Chinese students in London hide English textbooks near Big Ben for a heartfelt relay. Foreigners join to leave messages, fulfilling childhood dreams. Free, ongoing activity.
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Zephyrine, a Chinese student studying in the UK, holds an English textbook used in China and captures a photo that frames the textbook’s illustration of Big Ben alongside the real Big Ben on April 7, 2026.
Photo: courtesy of Zephyrine
The iconic British landmarks of Big Ben and the red double-decker bus are perhaps the first impressions most young Chinese people have of the UK—these two symbols once graced the covers of the English textbooks they used during their school days. Now, the students who turned those pages have grown up and journeyed to the very places that once appeared only in their textbooks.
Recalling the books that first sparked their dreams, they launched a heartwarming "textbook relay" along the banks of the River Thames: The textbook was hidden in "secret spots"; whoever found it could take a commemorative photo with the real Big Ben, then leave messages in the margins—expressing the fulfillment of a long-held dream, longing for home, and hopes for the future. Unexpectedly, this activity also caught the attention of many foreigners, who, moved by the unity and romantic spirit of China’s younger generation, even joined the relay themselves.
Time-Turner Tales: The Birth of the "Textbook Relay"
Currently involving more than a hundred participants, the "textbook relay" originated from a personal graduation wish of Yin Yansu, a Chinese student studying at the Royal College of Music. As she pondered how to give herself a unique, regret-free graduation memento, she thought of the junior high school English textbook emblazoned with Big Ben on its cover. For young people of her generation, this textbook was a trusted companion for learning English and discovering foreign cultures—and one of the earliest bonds connecting their youthful selves to the wider world overseas.
So Yin specially had this English textbook shipped from China, planning to take photos with it in front of Big Ben to bring her UK study journey to a perfect, fulfilling end. When she held up the textbook to take photos under Big Ben, some Chinese passersby noticed her; several Chinese students asked to borrow the textbook for a photo, and a few even explained to curious foreign onlookers: "This is a compulsory education textbook from China, and the cover is right here!"
Watching the handwriting of these warm-hearted compatriots she had never met, a tender idea crossed Yin’s mind: "Why not leave this book here for other students to take commemorative photos with, and preserve a precious memento for fellow countrymen living abroad?" Yin told the Global Times that, worried the books might be taken away, she chose two hidden yet accessible spots: one behind a red lifebuoy on the bridge, and the other behind an unassuming trash can.
At first, the two textbooks lay quietly in their hiding spots—until a few days later, when a netizen posted on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu: "I actually found two Chinese junior high school English textbooks under Big Ben! Couldn’t believe it!" From that moment on, a completely selfless "textbook relay" began.
Five days after hiding the books, Yin returned to the spots. To her surprise, even on a rainy day, a long line of Chinese students and tourists was waiting just to flip through those two textbooks filled with cherished memories. "When I queued up to get my textbooks back, they had turned from brand-new blank books into ones covered with writing on every single page," Yin said.
"What once felt like a distant world in my textbooks is now right before my eyes." "The world lies right at my feet." "May all that you have wished for come true…" These are just a few of the notes written in the books, expressing the fulfillment of young Chinese who have realized their dreams, along with their hopes for the future.
Names and coordinates from every corner of China, the hardships and perseverance of studying abroad, nostalgia for family, encouragement to strangers, and hopes for the future—all have been written in these relayed books. Some Chinese students, worried there wouldn’t be enough space in the two books for all the warm messages, even had several new textbooks shipped from China and hid them in the same secret spots.
A netizen surnamed Xu joined the "textbook relay" over the weekend, writing in the textbook: "May everyone who learns about the world from books get to see it with their own eyes." Xu shared with the Global Times that when she held that English textbook in her hands and watched the city she had dreamed of in childhood unfold vividly before her, it felt as if she had crossed the boundaries of time and space, gently meeting her younger self—the earnest, starry-eyed kid who once buried her nose in the book, longing for the distant land depicted on its cover. "I felt I had completed a full circle in my journey of learning," she said.
The relay has also aroused the curiosity of foreigners, some of whom have even joined this warm and delightful activity.
Shantay (pseudonym), a Malaysian student studying in the UK, is one of them. Through her own search and clues from Chinese friends, she tracked down four textbooks hidden near Big Ben. She also brought along a textbook that had connected Malaysian students like her to the world in their childhood.
"While the landmarks pictured in our textbooks aren’t Big Ben, I too used to dream of traveling the world when I studied from this book as a child," Shantay told the Global Times. She added that bringing her old textbook here made her truly understand the emotions of the Chinese students—it felt just like a "dream finally come true."
She said some people had placed the textbooks inside folders to keep them from getting soaked in the rain, while others had tucked postcards, small gifts, and even amulets into the document pouches. "Chinese students are so creative and thoughtful. In that moment, all I felt was warmth and kindness, and it was incredibly healing," Shantay noted.
Shantay also expressed sincere gratitude to the united Chinese students who started this activity. "Cultural shock and academic pressure are always unavoidable when we are studying abroad, yet this activity brings back memories of the efforts I devoted to realizing my dreams and inspires me to keep moving forward."
Yin said she believes the core reason people are drawn to this relay is that "with just a pen and paper, our emotions are linked together in the purest way." She added that "this is also the romance and connection shared among Chinese people."
Caroline Gao has lived in London for nearly a decade. One day, as she was walking along the River Thames, her husband Kale Evans curiously asked why a group of Chinese people were gathered around a book, waiting to take photos. After Caroline explained the story behind the activity, Kale was first astonished that the textbooks had stayed in such good condition despite being passed hand to hand so many times, and then impressed by the ingenuity of China’s young generation.
They then joined the queue to see what everyone had written. As he flipped through the pages, Kale found himself sometimes amused by the witty, cheerful notes and deeply touched by the more heartfelt ones. What touched him most was a line from an ancient Chinese poem: "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near."
He said that some young Chinese would exchange knowing smiles with one another at the scene: "That’s a look only they understand—it’s the very embodiment of that saying."
In Kale’s view, romance runs deep in the bones of the Chinese people, yet it is never flaunted or forced. Instead, it finds its most authentic expression through simple, fitting gestures and objects. "This is one of China’s most enchanting qualities," Kale said.
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Editor: Crystal H
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