By Zheng Yang

Li songshan stands in a construction site in suburban Beijing. Through the clouds of dust kicked up by rumbling building machines， the 71-year-old sees a vision of his long-held dream： an African village， with 13 buildings covering 10，000 square meters， providing Chinese citizens with a real-life glimpse at the continents culture.

When the village is erected， it will be the first privately owned， non-profit organization in China dedicated to promoting African culture. The project is funded by Li and his wife， Han Rong， both renowned around China as scholars of African culture. They could have put off building the village， but they didnt. Above anything else， time is of the essence. Li is suffering from cancer. On July 20， 2012， ground was broken on the African Village project， and construction began.

“As the first generation of Chinese workers in Africa， we want our fellow countrymen to know that Africa has more than rich natural resources，” Han said. “We hope the splendid culture and art there can attract more Chinese youth to spend their life in Africa， like we did decades ago.”

Devotion to art

Changchun is a city in northeast Chinas Jilin Province， known for bleak winters and heavy industry， but here Makonde sculpture is easily found. The Makonde are an ethnic group living along the TanzaniaMozambique border. The groups woodcarving is referred to as the grandfather of modern African wood sculpture. They depict the groups fears and hopes， their spirituality and mysticism， religion and superstitions.

Located at the Changchun World Sculpture Park， the Songshan-Hanrong African Art Collection Museum houses 12，000 pieces of African art work， all donated by Li and Han. Its nearly their entire collection； it took them three decades to accumulate.

“It was like marrying off our own daughter，” Han said. “It was hard， but you still want her to end up with someone good， someone who deserves her.”

The couples connection with Tanzania began in the late 1960s， when they were sent by the Chinese Government to work there. During the time， they saw Makonde art for the first time. With one glimpse， they fell in love and began a lifelong devotion.

In the 1980s， they were recalled by the Chinese Government and moved back to China. But after a short stay， they made a decision that surprised everyone. In 1990， Li and Han， then in their 40s， quit their promising jobs in governmental ministries， and left China for Tanzania with only $8，000 in their pockets. To be closer to the source of Makonde art， the couple decided to settle down in Tanzania.

During the years they spent there， they collected tens of thousands of African sculptures and Tinga Tinga paintings. They pored over the artwork with meticulous detail， analyzing and categorizing them and publishing academic research. Due to their contributions to the understanding of African artwork， the Tanzania Arts Council honored them with the title of “Doctors of African Culture and Art.”

Another dream

After having settled in Tanzania for more than a decade， the two felt a strong desire to introduce Makonde Art to their homeland. In 2003， Li and Han donated 547 Makonde carvings to Changchun， a city where African culture was nearly unheard of at the time. There， the woodcarvings soon gained fame， and tourists and professionals became increasingly intrigued by the art. Encouraged by the achievement， in 2008 Li and Han packed their collection into four containers and shipped them to China.

“Bringing them back to China and donating them， the whole process was laborious and full of difficulties. But we know our roots are in China. We love the country， so we hope to see more Chinese people benefit from African culture and art，” Li said.

The museum， which bears their name in remembrance of the couples contribution， opened to the public in 2011. Its notable as the first museum in China focused on foreign artwork. Meanwhile， its also the worlds largest Makonde art museum.

“Songshan-Hanrong is not only a symbol of us. I hope it can also represent the first generation of Chinese working in Africa，” Li said. “People like us spent their life and made strenuous efforts on promoting China-Africa communication and friendship， because we take it as our dream.”

When people hailed the museum in Changchun as a perfect ending for the couples lifetime connection with African culture， Li and Han， in their 70s and 60s， were drafting a new plan - building an African culture center in Chinas capital.

The idea was actually conceived in 2005. In that year， four Tanzanian sculpture masters died. Li and Han felt a deep sorrow. They were intimate friends with the masters， and their deaths marked an end to a period of flourishing Tan-3 zanian artwork that lasted nearly 50 years. Soon， they made a decision to move back to China， where the masters brilliant artwork could be appreciated by more people.

In 2007， they bought land in Songzhuang， an artistic zone in a Beijing suburb， and planned to use it to build their dream project - the African Village. But in the same year， Li was diagnosed with colon cancer. Insisting on finishing the project， he began to commute between construction site and hospital. Han was supportive from the start， knowing how important the project was to her husband.

“All I ask is several more years so that I can see its completion，” Li said. “Its not our personal property but a belonging of China， of future generations devoted to promoting African culture and art and China-Africa friendship.”

African village

To now， parts of the African Village project have been completed， and have become the accommodation for the Tanzanian deputy minister of culture and the wives of eight African diplomats. They say the village is just like their second home.

“There will be an auditorium for African officials， African scholars and Chinese experts on African studies to give speeches about African economies and cultures，” Li said. According to Li， the auditorium will also function as a museum with an exhibition of African arts. It will also house a movie theater to show African movies and a restaurant featuring African-style dishes.

The four buildings around the auditorium include an African art research center based on cooperation with universities in Beijing， a clinic of volunteer doctors to serve African diplomats and students in Beijing， and a publishing house to work for Chinese scholars and those giving speeches in the auditorium.

What Li is most proud of is an art studio themed“Africa in the Chinese eye.” Li said that Chinese artists can work here to design industrial products， such as furniture， with African elements. He believed that Chinese artists can draw inspiration from African arts to develop Chinese art.

They also established the Makonde Art Institute at the Jilin College of Arts， where Li was appointed as an honorary professor， supervising graduate students working on Makonde art theory.

“Families and friends think we are out of our minds every time we make major decisions like this. But， life is not about what you have but what you can give. To foster more Chinese interest in the culture and art of that beautiful land is the best thing we can give.” Li said.