'China, I like it': A Polish young man's ambition to bridge cultures

In Poland, the ever closer economic relationship with China has sparked people's interest in learning about a country more than 6,600 kilometers away, and many turn to a popular website named Chinytolubie, Polish for "China, I like it." "I wish to create a place where Polish people can find reliable information about China, a bridge for cultural exchange," said Piotr Chodak, founder of the Polish-language website dedicated to China-related news and information.

With an academic background of journalism and international relations, the marketing professional in his early 30s created Chinytolubie in 2013, although he had never been to China before. Nor had he worked in a China-related field.

Chodak explained that his personal attachment to China dated back to his childhood passion for Chinese martial arts.

"When I was a little boy, I was interested in martial arts and fascinated by Bruce Lee. But I didn't strive to become a martial arts champion myself. My interest shifted to other areas of the Chinese culture," he says.

While gaining more comprehensive knowledge about China himself, Chodak noticed that more of his fellow Poles were taking interest in China but found it difficult to gather relevant information, and thus decided to help them by launching the website.

He started by publishing information carried on the website of the Chinese embassy in Warsaw, and soon extended the range to a variety of sources in different fields such as business, culture, education, travel, technology and China-Poland relations.

The goal, according to Chodak, is that "everyone can find something interesting on the website".

"I try to write about everything. When there are important political events, I try to explain them in an understandable way. Someone learning Chinese or planning a business trip to China will definitely find some useful information on my website," he says.

"At the beginning I had 250 fans," Chodak recalls. "The number seems tiny today but I cherish the memory of those days."