World Better Understands China Through Journalist's Firsthand Experiences

Protchenko Olena in qipao

Protchenko Olena has been living and working in China for six years. She is one of the on-air talents with China News Center of China Arab Television (CATV, a channel aimed at promoting social, cultural and economic ties between China and the Arab region). "I enjoy working as a journalist, to get firsthand experiences in China, and to introduce the real China to the world," she says.

Indissoluble Bond

Olena speaks Chinese as fluently as if it is her mother tongue, and she widely uses Chinese when conducting interviews and making her reports. Whenever she is asked where she learned to speak Chinese, Olena proudly says she began studying Chinese when she was 6 at the Kyiv Gymnasium of Oriental Languages No. 1 in her hometown, Kyiv, Ukraine. 

She adds it was her grandfather's visit to China that helped her form an indissoluble bond with China, and the Chinese language. 

"At that time, my grandfather travelled a lot on business trips around the world. He had been to many countries. His first visit to China was in 1989. After he returned from China, he told my parents that 'your daughter should start to learn Chinese.' Although China was not particularly developed at that time, my grandfather believed China's economy would surely take off," Olena says. 

Her parents agreed with his suggestion, and they sent Olena to Kyiv Gymnasium of Oriental Languages No. 1 to study Chinese. "Looking back, I am really grateful for my grandfather, who was farsighted, and who sensed China's great development potential," Olena says. 

Although she has only been in China for six years, Olena has been deeply impressed by the development and changes that have been occurring in China. "China changes every year. The country is full of vitality, which is especially attractive to many foreigners," she says. 

Olena recalls how her foreign friends were shocked by the changes taking place in China. "I was in Shanghai several years ago. When some of my friends, who had left Shanghai for a few months, or a year, came back to the city again, they would ask me: 'This street didn't exist before ... this building didn't exist before ... What happened?'"

Protchenko Olena covered the annual session of the National People's Congress in March 2024.

Being a Journalist 

"I feel happy, being able to work as a host and a journalist in China, which gives me opportunities to meet different people, participate in various activities and obtain extensive knowledge. And I am glad I can do a good job in telling China's stories, Chinese culture and China's development to the world," Olena says. 

She has reported on several major events, including the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (known as two sessions), the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Boao Forum for Asia, the China International Import Expo, the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. 

Olena has also regularly reported on the news conferences of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council Information Office. She has also hosted several television programs focused on Chinese culture and people-to-people exchanges. 

Since she began working with CATV, in 2018, she has visited 20 provinces, four municipalities, two autonomous regions, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. She enjoys traveling to various places, as a journalist, to learn about local culture and the areas' economic development. 

Protchenko Olena, as a journalist, attended the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum on May 30, 2024.

"My last visit to East China's Zhejiang Province left a deep impression on me. Zhejiang is the place where Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization originated, and where the 'lucid water and lush mountains are invaluable assets' concept was first introduced. Zhejiang has coordinated its environmental-protection and economic-development efforts to improve people's well-being, and to ensure sustained economic growth. I think Zhejiang sets a good example for the rest of the country, and even the world," Olena says. 

More recently, Olena has been experiencing and reporting on the latest scientific and technological developments in China. For example, she has ridden an unmanned taxi, and she has shown a keen interest in the development of new-energy vehicles in China. Through her reports, she has shown the world China's leading edge in both new-energy vehicles and intelligent-network technologies. 

The opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held in Beijing on May 30. Olena attended as an international journalist. "Chinese President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the opening ceremony touched me greatly. He said, 'In a world of growing diversity, more dialogue means less confrontation, and more inclusiveness means less estrangement. Peace, truth, integrity and inclusiveness are the common pursuit of Chinese and Arab peoples.' I believe the building of a China-Arab community, with a shared future, will see more solid steps in the future," Olena says.

Protchenko Olena with a centenarian, in a village, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Communicator of Chinese Culture

Olena not only has performed excellently in news reporting, she has also shown her love for China, and has served as a communicator of Chinese culture.

Her experiences in China have helped her build a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and other countries, and have helped her provide a unique perspective to help people in other countries to understand China. 

"As I travel a lot as a journalist, I am able to tell the famous landscapes and cultural characteristics of each province, municipality or region that I have been to. Each time I visit a new place in China, I will do my homework in advance to learn about the local culture and customs. Honestly, I can be a tour guide in China now," Olena jokes. 

As a fan of traditional Chinese medicine culture, Olena likes to take various methods of yangsheng (nourishing life) to maintain good health. 

Olena is also interested in traditional Chinese clothes, headwear and ornaments. During her spare time, she enjoys visiting museums to see relevant collections. "I like qipao (cheongsam) and hanfu (traditional clothing of Han people) in particular. I have many cheongsam, and I like wearing them during my leisure time," she says. 

Protchenko Olena in a Peking Opera costume

As a wife, mother and career woman, Olena has tried her best to balance career and family life. "I was pregnant when I covered the 20th CPC National Congress in 2022. After I gave birth, I insisted on breastfeeding, as I knew breastfeeding was vital to a child's lifelong health. When I had to work in other cities, I would take my child and maternity matron with me," Olena says. 

During this year's two sessions, Olena covered the NPC session as a foreign journalist. While attending a meeting of Beijing's delegation of NPC deputies, Olena was impressed by deputy Yi Tong's suggestion to further stimulate the innovation vitality of women in science and technology, and to extend paternity leave. Yi is head of the innovation and development research institute of Beijing Academy of Science and Technology. 

"I totally agree with her. Women play a unique role in family and society. I hope women can make greater achievements in various fields in the new era," Olena says. 

For the future, Olena is determined to continue her career as a host and journalist in China. "I like my job very much. I want to do a variety of programs, especially cultural programs, and I want to introduce more of China and Chinese culture to foreigners. I think people abroad still don't know enough about China, so I want to do my part to help the world understand the real China, and Chinese culture. Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and I will keep learning it myself," Olena says.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly June 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha