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In 2019, the heroic cover song "Song of the Xi'an People" of african Congo (Brazzaville) youth appeared on CCTV and became popular on the Internet.
In 2021, the heroic identity is "upgraded" from a graduated master's student to an entrepreneur, looking forward to the future with Xi'an.
In the 11 years since he came to China, he has gone from not understanding the "pain" of professional classes to being able to pat his chest and utter an authentic Shaanxi dialect, "I (e) am a Xi'an person!" ”
He found what he wanted most in his heart and reshaped his cultural cognitive system.
In the dialogue, Heroic shared his story in Shaanxi and the "Chinese Dream" full of expectations. He said that more excellent works will be produced to build people's "bridges of exchange" and eliminate more cultural gaps.
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1
This era brought me to China
▲ Heroic, April 19 Photography Shen Pan
Q: Before setting foot on Chinese soil, what were your impressions of her?
Valiant: China has developed rapidly over the years. We grew up using products made in China, such as tv at home, door locks, pencils for study and other daily necessities. I grew up watching films starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and other actors, and at that time I already knew about China and was influenced by China's kung fu culture.
Many children in Africa have the same "Chinese dream", that is, they can strengthen their bodies and protect themselves by learning kung fu. I don't think coming to China is a personal choice, but more that this era prompts me to set out.
Q: Why did you choose to study in China when you were in high school?
Heroic: My father loves photography, the family art atmosphere is strong, from a young age I like painting and other arts. When I was a student, I learned about the fields of architecture and bridges, and I also knew that there are many international cooperation projects between China and Africa.
After graduating from high school, It coincided with china road and bridge engineering co., LTD. to sponsor 100 international students from Congo (Brazzaville) to study in China to learn bridge technology. I took the national selection exam. The exams are very rigorous, and only 100 people in the country get the opportunity. I was lucky enough to pass the exam.
Q: When you come to China for the first time, do you feel the same as expected? What was your first impression of Xi'an?
Heroic: I am the first batch of African students to come to China in cooperation with China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd. and Chang'an University. On November 14, 2011, I arrived in Beijing, walking on the street, and saw that pedestrians were walking in a hurry and the city was fast-paced. I watched intently in the car, and everything on the road was novel.
When I arrived in Xi'an at night, I found that the urban environment was different, and the pace was slightly slower. Xi'an makes me feel very gentle and relaxed.
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Singing has made my Chinese language grow by leaps and bounds
Q: What is the state of studying in China when you first arrive?
Valiant: When I first arrived at school, I was in trouble. I was studying bridge and tunnel engineering, the teacher was in class, as soon as I opened my mouth, I was talking about Chinese, I was instantly "confused" and couldn't understand it at all. Father said, you really can't do it, go back to China. But he knew I wouldn't go back unless I figured out Chinese.
At that moment, I thought about learning the language. I saw online that the black singer "Good Brother" from Nigeria sang well. I just happened to have some talent, so I learned to sing a pop song "You Are My Eyes". When the Chinese teacher heard this, he encouraged me to participate in the Chinese speech and singing competition. I practiced stage performance and Chinese over and over again, and Chinese quickly improved by leaps and bounds.
Q: How did you suddenly become interested in Shaanxi dialect?
Heroic: In 2016, I returned to China after graduating from my bachelor's degree and worked for China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd. for several months, but found that I had not learned enough, and returned to Chang'an University the next year for graduate school. When I came back, the first song I heard was "The Song of the Xi'an People". The Shaanxi dialect sounds interesting.
Draw the tiger according to the cat, learn. In some places, the lyrics cannot be understood, so I will "break through" word by word. I didn't know the meaning of the sentence in the song, so the teacher told me where the moat was and who Jia Pingwa was. Slowly, I sang this song at the school cultural festival, sang it in the countryside, and sang it at the provincial and municipal media evenings, and it became a fire.
I usually like to watch TV series, and the actors say some lines, which I think are very interesting, so I imitate them. Shaanxi dialect is sometimes gentle, sometimes heavy in tone, and has its unique charm. Friends say that I speak Shaanxi dialect more standard than Mandarin.
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My "Chinese Dream" began in Xi'an
Q: After 11 years, what parts of Xi'an have changed?
Heroic: When I came to Xi'an to go to school, Xi'an Metro Line 2 had just opened, and some places looked a bit chaotic. But over the years, I've seen the development of mobile payments, the progress of urban infrastructure, and a lot of changes happening.
I like to look at the next 10 years of planning, Xi'an will develop into a good metropolis in 5 years, 10 years later, I am optimistic about the future development of this city, willing to grow with Xi'an.
Q: What does Shaanxi life bring to you?
Heroic: I basically stayed in school during my studies at Chang'an University, and I didn't go out to make friends for more than 2 years and immerse myself in learning languages. It was only after 2015 that I really began to understand Shaanxi. I started performing outside, making Chinese friends, and going to see a lot of places in Xi'an.
I felt like a child, starting from scratch and building a new cognitive system in a foreign country. In the process of learning Shaanxi culture and exploring Xi'an, I learned professional knowledge, and also came into contact with Qin cavity, music and so on.
▲ The bravery of the actor dressed as a Qin cavity
There are commonalities in the cultures of the whole world, and we can see a lot of Chinese-like cultures in our country. Shaanxi sings Qin cavity, there are drumming performances, we also have hand drums and some masks and other elements. I can understand Shaanxi dialect, understand Shaanxi people, and I want to do things well in Shaanxi and realize my dreams.
Q: Now, do you think you have integrated into Xi'an and Shaanxi?
Valiant: Just by looking at the appearance, I am definitely a foreigner. My skin, my nose, these are all in line with the characteristics of "foreigners". Although the places where we were born and the environment in which we grew up are different, in my heart, I have decided that I am a Xi'an person.
I am 31 years old, I started studying at the age of 5, and I received 15 years of education in Africa and 11 years of cultural education in China. There are two cultures in my body, one is the Culture of the Congolese (Brazzaville) people and the other is the Chinese Culture, and these two combine to form a complete me.
I know how Xi'an people talk, how they do things, know what the city was like 30 years ago, and learn more. I often tell my friends that I am not a "foreigner", I am a real Xi'an person.
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The tolerance of Chinese culture inspires me to "find my roots"
Q: What is your understanding of China?
Heroic: Many people know China from China's kung fu culture and political celebrities. Why is that? It's cultural. Many people don't know who I am, but they know me through "The Song of Xi'an People".
The development of culture is closely related to the development of the country. Some young people around me in Kazakhstan, Congo (Brazzaville) and other countries believe that China is the future. In the future, everyone will want to come to China, and maybe in a few years, whoever does not learn Chinese will regret it. Because many countries' mobile phones, computers, clothing, etc. come from China.
Q: You have lived in China for many years, would you want to integrate into mainstream Chinese society?
Heroic: I eat a lot of Chinese food and walk through many streets, but people look at me as foreigners and ask me if I just came from Africa. Whenever this happens, I am extremely eager to integrate into mainstream Chinese culture. I would like to say that I am from Xi'an, and I am the same as them.
Q: In your opinion, what are the cultural attributes of China?
Heroism: The cultures and customs of different countries are very different, and the way of looking at things is different. What Africans are used to doing has become African culture over time, and the same is true in China.
Why do I particularly like China?
In Congo (Brazzaville), I speak in French and my habits are foreign. These are passively accepted, not locally inherited. Our country has been more influenced by foreign cultures, and some of its original cultures have not been preserved.
After coming to China, I found that China is following its own path, preserving the traditions of the past and embracing the cultures of other countries. It is not so much that I am learning cultural knowledge from China, but rather that I am learning about inclusive thinking and the inheritance of ancient national culture. I think it was China that prompted me to find the "roots" of my own national culture.
I want to explore Chinese culture, learn from China, and after returning to Congo (Brazzaville), I want to find my own national things and pass on the good things of the past. Think about the future, you know my language, I understand your language, everything will get better and better.
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Use culture to build the bridge in people's hearts
Q: After graduation, why did you choose to stay in China to start a business?
Valiant: I started my business for two purposes. Now that China is developing rapidly, many countries want to cooperate with China, and China also needs more international cooperation. Behind this, if you don't understand each other's systems and laws, you can't communicate. I want to build a cultural "bridge" between people in China and other countries around the world, expand cultural and linguistic communication, and make cooperation more convenient.
In addition, some foreigners come to China and do not have a good grasp of local customs and culture. For example, if you study at Chang'an University and work in a multinational company after returning to China, if others ask what you have learned in China, what if you are a bit of a person? I want to help students studying in Shaanxi and even foreigners in Shaanxi later to learn some of China's local customs and facilitate better communication.
Of course, I can also return to China to continue to build a "bridge", but on second thought, if one of the 100 Congolese (Brazzaville) people who came to China could build the "bridge of exchange" in people's hearts, then I would be satisfied. Therefore, I set up a cultural media company to record the lives of foreigners in China by shooting a series of short videos on history and culture, sharing the cultural differences and customs between China and foreign countries, popularizing Chinese culture bit by bit, and promoting cultural exchanges and dissemination between China and foreign countries.
Q: What stage is the current stage of entrepreneurship? What values do you want to realize through your ego?
Valor: The "good brother" of my predecessors influenced me, and I am now doing things similar to what he used to do. Some of my programs will be broadcast on the TV station in Congo (Brazzaville), and after some young people in China see it, they send me a message saying that because they saw my story, they wanted to learn chinese languages. It turns out that what I did was so important to them that it could help them realize their dreams.
The Chinese government issued me a visa so that I could stay and start a business without hesitation. I'm just a bird that has just taken off, and I don't know how high I'll fly in the future. Although starting a business is hard, I will do it with my heart and prove my value with practical actions.
Planned by Shi Jia Faye Wong
Outreach Zhao Junzhe
Video production Shen Pan
Text Chen Zhen