Zephyrine, a Chinese student studying in the UK, holding an English textbook used in China, captures a photo that brings the textbook illustration of Big Ben and the real Big Ben into the same frame on April 7, 2026. Photo: Courtesy of Zephyrine

The iconic British landmarks of Big Ben and the red double-decker bus are perhaps the first impressions that most young Chinese people have of the country, for these two symbols once graced the covers of the English textbooks used during their school days. 

Now, the students who turned those pages have grown up and journeyed to the very places that once appeared only on their textbook covers. 

Recalling the books that first sparked their dreams, they initiated a delightful "textbook relay" along the banks of the River Thames: The book was hidden in "secret spots," and whoever found it could take a commemorative photo with the real-life Big Ben, then leave messages in the margins - expressing the fulfillment of a long-held dream, a longing for home and hopes for the future. 

Unexpectedly, this activity has also captured the attention of many foreigners, who, moved by the sense of unity and romantic spirit of China's younger generation, even joined in the relay themselves.


Time-turner tales
Currently involving over a hundred participants, the "textbook relay" first sprang from a personal graduation wish of Yin Yansu, a Chinese student pursuing her studies at the Royal College of Music. 

As she pondered how to gift herself a one-of-a-kind, regret-free graduation memento, she thought of that very junior high school English textbook with Big Ben emblazoned on its cover. For young people of her generation, it was a trusted companion for learning English and discovering foreign cultures, and one of the earliest bonds that tied their youthful selves to the wider world overseas.
 
Therefore, Yin specially had this English textbook shipped over from China, planning to take photos with it in front of Big Ben to bring her study journey in the UK to a perfect and fulfilling end.

As Yin held up her textbook to take photos beneath Big Ben, some Chinese passersby noticed her, with some passing Chinese students asking to borrow the textbook for a photo, and a few even explained to curious foreign onlookers: "This is a compulsory education textbook from China, and the cover is right here!" 

As Yin looked at the handwriting of these warm-hearted compatriots she had never met before, a tender thought arose in her mind: "Why not leave this book here for other students to take commemorative photos with, and to preserve a precious memento for fellow countrymen dwelling in a foreign land?"

Yin recalled to the Global Times that worried that they might be taken away, she chose two hidden yet accessible spots: one behind a red lifebuoy on the bridge, and the other behind an unassuming trash can. 

At first, the pair of textbooks lay quietly in their hiding spots until a few days later, when a netizen posted on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu: "I actually found two Chinese junior high school English textbooks under Big Ben! [I] couldn't believe [it]!" 
From that moment on, a "textbook relay" utterly free of self-interest began. 

On the fifth day after having left the books, Yin returned to the spots where she had hidden the books. To her surprise, despite the rainy day, a long line of Chinese students and tourists was still waiting just to flip through those two textbooks from their cherished memories. 
"When I queued up to get my textbooks back, they had changed from brand-new blank books into the ones covered with writing on every single page," Yin said.

"What once felt like a distant world in my textbooks is now right before my eyes." "The world lies right at my feet." "May all that you have wished for become yours.…" 
These are just some of the notes written in the books, expressing the fulfillment of young Chinese who have realized their dreams, along with their hopes for the future.

Names and coordinates from every corner of the land, the hardships and perseverance of studying abroad, nostalgia for family, encouragements to strangers, and hopes for the future have all been wrote on these relayed books.Some Chinese students, worried that there wouldn't be enough room in the two books for all the warm messages, even had several new textbooks shipped from China and hid them in the same secret spots.

A netizen surnamed Xu joined the "textbook relay" over the weekend, writing in the textbook: "May everyone who learns about the world from books get to see it with their own eyes." 

Xu shared with the Global Times that when she held in her hands that very English textbook and watched the city she had dreamed of in her childhood unfurl vividly right before her eyes, it felt as if she had crossed the boundaries of time and space, gently meeting her younger self: the earnest, starry-eyed kid who once buried her nose in the book, longing for the distant land depicted on its cover. "I felt I had completed a full circle in my journey of learning," she said.

Gentle magic
The relay has also piqued the curiosity of foreigners, some of whom have even taken part in this warm and delightful activity. 

Shantay (pseudonym), a Malaysian student studying in the UK, is one of them. Through her own searching and with clues from Chinese friends, she tracked down a total of four textbooks hidden near Big Ben. She also brought along a textbook that had connected Malaysian students like her to the world in their childhood.

"While the landmarks pictured in our textbooks aren't Big Ben, I too used to dream of traveling the world when I studied from this book as a child," Shantay told the Global Times. She added that bringing her old textbook here made her truly understand the emotions of the Chinese students - it felt just like a "dream finally come true."

She said that some people had placed the textbooks inside folders to keep them from getting soaked in the rain, while others had tucked postcards, small gifts, and even amulets into the document pouches.

"Chinese students are so creative and thoughtful. In that moment, all I felt was warmth and kindness, and it was incredibly healing," Shantay noted.

Shantay also expressed her sincere gratitude to the united Chinese students who started this activity. "Cultural shock and academic pressure are always unavoidable when we are [studying] abroad, yet this activity brings back memories of the efforts I devoted to realizing my dreams and inspires me to keep moving forward."

Yin said she believes the core reason people are drawn to this relay is that "with just a pen and paper, our emotions are linked together in the purest way." She added that "this is also the romance and connection shared among Chinese people."

Caroline Gao has lived in London for nearly a decade. One day, as she was taking a walk along the River Thames, her husband Kale Evans curiously asked why a group of Chinese people were gathered around a book, waiting to take photos. 

After Caroline explained the story behind the activity, Kale was first astonished that the textbooks had stayed in such good condition despite being passed hand to hand so many times, and then impressed by the ingenuity of China's young generation.

They then joined the queue to see what everyone had written. As he flipped through the pages, Kale found himself sometimes amused by the witty, cheerful notes and deeply touched by the more heartfelt ones. What touched him most was a line from an ancient Chinese poem: "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near."

He said as some young Chinese would exchange knowing smiles with one another at the scene, "That's a look only they understand — it's the very embodiment of that saying."

In Kale's view, romance runs deep in the bones of the Chinese people, yet it is never flaunted or forced. Instead, it finds its most authentic self through simple, fitting gestures and objects. 

"This is one of China's most enchanting qualities," Kale said.