STORY: Xinjiang in eyes of content creator from Colombia
DATELINE: July 22, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:26
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Fernando Munoz Bernal giving a speech
2. various of videos filmed by Fernando Munoz Bernal
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
4. various of Fernando Munoz Bernal filming
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
6. various of Fernando Munoz Bernal filming
7. various of Fernando Munoz Bernal dancing
8. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
 
STORYLINE:
 
After visiting more than 30 places of Xinjiang in northwest China over the past 3 months, Colombian content creator Fernando Munoz Bernal saw a real Xinjiang, and could not help but share what he had experienced with others.
 
Before 2021, when he first visited there, Fernando had never thought he would be closely associated with western parts of China, especially the remote inland regions of Xinjiang.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
"I came here in 2021. I came to Urumqi, Kashgar and Hotan to make three videos, three videos that proved to people that you can make videos in Xinjiang, you can visit Xinjiang freely. That was the purpose. If I can do it, any journalist can do it, if I can do it, any Westerner can do it. You want to know the truth, you can do it. That was 2021, in the middle of the epidemic time. And that was my first time."
 
During his four-day trip in 2021, he saw the reality was completely different from what the Western media reported. He made three videos to refute some Western media's lies about Xinjiang.
 
On April 9 this year, Fernando returned to Xinjiang with his wife, embarking on a journey aboard an RV that started from Hami.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
"It's been three months. And I've been traveling around 35 or 36 different cities, or towns, villages, staying in free parking lots or RV camps.
The freedom to travel is one of the things that I wanted to depict. If you want to know, just come here. I come here to see the truth. If I can do it, why can't they? If I can do it, why can't all these journalists, people, come here and see it? That's the reason, that's why I'm doing what I do."
 
Fernando and his wife met many people along the way, such as tourists from other provinces, local people from various ethnic groups, children and so on. He was not only impressed by the diversity in Xinjiang, but also by friendly locals.
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): FERNANDO MUNOZ BERNAL, Content creator from Colombia
"We get to talk to people, to see people, to interact with people. Everywhere we just go out. You saw it. I just talked to the children, to the parents, to people. And this is the most natural interaction that you can expect. This is a peaceful, harmonious, safe life that they live."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)