Italian vlogger shares enduring passion for China

CHONGQING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At the age of four, Italian girl Yasmin Von Roon asked her mother to take her to China, after watching a movie about China's legendary female warrior Mulan and listening to her grandmother's account of Italian traveler Marco Polo's life, who traveled to China in the 13th century.

Now aged 26, she is a successful online influencer with 110,000 fans on TikTok, but she still recalls the strong emotional impact of learning about Marco Polo's travels.

Considering herself the "No. 1 fan" of China, she has traveled to 17 Chinese provinces since 2018, and chose Zhejiang University for her master's degree studies rather than French or British universities, and is now majoring in international affairs and global governance.

Such travels are a dream come true for the girl. She is even more delighted to see the widespread interest that her explorations have garnered online. When she traveled to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality this May, she posted several videos about the cityscape, garnering millions of views and tens of thousands of fans on TikTok.

"I never imagined these videos would go viral. I think the reason for this interest is that the videos are made without 'filters' and reflect the real China," said Yasmin Von Roon.

The Italian said that Chongqing is a futuristic city with magical architecture and an amazing transportation system with monorails passing through the buildings.

"When I was in Italy, I saw content on Chongqing circulating on the internet. I feel like 'How come I didn't know this city?'," said the girl.

Thus, when she returned to China to pursue her studies, she bought a ticket from Rome to Chongqing.

Not only was she shocked to find that these magical views were real, but she also learned that Chongqing is right next to her favorite city in China, Chengdu, which is the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

When she came to China for the first time in 2018, she chose Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province rather than the popular cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. "I did some research and I just wanted to find the 'hidden gem' in China," she explained.

Chengdu and Chongqing are close to each other and have many things in common, such as the dialect and food, said the foreign vlogger, and yet they have completely different vibes, both of which are appealing to tourists.

Also, it was in Chengdu that she felt the enthusiasm of the Chinese people. When she asked a random passer-by for directions to a particular location, the local resident actually spent 30 minutes taking her there.

"She didn't do it for money, but just as a gesture, to let me know that I'm welcome in the country. The genuine character of the Chinese people is one of the reasons I've stayed here," Yasmin Von Roon recalled.

Yasmin Von Roon's father is German, and her mother is Italian, giving her an international perspective from an early age, and she has now traveled to over 70 countries. But she has been particularly impressed by China's diversity, with different ethnic groups from various settings across the vast territory, ranging from the snowy north to the warm coastlines of the south.

"I would like to stay here in China, and after finishing my studies, I will see what opportunities the country can offer me. In the meantime, I would like to continue showing the public how beautiful China is," she added.