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Why did you choose the Chinese name“Long Gang”?
I named myself “Long Gang” as “Long”has a similar pronunciation with the first syllable of my family name “Lo” and Gang’s pronunciation is similar with the second syllable “kongo.” Besides, “Long” in Chinese refers to “dragon,” the most powerful animal in Chinese mythology. “Gang” is the first character of my motherland in Chinese. So I think “Long Gang” is a name with Chinese and African characteristics, showing my strong interest in Sino-African relations.
You worked as journalist for nine years in the UK. Why did you give up your career to study issues concerning China?
It is an interesting question. After the civil war broke out in the DRC in 1998, the United States and the UK incited Rwanda and Uganda to invade my country. The war brought great disaster to my motherland. Women were raped, about 5 million Congolese were slaughtered and natural resources were also exploited. Even my birthplace was occupied by the enemy. My mother was also a victim of the war, eventually dying of malaria.
As a journalist then in London, I exposed the truth of the war in my motherland. But what I did caused some interest groups’ dissatisfaction. My life was in danger and my journalism career in the UK was also ruined. Having suffered a lot I decided to find a new career in the academic circle. During the war, my country found its true friends. China is one of them. Therefore, I went to the University of Reading to study on the cooperation between China and the DRC in 2008. But later I found it is not the best place for my studies.
How did you go about getting a Chinese Government scholarship? What are your future plans?
I never thought I would come to China before. When I was in London, I met some Chinese scholars and diplomats who told me I could apply for a Chinese Government scholarship to study in China. Having been in the UK for 15 years and being a permanent resident of the country, I never thought of changing my nationality. So I went back to DRC in 2009 and applied for the Chinese Government scholarship from there.
It was a hard decision, especially knowing I had to spend two years learning Chinese before the doctoral courses. But with encouragement from friends, I made it. I am happy with life here in China. Peking University is one of China’s top universities. And Chinese people are friendly.
As for the future, I don’t have a detailed plan yet. But I believe I could make some contribution to the development of my country with what I have learned here.
Besides Beijing, did you travel to other places in China? Which city do you like best?
I have been to Shanghai twice and spent the Spring Festival of 2011 there. I visited the Chinese Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, where many Chinese asked me to take photos with them. It was a great pleasure. I took it as part of my experience in China. Just like African people, Chinese are hospitable, generous and friendly.
My favorite city in China is Lijiang, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, which I visited once in the summer of 2011. With a history of over 800 years, the old town is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Streets and lanes in the town are all paved with red stones, and the old irrigation system is well-preserved. People still wash clothes in the stream running through the town and it reminded me of when I was a child in Africa, and used to help my mother fetch water and do washing in the stream near my home. The world has changed a lot during the past 800 years. And maybe some lost things could only be found in Africa and some old towns like Lijiang.
I named myself “Long Gang” as “Long”has a similar pronunciation with the first syllable of my family name “Lo” and Gang’s pronunciation is similar with the second syllable “kongo.” Besides, “Long” in Chinese refers to “dragon,” the most powerful animal in Chinese mythology. “Gang” is the first character of my motherland in Chinese. So I think “Long Gang” is a name with Chinese and African characteristics, showing my strong interest in Sino-African relations.
You worked as journalist for nine years in the UK. Why did you give up your career to study issues concerning China?
It is an interesting question. After the civil war broke out in the DRC in 1998, the United States and the UK incited Rwanda and Uganda to invade my country. The war brought great disaster to my motherland. Women were raped, about 5 million Congolese were slaughtered and natural resources were also exploited. Even my birthplace was occupied by the enemy. My mother was also a victim of the war, eventually dying of malaria.
As a journalist then in London, I exposed the truth of the war in my motherland. But what I did caused some interest groups’ dissatisfaction. My life was in danger and my journalism career in the UK was also ruined. Having suffered a lot I decided to find a new career in the academic circle. During the war, my country found its true friends. China is one of them. Therefore, I went to the University of Reading to study on the cooperation between China and the DRC in 2008. But later I found it is not the best place for my studies.
How did you go about getting a Chinese Government scholarship? What are your future plans?
I never thought I would come to China before. When I was in London, I met some Chinese scholars and diplomats who told me I could apply for a Chinese Government scholarship to study in China. Having been in the UK for 15 years and being a permanent resident of the country, I never thought of changing my nationality. So I went back to DRC in 2009 and applied for the Chinese Government scholarship from there.
It was a hard decision, especially knowing I had to spend two years learning Chinese before the doctoral courses. But with encouragement from friends, I made it. I am happy with life here in China. Peking University is one of China’s top universities. And Chinese people are friendly.
As for the future, I don’t have a detailed plan yet. But I believe I could make some contribution to the development of my country with what I have learned here.
Besides Beijing, did you travel to other places in China? Which city do you like best?
I have been to Shanghai twice and spent the Spring Festival of 2011 there. I visited the Chinese Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, where many Chinese asked me to take photos with them. It was a great pleasure. I took it as part of my experience in China. Just like African people, Chinese are hospitable, generous and friendly.
My favorite city in China is Lijiang, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, which I visited once in the summer of 2011. With a history of over 800 years, the old town is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Streets and lanes in the town are all paved with red stones, and the old irrigation system is well-preserved. People still wash clothes in the stream running through the town and it reminded me of when I was a child in Africa, and used to help my mother fetch water and do washing in the stream near my home. The world has changed a lot during the past 800 years. And maybe some lost things could only be found in Africa and some old towns like Lijiang.