A source of fascination and lifelong inspiration

China has been a source of fascination for much of my life, right from my childhood reading stories about the great country of the East in comics and storybooks to watching kung fu (which I'd later learn the word is actually gongfu) movies.

Being exposed to reading and writing in English and in Arabic, like so many other children growing up in Nigeria, also made me quite curious about Chinese calligraphy. As an artist, I also admired and still admire artistic brushstrokes featured in Chinese calligraphy displayed in books and on television.

Now as an adult, China's place in the modern world with the country's amazing technological, economic and social advancements has only increased my interest in learning more about China and the Chinese people.