RIGA — "China is a land rich in ancient secrets and incredible development, where warmhearted people make visitors feel at home," says Laine Perse, a Latvian travel writer.

Laine Perse and Arturs Drinins, both 34, have been hitchhiking around the world, endearing themselves to young Latvians as a celebrity travel couple in the Baltic country.

Their journey began in 2015, just after the couple graduated from college and fell in love. Over 17 months, they traveled through 64 countries, with hitchhiking as their primary means of transportation.

In 2018, Perse and Drinins got married and set off on an ambitious journey that has since led them to 90 countries. To fund their travels, they took up temporary jobs, diving deep into local cultures and experiences along the way.

In their eyes, China is a special country where they came for the first time in 2018 and visited most provinces and cities within a month. They were impressed by China's scientific and technological progress.

"When we first arrived in China as tourists, it was a bit challenging because China was so modern that we couldn't keep up. Most places required mobile phone apps for navigation and payments, and we were unfamiliar with WeChat or AliPay at the time," says Perse.

"We were taken aback by the clean streets, modern infrastructure and gleaming shops — it was different from what we had imagined. Many people still hold misconceptions about China and can't imagine the rapid development the country has experienced in the past few years. The first days there broke all our prejudices," she adds.

The wide use of electronic payments was the most urgent "new thing" they needed to adapt to in China. "We were surprised that even on the top of the highest mountain there would be a lady selling cucumbers and receiving money by electronic payment. Incredible!" Perse says.

The couple returned to China in 2020. "Even during the epidemic, we managed to reach China. Now we can say it was the best decision we ever made," she says.

Since November 2020, they have worked as English teachers at a foreign language training school in Manzhouli in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. "We are travelers and, until we came to China, we never had a job for so long. But this experience was so enjoyable and rewarding that we didn't even notice how time flew by," Perse says.

In June this year, Perse and Drinins returned to their hometown where they were interviewed by Latvian TV and radio about their trip to China.

In an interview on Latvian Radio's Good Morning program, Drinins said that while working in China, he was deeply impressed by the studiousness of Chinese students and their great respect for teachers.

"What we never forget to mention is that Chinese students respect teachers and young kids respect elders. It is something we're starting to miss in Europe. The kids were incredibly fun and nice and it was a pleasure teaching them," says Perse.

Perse has also published seven books documenting the culture, cuisine and traditions of the places they have traveled. Her latest book Land of the Red Dragon: Adventures and Discoveries in Modern China was published this summer in Riga, Latvia.

Asked why it is the "Land of the Red Dragon", Perse smiled. "First of all, this is the year of the Dragon. As we have heard from the Chinese, this is the luckiest animal among all 12 zodiac signs because it's the only one that is not real so it can bring fortune, good health, luck and love. Why the red dragon? Oh, red is the lucky color in China! Red dragon should be double luck, right?

"Whenever someone reads it, they're stunned — 'Is that China?' We've done several interviews and storytelling events here in Europe about our life in China. Many people are curious about Chinese traditions and the real experiences of living there. While guidebooks often highlight what to see in China, few capture what it's truly like to live among the Chinese and be part of this country," Perse adds.

Now, Perse and Drinins are making videos and have written stories about China. Some people dismiss them as "propaganda", but that's often from those "who've never been there," Perse says.

"Some say we are paid to say good things, but it's not true. We can't tell the story from a local Chinese point of view but we can tell our experience being in China as foreigners! Why are foreigners coming to China? Why are they staying or trying to get back? Because life is very pleasant in China for a foreigner. We felt great there!" she adds.