African reporters visit Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, on May 20. [Photo/WeChat account: jhrbwx]

Jaleh Hesari, a news reporter from the National Television of Mauritius, was invited to attend a seminar themed on "Chinese modernization and African development" in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province.

Hesari took a 12-day trip to Jinhua starting May 20, along with experts and scholars from 29 African countries. She visited the city's countryside, enterprises and markets to learn about Chinese modernization.

She was moved when two young Jinhua girls helped her take a taxi and paid her fees when she got lost on May 28.

Gaocun village, located next to the north gate of Zhejiang Normal University in Jinhua, is home to three restaurants run by foreigners.

Mu Feng, an international student from Yemen, is the operator of an Arabian restaurant called Royal Lounge, said that he has lived in Jinhua for six years, and believes the city is very friendly to expats.

He added that his landlord exempted him from rent during the COVID-19 pandemic and that he has decided to stay in Jinhua to start a cross-border e-commerce company with the money he earned from running the restaurant.

An Ran, a 21-year-old girl from Mexico, said that she has been learning Chinese since she was 13 and she decided to study in Jinhua largely due to its livable environment with high-quality air and water.

She said that the city is brimming with history and culture and is an open and inclusive city.

Jinhua is currently home to 18,000 permanent foreign residents and has received 38,000 international students over the past 10 years, an increase of 862 percent, according to authorities.