The way I looked at China completely changed after I started watching Ruchi’s YouTube channel, Ruchi in China.
Ruchi is an Indian girl from Jaipur who has married a Chinese man, Odin, and is now settled in China. The couple has a cute little son named Ivan.
Before Ruchi’s channel, I was very fond of Li Ziqi. Her channel gave a lot of information about Chinese culture but that was mostly about life in rural China. Ruchi’s channel is different. It’s a tour of modern China. When I speak of tour, don’t think of her as a tour guide or this as a travel channel. No, this is very much a daily vlogging channel of an Indian’s life in China and her perspective on Chinese culture. What I love the most about this YouTube channel is Ruchi’s honesty, her graceful acceptance of the culture that is different yet similar in many ways to Indian culture, and her willingness to adapt.
I admire and appreciate the way she honestly speaks about her preconceived notions (that all of us have) and then from personal experience, tells us whether they were true or untrue. When we look at other countries or cultures, we look at them and speak about them from whatever is shown in the news or what we have read about them. But when someone like Ruchi explores an unexplored territory on camera while letting us be a part of that journey, it all gets close to real for us as well. In the future, if you or I want to visit the country, we will leave our preconceived notions at home and visit the country with an open heart and an open mind. That is why I also love Pawan Lohomord’s Rom Rom Ji – it’s a closer look into Japan – from an Indian’s point of view.
Coming back to Ruchi In China, here’s what you get to watch on her channel –
Her cute son, Ivan, her husband Odin’s passion for cooking, and authentic Chinese cuisine. One of my favourite episodes was where her mother-in-law made noodles from scratch in the morning for breakfast. Another one was where the neighbours gather for barbeque. Why these two? Because they were so similar to Indian culture. Mothers waking up early to make healthy breakfast and feed the family, neighbours gathering to have fun and spend evenings together is so Indian. Here are a few videos that I personally recommend:
- 10 things that shocked me in China
- We made kebab and Chicken bbq in the garden
- Cooking with my mother-in-law Chinese chive pockets
- I made pani puri and my Chinese mother-in-law tried it
- How we live in Shanghai lockdown
Before I end this blog, here’s what should motivate you further to watch this channel:
Fun Fact: Chinese people just love Mohabbatein’s Aakhein Khuli Ho Ya Ho Bandh song. It’s also been translated in the Chinese language. You can get a glimpse of it in the first video that I have mentioned above.
If you love watching vlogs and want it to be feature on The Digital Popcorn, write to me at thedigipop@gmail.com
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