Kenyan influencer showcases China

Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.

When asked about his experience during a recent trip to China, David Oyando, a Kenyan content creator, said it was "mind-blowing". From the high-speed trains, the stunning infrastructure and the architecture, to the tourist sites and people's hospitality, Oyando said the trip exceeded his expectations.

When he posted the videos that recorded the experience on social media platforms such as Instagram, the videos attracted millions of views and various comments from his followers, providing an opportunity for many netizens in the East African country to re-recognize China.

On arriving at the airport in Beijing, everything he encountered was grand and as a content creator, he was spoiled for choice regarding what to record and share with his followers back at home.

Before traveling to China, Oyando, who preferred to go by his stage name Mulamwah, had admired the Chinese mostly for their martial arts, which he had watched in kung fu movies while growing up.

He admits that he also belonged to the group of people who were misled into having various misconceptions about China. However, the trip was an opportunity for Mulamwah and his online followers to get a true glimpse of China.

"As online content creators, we rely on good equipment to create content, and the first thing that struck me while in China was how advanced yet affordable their gadgets are. Looking at their cameras, microphones and phones for instance made me realize that the counterfeit narrative is a lie and that China has some of the best equipment in the trade," said Mulamwah, who visited China in late September.

When he posted a video on TikTok while having a meal of deliciously fried frogs in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, Kenyans' reactions back home were different. A user by the name of Sue Sally commented that since Mulamwah looked content after trying the food, she would also like to give it a try. The video is one of his most viewed on TikTok with more than 4.2 million views that attracted more than 12,500 comments.

Exciting journey

During his trip, he was accompanied by fellow Kenyan online content creators David Muchiri and Benard Kamulu, who described the trip as an exciting journey where they explored the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.

In one of his TikTok videos while in Chongqing, Muchiri shares a video of a train on a raised railway line passing through a building with the caption. "Have you ever seen a train passing through a building? This is China for you, everything is possible; you should visit China."

In another video on Facebook shared by Kamulu while visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, he freely mingles with local Chinese tourists who are not shy to interact with him.

Mulamwah said he did not expect Kenyans to have so much interest in China and its culture, with many videos he posted drawing a number of views and comments.

Mulamwah said that one interesting conversation that came up was when he showed his followers how China has installed 'blind lanes' or tactile paving units which are like braille for pavements. These raised bumps and ridges help guide visually impaired people down sidewalks and across intersections.

"Most of the people who saw the video could not believe that this is possible because they have never seen anything like it even in some Western countries," Mulamwah said.

After touring Beijing, Mulamwah and his colleagues boarded a high-speed train to Shanghai, which was his first high-speed train ride. There, they rode a ship on the Huangpu River where they could clearly see the contrast between the old town and the new town. They also visited the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in Hunan province.

Beyond bringing the Chinese experience to his Kenyan audience, Mulamwah said that his biggest takeaway was that China offers a significant opportunity for African content creators to expand their horizons.

"With Chinese social media sites like WeChat and Douyin, African content creators who can produce content in the Chinese language stand a chance of unlocking a potentially massive audience," Mulamwah said.