
Gao felt this deeply. In an art class at Lushui Ethnic Middle School, she noticed children drawing on the backs of their notebooks.
"When I praised a girl's drawing, her eyes welled up with tears as she told me no one had ever praised her like that before," Gao recalled. "It made me realize how a simple word of affirmation can mean the world to a child."
What moved her even more was that, despite limited resources, the children maintained a strong thirst for knowledge, which made her cherish her own learning opportunities all the more.
Mohamed Dair Mounchili, 25, from Cameroon, a major in international Chinese education, found connections between his time in Nujiang and the challenges faced in his own country. "Cameroon also struggles with transportation and energy issues, and Nujiang's development proves that infrastructure improvement can stimulate the economy," he said.
He particularly remembered his visit to Yangpo village in Lushui, where newly built government homes stand atop the mountains. While residents live in these modern buildings, they continue to practice traditional activities such as weaving and brewing, "seamlessly blending the ancient with the modern", he said.
Mounchili came to see Nujiang's development not just as a Chinese success story, but as a model for global poverty reduction.
"There are still many impoverished people worldwide, and the problem cannot be solved by one country alone. International cooperation is needed," he said. "China's Belt and Road Initiative has supported many underdeveloped countries and regions. China's poverty alleviation efforts are significant not only economically but also in terms of social equity and the fate of humanity."
For 19-year-old Russian student Romanovskaia Anzhelika, it was Nujiang's diversity that stood out. In county and town centers, she noted, residents have access to supermarkets and hospitals — yet just an hour's drive away, remote mountain villages remain untouched by urban lifestyles.
She was especially struck by the sight of cattle and sheep strolling along the roads — "as if they are also the owners of this place", she said.
"This harmony between humans and nature is something I'd only seen online but never in real life," she said. "This coexistence of convenience and pristine nature gave me a new understanding of rural China. Poverty alleviation here isn't just about economic assistance but also focuses on sustainable development, which is worth learning for many countries."
Telling China's story
To Zhu, the two-day trip was a great opportunity for young participants to gain a deeper understanding of China's modernization.
"They saw firsthand how rural border areas are upgrading their infrastructure and transitioning from traditional farming to smart agriculture. They also observed the contrast between urban and rural development, realizing that modernization in China isn't limited to big cities — it's reaching far into the countryside," he said.
The international students also took on the role of "folk cultural ambassadors", helping to tell China's story to a global audience.
Throughout the trip, they actively documented their experiences and reflections in their native languages, posting videos on platforms like TikTok and Xiaohongshu (Red-Note), a popular Chinese lifestyle app.
"By sharing their time in China on social media, they not only improve their cross-cultural communication skills but also become bridges for international exchange," said Kai Lin, a teacher at the Overseas Students Affairs Office of BFSU and a leader of the program.
In the future, BFSU plans to expand the initiative to more rural areas across Yunnan, with the goal of covering all eight border prefectures — Nujiang, Baoshan, Dehong, Lincang, Pu'er, Honghe, Wenshan, and Xishuangbanna — in the next three to five years.
Wang Yichen contributed to this story.
