Chinese Truck Driver's Kindness Goes Viral After Picking Up 2 Foreign Influencers

A Chinese truck driver's spontaneous decision to give a lift to two foreign hitchhikers in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has unexpectedly become a global Internet sensation, touching millions with a simple story of cross-border kindness.

On May 22, the driver surnamed Yang encountered two foreign backpackers on a national highway. Using a translation app, the travelers asked for a ride to Ningshan County. Despite the language barrier, Yang agreed.

What Yang did not know was that his passengers were no ordinary travelers. One is a well-known British travel vlogger, Mike Okay, on YouTube with 1.27 million followers. The other is Lex Fridman, a globally recognized tech podcaster with over 10 million followers across platforms, known for in-depth conversations with figures such as Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.

Just a week before the hitchhiking encounter, on May 15, Fridman had announced on his X account that he was coming to China for a backpacking trip. He planned to visit major cities and conduct in-depth interviews with engineers at the heart of China's AI industry.

"Honestly, my biggest concern at first was that they might be spies," Yang later told The Beijing News. "So I kept watching them from the corner of my eye." But as the journey continued, he saw they were simply discussing the changes in China's countryside and cities, and his guard gradually came down.

Using translation software, the three began chatting. Yang welcomed them to China, saying Chinese people are very friendly, and warmly shared his thoughts on life and happiness.

"If these two foreign friends ever get to see this video," Yang said, "I hope they can spread the message that Chinese people are kind, sincere, and hospitable."

The video was filmed by Yang and uploaded to his Douyin account "山野相逢," where the two clips have garnered over 70,000 likes combined. It was later reposted onto international platforms, helping the story reach a global audience.