Africa's Shaolin dreamers

Clenching fists, flying kicks, snapping punches -- Shaolin kung fu made a big impression on the children in Mabre N' guessan Valerie's village in Cote d'Ivoire when he was young.

"The Shaolin temple is very famous in my country. I fell in love with Shaolin kung fu when I was 10 years old when I first watched the 36th Chamber of Shaolin,"says Valerie, 23, with a slight French accent.

However, the dreams of the children in his hometown mostly faltered in poverty. With no education and no training many struggled to survive.

"I'm a lucky dog,"says Valerie, who entered the Shaolin Temple as a Shaolin Charity education program student in February 2012.

So far nine students from African countries, including Gabon, Cameroon, Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire and the Congo, have been admitted with free board for a five-year course in Shaolin culture, says Wang Yumin, dean of Shaolin Temple Foreign Affairs Office.

Valerie struggled to adapt to Shaolin life at first."We were not used to the food here and the language is difficult."

Eighteen months on, he blends with his Chinese peers, speaking reasonable Chinese.

An ordinary day is simple but meaningful, says his compatriot, Yahou Hugues Michael, 29.

They rise at 5:30 a.m., half an hour before kung fu practice, and by 7 a.m., they are having breakfast. At 8:30 a.m., the second morning session starts.

Chinese classes are compulsory from 10:30 a.m. till midday.

In the afternoon, the third training session often exhausts the last of their stamina.

"It's extremely tiring but I am used to it,"says Valerie, who adds he is physically stronger than when he started. "Though we provide free accommodation and training, and even robes, shoes, socks and other basics for needy African students, we don't force them to cultivate themselves according to a strict religious doctrine,"says Wang Yumin.

But Valerie and his friends attend morning prayers, which, he says, are"pleasant to hear and can quiet our hearts."

Emmanuel Ngalle, 26, from Cameroon was slower to speak Chinese than Valerie, but he likes meditating and has an interest in Chinese art. In his spare time, he listens to Chinese pop songs and can now sing two hit songs fluently in Chinese.

Emmanuel's next ambition is to learn Henan Opera:"We have a cook where we live in and he likes Henan Opera so he tunes into the same channel on the radio every day."

After 19 months in the Shaolin Temple, Emmanuel is still getting used to Chinese food too.

"Each student is different in personality. Some convert to Buddhism when they come here; others focus more on kung fu,"Wang says.

They also pick up other aspects of Chinese culture as they continue their studies.

Michael wants to study Shaolin medicine, but"my language is not good enough. Once it is good, I'll learn medicine and tuina massage."

Despite their uniform gray robes and cotton shoes, they have different dreams for the future.

"I want to go home to found a kung fu school and teach kung fu to local children who cannot afford to study in China,"Valerie says.

"Maybe I'll start a school with different courses, not just kung fu, but Chinese language and culture,"says Emmanuel.