Narvamus

From Beijing to Tartu: How Language, Culture, and Dumplings Shape Identity

Author and photographer: Danila Sviridov

A mosaic is a work of art made from many small pieces — stones, glass, ceramics. Each piece is simple on its own, but together they create a complete picture. People are like that too. Each person has their own language, background, and culture, but together we form the living, multi-layered identity of a country. The “Mosaic” project is about people who came to Estonia from different parts of the world, found a home here, and became part of its cultural space. It’s a series of photo stories and interviews where we talk about life, belonging, and how the feeling of “home” is born.
Our first guest is Kaspar Wang, a TikToker from China who fell in love with Estonia. On his TikTok account, which has over 20,000 followers, he shares everyday moments — from his study experience to reflections on the cultural differences between China and Estonia.

We met Kaspar in Tartu to walk around his favorite places and talk about moving, adapting to a new culture, and what it feels like to become “one of your own” in a new country.

We started our walk near the University of Tartu Library and slowly headed toward the Dome Cathedral. There, we found a bench with a beautiful view of the building’s façade. We made ourselves comfortable and began our interview.
First question: How would you describe your cultural identity now? Has it changed in any way after moving to Estonia?
I’d say that when I lived in China, I didn’t really notice cultural differences, which makes sense, because in China, most people are Chinese. I had almost no contact with foreigners.

But when I moved to Estonia, at first it didn’t seem like the cultural differences were that big either.

Later on, people started asking me more and more questions — like how certain things are done in China, what everyday life is like there, what our traditions are. And that made me see my own culture in a new way. It made me think about my cultural identity. I became more confident, I started to appreciate my culture even more, and I wanted to share it with others. That’s actually why I started my TikTok and other social media — one of the main topics there is culture and cultural differences.

I’d say my culture is a big part of who I am. Where I come from, who I am, and what culture I belong to — all of that is an important part of my identity.
Do you have any habits, traditions, or rituals that help you stay connected to Chinese culture while living in Estonia?
I’d say that my Chinese identity doesn’t show in big ways, but it definitely shows in small things. For example, I eat with chopsticks every day, not with a fork and knife. And I always use a rice cooker. A lot of people ask me, “Is it true that every Asian family has one?” Yes, it’s true! We really do cook rice that way, not in bags, and not in a regular pot.

It’s these little things — I try to keep my traditions as much as possible, even while living in Estonia. Chinese New Year, for example, is really important to me. Two years ago, I celebrated it in Tallinn, and it felt amazing to see that it was also celebrated in the Rotermann Quarter. It made me really happy to see people here showing interest in my culture — it was touching.

There are other small rituals too that help me feel at home. Every time I go to China and come back to Estonia, I bring little Chinese decorations with me — zhōngguójié (中国结).

Zhōngguójié (Chinese: 中国结, zhōngguó jié) is a traditional Chinese decorative knot symbolizing happiness, good luck, and unity. It is often used as a home decoration and as a talisman.

I hang them up in my home, and when guests come over, they immediately see that I’m Chinese. I also have panda magnets on my fridge.
These little things make me feel happy and help me stay connected to my culture.

Spending time with friends also helps when I miss home. I often cook delicious Chinese dishes with my Chinese friends. These moments are really important — they help me not feel too homesick. When you live abroad, your close friends become like your family — we support each other. These shared moments have become a habit that helps me deal with nostalgia.
Do you feel like you’ve picked up any habits or ways of behaving from Estonians? For example, do you talk less or keep more distance? Has anything changed in you?
Yes, definitely. Some of my friends in Beijing ask me why I’ve become quieter and more reserved. I tell them,

well, I live in Estonia now, and people here have a more northern personality.

So yes, I think it has influenced me.
Do you think that influence is more positive or negative?
I’d say it’s more positive. I like it, and I don’t think I need to change anything.
Do you feel like you’ve already become part of Estonian society?
I’d say — yes and no. Sometimes it really feels like I’m one of the “family members” here in Estonia. But in other situations, I still feel a bit like an outside observer, watching from the side.

Since I’m studying journalism and communication, I try to stay up to date with what’s going on in the Estonian media world. At the very least, I understand what’s happening around me. I think that’s really important — to know what’s going on now and what could happen in the future. That has really helped me adapt and feel more at home here. But there are still moments when I don’t fully understand something, when I miss certain details — and then I feel like an outsider again.
Do you enjoy being in that kind of position? Or would you like to be more involved?
Yes, I’d definitely like to become more connected to Estonian life and talk more with other people.
We didn’t stay too long near the cathedral: after taking a few photos, we headed to our next stop — the botanical garden. As we walked and talked, I became curious: how does Kaspar see Estonian culture? What feels familiar to him, and what still seems strange or creates cultural shock?
How do you see Estonian culture and traditions? Is there anything that feels especially close to you?
That’s a really hard question for me. At first, everything seemed very interesting, because our cultures are really, really different. For example, holidays: in the beginning, I had no idea what people do on Jaanipäev (Midsummer Day) or on Easter. In China, we don’t celebrate Easter at all or Christmas either.

The first time I celebrated those holidays was here in Estonia and it was a completely new experience for me. At first, I had to learn how people celebrate them here. At university, in the Estonian language courses, they don’t just teach the language, they also tell us about the culture, about festivals and traditions. Thanks to those classes, I learned a lot more about Estonian culture.
What do you like most about Estonian culture?
I think what I like most is that Estonian culture is really connected to nature. That was something totally new for me, because I’m from Beijing, from the city center, and I never had the chance to just go to the forest, pick mushrooms or berries, or go fishing. That just wasn’t part of my childhood.

My childhood was more about tall buildings and shopping malls — it was a completely urban life.

But there’s nature in China too, like forests and mountains, right?
Yes, it really depends on where you live. I think people who live in the countryside definitely have more contact with nature. China has some incredibly beautiful natural places, such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, or Tibet. The landscapes there are stunning. I’ve been to all of those places, and I really liked them, but they’re not connected to my everyday life or childhood memories. My childhood memories are all from Beijing — wide streets and the hustle and bustle of the city.
Did you experience any culture shock or misunderstandings? If so, how did you deal with them?
Oh, there were so many, to be honest.

In the beginning, I just couldn’t understand why people don’t like to talk.

That was my first big question. Like we talked about earlier, Chinese people are very open, warm, and friendly. It often feels like you’ve known someone for a long time, even if you’ve just met. But here, at first, it felt really hard to make friends — both with my classmates and with random people on the street. Sometimes I thought, “Maybe I’m doing something wrong? Maybe people don’t like me?” I had these thoughts going around in my head. One time, I got on a Lux Express bus, and when someone came and sat next to me, they immediately pressed the button to slide their seat away from mine. That was such a strange experience. I thought, “Do I smell bad? Is something wrong with me?” But later I realized that it’s totally fine. People here just value personal space more. I think that was my first real culture shock.

Later, there were other small everyday culture shocks too. I’ve told the media many times that I still don’t understand why Estonians eat dumplings with sour cream. For me, it’s like telling an Italian that we put pineapple on pizza. That’s exactly how it feels when people say dumplings go with sour cream. In China, we always eat them with vinegar — that’s completely normal for us. There’s no such thing as sour cream in China. At least, I had never seen it or eaten it in my entire life before coming here. It’s just not a typical product. And as for ketchup, we don’t eat dumplings with that either. That was another culture shock for me.
Have you ever been asked any strange or maybe even offensive questions? Like, for example, “Is it true that people in China eat dogs?”
No, actually — we don’t eat dogs. At first, questions like that made me a bit uncomfortable. I couldn’t even imagine — how could anyone eat such cute animals? It felt strange and unpleasant to hear.

But later, I started thinking more about where these kinds of questions come from. Even some of my good friends have asked me similar things. I understand that they don’t mean to offend me, they’re just curious. They genuinely don’t know what things are really like in China.

Now I don’t take those questions personally anymore. On the contrary, I want to explain things and help people understand — like, for example, neither I, nor my friends, nor their friends eat dogs. We all love animals. It’s just a stereotype, and I try to fight those kinds of ideas through my social media.
Has there ever been something that really upset you? A question or situation where you thought, “Why do people even think this about Chinese people?”
Honestly, my personal experience has been mostly very positive. The people I meet in real life are usually very genuine and kind. But on the internet, of course, you can run into all kinds of people and yes, I have come across some unpleasant or even very harsh comments there. At first, that kind of thing hurt. It made me feel sad. But over time, I’ve learned not to take it too seriously.

For example, there are stereotypes about how Chinese people look. Sometimes people write rude comments about our appearance. In the beginning, it was very upsetting — I mean, I can’t change how I look. But now I know how to ignore those kinds of comments and not let them affect me.
After taking a few pictures in the botanical garden, we headed toward the next stop on our walk — Delta Centre, the University of Tartu’s technology and innovation building. We were hoping to find a quiet spot to talk, but the place was full of students, and the only peaceful corner we could find was a pair of couches out on the balcony. “Looks like this might be the smoking area,” I joked. I was curious to learn more about Kaspar’s TikTok presence: how it all started, and why he chose to share his life in Estonia on that particular platform.
Do you think your TikTok account and activities influence how people in Estonia see Chinese people and Chinese culture?
Absolutely. It’s a great honor for me to show people the beauty and culture that exist in China. Some of my videos get, for example, 100,000 views, and it’s really nice to read comments like: “Oh, so this is how things are in China,” or “This is Chinese beauty,” or “This is how dumplings are made in China.” And yes, I definitely think my work helps shape Estonians’ understanding of China.
Do you want more to break stereotypes or to show the reality?
I definitely try to break stereotypes and reduce their influence. In some videos, I even joke about our stereotypes to show people that they don’t reflect reality.
I saw your latest video with the Japanese blogger Kyoma. It was interesting to watch a Japanese person and a Chinese person talking not in English but in Estonian. I think for some Estonians who don’t really like immigrants, that’s a real culture shock.
Yes, you could even say that we’ve come to a time when foreigners really speak Estonian, and it’s no longer shocking. Many foreigners around me learn Estonian, even though they aren’t from Estonia. I recently studied Estonian at university, and there are many foreigners there who speak Estonian very well, even better than me. I see at university all the time that

Estonian is no longer just the language of Estonians but also of foreigners.

Estonian is also taught in China, there are university programs for learning Estonian, and many students choose Estonia for exchange studies for a year. So we’ve reached a time when Estonian is no longer “a small language spoken only by Estonians.” This stereotype definitely needs to change.
Do you think your TikTok activities or your life in Estonia help promote cultural diversity? Does this show that Estonia is a multicultural country and support the integration of immigrants?
Yes, definitely. At first, I didn’t even think about it — it was just my personal social media account where I shared moments from everyday life. I didn’t expect it to affect others. But when some videos went viral, I started thinking that maybe I have a purpose or even a responsibility. After all, I’m here — a foreigner, Chinese, Asian — so maybe I have a certain role in this society.

Now it’s important for me to show that Estonia is home not only to Estonians but also to many foreigners. And I want the voices of us newcomers to be louder in Estonia’s media space. So people can see and hear what we think, how we live here every day, and what our experiences are like.
Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how to better unite different cultures in Estonia?
I would say a very good start is language. I would definitely recommend starting by learning the language.

Language is what connects people across borders.

I’ve always believed that politics is what divides us — it brings conflicts and arguments. But language is what unites us and helps us understand each other better. If you learn Estonian, you will definitely find someone who wants to hear and understand your voice. I think language is a good starting point for integration.
Talking about TikTok and life in Estonia, we continued our walk toward the main building of the University of Tartu. We went inside when we arrived, and after the cool walk outside, the warm air felt great. After warming up a bit, we headed to our final stop — Aparaaditehas, one of the most atmospheric cultural spaces in Tartu. There, I asked Kaspar the last questions, mostly about his journey learning Estonian — a difficult but important step toward feeling “at home” in a new country.
You often talk about learning languages — is there a particular word or phrase that feels especially meaningful to you?
Yes, there is one word I’ve mentioned before in the media — abielu (marriage). If you think about this word, it consists of two parts: abi (help) and elu (life) — so abielu means “help in life.” People help each other throughout their lives — that’s probably what a true marriage is. And there’s also the word abikaaslane — abi plus kaaslane (companion), meaning someone who helps you and whom you help in return.

Through such words, I even start to better understand Estonian ways of thinking — how they view different things in life, like marriage, for example. Or take the word lambipirn — lamb(i) (from lamp — lamp) and pirn (pear), because a light bulb is shaped like a pear. It’s such a cute word. Or kilpkonn (turtle) — kilp (shield) and konn (frog).
Have you had any funny experiences related to the Estonian language?
Of course! At first, I just couldn’t pronounce the “r” sound correctly. When someone asked me what my favorite dessert was, I said šokolaadi roll (šokolaadirull — chocolate roll), but it sounded like loll — which means “stupid”! There were quite a few cases like that. I repeated that word a hundred times until one day my teacher said, “Please practice that sound, because it sounds really funny.” But now, I think I manage it more or less.
You’re doing great! For example, I really like different accents — the way people speak is so individual. You can immediately tell where someone is from.
Yes, I feel the same way. At first, when I was studying at university, I thought my speech had to be as perfect as possible. But at some point, I realized that

an accent is part of my identity.

I’m Chinese, and it’s natural that I speak a little differently. I can’t sound like a native Estonian because I didn’t grow up here and I’m not Estonian. If I come from a different culture, it’s only natural that it shows in the way I speak.
To conclude, I asked Kaspar to reflect on Estonia using images and associations, and finally to look into the cultural future of the country.
If you had to describe Estonia in one word or image, what would it be and why?
I would say the Estonian flag. Snow, forest, and earth — all together symbolize Estonia. It’s calmness, closeness to nature, purity — very symbolic.

When I look at the Estonian flag, I feel a sense of peace and quiet.

And if you were part of Estonian culture, like a piece of a mosaic, what would you be? For example, a value, a feeling, a shape, or maybe a song?
That’s a very interesting question. I think I could be a small island somewhere in the Baltic Sea. Estonia has many islands, and I imagine myself as such a calm and somewhat secluded place.
Why exactly an island? Doesn’t that mean you want to keep some distance from others?
Rather, it symbolizes calmness. I think I am a calm person by nature. Many people don’t really know me until they get to know me better. If someone wants to come up and get to know me — sure, that’s fine. But overall, I prefer silence and personal space.
Can you imagine what the cultural landscape of Estonia will look like in 10 years? What do you see in that future?
That’s probably the most wonderful question I’ve ever been asked! I think, ideally, in 10 years Estonia could be a place where the Estonian language is no longer seen as small and closed, but where foreigners — Chinese, Japanese, Russians — also speak it. Estonian could become a bridge connecting different peoples and cultures, and through that, we could form one big multicultural family in Estonia.

That’s my ideal vision for the future: we’ll have more educated people traveling abroad to share the language and culture, helping foreigners learn Estonian. I believe that in the future even more people will come here who want to live in Estonia, learn the Estonian language, and use it in their daily lives.


Danila (he/him) is a photographer and beginning journalist. A lover of black-and-white shots and a participant in the Perspectives 2 project, working on themes of cultural identity and self-identification. In his work, he explores how visual images can reflect a person’s inner world and their connection to the surrounding world.
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This material is part of the PERSPECTIVES 2 project – a new label for independent, constructive, and multiperspective journalism. The project is funded by the European Union. The opinions and positions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The European Union and EACEA assume no responsibility for them. Learn more about PERSPECTIVES.
2025-07-16 16:49 Perspectives Мозаика/Mosaiik EN