从功夫大师到商务里手，这个非洲小伙在中国“创”出一片天

Odjo Rachald(Chinese name: Qiao Li), a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Benin, formed his first memories of China while watching Jackie Chan movies and practicing Kong Fu moves with friends in Cotonou, his hometown.

25岁的创业青年奥德乔·拉查尔德（音译），中文名叫乔力，来自非洲贝宁。最初，他对中国的第一印象源于幼时在家乡科托努看到的由成龙出演的电影，以及与小伙伴们练习功夫动作的嬉戏。

"Kong Fu has taken me on a journey into the depths of Chinese culture, and seeing this stunning country has always been my dream," said Odjo, adding that Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master" is his favorite movie.

“功夫让我更深入地了解了中国文化的精髓，而亲眼看看这个令人惊叹的国家一直是我的梦想。”乔力还补充说：“成龙的《醉拳》是我最喜欢的电影。”

Little did he know that a few years later, he would visit China, the homeland of his revered Kong Fu masters, and become a master in his own right—this time, though, in business.

他做梦也没想到，几年后他会来到中国——这个他敬仰已久的功夫大师的故乡，并且自己也成了一位“大师”——不过，这一次是作为一位商人。

At 18, he seriously contemplated pursuing higher education in business to make a change for his country. After watching a TV show about China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he saw that his future was set in China.

18岁时，他认真考虑过接受商贸方面的高等教育，为国效力。在看了一档关于共建“一带一路”倡议的电视节目后，他意识到自己的未来在中国。

"Having witnessed firsthand the positive effects of the BRI on Benin, I am convinced that this initiative is the wave of the future. I feel I can establish my career in China and promote African-Chinese ties, so I opted to attend university in China," Odjo stated.

“在我亲眼见证了共建‘一带一路’倡议给贝宁带来的积极影响后，我坚信这一倡议是未来的大势所趋。我觉得自己可以在中国建立事业，促进中非关系，因此我选择了到中国上大学。”乔力表示。

Like the Kong Fu master in his favorite Chinese movie, Odjo discovered his life's purpose through hard work and study. After living in China for five years, Odjo gained a degree in international business, became fluent in Chinese, made many Chinese friends, and finally jumped on the BRI bandwagon to realize his business dream in China.

就像他最喜欢的电影里的功夫大师一样，乔力通过勤奋学习找到了自己的人生目标。在中国生活的五年间，乔力获得了国际经济与贸易专业的学士学位，精通中文，结交了许多中国朋友，并最终搭上了“一带一路”的快车，在中国实现了自己的商业梦想。

According to data from China's Ministry of Commerce, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, with bilateral trade reaching a record 282.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Odjo thinks that young Africans like him will have more chances as trade between China and Africa increases and that China can be a place where they can achieve their aspirations.

商务部数据显示，中国已连续15年成为非洲第一大贸易伙伴，2023年中非贸易额达到历史峰值2821亿美元。乔力认为，随着中非贸易的增长，像他这样的非洲年轻人将拥有更多的机会，中国将会成为他们实现梦想的地方。

"When I look back, moving to China and establishing my own business here was among the best life decisions I've ever made," Odjo told People's Daily Online.

“现在回过头去看，搬来中国并在这里创立自己的事业是我所做得最好的人生决定之一。”乔力告诉人民网记者。

A business dream that grows in China

在中国追逐“贸易梦”

Having spent over four years studying and living in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Odjo has become proficient in Chinese and has fallen head over heels for the beautiful city.

在中国中部湖南长沙学习生活四年后，乔力已经熟练掌握中文，并且深深地爱上了这座美丽的城市。

"Changsha is now my second hometown. I enjoy its famous stinky tofu, most of my friends are locals, and every time I travel to other Chinese cities, I have to find a restaurant that makes spicy Changsha food," said Odjo.

“长沙现在就是我的第二故乡。我很喜欢这里著名的美食臭豆腐，我的朋友很多也都是长沙人。每次我去中国其他城市旅游，我都要找一家能做长沙菜的餐馆尝尝。”乔力分享说。

What he appreciates most about Changsha, besides its welcoming locals and lovely culture, is the city's strong links to Africa and the supportive policies that encourage young foreigners to create their businesses.

除了热情好客的当地人和友好亲切的文化，他对长沙最欣赏的地方就是，这座城市与非洲间的紧密联系以及鼓励海外青年创业的扶持政策。

Data shows that in recent years, Hunan Province has bettered its commercial connections to Africa. In 2023, the province's trade with Africa was worth 55.67 billion yuan ($7.83 billion), reflecting an average annual growth rate of 23.1 percent over the previous three years.

数据显示，近年来湖南省与非洲的商业联系日益增强。2023年湖南对非进出口达556.7亿元（约合78.3亿美元），近三年年均增长23.1%。

Odjo, an international business student, investigated the demand in the Chinese market extensively and discovered that cashew nuts and pineapples, two agricultural products from Africa, are immensely popular with Chinese consumers. Meanwhile, Hunan, the birthplace of hybrid rice, has used its expertise to support African agricultural development. The province has renovated agricultural technology stations and built agricultural demonstration centers as part of more than 40 agricultural cooperation projects with Africa.

学习国贸专业的乔力，在深入研究了中国市场的需求后，发现来自非洲的腰果和菠萝两种农产品深受中国消费者的喜爱。与此同时，湖南——杂交水稻的发源地，利用其技术专长支持非洲农业发展，已在40多项与非洲的农业合作项目中改造了当地的农业技术站并建立了农业示范中心。

"Our Chinese friends may get to know Benin by sampling our cashew nuts and pineapples, and my goal has always been to help them learn more about my home country. That's why I started my business in Changsha," Odjo explained.

“中国朋友可以通过品尝我们的腰果和菠萝来了解贝宁，我的目标一直就是帮助他们更多地了解我的祖国。这也是我在长沙创业的原因。”奥德乔解释说。

Achieving Odjo's dream has been made possible by Changsha's favourable policies directed towards young foreign entrepreneurs. An entrepreneurship port was set up in the Changsha Area of the Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in June 2023 to create a more conducive setting for young entrepreneurs. In 2024, Odjo became the first young foreigner to get a business visa and launch his company Rico Interstellar Trading Co., Ltd in the Hunan FTZ that year, thanks to the collaboration between his university, Central South University, and the Entrepreneurship Port.

乔力的梦想能够实现，得益于长沙支持海外青年创业的有利政策。2023年6月，中国（湖南）自由贸易试验区长沙片区设立国际青年创业港，为年轻创业者们提供了更好的环境。2024年，在中南大学和国际青年创业港的合作下，乔力成为中国（湖南）自由贸易试验区首位获得“创业签证”的外籍青年，并创立了长沙里科星际贸易有限公司。

"The Entrepreneurship Port is centered on collaborating with Chinese universities to recruit and train international students in China and guiding outstanding international youths to work and start businesses in Changsha. I think it's a great idea because young foreigners like me can become experts in trade and help connect our countries with China," said Odjo.

“国际青年创业港致力于与中国高校合作，在中国招募和培训国际青年，并引导优秀国际青年在长工作创业。我认为这是一个很棒的主意，因为像我这样的外籍青年可以成为贸易领域的‘里手’，并帮助我们的国家与中国进行连接。”乔力表示。

According to Odjo, he has been collaborating with clients from Africa and China since he launched his business in August this year, and that he is now in talks about prospective orders worth over $300,000.

乔力介绍，自今年8月开始经营业务以来，他一直在与中非两国的客户进行合作，目前已有在谈意向订单约30万美元。
"As a young African, my business dreams begin in China," said Odjo.

“作为一个非洲青年，我的‘贸易梦’却能从中国启航。”乔力说。

Build a bridge between China and Africa

搭建中非桥梁

Odjo is currently in Angola on a business trip. He intends to tour six African nations to discover new prospects and bring more African products back to China. This would assist African countries in improving their economic relations with China.

乔力目前正在安哥拉出差。他计划走访六个非洲国家，寻找新的商机，并将更多的非洲产品带到中国，助力促进中非国家间的经济关系。

In 2024, China has granted zero tariffs to Least Developed Countries with established diplomatic relations, making it the first major developing nation and first major economy to take such a step. Benin, Odjo's home country, is also on the list.

2024年，中国对与之建交的最不发达国家实施了100%税目产品的零关税政策，成为首个采取这一举措的主要发展中国家和首个主要经济体。乔力的母国贝宁也在名单之列。

"The more I learn about the BRI nations' accomplishments, the prouder I get of my job. I also feel like I am working for a great initiative uniting China and Africa," said Odjo.

“我对参与共建‘一带一路’倡议沿线国家的成就了解得越多，就越为自己的工作感到自豪。我觉得我在为一个将中国和非洲紧密联系在一起的伟大倡议而工作。”乔力说。

Odjo told People's Daily Online that he intends to facilitate services allowing Chinese businesses, particularly private ones and those with smaller operations, to invest more effectively in Africa. While Chinese investments in Africa are frequently represented by large state-owned corporations building railways, ports, and power plants, smaller private companies are increasingly credited with promoting commerce, creating jobs, and channeling technology and capital into various sectors.

乔力告诉人民网记者，他想继续增进业务范围，让中国企业，特别是民营企业和规模较小的企业，能够更有效地在非洲进行投资。虽然中国在非洲的投资往往由大型国有企业负责建设铁路、港口和发电厂等基础设施，但越来越多的小型民营企业因其促进贸易、创造就业机会和将技术投资引入各行业而受到赞誉。

In recent years, China has implemented several institutions to promote private-sector cooperation with Africa, including the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone. With its strengths in agricultural technology, equipment production, and infrastructure building, Hunan typically hosts such pioneering initiatives.

近年来，中国实施了多项促进中非民营部门合作的机制，包括中非经贸博览会和中国（湖南）自由贸易试验区。湖南凭借在农业技术、设备生产和基础设施建设方面的优势，成为此类开创性举措的典型承载地。

"I hope that China opens more industries in Africa and that the two sides work together more closely in solar power, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure. This will benefit Chinese enterprises while creating more job opportunities for young Africans," said Odjo.

乔力表示：“我希望中国在非洲开放更多产业，双方在太阳能、农业、旅游和基础设施等领域加强合作。这将有利于中国企业，同时为非洲年轻人创造更多就业机会。”

"I hope my experiences can help other young Africans and my Chinese friends better understand each other's cultures and countries. I wish we could build more cultural centers in Africa to show our people Chinese martial arts and cultural products," he said.

他说：“我希望我的经历能帮助其他非洲年轻人和我的中国朋友们更好地了解彼此的文化和国家。我希望我们在非洲能建立更多的文化中心，向我们的人民展示中国武术和文化产品。”

"After all, Chinese Kung Fu is how my China dream started," added Odjo.

“毕竟，中国功夫就是我中国梦的起点。”乔力补充说。