Rua, a 23-year-old girl from the sunny Caribbean island nation of the Dominican Republic, embarked on a solo journey to China in 2025, moving from Santo Domingo to Beijing. It has been a year of firsts for her: she became an actress, learned how to ride a bicycle and enrolled for a master's degree in directing at the Beijing Film Academy.

Arriving in a new country, she naturally faced numerous challenges, but what she felt more was the joy of exploration. She made the most of her time in China to travel extensively, from the seashore of Qingdao to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia and from cosmopolitan Shanghai to the ancient capital city of Nanjing. She says each city brought a unique charm to her journey, but all of her destinations showcased profound Chinese culture, which fascinated her. The people here, the harmony between tradition and modernity and the boundless development opportunities captured her heart in a short time. Eventually, Rua has made up her mind: China is where she wants to stay for many years.