By Aditta Kittikhoun
Editor in Chief of RDK Group, Laos
My impressions of Chinese culture have been shaped across three distinct visits, each revealing a different layer of the country and each taking place in a different technological era.
The first time I went to China, I was still early in my career, sent on a business trip to source sports goods for my boss in Shanghai. It was a time when the internet was patchy, social apps weren’t well developed, and I was fumbling through unfamiliar territory with little digital help. I couldn’t even rely on the digital tools that we all take for granted now, but what I remember most wasn’t the difficulty. It was the people. Ordinary Chinese people went out of their way to help me navigate train stations, hail taxis, order food, and find my way. Even with limited tools, the generosity and warmth stood out.
The second trip came a few years later, when I accompanied my father on a diplomatic visit to Shanghai and Beijing. This time, the experience was more structured. The official itinerary was meticulously guided, offering a polished view of China, an image curated for diplomacy. What I observed then was a country conscious of how it presents itself, proud of its heritage, and deliberate in how it communicates that to the outside world. Connectivity had improved by then, and you could already sense the digital infrastructure taking root, but the experience was still largely offline, framed by in-person meetings and state protocol. But still, the number of pictures I took would be the topic of conversation back home for days.
By the time I visited Lijiang in 2024 for the Mekong Tourism Forum, as a media entrepreneur focused on tourism, the change was dramatic. Wi-Fi was everywhere. Payments were contactless and instant. Information was accessible in multiple languages. Lijiang had integrated smart city technologies to manage waste, maintain cleanliness, and even monitor visitor flows, all while preserving the essence of its Naxi heritage. It didn’t feel like tradition was being swept aside. On the contrary, technology was being used to protect it! That balance between ancient character and modern systems left a strong impression on me.
Across these three visits, what’s become clear is how Chinese culture evolves without erasing its past. It absorbs the new (technologically, socially, culturally) while keeping one foot firmly planted in longstanding values: harmony, community, respect. You feel it in both the high-speed trains and the handwritten calligraphy, the state-led modernization and the preserved courtyards.
There are deep cultural parallels between Laos and China that often go unspoken but are felt instinctively, by both peoples who have the fortune to meet and work with each other. Both societies place a tremendous emphasis on filial piety, where caring for one’s parents and honoring one’s ancestors is not only encouraged but expected. Respect for elders is foundational, not just in family settings, but in professional and public life. Like China, Laos values social harmony, which often means placing group cohesion above individual assertion. These values shape everything from how meetings are conducted to how conflict is avoided. There’s also a shared reverence for ritual and tradition. We can see this in the way New Year festivals are celebrated or how offerings are made at temples and altars. Even the concept of “face” has a very special place in both our cultures. Maintaining dignity, avoiding public embarrassment, and showing deference is understood in similar ways. What sets China apart is how it has been able to institutionalize and scale these values across vast geographies and generations, turning what in Laos may remain informal and intuitive into a deliberate system of governance, education, and national identity.
As I prepare to join the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum, I don’t come as a newcomer. I come as someone who has observed China at different moments through different roles. Each visit has deepened my understanding, not just of China, but of how its culture, its technology, and its narrative evolve in parallel. This time, I’m looking forward to listening more closely, asking better questions, and contributing to a shared conversation about how journalists can help tell the next chapter of China, and of other civilizations, with stories that travel further and bring people closer.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.