Today, the most interesting phenomenon is many "TikTok refugees" replying to "Li Hua" on RedNote.
Who is "Li Hua"? This name is very familiar to all children educated in China. That's because he is the “writer” in the writing section of various high school (even middle school, elementary school) English exam in China. He is set as a well-rounded student, good at English, often writing letters to foreign pen pals. The writing prompts often involve Li Hua writing a letter to a foreign pen pal on a specific topic. For example, one of the prompts for the 2024 National College Entrance Examination was: "If you were Li Hua, your art teacher took you to the park for an art class. Write a letter to your foreign pen pal Chris, describing the artwork you created and your feelings after the art class in the park."
Now, "Li Hua finally received a reply" has become a hot topic on RedNote, with many foreign netizens sharing replies starting with "Dear Li Hua." The description of the trending topic on RedNote reads: The realization of the global village's aspirations, Li Hua in English composition finally received a reply at this moment.
Many Chinese netizens commenting below such posts are deeply moved. Many of them have already grown up, no longer taking English exams or writing English compositions under the name of Li Hua, but the significance of learning English is materialized at this moment. One netizen wrote: "After 20 years, I knew that it was just a school assignment and because of the barrier between our countries, I would never receive a reply. But now you appear, and I receives a response. I want to cry, thank you!!" Another netizen wrote: "Thank you for your reply, I am moved to tears. I am thinking, why do we of this generation need to learn English... It is nothing but to better understand the world, to better communicate with the world... For a long time, Chinese children and teenagers have few opportunities to use this language or communicate with foreign friends... But today, being able to communicate with friends from different countries on the RedNote, I finally know that the efforts we made were not in vain, and our open arms have finally been embraced by friends from afar."
The arrival of "TikTok refugees" on RedNote unexpectedly fostered extensive communication and connections among individuals worldwide, breaking stereotypes about each other with extraordinary significance. This phenomenon echoes the wisdom of an ancient Chinese saying: "Friendship, which derives from close contact between peoples, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations."
