When Rodrigue Tene Taling was four years old, he was captivated by Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu movies which inspired awe and admiration in his hometown of Bafoussam in western Cameroon.

« Bruce Lee gave us the impression that a man can be invincible. » He began to see Lee as an idol and promised himself that one day he would go to China and become a practitioner of Chinese Kung Fu.

This burning ambition was nearly dashed by the lack of a Kung Fu club in Bafoussam at the time. However, Taling’s dream finally came true when he attended the University of Dschang in the neighboring town to study mathematics, where he discovered a martial arts club and immediately enrolled.

After years of practicing martial arts in college, Taling moved to the country’s capital city of Yaounde and established a Kung Fu club to train youngsters.

During a training session, the club received a special guest — the director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Yaounde II, who watched them do Kung Fu and was moved by these young Cameroonians’ passion for Chinese culture.

That encounter deepened Taling’s engagement with traditional Chinese culture. In 2010, through a scholarship offered by the Confucius Institute, Taling enrolled there to learn the Chinese language and culture. Years later, he graduated as one of the top students in his class.

With another scholarship from the Chinese government, Taling traveled to China, where he earned a master’s degree in Chinese language from Zhejiang Normal University and a PhD in Chinese traditional sports and culture from Shanghai University of Sport.

Today, the 38-year-old is the executive director of the Center for African Films and TV under the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.

« China is in a way my second country, » he said. « My stay here is pleasant and peaceful. »

According to Taling, the institute has produced a film focusing on his martial arts journey which will soon be aired in cinemas. Co-directed by Taling himself, it is part of a Sino-African film project to showcase individuals with stories similar to his own.

With a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture, Taling intensified his Kung Fu training, receiving systematic instructions from some of the most renowned masters.

To him, Kung fu embodies traditional Chinese medicine and physical strengthening, displaying the charm of Chinese culture. « Martial art is an art of discipline where you are taught awareness of the damage that violence can cause and self-control. »

Taling aspires to serve as a cultural ambassador, fostering understanding between Cameroon and China and promoting China’s rich traditions among Cameroonians. He said he has achieved more than he ever dreamed of as a child, thanks to the strong relationship between the two countries.

« China is one of the most important partners of Cameroon, » said Taling, adding that the ever-growing bilateral relations help create more opportunities for younger generations to realize their dreams.

by Arison Tamfu, Wang Ze / Xinhua