My China Story | Thabiso Donald Mphilane (South Africa)

My name is Thabiso, and I fell in love with China when I studied at Fudan University, Shanghai under the Centre for BRICS Studies in 2017. I chose to study in China for my Master's because this country (China) is a powerhouse to be looked at in the near future. The economy is thriving at a very fast reaction and many projects are being implemented in South Africa and Africa as a whole because of China's investment and leadership potential. So, why not learn the experiences, tactics, and leadership qualities from the motherland/ source being China.

I chose the Yenching Academy of PKU because it is a prestigious scholarship and what I pride myself the most is that I am the first one from my universities (the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand) to be awarded this accolade since the YCA was established in 2014. In addition, I am the only South African for the 2019 Cohort! My concentration will be Politics and International Relations at YCA because I want to advance my knowledge about Chinese public policies regionally, government relations from an international perspective, to learn more about the Chinese policies such as "Belt and Road Initiative" "the New Development Bank policies" and many more.

Most importantly, I want to learn about Chinese cultures, advance my Mandarin language since I have a Basic Mandarin certificate from the University of Johannesburg Confucius Institute, and learn from the 2019 diverse cohort that I will be joining soon. I would also like to experience rural China and teach everyone about my rich culture, and South Africa at large and along the process learn as well.