A special bond with China

Zaynab Ali, a young woman from Syria, is currently studying for her PhD in Art Theory at Southeast University. Her family has been living in China for several years and she has two twin brothers who are studying in Nanjing. Her links with China date back 40 years. Let’s explore her special experiences in China.

From dream to reality

In 1990, Zaynab's mother, who was pregnant with the triplets, had a dream in which her soul flowed to the top of the highest mountain in China. That was when her family started their China story.

She was born into a family of art. Her father is an excellent artist and worked as a TV set designer for Syrian National Television. He has since held many exhibitions under the theme of "The Belt and Road" in China, Syria and many other countries. Her mother is a journalist and writer working for Syrian National Television, as well as working as an adviser for the Syrian Ministry of Media. When Zaynab was very young, her parents often played traditional Chinese music from the tapes sent by a Chinese friend, who was working in the Chinese embassy in Syria. Soon afterwards, a toy panda and many traditional Chinese story books were gifted to them by their Chinese friends. In this way, Zaynab has been exposed to Chinese culture since childhood.

"All the stories and music tapes we received in Syria were like a dream, and now it has become our reality, our life."

After the three children grew up, they came to China for further study. Her two brothers Zein and Ali are pursuing a PhD and a master's degree respectively at Nanjing University of the Arts, while she decided to study at SEU for a PhD in Art Theory.

Explorations in art

In addition to studying music and flute as a child, she was also a ballet dancer.

After she graduated from two universities in Syria with two bachelor's degrees in Fine Art and Theater respectively, she worked at Syrian National Television for seven years as a director of movies, television programs and documentaries.

In 2015, she produced her first short movie titled Prova sun Game n'1 with the Syrian Organization of Cinema, which she wrote and directed. In addition, she also worked on costume design and set design. The movie was played at many international movie festivals, where it won prizes.

What's more, she and her family are always active at "Belt and Road" exhibitions. She says she really appreciates it that China has helped many countries, including her motherland of Syria. She feels glad to live in China with her family, and says she will take bigger steps along the Silk Road from Syria to China.

"I think I have tried all kinds of art, which is a must for a modern artist. For me, art is a reason for life. I will be exploring the field forever."

Her story with SEU

"I think SEU highlights a long history of excellence in education. I hope to learn advanced knowledge, and then return to our country to share the knowledge and experience that I have learned here. I also expect to function as a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and Syria."

On the way to fulfilling her dream, Zaynab became determined to study for a PhD in Art Theory at SEU. She was deeply attracted by SEU due to its high educational standards. What's more, SEU's Art Theory major is highly distinguished in the field of art education.

She finds herself treated like a family member in her class, even though she is the only foreigner. She says that her classmates and tutors always offer her a lot of assistance in both her life and studies. At the same time, Zaynab feels very lucky and proud to have such a great mentor, who is always helping and encouraging her. To her surprise, her mentor recently presented her with his book, written by himself, as a gift.

"Thanks to the Chinese government for giving me this precious opportunity to study in China, and to every teacher at SEU, from the School of Art, from the International Office and all my classmates for their kind and generous assistance."

Her efforts for China during the pandemic

The experience of living in China has enabled her to feel more deeply attached to this country. Early on, she began to regard China as her "second home". Therefore, she, like all Chinese, has been fully supportive of China's anti-pandemic efforts since the pandemic began.

"When the pandemic broke out, many foreign media presented fake news about the status quo in China. I felt obliged to tell people what the reality was in China."

Therefore, she applied her professional knowledge to share self-made videos and words with foreign people on various social media platforms, where she described how Chinese people were united in the fight against Covid-19 and how the Chinese government and medical teams worked to control the virus. In addition, she also posted an article on how SEU helped students to protect themselves during the quarantine in a step-by-step manner.

"I hope that the stories and videos I shared can help many people recognize China's efforts in the pandemic and show everyone a more real China," she said.

Now Zaynab is preparing to make videos about Chinese culture, with the hope of contributing to its spread and popularity.

Editor's note:
After my interview with Zaynab, I was surprised by her profound experience and moved by the efforts she has made for the good of China. I hope she can enjoy her time in China and continue to write her stories about China into the future.