A TikTok spark ignites a Mexican student's love affair with Shenzen

A viral TikTok video of Shenzhen’s dazzling light shows set Mexican student Thelma Jacqueline Anguiano Mancha on a journey to the southern Chinese metropolis. She fell in love with the high-tech light shows on the social media platform and knew she had to see them in person. With help from a friend already studying at Shenzhen Polytechnic University, she applied, arrived in August 2024, and has spent the past year completing two semesters.

Thelma Mancha with students dressed in traditional Chinese attire during an international cultural event at Shenzhen City Vocational College on May 15. Photos courtesy of the interviewee

“In the beginning, I planned to stay for only six months,” Mancha recalled. But when the half-year mark arrived, she decided to remain for another six months because she was drawn to the city, which she finds both futuristic and unexpectedly inviting.

Having no previous connections with Shenzhen or to China more broadly, Mancha was nervous at first. As a Latin American newcomer, she worried about going out alone, and her parents were anxious for her as well. Those anxieties quickly eased as Shenzhen’s energy and visible sense of safety revealed themselves.

“My parents called me on the phone when they learned I was walking alone at 10 p.m. They were so worried about my safety. I told them to relax, as I couldn’t be safer anywhere else,” she said.

Thelma Mancha poses for a photo with a young lady in hanfu at Gankeng Ancient Town on Sept. 19, 2024.

Small, generous moments — like strangers on the street who stopped to ask her where she was from and a restaurant staff member in Gankeng Ancient Town that offered her a complimentary dish after a clumsy mobile phone-translation exchange — made Mancha feel warmly welcomed in the city. “Little things like that made me feel at home,” she said.

Thelma Mancha poses for a photo with a traditional Chinese umbrella in Gankeng Ancient Town in Longgang District on Sept. 19, 2024.

Currently in her second year of studying Chinese at Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Mancha said language has been both her biggest challenge and greatest reward. Intensive Chinese classes, encouraging teachers, and full immersion have accelerated her progress faster than she expected.

Thelma Mancha poses with her papercut work at Shenzhen Polytechnic Univesity in Nanshan District on Sept. 23, 2024.

She said writing hanzi (Chinese characters) has been the toughest hurdle — the stroke order and structure are precise and unforgiving — but the payoff is enormous. “Being able to read signs, understand menus, and sketch idioms on my phone makes life here feel more authentic to me,” said the 20-year-old woman.

Thelma Mancha chills at a café while doing her homework Oct. 13.

Her life outside campus is equally fulfilling. When she doesn’t have classes, she explores the city — visiting the Shenzhen Library in Futian District, catching live performances at the Shenzhen Concert Hall, and wandering through the Shenzhen Book City CBD store, gardens, cafés, museums, or innovation hubs depending on her mood.

Nantou Ancient City is a favorite due to its perfect blend of tradition and modernity. Its narrow alleys, historic buildings, and the sight of young people wearing hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) beside modern cafés make her feel both transported back in time and rooted in contemporary Shenzhen. “Walking those alleys, I sometimes feel as if I’m time-traveling, and at other moments I’m firmly in modern Shenzhen,” Mancha said.

Recalling her first Mid-Autumn Festival in the city, she remembers being surprised and delighted by egg-yolk mooncakes. “I even tried on a hanfu, which strengthened my sense of connection to local culture.”

Thelma Mancha poses for a photo with a Sichuan Opera performer during the ICIF at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center in Bao'an District on May 22.

Technology and innovation have pulled her curiosity in new directions. A school-organized trip to the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center in May introduced her to robots, VR, and other cutting-edge tech.

Thelma Mancha with a fellow student during a trip to the ICIF at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center on May 22.

“Shenzhen is so technologically advanced that I feel the future is already happening here,” said Mancha, recalling a ride she took in a driverless taxi in Futian District with a friend. “It felt like something out of science fiction when the autonomous taxi stopped in front of us. My friend said, ‘just get in.’ I did, full of curiosity. We reached our destination safe and sound,” she said.

The experience was so novel that she plans to take her brother on a driverless taxi ride when he visits. “I’ve shared with my siblings many exciting high-tech experiences, and they seemed too futuristic to be real,” she added. Her brother is also fascinated by Chinese culture and is considering study in China.

These technological encounters in Shenzhen have widened her ambitions, and she wants to learn more about tech and its role in Chinese life.

Thelma Mancha reacts when eating tanghulu, a traditional Chinese snack, at the Laojie commercial area in Luohu District on Jan. 16.

Her exciting life in Shenzhen has reshaped her future plans. Mancha intends to begin a degree program after finishing her language course, possibly majoring in traditional Chinese medicine or Chinese philosophy. For her, Shenzhen has become a second home — a living classroom where language, culture, and modern life meet.