How Alaa Mamdouh Akef became Gao Shan

In 2004, Alaa Mamdouh Akef walked into his first Chinese class at Cairo University as a young student curious to know more about an unfamiliar language and the country behind it. He was among the first band of students to study Chinese at Cairo University, at a time when it was still an uncommon choice of subject to major in.

During the time he was studying Chinese, a teacher gave him the Chinese name Gao Shan, inspired by the classical saying "to look up to a tall mountain", or, more simply, admiration for a noble virtue. In fact, it echoes his Arabic name, Akef, while reflecting the ideals he has long pursued.

Two decades later, Akef stands behind a lectern as an assistant professor at Peking University, teaching Arabic, conducting research on China and raising a family in Beijing, while calling himself a "new Beijinger".

Looking back, Akef sees his journey not as a series of coincidences but a chain of connected steps. "I have not become someone else. A new self has simply grown alongside the person I have always been," he said. Egyptian and Arab culture will always be his roots, Akef said, adding that learning Chinese and living in China have given him another perspective from which to understand the world.

"When I was a child, I listened to Chinese tourists and businesspeople in Cairo speaking Chinese and saw the square-shaped characters," he recalled, adding he was curious to know about the culture and the society behind it.

Literature strengthened that curiosity. Back in the 2000s, Chinese works translated into Arabic were very hard to find in his country. The first Chinese novel he read was Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in the original Chinese text. "I read it word by word, and it took me six months to complete reading it," Akef said.

He later discovered the works of famous Chinese writers such as Lao She and Ba Jin. In the process, Akef found that the more he explored Chinese literature, the country's history and modern life, the larger the world opened up by the language seemed to become.

The initial curiosity gradually developed into a sustained academic interest, eventually leading Akef to study sinology.

Yet the China he knew from books still felt distant.

"At that time, I could only see China through written words," he said. "But I wanted to experience it for myself."

In 2012, Akef arrived in Beijing to pursue a master's degree. His impressions of the city had been shaped by literature, news reports and documentaries, leading him to imagine a city filled with hutong and traditional courtyard houses. Instead, what he saw was a fast-paced modern metropolis.

Over the following decade, Akef even witnessed Beijing's rapid transformation.

Administrative procedures that once required long waits in government offices increasingly moved online. WeChat developed from a simple messaging service into a platform through which foreign residents could make payments, book hospital appointments and access public services.

"When we gave feedback, the relevant departments took it seriously and often responded quickly," he said. "That made me feel how friendly Beijing was to foreigners."

The early years nevertheless brought moments of cultural adjustment. Akef was frequently advised to "drink more hot water", an expression he initially struggled to understand. Gradually, he came to appreciate the everyday habits and ideas about health. He also remembers repeatedly asking what a friend meant when he said Akef had "too much internal heat", a fundamental traditional Chinese medicine concept used to describe a collection of symptoms such as a sore throat, acne, mouth sores, nosebleeds, or irritability.

Chinese lunch hours, dining customs and banquet etiquette were equally unfamiliar at first. "I gradually learned that in this diverse country, there are big differences across regions vis-a-vis language, cuisine, pace of life, and the way people interact with one another. Many things can only be understood by actually living here."

After completing his postdoctoral research in 2020, Akef joined Peking University. The young Egyptian who had once worked his way through Chinese characters in Cairo now stands behind a lectern in Beijing, teaching Arabic to Chinese students while researching sinology and cross-cultural communication.

Last November, as one of the initiators, he was among 61 young sinologists from 51 countries who co-signed a letter to President Xi Jinping. They later received a reply from Xi.

"We are not only scholars who study China, but also participants in telling China's stories and shaping the modes of dialogue," the Egyptian assistant professor said.

His experience as a language learner continues to shape his approach to teaching.

Akef reminds his students not to memorize Arabic vocabulary mechanically, but to understand the social customs, religious traditions and ways of thinking embedded in the language.

The growing enthusiasm for learning Chinese in Egypt, he said, reflects increasingly close economic, cultural and educational ties between China, Egypt and the wider Arab world. "In the past, people in Egypt learned Chinese mainly to understand China," he said. "Today, learners have more diverse and practical goals, including career development and direct participation in cross-cultural exchange."

There is a similar shift in Chinese students' pursuit of the Arabic language, too. "In the past, the language was commonly associated with traditional career paths such as diplomacy and translation. Nowadays, students also take interest in economic and social development taking place in the Middle East, international communication, cultural creativity and tech industries. They also want to know how Arabic can remain valuable in the age of AI," Akef said. "Students are no longer satisfied with simply learning the language. They want to know what they can do with it."

In 2025, Akef received China's Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, or the "Five-Star Card". "I was so happy because it gave me a strong sense of belonging," he said, adding that the significance of the card goes far beyond everyday convenience. It was not only a sign of recognition and trust but also a source of greater responsibility, he said.

He is now more determined than ever to deepen his work in teaching, research, and people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and the Arab world.

His advantage and responsibility come from living deeply within both cultures. Akef said that he understands what matters to people on both sides and where misunderstandings are most likely to arise.

Cultural communication must always be a two-way exchange, it is not simply about presenting China to the Arab world, he said. "We must communicate the realities of China to the Arabs while also bringing the Arab world's perspectives back to China," he said. "If political and economic cooperation form the skeleton of the relationship of the two countries, language, education, culture and exchanges between ordinary people give that relationship flesh and blood."

Governments may sign agreements and launch projects, but the stability of a relationship also depends on whether ordinary people understand each other, whether younger generations are willing to engage and whether the two societies maintain genuine and lasting connections.

An Egyptian who learns Chinese can read Chinese writing and speak directly with Chinese people, and a Chinese student who learns Arabic can enter Arab society and hear local voices firsthand, Akef said, adding that many misconceptions begin to fade through such direct encounters.

"Language and culture allow people to truly understand one another and build trust."