Stories in 2025: A Croatian girl carries on her father's unfinished Chinese dream

"I must have been Chinese in my previous life." This is the most heartfelt sentiment expressed by Ela Caruzzi. Originally from Croatia, she now sits in a classroom at the Beijing Film Academy.

Ela's bond with China was planted more than four decades ago. Her father once studied in Beijing and dreamed of staying on to build a career in the film industry, but was forced to return to Croatia following the death of her grandfather. When Ela was 16, while many of her classmates looked westward, her father offered her different advice. "Go to China. That's where you'll truly grow."

With a promise to first learn Chinese, Ela arrived alone in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, in 2023. She recalls never feeling afraid, saying that life in China made her feel remarkably safe.

In 2025, Ela realized her long-held wish to return to China for further studies. One moment stands out most vividly – being invited by her Chinese teacher to spend the Spring Festival in her hometown Dali. In the beautiful Chinese countryside, she dined and danced with the teacher's family and received red envelopes brimming with blessings. "At that moment, I truly felt like I was a part of them," she recalls. Ela has proven through her personal experiences that some connections are destined to transcend generations and continents to find their way home.