Cambodian Sothea: I love picturesque Yunnan

I’m Sothea Vuthimean. My life in Yunnan province seems to be going astray and entering a dreamy realm depicted in the landscape paintings of China -- beautiful, poetic, warm and dynamic.

Sothea Vuthimean (R, 3rd in the 2nd row from the back) and other international stendents spend the 2022 Mid-Autumn Festival in Dali prefecture, west Yunnan province. Photo provided to Yunnan Daily

Shortly after my 17th birthday, I came from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Yunnan province, China in December 2019 for study, majoring in visual design at Dali University.

I had difficulties in communication with others at first, but till now I’ve learned artistic expressions, sketching, color match, and the ways to use professional design software. Apart from my own efforts, I also attribute my progress to the help of teachers, classmates and locals.

Dali is a place for us to imagine and admire, where mountains, water, buildings and people can always form a harmonious and beautiful picture. On holidays, I got together with my friends, riding around the Erhai Lake, climbing the Cangshan Mountain, or drinking tea in the Dali ancient city. It’s a magic town to make you happy.

During the winter and summer vacations, I visited local residences to learn about the traditional architecture. I would spend days painting a typical Bai residence with three bedrooms and one wall. Every time I said goodbye, my host would always squeeze into my hands snacks such as milk fan, plum or flower cake. They treated me as if I were a family member to travel far away, which moved me a lot.

Besides Dali, I’ve also been to other places in Yunnan. I was impressed by the convenient transport facility in Kunming. In Xishuangbanna, I found out the Dai ethnic cuisine is similar to Cambodian traditional dishes. At the museum in central Yunnan’s Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture, I was greeted by surprises one after another. Also, I tasted the famed tea and coffee in Pu'er city and visited the fascinating Fuxian Lake in Yuxi city.

 

Sothea Vuthimean (R, 2nd in the boys) visits the site of the First Congress of the CPC Members in Yunnan with other international students in August 2022. Photo provided to Yunnan Daily

 

What impressed me most was the site of the First Congress of the CPC Members in Yunnan, which is located in Chanipi village of Mengzi city, south Yunnan’s Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture. I visited the site with other international students in August 2022, when I was on a China-ASEAN Youth Camp.

The CPC Yunnan site features wooden tables, benches, an old oil lamp and half a blackboard in a thatched cottage, which is incredibly shabby. However, it is under such tough conditions that the Communist Party of China (CPC) led the people, step by step, to the present prosperity and development. It amazed me a lot.

Over the past three years, Yunnan has witnessed my growth, while I have seen the opening-up, development and prosperity of the province. In the years to come, I’d turn the beauty of Yunnan into my paintings, and bring them back to Cambodia as a special gift.

Recording by Shen Yan; Trans-editing by Wang Shixue