The temperature in Beijing hovered just below 0 C on Friday night, yet Rongrong from Shanghai and her husband Li Zi felt their hearts brimming with warmth. More than 300 days later, they were reuniting with their friends from across the ocean once more. 
 
Around 10 pm, Brecken and his family wheeled their suitcases, appearing at the airport’s arrival gate. Brecken’s daughter Meredith had grown much taller from a year ago, and her hair was now long enough to be tied into a ponytail.
 
Also arriving with them was Brecken’s 54-year-old mother-in-law, Jennifer. Brecken told reporters that after they returned to the US from Shanghai last year, they talked endlessly about their memories in China, and his mother-in-law had longed to come and see the country with them.
 
Rongrong also brought her mother, who is the same age as Jennifer, to Beijing. She thought the two mothers would have much to talk about. "They might exchange experiences about raising children or share some light-hearted complaints about their daughters and sons-in-law," she joked with the reporters.
 
Brecken, a citizen from the US state of Mississippi, joined RedNote in January 2025 along with many other "TikTok refugees," where he posted a photo of himself and his daughter with the caption, "Hello everyone! This is myself and my daughter saying hello to all and look forward to all the new friends we make across the sea!"
 
Soon after, a Chinese internet user named Rongrong replied with a heartwarming photo of her family, also sending greetings to Brecken. The scene of two families from the US and China communicating across the ocean on RedNote touched the hearts of millions of netizens in both countries. Brecken's RedNote post has received over 127,000 likes and 18,000 comments. Their photos and stories also went viral on X. A repost exclaiming "Guys, isn't this just how the world is supposed to be?" garnered over 8.1 million views on X platform. 
 
This has prompted Brecken to take his family to Shanghai to meet with Rongrong’s family in person in March 2025, where they toured the city, visited Shanghai Disneyland and enjoyed local cuisines. 
 
Looking back on the journey of the past year, Brecken feels utterly "surreal." After returning to the US, his family and friends asked him what China was really like, and his family was also invited by the Chinese Embassy in the US to participate in a cultural exchange event. Some netizens would even send him private messages after seeing stories about him, saying, "I saw you in the newspaper, my online friend!"
 
Compared with last year, when he mostly watched as people shared about China’s customs and stories, Brecken now prefers to take the initiative to ask them, "What interesting things have been happening in China lately?" 
 
“I want to learn more about all things Chinese, and if I go a few days without chatting with my Chinese friends online, I feel like I’m out of the loop."
 
By visiting China for a second time - this time Beijing - Brecken said he wanted to be a culture promoter this time, doing his best to help those around him get to know a true, multidimensional China, a country that is nothing like the portrayal by some Western media.
 
He mentioned having noticed the recently viral “Becoming Chinese” trend and wanted to try drinking hot water every day to see how it might change him, as well as join elderly residents in parks to practice Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese fitness exercise.
 
"Chinese people always have a way of sharing the depth of their culture in a lighthearted and engaging manner,” said Brecken, adding that now, people around him would say to him, “Hey, you’re right, the Chinese are truly so fun, friendly and brimming with fresh ideas.”
 
In Beijing, the two families plan to visit Qianmen Street to experience the festive atmosphere and buy Spring Festival couplets and decorations for the Year of the Horse.
 
On the way from the airport to the hotel, Rongrong and Li Zi presented Brecken’s family with souvenirs they had purchased for them during their travels over the past year. Rongrong said that everywhere they went, they’d think of their friends across the ocean and pick up local souvenirs to give them when they meet again.
 
Conversation flowed nonstop in the car, filled with laughter. As the car passed a road sign, Rongrong pointed it out to the little fair-haired, blue-eyed guest, saying, “It says ‘Welcome to Beijing.’” Meredith, now over two years old, can now speak simple sentences and understand some of the adults’ conversations. She looked up curiously and murmured, “Beijing?”