Teenager's rewarding Chinese language journey sparks interest in Kenya

NAIROBI — Mirriam Wambui, a 13-year-old student, speaks Chinese with the confidence of a seasoned linguist despite having only two years of exposure to the language. She won the national title in the Chinese Bridge competition in Kenya, ranked sixth in Africa, and placed in the top 30 globally at the 17th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students held in China's Tianjin in late October.

"I was thrilled to be announced the winner during the Chinese Bridge Kenya edition competition," Mirriam says.

Her journey with the Chinese language began through her eldest brother, who traveled to China in 2015 to pursue a master's degree in Chinese. When he returned to visit their family in Nairobi in 2019, Mirriam was captivated by his fluency in Chinese. "My brother came back with a cellphone I had never seen before, and everything he brought, including electronics, was made in China. I became curious about this country that seemed to produce so much," she says with a giggle.