Editor's note: As a young girl with Chinese heritage, Mwamaka Sharifu Lali dreamed of going to China, captivated by tales of Admiral Zheng He's voyages to Africa and the wonders of Chinese medicine. Twenty years ago, she first set foot on this distant land, beginning her journey of self-discovery and growth in China. Join Sharifu as we delve into the bond between China and Africa, and experience their enduring friendship.
Growing up in the ancient city of Lamu on the east coast of Africa, Xia Ruafu listened to her grandmother tell her the story of Zheng He's fleet visiting Africa from a young age, and she was full of curiosity about this distant eastern country and that legendary history. It turned out that her fate with China had started as early as 600 years ago. Her grandmother told her that Zheng He's fleet had capsized in the area, and the kind locals had rescued the surviving sailors, and they had settled there, and Xia Ruifu was one of their descendants. Exploring her own Chinese cultural genes has become the wish of this "Chinese girl". After graduating from high school in 2005, with the help of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, Xia Ruifang set foot on the second home that she had never met but was longing for.
Once, a Kenyan traditional Chinese medicine practitioner successfully cured her mother's chronic illness, which made her deeply feel the charm of traditional Chinese medicine and strengthened her determination to devote herself to this field. For Xia, who does not understand Chinese, learning obscure ancient TCM books and reciting complex TCM prescriptions are huge challenges. Although feeling the pulse and acupuncture are now fluent, Xia Ruifu can't help but recall the difficult but fun learning process when singing Chinese herbal formula songs. After her doctorate, she returned to Kenya and became a "foreign TCM practitioner", providing TCM services to the people of her hometown.
In the nearly 20 years since she first came to China, she has seen great changes: the friendly exchanges between China and African countries have brought new hope and changed the fate of more people. Six hundred years ago, Zheng He's fleet set sail for Africa on a journey of peace and friendship. That spirit still lives on today. She hopes that she can build a bridge of communication between China and Africa like her ancestors, and become a messenger of friendship between China and Africa. For the future, Charifu is full of expectations.
"I know of at least three girls from Lamu who have followed in my footsteps and come to China to pursue their dreams, and I am proud to be their role model."
-- Ruifu Xia
Just four steps to apply Chinese Universities on SICAS Website
Contact us for details.
You can easily get all the most useful information for free on our website：
Email：service@sicas.cn
Tel/ Wechat/ Whatsapp: + 86-15318861816
You can scan this QR code to Add SICAS official wechat
You can scan this QR code to Add SICAS official WhatsApp
