Tamar Kvlividze: China through my lens

Editor’s Note

The past 10 years have been an amazing decade for China as it has experienced spectacular growth economically, socially and in many other ways. Our TsinghuaRen also have achieved many milestones in their adventurous journeys. 

We’ve invited some international students at Tsinghua to share their China story, especially the unforgettable memory in 2022. Today, let’s read our Georgian alumna Tamar Kvlividze’s story!

I came to China 7 years ago for the first time. During these 7 years, I used to stay in China for one year or two, then go back to my country and then return to China again. This made me observe the development of China very well. Because every time I came back, I saw many changes.

I always used to notice the differences but there was one point when I started looking at things from a new angle. This happened last year when I started sharing my life in China with the Georgian audience. And because I had to explain everything to the audience on social media platforms, I was looking not only at the surface of the success but also at the reasons and processes behind it.

The first one of the biggest improvements I noticed, is that China is becoming more and more environmentally friendly. 

Last year, I was honored to visit all the competition areas of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Thanks to high technology, China has used almost zero-carbon emission ice-making methods and hydrogen-powered buses for the Olympics. Also, to save recourses and meet sustainability goals, many old competition venues were transformed. 

For example, the National Aquatics Center. In the beginning, to transform the pool into a curling stadium, they thought they would have to destroy the pool by putting concrete in it. That would be the cheapest and the easiest way. But the organizers did not want to waste such a good venue. So, after researching for a while, they could come up with a construction, which is firm enough to hold the curling competition. And after the Olympics ended, they turned the venue back into the pool. 

The next point is supporting the villages and agriculture. We all know that China has made huge success in poverty alleviation. 

During traveling, I have been to several villages that have benefited from the policy. And the most surprising thing is that the government has helped not only the places that had severe poverty problems, but also those that had other kinds of problems. 

For instance, going to the Miyun district in Beijing was the most memorable one, because the Chinese bee was almost extinct there. But with the help of the government, more locals started beekeeping and saved this beautiful spice of the bee. This was a big boost for the village too, because many people returned there, started doing meaningful things such as beekeeping, and had financial success as well.

The third point I want to share with you is about the diversity in China. I have traveled to the places such as Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, and Hubei provinces. These are the places where quite a big number of the minority population live. I was happy to see that even though China has such many minority groups, they are respected and have their own place in the big culture of the country. 

In this regard, the most memorable trip for me was to Hubei province. There is one minority group called Tujia, and in order to keep their culture, the relevant departments have made an effort to build a Tujia culture-themed tourist attraction. They have built houses along the river, just like the people did before, and have employed hundreds of locals to introduce their culture. 

When walking along that place, you can see the traditional houses, understand their customs, listen to their songs, try their local food, wear their beautiful clothing, and fully embrace the unique culture of this minority group. This is a great place to understand the Tujia minority and besides, the project has provided financial support for many families as well. 

The last point I want to mention is about the Chinese people. When I first came here, very few people knew about Georgia. But now when I conduct street interviews in China, I see that more and more people know Georgia and they’re willing to learn even more about our culture.

Past years of experience have shown me that China is a high-tech, environmentally friendly country, which respects its citizens and values diversity. 

I hope during the following years, with social media I will be able to let more Georgians know about China’s progress and let more Chinese people understand my country as well. 

I’m sure that through mutual respect and this kind of communication, the relationship between the two countries will get even closer.

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My China Story | Tamar Kvlividze: China through my lens

Writer: Tamar Kvlividze

Editor: Liu Shutian

Designer: Xia Yifei