Raz Galor was born in Israel in 1994. He moved to Hong Kong at 14 and later entered Peking University's School of International Relations. In Beijing he realized: most foreigners know little about China, and most Chinese don't know what foreigners really think.
In 2016 Raz and friends founded the "Laowai Research Institute", hitting Beijing streets to interview foreigners and locals: "What do you want to say to Chinese people?" "How was your first hotpot?" Light, honest and fun — the videos went viral.
His content is more than fun: high-speed rail experiences, village visits, cross-cultural comparisons, and foreign viewers answering Chinese questions. His fluent, Beijinger-flavoured Chinese earned him the nickname "the foreigner who talks best".
Today the institute is one of China's best-known cross-cultural content brands. "Prejudice comes from not knowing," Raz says. His work lets Chinese and foreign audiences understand each other through laughter — cross-cultural exchange at its best.
Raz Galor (1993- ), Israeli, Peking University student and founder of the "Foreigners Research Association" (Waiyanhui). In 2017 he founded the group with a Sino-foreign young team, using street interviews and skits to show real foreign reactions to Chinese topics.
How it began: studying at PKU, he saw both foreign misconceptions about China and Chinese curiosity about foreigners. Waiyanhui videos ask foreigners "what is the spiciest Chinese food you have eaten" or "what do you think of mobile payments" - answers are varied and genuinely funny, often with millions of views.
Business success: Waiyanhui grew into an MCN agency incubating many foreign bloggers, one of the most commercially valuable cross-cultural companies. Galor himself has appeared in Time magazine and other international media.
His view: he often says "we are not proving how great China is, but recording what foreigners really think." That authenticity is why his content resonates and sets him apart from bloggers who simply praise China.
Lesson: Galor uses the "outsider perspective" - foreign confusion, surprise and jokes about China are themselves the best material for cultural exchange. Beyond learning Chinese, ask: what unique perspective can you contribute?
A number shows Waiyanhui reach: over 10 million followers across platforms, billions of cumulative views, and bloggers from dozens of countries under its umbrella. Galor transition from filming himself to helping others film proves a point - cross-cultural content never lacks a market; what it lacks is people who truly understand both cultures. That is Waiyanhui greatest asset.
Galor often says: "foreigners looking at China is not about proving something but understanding something." That also captures Waiyanhui original intent - understanding matters more than agreeing. Nearly a decade on, they keep asking and recording, and every video is part of the dialogue between Chinese and foreign youth.
