Trust Begins with Tea

How one student’s summer in Beijing uncovered the quiet power of cultural connection

“As you start to walk, the way appears.” - Rumi

Rumi’s words echo through the quiet moments of a summer in Beijing, where one British student, with bright, curious eyes, learned that understanding doesn’t arrive fully formed. It grows, slowly, through attention, presence, and small acts of openness.

Stepping Inside the Culture

In a quiet corner of the British Council’s Beijing office, surrounded by the clacking of keyboards and half-empty cups of naicha, Freya was learning something that doesn’t come with a job title: how to read the room, even when the room speaks another language.

A second-year university student from the UK, Freya spent the summer interning with the British Council in China. It wasn’t a comfortable or familiar choice, but it was the kind of experience that carves out a new frame of reference: for culture, for connection, and for how trust is built across borders.

Freya had been to Shanghai before as a tourist. But this time was different. Working full-time in Beijing immersed her in the unfiltered realities of a different cultural rhythm. She was no longer looking at China from the outside; she was looking from within it, experiencing the country as a participant rather than an observer. The difference, she said, was clear: “living and working in Beijing gave me a far deeper perspective.

Learning by Doing

Much of her work involved research, marketing campaigns, and helping to plan educational events. Some days were spent on university campuses or at conferences, where she supported logistics or observed British Council programmes in action. One initiative in particular - the Mandarin Excellence Programme - left a lasting impression: “seeing the way education and cultural exchange programmes were run made me appreciate the British Council's role in fostering international understanding.”

Food as a Cultural Bridge

But what taught her the most weren’t the events, the projects, or even the meetings. It was lunch. Food, Freya quickly realised, was not just sustenance - it was a cultural bridge. The diversity of Chinese cuisine didn’t just reflect geography; it invited conversation. Whether sipping naicha or comparing malatang spice levels, she found that food opened up space for reflection and connection. The blend of bold ingredients mirrored the subtle layers of cultural understanding. Differences didn’t cancel each other out, they complemented, enhanced, and made the experience richer.

A City of Contrasts

Beyond the office, Beijing offered a similarly layered experience. This wasn’t the monolithic capital often imagined from afar—it was a city of striking contrasts: ancient temples beside glass towers, hutong alleyways next to fusion cafés. The differences weren’t chaotic; they felt organic. And within them, a quiet kind of tolerance emerged. Not loud, not idealised, just lived.

Freya noticed how people coexisted across lifestyles, dialects, and perspectives. It made her slow down. To observe. To unlearn. To rebuild her assumptions with greater care.

Growing Through Discomfort

Her days were full, but what stayed with her most were the small adjustments: learning to navigate unfamiliar systems, adapting to new professional expectations, and operating with independence in a place where little came intuitively. “Working in China pushed me outside my comfort zone in ways a UK-based internship likely wouldn’t have,” she reflected. It taught her to be flexible, observant, and open to perspectives that didn’t mirror her own.

She also left with a more nuanced understanding of how international education work is done - not in abstract policies or cultural theory, but in human-scale moments. In a side conversation with a colleague. In a university corridor. In a shared laugh over mistranslated signs.

“You’ll gain a new perspective on global working environments, meet amazing people, and experience a rich, vibrant culture firsthand,” she said. Her experience wasn’t without challenge, but the rewards, she felt, were lasting and real.

A Journey That Stays With You

At the end of her internship, Freya chose three words to sum up her time in China:

Eye-opening - for the way it challenged what she thought she knew. Immersive - because even daily routines became lessons. Rewarding - because it left her with clarity, confidence, and connection.

“千里之行，始于足下” (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step). For Freya’s case, that step began with curiosity, and continued with every moment of presence.

Trust, it turns out, is not an abstract concept. It’s built slowly - in shared silences, in translated jokes, in the simple act of showing up with an open mind. And when we invest in people-to-people exchange, we invest in the possibility of understanding a little more - and fearing a little less.