I joined New China’s Northeast Route at the halfway mark when the team was traveling to the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. New China is an ambitious special program on CGTN to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China.

We stopped by a village called Jindailai, whose population is almost 100 percent Korean Chinese. Its local culture and food are quite different.

We had a blast making kimchi and rice cake and tried on some traditional Korean outfits. The Party Secretary of Jindailai told us that 80 percent of the village’s economy now comes from tourism. With its close proximity to the famous Changbai Mountain, thousands of people pass through Jindailai. Locals offer their homes for homesteads and bed and breakfasts. It’s been quite a different scene in Northeast China which is often considered China’s old manufacturing hub with so many state-owned enterprises. Privately owned businesses are thriving there.

My co-host Erica Pitzi wrapped up her journey with New Day on the day we visited Jindailai. It was a high mark for her — having great food and seeing beautiful mountains.

We moved on from Yanbian to Jinli city with Jonathan Betz joining the team and stayed in a million-dollar ski resort. While it is still some 20 degrees outside, it was freezing on the snow. It was a tough show, but we had so much fun. We saw professional athletes train and got on snow motorbikes. The Beishan All-Weather Cross Country Ski Resort is one of a kind. It is currently only open to professionals who are training for the 2022 Winter Olympics and younger skiers for the provincial team.

As we travel through the Northeast, it's my second time after being stationed here for over 10 months in 2018, New China gives me a brand perspective about people’s lives here in China — how China's ethnic minority groups are living in harmony with the Han Chinese and how the cold weather influences local diets.