A latest video about Harbin, capital of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, has attracted a lot consideration on the web.
Within the video, a younger overseas man walks across the metropolis, giving huge hugs to the strangers he meets on the streets.
By means of this, he exhibits his love and gratitude to Harbin. Surprisingly, the foreigner can communicate fluent Dongbeihua, or Northeastern Mandarin.
Yoav Vollansky, a we-media producer specializing in cultural communication between China and Israel, got here to China seven years in the past from his residence nation.
In September, he got here to Harbin to supply a video in regards to the particular that means town holds to Jewish folks.
“As I do know, 90 years in the past, there have been many Jews who lived in Harbin and constructed a life right here. Whereas elsewhere all over the world Jews had suffered discrimination and violence, the Chinese language folks have at all times accepted us and handled us as equals,” mentioned Yoav. “I went to shoot a video that conveys this data in addition to to personally thank and present my appreciation for that.”
“In my nation, some younger folks know little in regards to the historical past,” he mentioned. “Due to this fact, I additionally hope my video will help extra of them know in regards to the metropolis, which had been the houses of our older generations.”
Earlier than coming, he requested a few of his mates who got here from the Northeast to show him some Dongbeihua.
“To be sincere, I didn’t know a lot of it earlier than I got here to Harbin, however I used to be at all times inquisitive about it. I really like Chinese language dialects typically as a result of they carry an fascinating taste that doesn’t at all times exist in Putonghua,” he mentioned. “I at all times heard that Dongbeihua has numerous traits, and solely after I began studying it I had a little bit of a really feel to it.”
Vollansky nonetheless remembers the primary time he visited town in 2015. “It was within the winter, so I had a chance to benefit from the well-known Ice and Snow Competition and naturally the pleasure of consuming a popsicle in -20 C.”
“Hopefully I might study extra Donbeihua sooner or later. If anybody is keen to show me, I’ll be glad to ask them to espresso right here in Beijing,” he informed China Every day.