When Ragnar Baldursson stepped off a train in Beijing in 1975, the Icelandic student expected a rigidly organized society. Instead, he found a world of warmth and spontaneity. 🚂🇨🇳 Fresh from a long trip from Guangzhou, Baldursson and a friend were greeted with puzzled but enthusiastic hospitality—a snapshot of China on the brink of transformative reforms.
‘The sky looked different here,’ Baldursson recalls, describing his first days navigating Beijing’s bustling streets. While he anticipated structure, he discovered something deeper: the unfiltered joy of residents sharing laughter, curiosity, and simple moments. ‘Their smiles were like a language everyone understood,’ he says. 🌆😊
Beyond cultural contrasts—like unfamiliar scents and rhythms—Baldursson was struck by universal human bonds. ‘We were strangers, yet connected,’ he reflects. These early impressions shaped his lifelong fascination with China’s heritage and its people’s resilience. A story not just of discovery, but of how kindness bridges divides. 🤝❤️
