If you have the chance to browse the WeChat Moments (a social media platform in China for people to share photos and videos with friends) of South African teacher Anneli, you will be surprised to discover that she has been to more places in Zhejiang province than locals. She shares autumn vibes of ancient dwellings in Songyang county of Lishui city. She captures exciting moments of the annual Wuzhen Theatre Festival. Also, she takes an expedition to the famous Jingshan Mountain in Hangzhou. 

"Though I'm heading back to South Africa, I wish to continue sharing my experiences on social media and let people worldwide better understand Zhejiang," she said.

Now in her 60s, Anneli worked at the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1995 and took on a new role as an English teacher in Tongxiang, Jiaxing, in 2009, upon a friend's invitation. In 2013, she was invited to participate in the opening ceremony of Wuzhen Theatre Festival, an experience that unexpectedly led her to stay in Tongxiang for a decade.

"I still remember the opening and closing performances of the 2014 Wuzhen Theatre Festival: the former was the Chinese outdoor water theatre production Green Snake, and the latter was White Snake from Chicago's Goodman Theatre," recalls Anneli. 

The show Green Snake felt like a classic Chinese landscape painting, with the green and white snakes gracefully moving through the misty waters, captivating the audience. On the contrary, White Snake was a typical American-style drama. 

"I really liked White Snake. I didn't quite understand the style of Green Snake, but my Chinese friends found White Snake too eccentric. Towards the latter part, many Chinese spectators left, and even my translator friend couldn't continue because she felt the actresses were too old," she said.

This contrast left deep impression on Anneli. "To witness such a vigorous clash of aesthetic perspectives between the East and the West at a theatre festival was completely unexpected," she said. For this reason, she decided to stay long-term in Tongxiang and has been attending the Wuzhen Theatre Festival every year since then.

If the Wuzhen Theatre Festival is the exclusive gateway to drama in Zhejiang, the inscription of Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City on the UNESCO intangial cultural heritage list in 2019 and the recognition of traditional Chinese tea-making techniques and associated customs in 2022 have finally marked the starting point of Zhejiang culture for Anneli. 

"I finally know how to find the 'roots' of Zhejiang culture," she said.

Since the end of 2022, Anneli had been visiting Liangzhu Museum and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City almost every week. She staged a drama, People of Liangzhu, at school. 

When local colleagues saw children on stage learning how ancient Liangzhu people cultivated rice fields, cooked soup, and rice using "cooking pots" like ding (ancient cooking vessel), they were astonished. 

For those interested in Liangzhu Culture, a visit to the museum is recommended. But what about tea-making techniques and related customs? Anneli turned to visiting the source of tea production. In November, 2023, she ventured into the tea fields of Jingshan Mountain in Hangzhou and Wuyi in Jinhua, picking tea buds, frying tea leaves, and experiencing the entire tea-making process. 

"Tea farmers told me that Zhejiang actually has many locally renowned types of tea. I plan to seize the opportunity to experience different types of tea and share related images, videos and evaluations on my social media accounts." said Anneli.

Anneli's unique itinerary has gradually made her a famous figure in the expatriate community. In 2020, she was honored with the title of the inaugural Goodwill Ambassador. 

On Nov 14, Anneli returned to her hometown. Before she left, Anneli visited Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism , hoping for a bit of "self-promotion."

"After returning home, I want to continue being a blogger on foreign social media, sharing the beautiful moments I experienced in Zhejiang. I also want to ask the staff if there have been South African scholars or goodwill ambassadors who have visited Zhejiang like me. I'd like to join forces with them to brainstorm how to promote Zhejiang's characteristics together," she said.

What triggered her? It originated from Anneli's numerous interactive exchanges with her family and friends. 

"Many young South Africans around me have visited Zhejiang, but they don't pay much attention to its culture," she said, adding that there are few relevant books or dramas about Chinese culture in local libraries, universities or cultural venues in South Africa. This is also a problem for Anneli, who is about to return home. 

"In one of the Four Great Classical Chinese Novels, Journey to the West, there is a plot where Tang Sanzang brings back a scripture without words. Now, I feel like I am another 'Tang Sanzang,' full of stories but unable to tell them to everyone."

Anneli believes that if she can find people who understand and are interested in culture of Zhejiang, it might be possible to achieve more with less effort. "Everyone has different feelings after coming to Zhejiang. If we can narrate the province in the hearts of different people on social media, it might help it go global," she said.

While contemplating how to spread the beautiful moments of Zhejiang, Anneli has also come up with many promotion ideas for the province. For instance, foreign friends love calligraphy refrigerator magnets, museum canvas bags and other convenient and portable cultural creations. 

"We can create a 'Foreigners' Market' to invite everyone to come and explore. Additionally, Zhejiang boasts numerous beautiful villages, and there is potential to organize simple and understandable local outdoor immersive dramas in these villages, " she said.