For a group of international students living in Shanxi province, one aspect of life in China stands out above the rest: a pervasive sense of personal safety that they say requires no qualification or caveat.

Fareeha Majid, a Pakistani student at Shanxi University, put it simply: "You can come to China without any worries." She offered her own travels as evidence, noting that whenever she has encountered difficulties in other cities, assistance has always been close at hand. "There will always be people who lend a helping hand, such as police officers and tour guides," she said.

That sentiment was echoed by Indonesian student Harry Kurniawan, who has been studying and living in China for nearly two years. For him, the defining quality is not excitement or adventure, but a quiet, unremarkable stability. "Living here is particularly peaceful, and being able to live a down-to-earth life is the greatest happiness," he said. He added that financial safety, in particular, has never been a source of concern.

Nigerian student Onuoha Onyekwere Stephen went further, emphasizing that the feeling of security holds regardless of the hour. "You can feel a full sense of security in China," he said. "Even at midnight, it’s completely safe to go out alone, and it’s very reassuring to travel back and forth safely."

Stephen also pointed to a modern convenience that, for him, underscores the broader theme of worry-free daily life: the ease of transactions. "Even without a mobile phone, shopping and consumption can still be done here, and convenient facilities such as facial recognition are very popular," he added.

Chen Huan and Li Jialu contributed to the story.