For Gu Zexing, a 17-year-old student at UWC Changshu China and known to his audience as Richard, cultural dialogue isn't just a concept; it's a series of videos on social media.

His project, "Benjamin Meets Chinese Wisdom," weaves together the philosophy of 18th-century American icon Benjamin Franklin with traditional Chinese teachings, striking a chord that has drawn over 33,000 views since its February 2024 launch.​

"Hello guys! Welcome to my program 'Benjamin Meets Chinese Wisdom.' My name is Richard, and today's quote is … " The line has become a familiar opener for Gu's videos, where he appears in a crisp shirt and square-framed glasses, speaking with a calm, measured tone that belies his age.

What sets the series apart is its simple yet powerful premise: pairing Franklin's timeless sayings with ancient Chinese proverbs to highlight shared human truths.​

Gu's fascination with Franklin took root early. As a primary school student, he was captivated by the story of Franklin's lightning rod invention – a curiosity that grew into a deep dive into the statesman's life, ideas, and writings. That passion even led him to the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia, where he snapped a photo with Franklin's statue at the University of Pennsylvania, a memento of his connection to the figure he now studies.​

His love for traditional Chinese culture runs equally deep, and it's one that has already made waves. In 2020, while still in junior high, Richard spotted a critical error in his history textbook: a photo of an ancient coin and its caption misaligned with the correct historical period. His willingness to question the established material caught media attention, sparking online discussions and earning him praise as a young learner unafraid to seek accuracy.​

"Benjamin Meets Chinese Wisdom" emerged as the perfect intersection of these two passions. Organized by themes – life, happiness, virtue, success – the videos follow a consistent, engaging structure: Gu opens with a well-known Franklin quote, then pairs it with a Chinese classic that echoes the same sentiment, or vice versa.

For example, he links Franklin's observation, "How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them," to Confucius's teaching, "Feeling shame is close to bravery" – framing the two as complementary, not separate, pieces of wisdom.​

Crafting each episode requires rigor: Gu spends hours verifying translations and cross-referencing historical context to ensure accuracy. But the work pays off in what he calls the "wonderful chemical reactions" between the two cultures.

"I think what the world needs today is not hostility or exclusion, but openness and tolerance," he told Shanghai Daily. "I hope I can do something small to help people understand each other, so that there can be more cooperation instead of conflicts."​

Gu's curiosity extends beyond cultural dialogue: he's also a dedicated environmentalist.

Since age 7, when he started bird-watching with his father, he has turned that hobby into a mission – hosting online science sessions, organizing offline bird-watching events, and even tying his love for nature to Chinese culture.

In a 2024 blog post titled "Joining Su Shi in Bird-Watching," he explored how the Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet (a passionate bird enthusiast) wove avian imagery into his work.

"Su Shi loved bird-watching. Birds were an important image in his poetry and prose," Gu wrote. "The agility of the birds added vitality to the poems and elevated their emotional depth." The post quickly went viral, racking up over 10,000 views.​

Looking ahead, Gu has big plans: After college, he hopes to expand his platform and invite peers from around the world to join the cultural conversation. It's a goal rooted in preparation – something Franklin himself emphasized.

As Gu quoted the statesman in one of his latest videos: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." For this young bridge-builder, that's a reminder to keep laying the groundwork for a more connected, understanding world.