20 | Wednesday, August 28, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY YOUTH Learning Chinese popular among students in Ghana
ACCRA — Benjamin Gyimah, 21, is a high school graduate working at the GS Plaza Hotel, a leading Chinese hospitality facility in Ghana’s capital. He grew up loving Chinese movies and arts but could not understand the films without subtitles. Now, his dream of learning Chinese is on the way to being fulfilled after he enrolled at the Confucius Institute earlier this year aft Drawing the er his elder brother, who studied Chinese at the Uni versity of Ghana, encouraged him to do so. “I thought Chinese was com plex. But as more time passes, I ines of black ink slash back love it,” he said. and forth across the page, with the skill to sensitively craft his Learning Chinese “is simpler vividly contrasting with the blade of justice characters and their dialogue. than I thought. Learning Chi crisp white of the paper. Wellrounded characters and a nese is fun. I love Chinese mov LEach stroke, though slightly differ logical plot are the basis for creating ies, especially kung fu films”, he ent — some heavy and dark, others After hitting ‘rock bottom’, Xu Xianzhe picked up a pen and highquality comics, he says. said. light and wispy — contributes to sketched himself a thrilling new chapter, Xing Wen reports. “Characters are not the mario Like many young Ghana helping form the finished composi nettes; they are the puppet masters,” ians who have studied Chi tion. he explains. “By putting myself in nese, the Chineseowned With a flourish, the 35yearold their place and being able to think hotel where he works author and illustrator, Xu Xianzhe, like them, they guide my pen to presents him with plenty of finishes scribbling his signature draw how their story unfolds.” opportunities to interact with and, with a smile, hands the book to After going through Kazuji Kurihara, the editor of the Chinese people. one of the many adoring fans clam twists and turns in comics, adds that all cartoonists Others, like Emelia Ansong, a ouring for his autograph at the 2019 should throw themselves into their local Chinese language teacher Shanghai Book Fair. my first 25 years, I creations like Xu. Producing works with the Confucius Institute at It is the final leg of his summer thought it was time with such depth helps to forge the University of Cape Coast, book signing tour which has also stronger bonds with the readers. about 146 kilometers west of taken him to Beijing, Changsha in for me to follow my “To reach a higher level, cartoon the capital, are continuously Hunan province, Wuhan in Hubei heart and become a ists have to broaden their horizons improving their proficiency in province and Hangzhou in Zhejiang storyteller.” by reading books, watching movies the language. province. and acquiring extensive knowledge, Speaking about her efforts, Each stop, without exception, Xu Xu Xianzhe, 35, author and as well as cooperate with a profes Ansong said: “I did my bache has found himself surrounded by illustrator, a former advertising sional comic editor who can help lor’s degree in Chinese and crowds of young readers, each one major who changed them to overcome bottlenecks,” geography. And after that, I captivated by the intriguing plot profession at 26 comments Kurihara on microblog traveled to China to do a mas and wellrounded characters in his ging site Sina Weibo. ter’s in teaching Chinese. longrunning comic book, Blades of Above: Xu Xianzhe (left), author of Blades of the Guardians, dis Xu agrees, and points out that the “Later, I got the opportuni the Guardians. cusses with Japanese manga editor Kazuji Kurihara how to polish a increasing number of passionate ty to return to Ghana and The story is set in the late Sui story in Xiamen, Fujian province. Top: Some of the pages of the cartoonists are helping to bring teach Chinese at UCC.” Dynasty (581618), when people suf comic book penned by Xu. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY about a flourishing Chinese comic The Confucius Institute fered under the yoke of a warmon and animation industry. established its first Ghanaian gering tyrant and bore the burden of Everyone’s hustling for their own campus at the University of heavy taxes, compulsory military ration before he started work on the Rumiko Takahashi and Tooru Fujisa province. “After going through benefit. This is a sentiment that Dao Ghana in 2013, and the second service and forced labor. comic, during which time he prac wa lavished high praise upon Xu’s twists and turns in my first 25 Ma often echoes, showing his under at the university in 2016, to pro The protagonist, Dao Ma, is an ticed drawing storyboards and read work for its fascinating characters years, I thought it was time for me standing of human society. “Even so, mote Chinese language and adept martial artist and a soldier of reference books like Zizhi Tongjian, and enjoyable filmlike narration. to follow my heart and become a he still believes in something higher culture learning among Ghana fortune. More than a mere merce (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Unlike many other influential storyteller.” than personal profit, such as the ians. nary, he honors a heroic code, plac Government) and Suishu (History comic strip artists, who learned to He admits that lacking painting bond with his son,” says Xu. “So, more opportunities are ing a high value on the ties of of Sui), and sought for advice from paint or draw from a young age, Xu, skills, he had to overcome the diffi Xu, after the mixed fortunes of now available for people to kinship and loyal friends. experts on the design of weapons who was once an advertising major culties of drawing the scenes that his 20s, has realized that he has learn Chinese,” she said. One day, he is entrusted to escort and costumes. at Northeast Normal University, were so vivid in his mind. “Despite become less impetuous and no “At the Confucius Institute at a mysterious masked man — actual “The creation of Dao Ma’s image barely has any such training. this,” he says, “I was motivated by a longer chases shortterm success the university, we have three ly a rebel leader — on a hazardous was inspired by historian Sima After the failure of his advertis desire to tell a grand story.” and a quick profit. courses for students who are journey from Xiyu, or the western Qian’s description of xiake (mean ing startup and, in his own words, However, Xu found that his lack of With plans to continue working interested in learning Chi regions, to the imperial capital ing swordsmen, or vigilantes) who “hitting rock bottom”, he changed formal training offered him an on the comic, eventually adapting it nese.” (now Xi’an), forming the basis for a stand for free will, upholding justice, professional tack completely, advantage in that he was not bound for the screen, Xu hints that Dao Ma In addition to the Confucius suspensefilled and thrilling tale. and fighting against a rigidly strati deciding instead to pick up a pen by any traditional artistic dogma. and his own stories will continue to Institute centers in the univer Xu says that he set the story dur fied society,” says Xu. “I suppose the and delve into the depths of his Additionally, an ethnic Korean be intertwined for at least the next sities, the University of Ghana ing the shortlived dynasty because Chinese ‘xiake spirit’ will resonate imagination. growing up in Yanbian Korean decade, stating with a smile that also runs a degree program in he wanted to give it a solid cultural with readers around the world.” “I became obsessed with the fan autonomous prefecture in Jilin both of their adventures are “to be Chinese, giving more people and historical foundation, showing Last April, the first book of the seri tasy world that I would read about province, he is a fluent speaker of continued”. the chance to learn the lan how people struggle with fate and alized comic was launched and its in comics and see in animated films both Chinese and Korean, and once guage. fight against it in troubled times. sales exceeded 100,000 copies in its when I was a little boy,” recalls Xu, worked as parttime literary trans Contact the writer at Speaking about what drives It took him several years of prepa first month. Japanese manga artists who’s based in Xiamen, Fujian lator, a vocation that equipped him [email protected] Ghanaian youth to take up learning Chinese, Ansong said: “A lot of young Ghana ian people are curious and would like to explore the Visiting astronauts inspire Namibian youngsters world beyond their borders.” Nathaniel Oquaye graduated from the University of Ghana SWAKOPMUND, Namibia — tation of President Hage Geingob. “It’s amazing. As long as we work with a double major in Chinese “Who was the first astronaut in Chinese Ambassador to Namibia hard, we will be able to realize our and political science. And in space? Who was the first astronaut Zhang Yiming said the visit was dreams,” Tjimune said. 2016, he got the opportunity to landing on the moon? Who was the aimed at enhancing communication Zhang said the Chinese delegation study in Zhejiang province in first Chinese astronaut?” a group of and cooperation on astronautics received a warm welcome from their China, where he studied Chi visibly excited students asked. between China and Namibia. Namibian friends, adding that their nese language and culture for These were just some of the ques Zhang said that during the Nami trip to the country was a landmark nine months. tions raised by students at a recent bian president’s state visit to China event in the friendly exchanges He said that learning Chinese aerospace science and technology last year, Geingob had visited the between the two countries. is a must for every young per interactive event with visiting Chi Beijing Aerospace Control Center, “In 2010, the first Chinese astro son seeking to rise in the job nese astronauts at Namibia’s Space interacted with three Chinese astro naut Yang Liwei visited Namibia. market. Telemetry, Tracking and Command nauts and invited Chinese astro This is the second visit by Chinese “I think Chinese is going to Station in the coastal town of Swa nauts to visit Namibia. astronauts to Namibia, highlighting become very important over kopmund. “During the visit, the delegation Astronauts Liu Yang (left) and Chen Dong share their experiences of the special relationship of our two the next decade,” Oquaye said. Metumu Nomvula Tjimune, a will pay a courtesy call to President being in space at lectures in China in 2018. countries and the great importance He described Chinese art grade 12 student at Westside High Geingob, meet local middle school PHOTOS BY YANG BO AND SUN ZIFA / CHINA NEWS SERVICE China attaches to our cooperation,” works as beautiful, and said: “I School, said she was very pleased to learners at Space TT&C Station, and the ambassador said. studied a bit of calligraphy and see the astronauts from China. talk with students facetoface at the “China and Namibia continue to painting.” “I like Liu Yang. As a woman, she Namibia University of Science and Tiangong1 was China’s experi space station by 2022. cooperate in the fields of aerospace Now, back in Ghana, he can match any man. She shows Technology,” according to Zhang. mental space lab and a pioneer of Cleophas Mutjavikua, governor of on the basis of equality and mutual praised the Chinese govern what she can do, which means we Although this is her first trip to China’s ambitions to develop future Erongo region, welcomed the Chi benefit. China’s aerospace develop ment for doing much can make it, too,” Tjimune said. Namibia, Liu said she is no stranger space stations. Launched in 2011, the nese astronauts and said that Nami ment cannot be separated from the through the embassy to Liu Yang, China’s first female to the country. lab ended its service in March 2016. bia was linked to space by this support of Namibia. The visit will reward excellent and out astronaut in space, and her col “When I was serving on Tian It made an important contribu tracking station. further strengthen the friendship standing students who study league Chen Dong arrived in Nami gong1, I flew over Namibia many tion to China’s manned space pro The students toured the Space between the two countries and two the language at the Universi bia’s port town of Walvis Bay on Aug times. I knew there is a Space TT&C gram, paving the way for China to TT&C Station and visited the China peoples,” he added. ty of Ghana. 19, starting their fiveday visit to the Station based here, and I’m grateful become the third country in the Aerospace Science and Technology southern African nation at the invi to be here,” said Liu. world to operate a permanent Exhibition. XINHUA XINHUA