My China Story | Scholastica Chidimma Obiwulu

Walking out of my first Chinese Studies class at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, I felt peace，the type of peace you feel when you have finally worked out the answer to a problem that kept you up all night; the peace you feel when you know you have found your path,  that you are where you are meant to be. It was the very first day of a four-year degree course, but I already knew I would love it there.

And I was not wrong. The course of my undergraduate study was a challenging but deeply fulfilling one. Even though I have never crossed the borders of my country, through Chinese Studies I travelled back in history, lived the present, and explored the future.

At the department of Chinese Studies and at the Confucius Institute, I studied the Chinese language, explored China’s history and society, celebrated Chinese festivals, and discovered a culture so rich and diverse.

In the years following graduation through to professional work, my interest in China had gone beyond language to encompass politics and China’s relationship with my country Nigeria. China has played an indisputably notable part in Nigeria’s trade and infrastructural development, and through frameworks such as the Belt and Road Initiative, has continued to support development in other African countries, I am to play a role in fostering this partnership, to look at what works and what can be done differently, to be a bridge that facilitates a better, mutually beneficial Sino-African relationship.

China has been for me a gift that keeps giving, as there is always something to learn and new perspectives to discover. This would be my first time in China, and my goal is to deepen my understanding of the country, gain expertise on how to promote a sustainable Sino-Nigerian cooperation that delivers mutual economic growth and cultural understanding.

I am beyond grateful to be a Yenching Scholar, grateful for the chance to study China alongside an outstanding group of young people from different countries of the world, and particularly grateful for the chance to flip over to the next chapter in my China story.