Up close and personal

Diverse culture

He has also traveled beyond Beijing, visiting Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Shanghai and Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, as well as rural parts of Hunan province and areas near Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, to learn more about different parts of China. One important aspect of cultural life he learned was that mutual help is deeply rooted in family life, he said.

Among his most memorable experiences were visits to small villages in Jinzhou, Hebei, where he watched neighboring farmers interact like relatives, sharing meals and looking after children together. They often walked into each other's homes without calling ahead or arranging a visit.

"They're just a part of each other's lives. They naturally share their work and face difficulties together," he said.

"That was a scene I seldom saw in the US, but I really admired the way mutual support kept families and neighbors connected."

In Xi'an, Shaanxi province, he enjoyed yangrou paomo — flatbread in lamb soup — and explored the city's ancient walls and museums. Chongqing's spicy food offered a different experience, as did Anhui's mountain scenery.

Those visits broadened his understanding of the country's geography and history alongside its social life.

The more Assad traveled, the less China appeared to him as a single cultural entity.

"From abroad, China can look like one country with one culture," he said. "But when you travel from one place to another, you find hundreds, if not thousands, of years of history behind the local languages, food, clothing and customs. That strong local identity is what I enjoy most about traveling in China."

Now, Assad likes to learn about the history and conduct research before going to a new place. Every time he visits somewhere, he meets people there and talks about a dish he ate or a township near their hometown.

"I don't want to be in China and be ignorant about people's lives and experiences," he said.

He also hopes to give something back. "China has been very welcoming and very kind to me," he said. "I would like to repay that kindness by passing it on and helping cultural exchange get going."