An event themed "Listen to Each Other, Open New Horizons", Vision China, takes place in London on Thursday. [Photos provide to China Daily and by Zhao Jialuo/for China Daily]
A bowl of Henan hula tang (a peppery, savory breakfast soup), 622 wartime photographs, a soprano's voice, and a young British student's observations of China came together at a youth dialogue at Vision China in London on Thursday.
Held under the theme "Listen to Each Other, Open New Horizons", the discussion brought four young people from different backgrounds to one conversation. Their stories showed how listening can begin with something deeply personal.
For Marcus Detrez, listening begins with history.
A Frenchman whose family was caught in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression from 1931 to 1945, Detrez has a personal connection to the war. Two of his grandfather's children were killed during the conflict, he said. In 2025, Detrez brought a collection of 622 historical photographs his grandfather took in China. The photographs provide firsthand evidence of the destruction and atrocities of the war and help preserve the memory of what happened.
Yet Detrez was also struck by what appeared between the scenes of destruction.
"Something that blew my mind is the capacity of Chinese people's perseverance. At the same time, they cherish the very simple, daily things," he said. He noticed people taking walks and sharing meals during the war. Those ordinary scenes, he said, reveal the perseverance of people living through extraordinary violence.
The other speakers brought listening into everyday life.
Liu Wenchao, a Nottingham graduate who opened London's first hula tang breakfast shop, spoke about bringing a taste of his Henan hometown to London. He missed the soup himself. Then, he began sharing it with others. He recalled German customers arriving at his shop at 6 am, even before him.
For Liu, food gives strangers a reason to sit down and talk. He wants customers to taste something unfamiliar, ask questions, and discover the story behind it. A bowl of soup can become a small introduction to Henan and to the memories of the person serving it.
Yan Zhaoyi, a young Chinese soprano and a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, approaches cultural exchange through music. She said the Chinese language itself has a musical quality, and singing can help audiences feel the meaning behind the words.
"Listening means hearing what the other person really needs," Yan said, "rather than constantly putting into them what you want them to hear." She also hopes Chinese opera can enter into dialogue with other musical traditions, from jazz to contemporary popular culture. At one point, she imagined a Peking Opera version of Harry Potter.
Harry Reay Wood, a young British student and Chinese-language learner, shared another perspective. This summer, the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students gave him a prize, adding a fresh achievement to his growing connection to China.
He said more young people around him are curious about China. "I think a big reason is social media algorithms," Wood said. "It's what they're consuming online, what they're seeing on TikTok and Instagram."
He described his friends' reactions: "My friends send videos to me, and people at school are like, 'Oh my goodness, this is what China actually looks like. This is incredible. I did not expect it to look this cool. Let's go to China.'"
Wood also pointed to China's visa-free policy for British and other European citizens as another reason that online curiosity can turn into an actual trip.
The four speakers saw China as a place where tradition and modern life meet. For them, meaningful communication starts with curiosity and respect.
That outlook also reflects a broader generational pattern. The Pew Research Center surveys in 2024, 2025 and 2026 found that in most countries surveyed, younger people tend to hold more favorable views of China than older people.
From viral China travel videos to "Chinamaxxing", a trend of embracing aspects of Chinese life, young people are increasingly curious about what everyday life is like in China. For them, curiosity has turned into a desire to experience China firsthand.
