More than six decades after the United States journalist Edgar Snow returned to China to document a nation in transformation, a new generation of foreign visitors is walking in his footsteps — and reaching the same conclusion he did: understanding China requires seeing it with one's own eyes.

That consensus ran through Saturday's thematic forum titled "Telling Story Well: From Empathetic Communication to Cultural Identity", held in Zhengzhou, Henan province, as part of the 2026 China Internet Media Forum.

More than 200 participants from home and abroad — content creators, scholars, business figures, and descendants of Snow himself — gathered to share stories of personal immersion in Chinese culture, each echoing the belief that authentic connection cannot be achieved through headlines or abstract narratives alone.

Snow, whose 1937 book Red Star Over China introduced generations of Western readers to the Chinese revolution, later traveled to Henan province in 1960, capturing a "newly born" People's Republic of China in his writings.

His journey formed the historical anchor for this week's gathering, which featured a field tour retracing his path through Zhengzhou and Luoyang.

"From the Snow's era to today, this conviction has never changed: when more people see with their own eyes, understanding happens," Adam Foster, grandnephew of Helen Foster Snow — Edgar's wife and a celebrated journalist in her own right — and founding chairman of the Helen Foster Snow Foundation, said.

Foster, who participated in the Henan tour, described his experience as "almost a personal journey".

"I want to understand the journey that he went on to understand the Chinese people," he said, adding that he was struck by the region's "earth-shaking" changes since Snow's time.

That theme of firsthand discovery echoed across five thematic sessions — "China Bound", "Shopping in China", "Study in China", "Becoming Chinese", and "Opportunity China" — where speakers from a mix of countries shared their individual paths of immersion.

Anayat Ali, a doctoral candidate at Tongji University from India and a travel blogger, contrasted his early struggles navigating China with his current appreciation for its infrastructure and everyday life. "The best way to understand China is not through the headlines or textbooks, but with your own eyes, your own feet and an open heart," he told the audience.

The "Shopping in China" session highlighted the commercial dimension of cultural exchange.

He Lihong, president of the Yiwu Brands Association, traced her path from a street vendor in Yiwu, Zhejiang province – dubbed the world's capital of small commodities – to leading a collective push for Chinese products to gain global recognition. "The city cannot forever be a silent world factory," she said. "We must become a globally recognized brand."

In the "Study in China" session, Joel Mikael Walker, a German practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who has spent a decade in Henan, reflected on how language and culture became inseparable.

"When we understand each other's lives, the differences become smaller," he said, speaking in the Henan dialect. "Health is a common pursuit for all humanity — that makes TCM an international language."

The "Becoming Chinese" session tapped into a broader cultural wave: over recent months, the #BecomingChinese has surged across social media, with international users documenting their immersion in everything from traditional medicine to daily routines.

For Lucas Deckers, a Belgian influencer, the movement is not about losing one's origins but finding resonance.

He traced his connection with China to his grandfather's visit in 1981, 17 years before he was born. His grandfather, who traveled to China at a time when the country looked very different, returned with stories that planted a seed of curiosity. That seed eventually drew Deckers to China, where he now lives in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, documenting his journey from learning Mandarin to embracing the country's diverse ethnic cultures.

"For me, becoming Chinese is not about crossing cultural differences — it is about finding psychological resonance, a sense of belonging," he said.

A panel discussion, "Opportunity China," brought together global affairs expert David Gosset, Deputy Director of the Center for China and Globalization Victor Gao, and Special Representative on China of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Zafar Uddin Mahmood.

Mahmood, who first came to China in 1976, urged content creators to look beyond viral appeal and convey the deeper story of China's development. "Historical sites, food, shopping — all are important," he said. "But in today's complex international environment, we must also introduce the new China. Where do these opportunities come from? Today, in my country, 30 percent of people use solar panels — because China produces vast quantities at affordable prices. The same is true for electric vehicles. I hope influencers will not focus solely on traffic, but also share these key aspects of China with the world."

"Becoming Chinese is not only a fashion — it is a trend, it is a megatrend," Gao said, noting that after years of what he described as vilification of China abroad, "it is time for the world to know China as it is."

Gosset, a French sinologist, cautioned against reducing cross-cultural exchange to surface-level trends, calling on youth to strive to become citizens of the world and appreciate "the differences while finding common ground".

The forum closed with the launch of several projects aimed at enhancing the experience of international visitors and residents in China, part of broader efforts to facilitate cultural exchange.

The forum is hosted by the Bureau of Cyber Communications, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and organized by China Daily Website.

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Zhang Rui