ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
A letter to ‘Miranda’ from ‘Li Hua’
Published: Jan 22, 2025 12:01 AM
Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT



Dear "Miranda,"

I hope this letter finds you well. I was so excited to receive your letter from the US and reconnect with you more than a decade after I graduated from high school. So, I decided to write to you immediately.

I still remember I used to write many letters to you as a pen pal, as our English language course exams at Chinese middle schools often asked us to write a letter to you, my dear pen pal in the US, as part of the essay-writing task. Now, thanks to the mobile phone apps, I can get your instant messages anytime, especially since you created an account on Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, along with hundreds of thousands of other US users.

In the past few days since you arrived on RedNote ahead of a potential TikTok ban, we have had such a good time talking about a lot of things, like hobbies, pets and, of course, cuisine.

You took the challenge of creating incredibly smooth egg custard using our tutorials and then shared your results in the comments section. "This is the first dish I've learned on RedNote, and it's fantastic!" you said. Even thousands of miles across the Pacific, I could feel your joy as you tried our favorite dish in China and called it "egg milk pudding."

You may be a little disappointed that in China, not everyone is a kung fu master like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. And pandas, of course, are not kept as pets by Chinese families. 

I have to admit that after all these years, the recent messages on RedNote let me realize that in fact, life in the US is not always a flamboyant lifestyle, buying expensive cars and throwing lavish parties, as the Hollywood blockbusters often showed us. Like people in other countries, you are also troubled by the hardship of life like, in your case, supporting your family, paying education bills and escaping from wildfires. Some of you have to take two jobs to feed your family. 

We feel for you as both of us have the same goal of living a better life and making things better for the people we love. 

I'm really glad to see that you and your friends have finally discovered the real China through ordinary Chinese users' posts on RedNote, and learned from the millions of Chinese posts that China is far from a closed-off, backward, or hateful country portrayed in your own country's newspapers, TV shows and reports. Instead, it is a place that is open, welcoming, and fun, something I used to tell you in the letters back in the decade ago, but I know it was hard to change your perception at that time due to the many dishonest media.

Now you have seen flat and wide roads, electric cars and humanoid robots dancing in posts by Chinese netizens. You have noticed how urban and rural areas have their own way of integrating their profound history with modern developments. And you said that all of these changes amazed you.

How can we explain this striking contrast? 

The misunderstandings between us come from a lack of knowledge about each other. Sure, our cultures are different, but what brings us together is much stronger than what keeps us apart.

We are all real people sharing this planet, experiencing the same joys, happiness, sorrows, and struggles. With innovations like AI, the metaverse, and electric vehicles becoming part of our daily lives, we are seeing how easily people from different nations can connect and interact. It is a reminder that our shared experiences unite us.

Regardless of the fate of TikTok or any app whatsoever, I believe this time we will keep this friendship alive for a long time now that we've found each other again. We genuinely need to stand together. So why not explore more of what China has to offer?

As the Spring Festival, now as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, inches closer, I want to extend my invitation for you and your family to come to China for a holiday, and I'm sure it will be an unforgettable cultural experience for you. I want to treat you with a lot of different cuisines, the real Chinese food, and I'm sure you will find some that best suit your personal taste. 

You will see red lanterns hung all over the branches of trees, bustling scenes at Chinese New Year goods fairs, and experience the misty beauty of southern China and cool and powerful nature in the north. You can also learn about authentic kung fu, Taichi, and see whether our electric vehicles are so "scary" that your government wanted to "protect" you against them.

I truly believe that once you experience this land, you will find what I told you is true. Hope to hear from your soon!

Yours sincerely,

"Li Hua"

January 22, 2025

This fictional letter is inspired by the recent enthusiastic exchanges online between Chinese and US netizens. The authors Xu Liuliu and Ji Yuqiao are Global Times reporters. life@ globaltimes.com.cn