Foreword

For the purpose to further enhance the traditional friendship and mutual understanding between the Chinese people and the Kenyan people, publicize and praise for the moving stories between the two peoples characterized by sincere exchanges, heart-to-heart communications, mutual help and love and common pursuit for development, as well as lay a solid foundation for China-Kenya friendship in accordance with the will of the people, the Embassy of China in Kenya, Kenya China Economic and Trade Association and Kenya Overseas Chinese Association jointly launched a Writing Contest with the theme of "My China/Kenya Story" in March 2014.

Ever since the kick-off of the Contest, the organizing committee has witnessed an active and enthusiastic participation and received a total of 127 stories in Chinese and 201 stories in English. The participating writers represent broadly, who come from both the Chinese community, companies, media houses and Confucius Institutes in Kenya and all walks of life of the Kenyan society. The participating stories have a variety of forms and themes, including narrations, argumentative writings, proses and modern poems. All these stories, centering on the main theme, have expounded from different angles the writers' understanding and perspectives of the other country's history and culture, customs and conditions as well as social development, vividly told the unforgettable experiences of their own, people around them or the groups they are in, who run business, study or work in the other country, and recorded in an all-round way the deep-rooted friendship and touching stories within the people-to-people exchanges between China and Kenya.

Although I have been serving as Chinese Ambassador to Kenya for merely more than half a year, I have been frequently moved by the friendly sentiments from deep inside their hearts between the Chinese and Kenyan people. I can also touch the infinite true feelings conveyed by the stories, which are impressive and memorable. These stories may look a little bit shallow and unprofessional in terms of writing skills and by no means can be called masterpieces. However, if you read them carefully, you will definitely feel the warmth and faith inside them, which can drive you to persist and excel. They have made me more convinced than ever that the trickles of harmonious co-existence of the Chinese and Kenyan people will definitely gather and become boundless seas of China-Kenya friendship.

In 2013 and 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang paid respective visits to Africa. President Xi Jinping put forward the golden principles of "sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith" for China-Africa friendship. Premier Li Keqiang proposed the "461" framework for upgraded China-Africa cooperation. These have clearly indicated the direction for the development of China-Africa and China-Kenya relations. I strongly believe that Chia-Africa and China-Kenya friendship will have broader prospects with more and more beautiful new stories springing up between our two peoples.

I wish to take this opportunity to convey my gratitude to Kenya China Economic and Trade Association and Kenya Overseas Chinese Association for their great efforts made for this Contest. I especially wish to thank them for having compiled the award-winning works into this book, making it possible for these precious stories and sentiments to be widely circulated. I believe that, having read these stories line by line, everyone will be moved and inspired just as I was, and shall be full of expectation for the future of China-Africa and China-Kenya people-to-people friendship.

Liu Xianfa

Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Kenya