As a young journalist from Barbados, thousands of miles across the world, the opportunity to visit China was one I simply could not pass up. It's a big country with a massive population and has such a significant influence on world affairs, and yet I felt like I knew so little about it. Of course, we read articles and watch news items every now and again about the political affairs involving China and sports to an extent, but not much about the country's culture and people. Joining the China International Press Communication Center 2023 program was a rare opportunity for me to get a front-row seat to observe, and immerse myself in, all of China's offerings.

Before coming to China, I set one big rule for myself: go to China with an open mind and not let other people's perceptions and opinions of the country skew or influence my two-month experience. I arrived in Beijing the first week of March and as the plane was preparing to land, the first thing I noticed while looking out the window was the large agricultural lands being cultivated, my first indicator of the country's focus on being as self-sufficient as possible, an objective similar to that of my country. Barbados and China have had strong diplomatic ties since May 30, 1977 and both countries have praised each other's dedication to maintaining this relationship, which has provided opportunities for its citizens. And I think there's even more our countries could learn from each other.

Living in a country heavily driven by a tourism economy, I am always reminded of how hospitable my people are. But it was truly refreshing to be on the receiving end of similar hospitality. The Chinese, much like the Barbadians, have been very friendly and kind to me, and despite being of a different race, I felt right at home.

Everywhere I've been so far, I was greeted with a warm smile. In fact, a short distance from where I am staying is a small park with a couple of table tennis tables. As a former junior table tennis player, I thought this would be a rare and equally great opportunity to play the sport in the land which produces most of its best players. I went over and, of course, there were the usual stares. There are not many people who look like me over here, but I think it was more out of curiosity than anything else. Those who were there invited me to play, and it was an amazing experience. In spite of the clear language barrier, if there was one thing we understood, it was the sound of a ping pong ball beating against the rubber of the racket.

Meeting the basic necessities of one's life has been really easy over here, and that's because it can all be done with a touch of a button. Being able to pay for items, hail a taxi and order food all on one app, such as Alipay and the Weixin superapp, has been a first for me.

The sense of safety is also a plus. No matter the time of day or night, I truly feel safe and never feel like I have to look over my shoulder or second-guess going through a street.

There is, however, room for improvement. If China wants to invite the rest of the world through its doors, it has to break down the language barrier, especially in the digital space. I simply mean that too many times when foreigners are using apps to do daily tasks, it requires them to use a lot of translation apps, which is a tedious task—trust me. There aren't many English or other language versions, which is a rare problem in Europe and the Americas where apps can easily convert to other languages accurately or have in-app translation. This sometimes can be a deterrent for doing business here—in my experience.

My time in China has been refreshing and I would encourage people all over the world to experience the country for themselves and form their own opinions.

The author is a reporter with Nation News in Barbados

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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