The Chairman of Anqi Group is issuing the stuff manual for Yahia at the opening ceremony. (Image courtesy of An Qi Group)

　　On November 30th, the reporter of the Three Gorges Daily contacted the four special Egyptian friends, who had spent an unforgettable time in Yichang seven years ago. In March this year, they returned to the “capital of hydropower” and continued to write on anew story of Yichang. They are Yahia, Mina, Dola and Alaa.

　　Because of the Anqi Group, these 4 people and Yichang have a close relationship.

　　In 2009, An Qi went abroad and laid out overseas. At the beginning of the construction of the Egyptian factory, 60 Egyptian employees were selected from the local area to train at Yichang headquarters, and Mina was one of them. "Introduced by friends, I learned about An Qi, but I missed the first opportunity to come to Yichang. Until May 2011, I was fortunate enough to come to Yichang to study."She is still fresh in memory. Dola and Alaa learned about the recruitment of “Going to Yichang Anqi Group For Training” in Egyptian newspapers.

　　When Mina first arrived in Yichang, it was already 1 am, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that the Chinese staff were waiting for him in the room and held a welcoming ceremony for him. “They helped settle the dormitory and gave us some necessities, working around for more than three hours,” Mina recalled. On the first day of the trip, Mina was impressed by the hospitality of Yichang people.

　　“Yichang , near the mountains and rivers, is very beautiful, ” looking back at the first time in Yichang, Dola and Alaa said that it was not very convenient to go out in Yichang, because there was no high-speed rail and no BRT(Bus Rapid Transit), and always frequent traffic jams at that time.

　　Seven years later, in March 2018,with the construction of the YE (yeast extract) production line in Egypt, the four people returned to Yichang--“the capital of hydropower”, for a six-month YE production technology study. .

　　The first stop of the four people was China Three Gorges University, where they conducted one month’s biological knowledge learning. “We not only studied courses in microbiology and microbial nutrition, but also participated in many cultural activities as international students,” said Dola and Alaa, who often went out to play with Chinese friends when they were in the China Three Gorges University.

　　In their eyes, what changes have Yichang witnessed?

　　“BRT is completed, and Xilingerlu Road Expressway will also be open to traffic,so that it is more convenient in Yichang !” When hearing that Yichang is implementing the“unblocked project”, Dola and Alaa expressed their feelings.

　　"The biggest change is the popularity of mobile payment. In the past, people had to use cash for shopping. Now, WeChat and Alipay make everything easy." Yahia said excitedly.

　　Mina usually likes to go shopping. He said that compared with the last time, Yichang has more new streets and new houses. In the early morning, you can see more elderly people dancing and exercising. Yichang's economy is developing rapidly.

　　Yichang City is changing with each passing day, and Yichang people are still hospitable. Dola and Alaa told reporters that this time Yichang friends specially prepared halal food for them, gave them many practical opportunities, and patiently gave guidance. At the same time, many Chinese friends also helped them very friendly.

　　Six months elapsed quickly.During the training, they not only learned biotechnology knowledge at the China Three Gorges University, but also mastered the YE production process from autolysis to drying and concentration in the Anqi factory.

　　With the growing strength of the Anqi Egyptian factory, the four people also want to contribute more to the economic cooperation between Yichang and Egypt. “Anqi promotes the development of the local economy in Egypt and improves people's living standards.” Dola said that he would bring what he has learnt back to the Egyptian factory and become the envoy of economic and technological exchanges between China and Egypt.

　　“I saw a lot of Chinese products in my hometown when I was young . I think MADE IN CHINA has become a part of our lives. Now, the “ Belt and Road Initiative” has brought China and Egypt closer .” Mina said, the Yichang companies,represented by An Qi , are seeking more cooperation with Egypt, which is a win-win result. (Reporter:Sun Hongya,Fu Jiangshan)