African students set their sights on China

Ali said that when she was in high school she decided to be a gynecologist because most of the doctors in her country are male, and female patients find it hard to talk to male doctors or to share their problems with them.

"My sister had an abortion and she was bleeding so much that we took her to the hospital. When the doctor came to examine her, he asked her to open her legs and she refused despite the bleeding and pain she was experiencing."

It is not just China's medical expertise and equipment that attract students to the country, but its culture.

Nkengurutse said, "The culture is a lot different to that in Burundi. China has the latest technology and it has world-renowned kung fu stars like Jackie Chan."

With a keen interest in culture, he was soon studying Chinese.

In June, he finished third in a Chinese speech contest for foreign college students organized by the Department of Education in Liaoning after earlier being chosen to compete with other non-Chinese on the TV show Chinese Bridge on China Central Television.

"China offers me a lot and has become a second home for me," Nkengurutse said.