Chen Xinyan stands at the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing, November 29, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Chen Xinyan

A young woman stood facing the ancient stones, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes. She paused, swallowed and continued to recite a poem about the Great Wall written by Chairman Mao Zedong, choking back sobs as she reached the famous lines often paraphrased in English as, "We are not heroes unless we reach the Great Wall." The wind swept across the ramparts as some tourists stopped, listening or joining in.

The moment was captured in a short video. It went viral across Chinese social media within days of being posted to her personal Douyin account, garnering more than 9 million likes, nearly 150,000 comments and more than 860,000 shares by Monday afternoon.

The student is called Chen Xinyan, a 19-year-old university student from Central China's Hunan Province, more than 1,000 kilometers from Beijing. Chen said she never anticipate such attention, let alone the explosive popularity that followed. 

"I'm just an ordinary college student," Chen told the Global Times. "I left without telling my parents that I was traveling solo, so they wouldn't worry. I had no idea the video would explode online."

It was not the first take. Chen said the version she posted was actually her second attempt. 

"There were mistakes. I got stuck, and I cried," she said. "Strictly speaking, it wasn't perfect. But the emotions were real and sincere. I felt that even if the images had flaws, the feelings were complete."

Meanwhile, those feelings struck a chord with viewers. Lots of comments poured in: "Tears in her eyes, for the mountains and rivers in her heart." "The mountains and rivers in the poem are too vast for one body to hold." 

For Bu Xiting, an associate researcher at the School of Cultural Industries Management at the Communication University of China, the video's popularity was no coincidence.

"There are multiple factors behind Chen's sudden fame," Bu told the Global Times after watching the clip. "First is the sincerity of her emotion. Second is the Great Wall itself  -  it is a powerful national symbol, and people already have deep feelings for it. When they see this kind of scene, it's easy to feel immersed. And of course, the rapid spread enabled by the internet amplified everything."

Tourists crowd the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing, on October 13, 2025. Photo: VCG

Echoes along the Great Wall

Chen recently became a candidate for membership of the Communist Party of China at Hunan First Normal University. For her, visiting Beijing, and especially the Great Wall, felt like a personal journey tracing what she called "red footprints." 

She had chosen Chairman Mao's poem in advance and knew it by heart. But standing on the Great Wall meant more, as Mao was also a graduate of Hunan First Normal University, lending the scene an added layer of significance.

"All the preparations faded away once I was there," she said. "In that setting, it was almost impossible not to be moved." 

The Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of many interconnected walls, some dating back 2,000 years, and has long served as more than a historical monument, symbolizing the spirit of the Chinese people. 

"By placing herself within that landscape and giving voice to a poem by Mao, Chen connected personal emotion with collective memory," Bu noted. That connection, Bu said, is key to the clip's impact.

In an online world filled with heavily edited, staged content, Chen's unpolished delivery drew attention. Her choked voice and visible tears showed sincerity. For many viewers, it felt genuine, a quality often hard to find on social media, he added.

Short-video platforms like Douyin act as emotional accelerators, turning individual moments into shared experiences through likes, comments and reposts. Chen's clip fit the medium's logic perfectly: brief, visually simple and emotionally direct. Each interaction helped propel it to new audiences, according to Bu.

Clear path ahead

As the attention grew, Chen found herself unsure how to respond.

"I don't even know how to properly express my thanks," she said. 

"What I want to say most is thank you - to my family for their support, to my friends for their encouragement, to my teachers for their guidance, and to the netizens, for understanding and sharing these feelings."

In her view, it is the viewers' emotional response that gives the video its value and strengthened her courage.

Chen's Beijing trip included more than the Great Wall. She also visited other sites, such as the Palace Museum, the Old Summer Palace and Tian'anmen Square.

"There are many places in Hunan worth visiting too," she said, recommending several local sites, including Orange Isle, which features a prominent sculpture of Mao in his youth.

Chen hopes to keep traveling. "I want to go to places I have always wanted to see, to feel and understand them," she said. "And I hope more people my age will gather the courage to set out, to boldly do what they want to do and leave no regrets."

At the School of Physical Education where she studies, faculty members describe her as cheerful and proactive. faculty members describe her as cheerful and proactive. Student counselor Tang Zhipeng said Chen performs well academically and is active far beyond the classroom. She has logged more than 120 hours of volunteer services and regularly participates in public welfare activities in her hometown.

As a normal university student, Chen's future plans are clear: After graduation, she will return to Hengyang city, Hunan Province, and become a teacher. 

"The feelings I absorbed on the Great Wall are connected to my original intention of becoming a teacher," she told the Global Times. "I want to channel this positive energy into the future classroom, aiming to guide students to love their country, respect this land and grow into responsible citizens."