Bai Shuang - CGTN Africa editor

During the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, CGTN Africa launched a five-episode mini-documentary series titled My China Story. The series traced the evolution of China-Africa cultural exchanges and examined the bilateral frameworks that have positioned China as a major destination for African students pursuing higher education.

The inaugural season featured a diverse cast of voices: a Somali doctor, a Zambian transportation expert, an official from the Kenya Bureau of Standards, a Zimbabwean Chinese-language teacher, and a Kenyan entomologist. Through candid personal narratives, they reflected on how their educational and life experiences in China shaped their own growth and also their professional paths and the communities they now serve back home.

The series received a warm reception online, with strong engagement from audiences across the continent. Encouraged by the response, producers are now preparing a second season.

As 2026 approaches, marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African countries and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the search is underway for a new cohort of storytellers.

For Season 2 of My China Story, the focus will shift to “Change Makers”,  individuals leading transformation across sectors. The aim is to document journeys of collaboration, professional advancement, and shared development linked to China.

By the time of publication, China will also be preparing for the annual “Two Sessions,” the country’s most significant political meetings, which outline policy priorities for the year ahead. This year signals the beginning of the government’s 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.

Beyond headline GDP figures, the new blueprint places emphasis on structural economic upgrading, the development of new productive forces, technological self-reliance, green transition, and high-standard opening up.

Importantly, the 15th Five-Year Plan is not framed purely as a domestic roadmap. It also underscores high-quality joint development under the Belt and Road Initiative, with an emphasis on stronger strategic alignment and improved coordination with participating countries.

The plan calls for deeper practical cooperation in trade, investment, industry, and people-to-people exchange, while expanding collaboration in green development, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy.

Recent examples highlight how these ambitions translate into projects on the ground. The Chinese-built Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power Project in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is among the flagship initiatives advancing clean and affordable energy. As the first independent power producer to generate electricity in Kenya under a public-private partnership framework, it represents a model for accelerating the country’s transition away from fossil fuels.

Projects such as Menengai illustrate the intersection between China’s push for new quality productive forces and Africa’s green development aspirations.

Yet behind the policy frameworks and infrastructure investments stand individuals; engineers, entrepreneurs, educators and researchers, all  effectively shaping outcomes across both regions.

If Season 1 documented how the seeds of friendship were planted, Season 2 aims to show how those seeds are maturing into lasting partnerships.

Engineers driving energy transitions. Entrepreneurs expanding trade corridors. Scholars deepening cultural understanding. Their experiences form part of a broader, unfolding story of China-Africa engagement.

Those interested in participating in Season 2 of My China Story are invited to share their journeys and contribute to documenting the evolving landscape of cooperation across the China-Africa community.

If you have a meaningful story connected to China, we welcome your submission for My China Story – Season 2: Change Makers. Email: cgtnafricadigitalmedia@gmail.com