My diary in China: We breathe with all living things

From news.cgtn.com

Editor's Note: This is an article by Sandra Churabaeva from Tajikistan, who took part in "One Home: A Shared Future," a global youth initiative launched by CGTN to mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Her Chinese friends gave her a Chinese name, "Meili" (美丽), which means "beautiful."

This year, I travelled across many corners of China. Each place felt like a universe of its own, leaving a trace on my heart. This summer, I visited Chengdu – a city where antiquity and nature speak in the language of silence.

The thunderous forest of Chengdu is as ancient as time itself. And I am here, just a fleeting moment. Yet in this moment, I dissolve into its breath. My hands reach toward the sky, as if trying to touch something greater than myself. Perhaps it's a prayer, or gratitude, or just a way to say, "I remember. I am a part of this."

This forest doesn't need people. But people need it. And this image is not about me – it's about all of us. Small but bold, forgetful yet still capable of remembering.

Later, my journey took me to Xishuangbanna in the southern part of southwest China's Yunnan Province, at the edge of the jungle. It was there that I met the being that became the symbol of my summer – the elephant.

                  Sandra Churabaeva with an elephant in Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan Province. /Sandra Churabaeva

The elephant is an ancient guardian of the Earth, and the human is its voice.

This photo, taken in the jungles of Xishuangbanna, is not just "a picture with an animal," it's an encounter between two worlds. My hand on its rough, wise skin is like a vow: We are not guests on this planet. We are part of it. And as long as elephants still breathe under these palms, there is hope for Earth.

This photo is not just a memory of a journey. It's a reminder: Protecting nature begins with realizing that we are not owners, but neighbours. Fragile, temporary, and responsible for preserving what will outlive us.

Sandra Jurabaeva breathes fresh air in the deep mountains of Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. /Sandra Jurabaeva

We take everything from nature: water, air, warmth, and give nothing in return. Yet it still gives. It endures. It lives beside us. We are not separate from it. We are part of it. We've just long forgotten that.

Don't take people for granted; love them with all your heart while they are near. Don't take life for granted; cherish every breath as a gift. Don't take nature for granted; thank the Earth that nourishes us. Gratitude is the wisdom that turns ordinary moments into sacred ones.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-08-04/My-diary-in-China-We-breathe-with-all-living-things-1FzjTlm7GDu/p.html