(By Wang Han, Han Haotian and Li Xuefei)
(CNS Liaoning) -- Hanging a wish plaque beneath the White Pagoda, trying their hand at sugar figure making, paper cutting, and brush painting at the Pinghu Tower Site, and then designing a pair of "Mid-Autumn limited edition" socks at a sock town from Tuesday to Wednesday, 11 overseas friends from Russia, Brazil, Ireland, the United States, France, Pakistan, and other countries visited Liaoning to take part in the 2026 "One World, One Heart: Celebrate Together" cultural experience event hosted by the Information Office of the Liaoning Provincial People's Government.
As "Liaoning Mid-Autumn Culture Experience Ambassadors," on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, they told Liaoning's stories to the world from a first-person perspective.
The two-day itinerary spanned the cities of Fushun and Liaoyang.
On the first day, the overseas friends visited the Lei Feng Memorial Hall, climbed Tiannü Mountain to take in the autumn scenery of eastern Liaoning, and then entered a rural courtyard to prepare a "mountain-village reunion banquet in eastern Liaoning" with local farmers.
"After I posted a video I casually shot on Tiannü Mountain to a Russian social platform, many compatriots sent me private messages asking 'Where exactly is this?' - quite a few of them are Russians who have lived in Shenyang for years," said Roger, a Russian vlogger based in Liaoning. "When it comes to Liaoning, most foreigners only know Shenyang and Dalian. This time I saw its diversity."
On Wednesday, Liaoyang, known as "Northeast China's First Ancient City," became the focus. At the Liaoyang Museum, the experience ambassadors took part in a "Mid-Autumn in Cultural Relics" treasure-hunt quiz centered on artifacts related to the moon and reunion.
At the Pinghu Tower Site, they followed folk artists in hands-on experiences: sugar threads flowed in sugar figure making, red patterns gradually emerged in paper cutting, and through paper and brush they felt the ingenuity of Chinese folk crafts.
"Chinese painting is easier than I imagined - anyone who wants to try can pick it up; but writing Chinese characters with ink is very difficult. It has its own set of techniques, and the result is beautiful," said Bu Ailei from France. Ailei was participating in such a cultural journey for the first time. She said, "This time I discovered a China I had never known before. I want to share these experiences so my family and friends can see what life in China is like."
In front of Guangyou Temple, originally built in the Han Dynasty, and the Liaoyang White Pagoda, the tallest in Northeast China, Abbas, a student from Pakistan at Shenyang Jianzhu University, lingered for a long time. "Every ancient building in China has its own unique cultural imprint, reflecting the innovative spirit of its era," he said. He planned to bring the photos he took back to school to share with classmates, "tell them the history here, and suggest they come and see it too."
The final stop, Xiaobeihe Sock Town, revealed another side of the ancient city. The overseas friends walked onto the production line, experienced the entire process of a pair of socks from knitting to packaging, and designed "Mid-Autumn limited edition" cultural and creative sock patterns. The way traditional manufacturing was reaching overseas markets through cross-border e-commerce left many experience ambassadors exclaiming "unexpected."
On the return bus, everyone shared the Liaoning moments that had moved them most. Roger spoke of his feelings about the trip: "Mid-Autumn is a festival for reunion. Although I can't be with my family, during my years in Northeast China, my Chinese friends have never let me feel lonely. Northeasterners are like a fireplace - when you sit around it and draw close, you feel especially warm inside."
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