00:00This sprawling complex outside the Zambian capital Lusaka is Africa's first Shaolin Temple.
00:08It's part of a Buddhist monastic martial arts tradition.
00:12It's also now home to 36 students of Shaolin Kung Fu, most of them from underprivileged backgrounds.
00:21Shaolin Kung Fu is traditional. It connects people.
00:26It connects people. That's what motivates me, so I wanted to learn more about Shaolin Kung Fu.
00:32The students sleep, study and train at the temple, leaving only a few days a year to visit their families.
00:39Their days often begin as early as 3am.
00:43Me, the first time I didn't like Chinese because I was only interested in Kung Fu, training martial arts.
00:51But now I started to notice that Kung Fu is not only about learning one thing, it's about to challenge
01:00yourself learning difficult things.
01:02The site was donated by a Chinese businessman.
01:06It's now a visible symbol of China's cultural footprint in Zambia, a country where Beijing's economic influence runs deep.
01:15It's not like the Chinese taking over Zambia. It's like exchanging cultures.
01:21Yes, exchanging cultures. We are learning new things to the Chinese and we are also teaching them new things of
01:30Africa.
01:31Yes.
01:33Instructor Yan Chen arrived in Zambia four years ago after growing up in a poor community in China.
01:41He says the temple is about more than martial arts.
01:49There are a few children like Yang Dei and Song Shan who really like Kung Fu.
01:56They maybe like Kung Fu training, maybe because after Chinese Kung Fu training, they have hope.
02:07It gives them hope for their lives.
02:12For now, they're focused on learning as much as they can, including Mandarin.
02:17No more.
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