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This is an extract from a book written by Doctor Zhong Ri Sheng, about the time he went with other Chinese Doctors, to help the people of Niger, in South Africa, during a time of severe drought.

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The birth of this book originated during a conversation with a British friend named Robert Daniel Jones, but known as Danny to his friends. It was a winter afternoon in the year 2008, and we were seated on the balcony of my apartment, as the Sun was warm and friendly. It was here that I told Danny about my experiences in Niger, in South Africa.

Danny is a good friend of my uncle who is settled in the UK. As we have known each other for many years, the friendship between Danny and myself is like that between father and son. We have often travelled together, since I was young, to many places in different parts of China. Danny loves China and the Chinese culture, and has visited China more than 20 times. He has also been to many other countries, and is a knowledgeable traveller, so I was surprised when he was so interested in my own story. When I was talking to him in a rather flat tone, about my experiences in Africa, he asked many questions, which I did not know how to answer. Finally he said to me, “Sheng, I think you should write a book about your experiences in Africa. It will surely be a very interesting book.”

Write a book! Easier said than done, although some of my articles about my own experiences of assisting in Africa have been published in newspapers, I never thought about writing a book about those times. Although I have experienced some unforgettable things, there were many days less interesting. There did not seem to be enough of those special events that could be written about, to fill a book.

Danny encouraged me by saying, “ The theme of Chinese Doctors in Africa is itself a very attractive topic, and even the days that were less attractive to you would themselves provide a topic to write about. I am curious to know how you spent your leisure time there. The Westerners would be interested in that and certainly the Chinese would like to know the particular details of what you saw and did. Your writing is good, and I feel sure you will succeed.”

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