Photo from Abohoui Luc's Weibo page.
"You can speak Chinese!"
"I can also speak Changsha dialect!"
The man you see in pictures can do more than speak the Changsha dialect. He can cook Hunan dishes, make kung fu tea and even sing Huagu Opera, a Chinese opera originating in Hunan province. He is not a foreigner anymore — more like a Changsha local.
He is Abohoui Luc, from Benin in western Africa. For the past 17 years, he has lived in Changsha, capital of Hunan province in central China.
He has a Chinese name, Mao Lyuke, which is famous in Changsha. His star rose when the entertainment industry gave him a chance to showcase his talents on TV.
He acts as a singer, a host and works on his own documentary projects.
Now, besides his art career, he also serves as a representative for the National Confederation of Employers of Benin.
"My Changsha dream is slowly being realized, but I still have a bigger dream. I hope I can play a role in promoting win-win cooperation between Changsha and Benin, China and Africa," Luc said in an interview.
"Our confederation has held a discussion with the Changsha National High-tech Industrial Development Zone to start an office in their international science and technology business platform," Luc introduced.
"If everything goes well, our office can be launched in September," he added.
The confederation aims to build a bridge between China and Benin, with the help of the Belt and Road Initiative.
