GOOD FRIEND: Liang Zi and an African child (COURTESY OF LIANG ZI)

Liang Qiaohui, 53, is a woman of many talents: servicewoman, war correspondent, adventurer, traveler, writer, documentary producer and photographer.

But what thrust her into the spotlight were her experiences during regular visits to Africa since 2000. On each of her nine visits, she ventured deep into rural villages, living with local people for months at a time, documenting life with her camera and keeping meticulous notes of her adventures.

Liang has published five books and shot two documentaries on Africa to date. She now prefers to be known by the name the local Africans call her by: Liang Zi.

"Living in Africa for so many years, I gradually fell in love with the continent and the people there. For me, the people of Africa are just like my family members. They are my brothers and sisters and they are my best friends," Liang said. "Also, because of me, China is no longer a faraway and mysterious country in the eyes of [some of] the local villagers."

Chasing a dream

Liang's passion for Africa can be traced back to 40 years earlier when she was at secondary school. At the time she read a book about the Sahara Desert written by a famous female Chinese writer Echo Chan.

"I was impressed by the kindhearted people, different lifestyles, the vast desert and tropical rain forests there. At that time, I hoped someday I could go to Africa to see the continent and the people with my own eyes," Liang said.

In 1977, at the age of 16, Liang joined the army, and later became a photographer in her platoon.

"My experience as a servicewoman tempered me spiritually and physically. Thanks to that, I have a strong will, which helped me when I went to different places in Africa on my own," Liang said.

In 1989, Liang retired from the army and became a magazine photographer in Beijing. But she said her dream of going to Africa continued to dominate her thoughts and she began making preparations to realize it.

Liang is not a person who likes a quiet and idle life. In 2000, she resigned from her job in Beijing and flew to Thabang, a small village in northeast Lesotho.

She overcame her fears and made the decision to go soon after learning one of her friends knew the village head. "I realized it was quite a good opportunity to start my first African trip," Liang said. "I didn't want to miss the opportunity, or I would never be able to realize my dream again."

Helped by the village leader, Liang soon settled down and lived with local villagers as her neighbors.

According to Liang, during her four-month stay in Thabang, she found that the lifestyle of local villagers was totally different from what she had read about or seen on TV.

"They are really kind to me and ready to help at any time," she recalled. "Without their help, I don't think I could have stayed there for so long. They treated me like a family member."

Four months later, she returned to China with bags of film rolls and filled notebooks. In September 2001, she published her book A Chinese Woman Photographer's Life in a Village of Lesotho. This was the first book introducing Lesotho to Chinese at that time, according to Zhang Xianyi, former Chinese Ambassador to Lesotho.

"I know I am actually engaged in bridging the folk cultures of China and Africa, and this work has great significance. I have faith in what I am doing," Liang wrote in her book.