Expats need to break stereotypes and ignore misinformation

During my journalistic career of more than a decade, I have asked foreigners about their first impressions of China. Many of them expressed their surprise or admiration, saying the China and Chinese people they experienced differed greatly from the portrayal they had formed through media and other sources in their home countries.

Despite China being the world's second-largest economy, there still exists a widespread ignorance, various stereotypes and even misinformation about the country abroad.

This is partly because of the long-term depiction of Chinese culture and life in Western media, literary works and films. For example, some ordinary foreigners think all Chinese people know how to practice martial arts, some have only heard of pandas in China, and some even believe China is still an extremely backward country and that its people still live a miserable life.