YANJI, China, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In Yanji, a café that opens early in the morning connects the lives of many young people living far from home. When Korean student Jang Ji-min first arrived in China, she felt the unfamiliarity brought by a new language, environment, and way of life. Later, she began to visit this café often, ordering her favorite sweet latte, making friends through one conversation after another, and gradually getting to know the city.

Here, people talk about studies, movies, and everyday life. They also talk about stereotypes and the real China. Many misunderstandings come from distant imagination, while much understanding begins with real encounters. Perceptions of Yanbian, Northeast China, and China itself—once shaped by what people saw through screens—are gradually reshaped through face-to-face exchanges.

In a latte, milk and coffee begin as two different flavors, but once blended, they create a new taste. The same is often true of the closeness between people, and of exchanges between countries: from unfamiliarity to familiarity, from difference to understanding, and from separate lives toward a shared future.

Please watch Season 2, Episode 1 of The Asian Century, The Café Stories of Yanji.

The Asian Century is a social and cultural micro-documentary series centered on the theme of building an Asian community with a shared future. Through authentic, multidimensional, and comprehensive storytelling, it showcases the shared historical roots, cultural bonds, and developmental aspirations of Asian nations. Stay tuned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTXjZIrlt-0