This undated file photo shows Yanming, a young Ivorian, practicing martial arts with his fellow Yanchen at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua)
ABIDJAN, April 19 (Xinhua) -- "When I was young, I told my mother that I would go to China to learn Kung Fu one day. She didn't believe it at the time. When I got there, I immediately called my mother and said to her, 'Mom, guess where I am, I'm at the Shaolin Temple!'" said Yanming, a young Ivorian, sharing with Xinhua his serendipitous affection for Chinese culture.
Yanming, whose actual name is Max Yollando, was given his Chinese name by his Chinese master at the Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist monastery and main attraction for Kung Fu fans.
At the time, he was a student at Felix Houphouet-Boigny University in Abidjan. Motivated by his passion for Chinese culture, he attended the Confucius Institute to study Chinese. In late 2016, an opportunity brought him to the Shaolin Temple in China's Henan Province for a three-month exchange.
This experience has defined his engagement with traditional Chinese culture.
"The spirit of martial arts in my fellow Shaolin disciples has deeply impressed me. I truly fell in love and felt sure that this was the place I had dreamed of since my childhood," he said.
After returning to Cote d'Ivoire, Yanming continued practicing his Chinese and studying traditional Chinese culture. In July 2017, he returned to the Shaolin Temple and stayed there for six years.
Reading, exercising, practicing martial arts, and meditation ... six years in the Shaolin Temple brought great changes to Yanming and also allowed him to better understand and appreciate traditional Chinese culture.
He said the most impressive things he learned from Chinese culture are love of work, respect, and recognition. "Coming to China to study has made me more disciplined and hardworking. Before, I was a little lazy, but the Shaolin Temple taught me to be punctual, respectful and grateful."
At the end of 2022, when Yanming completed his studies at the Shaolin Temple, he ended up in a Shaolin cultural center in Zambia, the first of its kind in Africa. The center accommodates 30 orphans. Chinese language and traditional Chinese culture lessons, including Kung Fu, are taught there.
For Yanming, the purpose of learning Chinese culture is to be able to return to Africa and try to introduce traditional Chinese values to his compatriots.
"This culture fascinated me because in China, people make efforts to work better, and they are very respectful and grateful to their family and country," he said.
"When I make connections between Chinese culture and African culture, it seems to me that these two cultures have a lot in common," he observed. ■
This undated file photo shows Yanming, a young Ivorian, practicing martial arts at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua)
This undated file photo shows Yanming, a young Ivorian, practicing martial arts at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua)
