Painting My Chinese Gift

 By Linda Mupemo

Painting a cherry blossom

It was a sunny Thursday morning when my fellow China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) participants and I went to Huawei Beijing Exhibition Hall on a media tour.  I had only stayed in China for a few weeks at the time of our visit to the organisation. During that period, I got introduced to an unmatched level of hospitality. Wherever my colleagues and I went, be it manufacturing companies, learning institutions or museums, we were treated with so much warmth. China felt like a home away from home.

In addition, officials always gave us souvenirs such as diaries, branded memory sticks and pretty portable flasks. By the way, Chinese people have a culture of regularly drinking hot water. The practice is said to be good for one’s health and one way to keep the body warm in freezing winter. Let me hasten to say I love to stay hydrated, drink lots of water and mind my business! With the aid of my collection of mini flasks, I have added hot water to the mix and my body absolutely loves it. 

As I stepped into the Huawei premises, I was greeted by a luxurious office building that exuded high level architectural excellence. The interior decoration was top notch, my brain was rejuvenated so much so that I felt if that was my working environment, I would be producing a minimum of ten news stories per day. Noteworthy is that Huawei is one of the leading global manufacturers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, smart devices and electronics including mobile phones. 

We toured different sections of the exhibition hall and I was impressed with the work Huawei is doing especially in fostering digital inclusion of marginalised communities in Africa. Further, I learnt that the organisation is enhancing energy transition in Africa by promoting the adoption of green energy consumption practices such as solar energy.

2024 CIPCC Fellows sample latest Huawei products, yours truly in a white top

The more we saw latest products of the company, the more my colleagues and I fantasised about us being gifted Huawei mobile phones or anything close. Having been accustomed to receiving souvenirs during our tours, legal minds would term that a legitimate expectation.

Towards the end of our tour, we were led to an art room. It was so refreshing to explore the artwork on display. The facilitator informed us we would engage in a small task of making paintings. My colleague from Malawi, Suzgo Chitete, asked if the best painter would walk away with the latest Huawei mobile phone as a prize. The facilitator simply smiled at him. 

"We are painting our own gifts today," I told him and other colleagues I shared a table with. 

My comment made us burst into laughter before we embarked on our painting. There were a variety of paintings to choose from such as Pandas, flowers and sculptures of gods. I flirted with the idea of painting a Panda. However, I felt I had enough drawings of the Panda hence I chose the painting of a pink cherry blossom with a mountainous region at the base, dotted with pockets of vegetation. I adored the painting because it represented how one can rise above their mountain or rather challenges and bloom so beautifully.

The painting activity was fun

When we neared the end of the activity, the facilitators came to the room laden with medium sized pretty red gift bags which they later handed us. I was as excited as a high school boarding pupil who had just received a package of food supplies in the last two weeks of the term.  I quickly glanced through the bag and I could not believe what my eyes saw.

I painted a cherry blossom

Lo and behold, the gift bags were empty. The lead facilitator told us to pack our paintings in the gift bags. We would walk away with our own paintings as gifts from Huawei Beijing Exhibition Hall! Of course, the additional gift bag we were given came with an amazing group photograph we took when we reached the premises. The photographs were placed in fancy cream Huawei - branded frames. Frankly, my colleagues and I were disappointed that we did not get mobile phones or anything close.

Nevertheless, I learned an invaluable lesson that day; not to have a sense of entitlement over other people's material possessions regardless of how close I may be to them. Nobody owes me anything on the face of this earth; if I desire something in life, I have to work for it. If I am to achieve my dreams, I have to work hard, be disciplined and do what is required of me to attain that level of success. I have to paint my way into my personal development. I have to paint my way into success! 

2024 CIPCC Fellows pose for a photograph at Huawei Beijing Exhibition Hall 

I believe that is the attitude that made the People's Republic of China become the biggest developing country in the world and the second largest economic superpower. Interacting with different Chinese Government officials, hearing them speak and reading their work reports introduced me to a new dimension of excellence, hard work and patriotism. Chinese officials will do everything within their power to ensure they enhance quality development in their country. They have zero tolerance for laziness; this was one of my biggest take homes. 

 A country cannot attain sustainable development by its leaders walking around with begging bowls and throwing pity parties about how impoverished it is. It takes governments coming up with radical economic reforms and ensuring they are fully implemented. It takes leaders utilising what they have in their seemingly empty bowls to economically transform their countries. The reality is God always deposits resources and gifts in people and nations which they are to tap into to attain success. The onus is on us to pick up that paintbrush and create a canvas of economic transformation.