Kenyan student's China trip opens new doors

For years, Miriam Achieng Kenyatta experienced China through the small screen of her phone, watching Chinese films, following Chinese media and turning her digital world into an improvised classroom because she could not afford to live in China.

Then, the 23-year-old geospatial engineering student at the University of Nairobi, who grew up in Kibera — one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements — found herself standing on the Great Wall, looking out over a country she had spent years trying to understand from afar.

The moment, she said, made her feel that "everything is possible". "I only just expected to experience China just as I was used to, just through my phone," Kenyatta said, recalling her first visit to the country.

Kenyatta traveled to China to represent Kenya in the global finals of the 25th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, where she finished in the top 15 — the highest ranking ever achieved by a Kenyan contestant. The final phase of the competition, held in Xiamen, Fujian province, brought together 157 finalists from 139 countries.

Her result marked a new milestone for Kenya, improving on the country's previous best performance — a top-30 finish by Naomi Wanjiku Thuo at the global finals last year.

The achievement was part of a long journey that began years earlier, during her first year at Asumbi Girls High School in Homa Bay County. A Chinese television drama about traditional medicine sparked her curiosity about the country. At the time, she dreamed of becoming a doctor and was fascinated by the idea of using acupuncture and other traditional Chinese practices to treat illnesses.

When she later joined the University of Nairobi to study geospatial engineering, she discovered that she could also learn Chinese at the university's Confucius Institute. Her interest in the country grew with the language. But without an opportunity for immersive learning, she decided to create one herself.

"I brought China to myself through what I was able to afford, which was my phone," she said. She changed the language settings on her phone, watched Chinese films and videos and followed Chinese-language content online.

"Every single movie that I have watched has been Chinese," she said, explaining that learning a language requires learners to "live in the language".

Her biggest challenge remains Chinese reading and writing, particularly mastering Chinese characters. But the top-15 finish has motivated her to continue improving.

When Kenyatta later sent a message saying she had made the top 15, her mother said the family was overwhelmed with joy.

For Kenyatta, however, being in China was as significant as the competition itself. After years of seeing the country through a phone screen, visiting the Forbidden City and walking along the Great Wall was an unreal experience.

Her achievement has attracted attention beyond the competition because of the growing interest among Kenyan students in learning Chinese.

Wang Shangxue, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, said Kenyatta's achievement had raised ambitions for future Kenyan contestants.