An Iraqi man who fled the horrors of war has found peace and joy in China, where he shares his passion for Chinese cuisine with millions of fans and calls the country his “paradise.”
Ahmed Mohammed Jaber Alkalthoom, a 30-year-old man from a wealthy Iraqi family, has two younger sisters. His life was upended in 2003 when the Iraq War broke out, forcing his family to leave their hometown. They sought refuge in several countries, including Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.
“In the midst of heavy shelling, my parents would hide my sisters and me inside the refrigerator to protect us,” Alkalthoom recalled in an interview with a Chinese media outlet. He also shared a harrowing experience when a missile exploded less than 300 meters away, rupturing his eardrum.
In 2014, with the support of relatives, Alkalthoom moved to northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where he began teaching Arabic at an international school. Determined to integrate into Chinese society, he took it upon himself to learn Mandarin, mastering 108 Chinese characters within three months. Within a year, he was fluent in the language and had adopted a Chinese name: Wang Lixuan.
Before becoming a food influencer in 2022, Alkalthoom also worked as an actor and model in China. His humor, charisma, and fluent Mandarin have made his food reviews wildly popular, amassing over 10 million fans on Chinese social media platforms.
On a visit to Sichuan, famous for its spicy cuisine, he sampled Sichuanese barbecue, known as chuanchuan. Struggling to handle the spiciness, he joked in Mandarin to the server, “It feels like all the chili peppers are teaming up to take me down!” In Changsha, while eating chopped chili fish head, he quipped, “It feels like I just kissed the fish,” sparking laughter from his followers.
No matter where his culinary journeys take him, Alkalthoom is often greeted by enthusiastic fans who insist on paying for his meals. In return, he shows his gratitude by buying them fruit and drinks. His food adventures have taken him across the country, from beef noodles in Inner Mongolia to hot dry noodles in Wuhan. His videos have collectively garnered over 3.5 billion views on Chinese social media.
However, the trauma of war continues to linger. While eating in Wuhan, the sound of a noodle chef slapping dough startled him and his family, causing them to instinctively duck under the table, mistaking it for gunfire. On another occasion in Henan, the sound of firecrackers at a barbecue stall triggered panic. Reflecting on the moment in a video, he said, “I thought it was a bomb.” That video alone attracted over 650,000 likes, with many viewers leaving supportive comments like, “Don’t worry, you are in China now. You are safe.”
Reflecting on his journey, Alkalthoom remarked, “The old me ‘died’ back in Iraq. I’m now living my second life in paradise, here in China.” His social media bio echoes this sentiment: “After enduring the pain of life and death, I deeply cherish the peace and stability I’ve found in China.”
One commenter captured the thoughts of many, writing, “Ordinary people always suffer the most in wars. I’m glad you’ve found a new life in China. May you continue to enjoy your time here.”
