Milimo Zumbunu, Zambia/米利莫·祖姆布努，赞比亚

Once a medical doctor turned entrepreneur, I believe strongly in embracing multiple skills. As we enter the tenth year of the Belt and Road initiative, I also celebrate my twelfth year in China. Therefore, my growth personally is greatly attributed to this initiative. From the sudden boom of economic engagement from Chinese entrepreneurs to the more open policies for African professionals to engage in the Chinese market, I witnessed the drastic changes firsthand. These favourable circumstances encouraged me to build a bridge between my country, Zambia and the People's Republic of China. My interests peaked during my first year in China, in September 2012, as an international student at the Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where I studied Western medicine. My first city in China was Nanchang, where I lived and studied for seven years, after which I returned to Zambia briefly and then moved to Shanghai.

With my former classmates at Jiangxi University of T.C.M, 2014/与江西中医药大学的老同学，2014年

我曾经是一名医生，后来成为一名企业家，我坚信要掌握多种技能。在中国进入“一带一路”倡议的第10年，我也庆祝了在中国的第12个年头。因此，我个人的成长很大程度上归功于这共建“一带一路”。从与中国企业家往来的逐渐增加，到非洲专业人士进入中国市场的政策更加开放，我目睹了这些巨大的变化。这些有利的条件鼓励我在我的祖国赞比亚和中华人民共和国之间架起一座桥梁。在中国的第一年，2012年9月，我作为江西中医药大学的一名留学生，在那里学习西医，那时我的兴趣达到了顶峰。我在中国的第一个城市是南昌，我在那里生活和学习了7年，之后我短暂地回到赞比亚，然后搬到了上海。

Entrepreneurship has always been in my blood. In my country Zambia, my father runs a successful construction firm that handles both local and international projects. Just before coming to China, they were lucky enough to be awarded the contract to work on the kafue gorge lower power station, a project that was being executed by Sino – hydro. There he learned quite a lot about China from his Chinese partners on the project. His relationship with them grew pretty close during their time in Zambia, where they felt like family at one point. 

Coming to China was my father’s Chinese partner's idea to consider China as an alternative to my tertiary education, as I was initially supposed to study at Queen's Mary College in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, my parents advised me to choose the province of Jiangxi to pursue my undergraduate as some of their Chinese friends and colleagues working in Zambia were Jiangxi natives and promised to have their families keep an eye on me.

创业精神一直流淌在我的血液里。在我的祖国赞比亚，我父亲经营着一家成功的建筑公司，既承接本地项目，也承接国际项目。就在来中国之前，他很幸运地获得了中国水电集团的卡夫峡谷下游电站项目的合同。在那里，他从项目的中国合作伙伴那里学到了很多关于中国的知识。在赞比亚期间，他和中国建设者的关系变得非常密切，在他们就像家人一样。

我来中国是父亲的中国合伙人的主意，把中国作为我接受高等教育的选择。我最初是想在英国的玛丽女王学院学习，而我的父母建议我选择在中国江西省读本科，因为他们在赞比亚工作的一些中国朋友和同事是江西人，并承诺让他们的家人照看我。

My father has worked with many Chinese engineering companies over the years as he is a geotechnical engineer with lots of experience working on Zambian roads and projects. His relationship with Chinese people goes back a long way, as most of them have been his partners on construction projects. The Kafue Gorge power station project is of particular importance,  China's investment in the construction sector of  Zambia is most obvious. My father was running 3-4 projects, with some being managed by China Jiangxi international corporation. This particular period was highly impactful on future decisions for my education and my family's plans overall. 

我的父亲是一名岩土工程师，多年来与许多中国工程公司合作，在赞比亚的道路建设项目方面有丰富的经验。他与中国人民的关系从很久以前就开始了，因为他们中的很多人都是他在建筑项目中的合作伙伴。卡富厄峡谷电站项目尤其重要，当时，中国在赞比亚建设领域的投资最为明显。父亲经营着三四个项目，其中一些由中国江西国际公司管理。这段特殊的时期对我未来的教育决定和我的家庭计划都有很大的影响。 

I feel that my professional growth in China has been rapid. This pace is in close correlation with the speed and efficiency of Chinese society, pushing me to learn to adapt quickly and efficiently, to pick up on the pulse of trends and the economy. Additionally, I am able to predict what's likely to work and what won't in a very short period. This energy can be felt in the fabric of Chinese society by the local and international residents, a trait you carry with you for life. This trait, however, was nurtured in the Jiangxi University School of Business. 

Working closely with my Chinese colleagues to promote Zambia-China relations/与我的中国同事密切合作，促进赞中关系

我觉得我在中国的职业发展很快，这种节奏与中国社会的速度和效率密切相关，促使我学会快速有效地适应，把握趋势和经济的脉搏。此外，我能够预测在很短的时间内什么可能起作用，什么不起作用。这种能量可以在中国社会的结构中被本地和国际居民感受到，这是一种伴随你一生的特质。这种特质是在江西大学商学院培养出来的。

My greatest lesson has been the vital need to really dig deep into whatever aspect of work/business you're involved in here. I have observed that my Chinese counterparts are always well-versed in every aspect of their business model, with every aspect always at their fingertips. Having that depth of knowledge allows them to pivot and adjust their business models and approaches at breakneck speed. This type of success can only be achieved when the whole team is well-versed and competent in a part, space or field. 

我最大的体会是，必须真正深入了解你在这里所涉及的工作、业务的各个方面。我观察到，我的中国同行总是精通他们商业模式的每一个方面，每一个方面都在他们的指尖。有了这种深度的知识，他们就可以以极快的速度调整自己的商业模式和方法。这种类型的成功只有在整个团队都精通某个部分、空间或领域的情况下才能实现。

Youth are essential to the growth of every country, which also extends to its relations with other countries. As more young African people come to China to learn and build their careers, better and more natural interactions will build the basis for better people-to-people relationships, which later evolve into government relationships. For example, I have had the opportunity to highlight Zambia's gems in the Chinese market to such an extent that my work has been featured at the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in China. Youth from both cultures should actively work towards knowing and understanding each other to create a basis for a more shared future based on genuine mutual understanding and respect for each other. Utilize an aspect of the market as the bridge to facilitate deeper understanding and respect.

Presentation of Zambian Gems at the Zambian Embassy in  China, 2023/赞比亚宝石在赞比亚驻中国大使馆的展示，2023年

青年对每个国家的发展都至关重要，包括与其他国家的关系。随着越来越多的非洲年轻人来到中国学习和建立自己的职业生涯，更好、更自然地互动将为更好的人际关系奠定基础，这种关系后来演变成政府关系。例如，我有机会在中国市场上重点介绍赞比亚的宝石，以至于我的作品在赞比亚共和国驻中国大使馆展出。两种文化的青年应积极努力，相互了解和理解，在真正相互理解和尊重的基础上，为共同的未来奠定基础。利用市场的某个方面作为桥梁，促进更深层次的理解和尊重。

As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative, I encourage all youth to capitalize on the opportunities presented by this initiative to forge a path of creativity and ingenuity.

在我们庆祝“一带一路”倡议十周年之际，我鼓励所有青年利用这一倡议提供的机会，开辟一条创造性和独创性的道路。

Securing a strategic partnership with local Chinese partners at the Third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha to promote Zambian Gems, 2023/在长沙举行的第三届中非经贸博览会上，与中国当地合作伙伴达成战略合作伙伴关系，推广赞比亚宝石， 2023年

审校：张红霞

编辑：岳零然

英文审校：Dahlia A. Ducreay

供稿：Milimo Zumbunu

执行副总编辑：季昌仁

监制：杨东平   徐志强   蒋   涛

丝路国际智库理事长：杨邦杰  

丝路百科杂志社理事长：白庚胜

丝路国际智库专家委员会主任：顾伯平