The campus of Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry. [Photo/ Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry]

Since arriving in Zhenjiang in 2022, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry graduate Tuba (a pinyin transliteration of his Chinese name) has been immersing himself in the world of plants and landscape design.

Drawn to the city's distinct seasons, lush vegetation, and diverse flora, Tuba found the perfect environment to cultivate his dream of creating gardens that harmonize nature and art.

In class, instructors led him on field studies of Beigu Mountain's vegetation layout, explaining the principles of Chinese garden design. Tuba spent his days absorbed in learning, filling notebooks with sketches of Zhenjiang's historic districts and collecting specimens such as osmanthus flowers and bamboo leaves.

After class, he would often explore the city's parks and mountains, experiencing first-hand the charm of classical Chinese gardens. His travels across Zhenjiang's green spaces inspired him to visit more cities and deepen his understanding of Chinese landscaping.

Under his teachers' guidance, Tuba — already the general manager of a landscaping company in Senegal — began experimenting with introducing Chinese plant species to his home country. Drought-tolerant peonies, fast-growing paulownias, and ever-blooming roses were carefully packaged with Chinese labels and cultivation notes and shipped to Senegal.

Over the course of three years, Tuba studied 47 books on landscape architecture and successfully adapted Chinese horticultural techniques to West Africa. His company has tripled its revenue, and even Senegal's Minister of Agriculture praised the initiative.

Recently accepted into a graduate program in Shanghai, Tuba continues to expand his company, which has grown from 10 to 106 employees. His business now spans government landscaping projects to private garden design.

Tuba plans to establish experimental plots of Chinese garden plants in Senegal and facilitate partnerships between Zhenjiang landscaping firms and Dakar's municipal government.

He has helped foster academic exchanges between Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry and Senegalese universities, with the first cohort of students enrolling this fall.