An artist writes the Chinese character "Fu", meaning fortune and luck in English, during a cultural activity in celebration of the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, at the China Cultural Center in the Hague, the Netherlands, Jan. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xiangjiang)
Nuijten and many other Dutch people who love Chinese culture are looking forward to returning to China after a long pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
THE HAGUE, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dutchman Igor Nuijten speaks fluent Chinese and loves tea from southwest China's Yunnan province, known for its natural landscape and cultural diversity.
With the reopening of outbound travel, more and more Chinese tourists are going abroad. Nuijten and many other Dutch people who love Chinese culture are looking forward to returning to China after a long pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a recent Yunnan culture and tourism promotion event held in Chinatown in The Hague, Nuijten and several other of his compatriots shared stories of their travels in China and said they wished to return there soon.
People view potteries at the "Inspired by China, Heritage and Innovation" exhibition at the China Cultural Center in The Hague, the Netherlands, Oct. 14, 2022. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)
"Let's go back to the early 1990s," Nuijten said, recalling his student days, when he worked as a part-time tour guide and accompanied a group of about 20 Dutch tourists to Yunnan.
In Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan, the visitors tasted apple in hot toffee, beer, tea and veal. Chinese food is delicious and inexpensive, and we all had a great time, he said.
In Dali, a city surrounded by mountains, they strolled in the downtown area, watched cormorants fishing in Erhai Lake, visited an open-air market, and tasted spicy Yunnan cuisine.
Dali has a pleasant climate, with "the four seasons like spring," he said in standard Chinese.
Dutchman Jos Van der Wiel cycles in a village of Dali, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Cao Mengyao)
Nuijten also shared how he understood the meaning of the three-course tea, a local delicacy in Dali. The three courses of tea represent the three stages of life, he said: when you work hard as a young person, the taste is bitter; when you enjoy your life in middle age, the taste is sweet; when you look back on life in old age, the taste is both bitter and sweet.
Hans Doets, who once worked as a marketing officer in the tourist information office in The Hague, said that he visited China for the first time 20 years ago.
Over the years, he has been to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen and many other cities, and witnessed the tremendous changes that China has experienced.
He said that he was deeply impressed by the modern urban architecture, the ancient cities with historical heritage, and the beautiful Yangtze River, the Pearl River and the West Lake.
Visitors watch an exhibit at a China-Dutch art exhibition held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the Netherlands in The Hague, the Netherlands, Aug. 6, 2022. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)
But what impressed him most was the Chinese people, he said. "They are hardworking. They are friendly. They will always help you and it's very nice to meet them."
Henk Kool, former deputy mayor of The Hague and former chair of the Netherlands-China Association, said that he has visited China more than 30 times, and has been to many places in the country from south to north.
The last time he was there was in 2019, and he looks forward to returning as soon as possible, he said. He has not yet been to Dali, Yunnan, and hopes to make up for it next time.
"I miss China very, very much, because I traveled many, many times to China and I like China very, very much," Kool said. ■