Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda: The African President Who Climbed the Great Wall Twice

The Great Wall of China is a world cultural heritage.

The Badaling Great Wall is the most majestic and the best-preserved section of the Great Wall in Beijing, China.

It has received hundreds of heads of state and governments from all over the world.

Kenneth David Kaunda, then President of Zambia, climbed the Great Wall twice, once in 1980 and once in 2003 (after leaving office) , and the Great Wall has been a witness of the “all-weather” friendship between China and Zambia.

Kaunda was the founding president of the Republic of Zambia, revered as the father of the nation, and he visited China four times during his term in office.

In 1967, Kaunda visited China for the first time. He recalled: At that time, China was troubled by its own economic woes, but Chairman Mao Zedong did not hesitate to aid the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway to support the two countries in safeguarding their independence and break the blockade of colonialism and apartheid.

The visit to China was a touching one for Kaunda. Back then, they first reached out to several Western countries for construction assistance, but they were tactfully turned down. Only the not-so-rich China extended a helping hand. Full of gratitude, Kaunda creatively used the phrase “all-weather friend” to describe Zambia’s friendship with China.

“We therefore want to see this friendship continue to grow, to grow, for all these times, always. So please, let us continue. Remember that our friendship is something that’s beyond all time, all time. Let’s keep it going. We should keep in mind that this friendship is “all-weather” and transcends time.”

The term “all-weather friend” has been widely known and has become the best phrase to describe the deep friendship between China and Zambia, and even between China and Africa.

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway cuts through the Great Rift Valley in East Africa and was China’s largest foreign aid project at that time. Building a railway like this is no different than re-building the Great Wall again. After visiting the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, a Western engineer said: “Only the nation that has built the Great Wall can build such a high-quality and high-standard railway.”

In April 1980, Kaunda visited China again. Accompanied by Chinese personnel, he climbed the Badaling Great Wall and enjoyed the splendor of spring in April.

In September 2003, 79-year-old Kaunda came back to China and was overjoyed when he saw the photos of him on the Badaling Great Wall 23 years ago. During his second climb on the Great Wall, he laid his hands on the bricks of the Great Wall and said: “This is a great symbol of the greatness of the Chinese people–ancient and modern. May this greatness continue for the entire human race to benefit all the way.”