Thus I Came to Know China Observations of the First Moroccan Student

Description

I was thoroughly impressed by the book *Thus I Came to Know China: Observations of the First Moroccan Student*. It serves as a journey between the China of yesterday and the China of today—a modern-day voyage in the spirit of Ibn Battuta. The author, the first Moroccan student to study traditional Chinese medicine—specifically acupuncture—in China, embarked on this journey following the implementation of China’s “reform and opening-up” policy in 1978. This is how the Chinese Arabist, Professor Wang Yuyong (Faisal), introduces the memoir and observations of Mohamed Khalil—a work that won the Ibn Battuta Award for Travel Literature in the “Contemporary Travel” category. As the professor describes it, the book functions like a documentary film, rich in detail. It chronicles the author’s academic path in China, delves into the intricacies of his daily life—first at an institute for foreign languages ​​and later at a college of traditional Chinese medicine—and captures the profound transformations and developments that Chinese society has undergone over the forty years the author spent in the country, whether as a resident student or a traveling visitor. Wang Yuyong explores the connection between the ancient Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta—who visited China in the 14th century and documented his impressions of the people living beyond the world’s longest wall in his travelogue, *Tuhfat al-Nuzzar*—and his own journey as a modern-day Moroccan traveler, Mohamed Khalil. Following in Ibn Battuta’s footsteps, Khalil arrived in contemporary China, guided by the accounts of his predecessor. He reflects on Ibn Battuta’s observations: the artistry of Chinese painters; the mastery of silk and porcelain production; the cultivation of fruits like watermelons and peaches; the use of paper currency; the construction of large ships in Guangzhou; the variety of Chinese cuisine; the prevailing sense of security; the hospitality infrastructure; the deep concern shown toward foreign visitors and merchants; and the care extended to the poor and needy. Khalil also highlights the solidarity of the local Muslim community toward their visiting coreligionists. Ibn Battuta had deemed China the safest and most hospitable land for travelers, noting that the Chinese were the most skilled and precise in their craftsmanship. Mohamed Khalil recounts that he was frequently asked: “What inspired you to travel to the farthest corner of the globe for your studies? What was your academic life like there? How did the Chinese people treat you? What was your daily life like in China?” This book serves as an attempt to answer all these questions—a venture into new horizons.