More than a century ago, an illiterate teenager left his home in Guangzhou and went to Zimbabwe (it was called Rhodesia then) to make a living. His illiterate wife joined him 18 years later.
The family stayed in the African country and their granddaughter, Fay King Chung, is a Zimbabwe minister and the first director of the UNESCO Institute for Capacity Building.
The story appeared in Beijing Review a couple of weeks ago and has made its way through a number of blogs.
It is a good example of the growing links between countries, the fading influence of national borders and the growing emergence of a global culture that goes beyond Disney, McDonald’s and Hollywood movies.