As the ninth BRICS Summit is getting underway in China’s southeastern coastal city of Xiamen, approximately 3,000 reporters from 80 countries around the globe have gathered in the island city to cover the summit for their respective countries. 

Among the crowd of international reporters is CGTN’s anchor Uche Okoronkwo, who has shared her impression of the event and the city: 

China has always been an enigma to most Africans. We wear clothes made in China, buy household appliances made in China, watch Jackie Chan movies and even eat at local Chinese restaurants. But the true nature of the people and their culture has always remained a mystery. 

This time, by visiting Xiamen for the BRICS summit, I have finally got to witness the rich and diverse culture in China, and the whole experience has been eye-opening.

Xiamen is a far cry from the bustling, smog covered industrial cities and the tall skyscrapers we had grown accustomed to hearing about. To my surprise, the island instead reminded me of a coastal getaway, with its warm and humid weather, its busy boardwalks by the water, its quiet harbor lined with yachts and boat restaurants, and its modern, local cafes along cobbled streets.

Xiamen' s rich cultural mix is highlighted not just in its cultural ambiance but in its food as well. Aside from the usual brands we see in cosmopolitan cities, a visit to one if its food markets unveiled a menu that varied from the tasty to the weird - for my African palette of course. The market, which was once a village for fishermen and now a bustling hipster town, had samples of local delicacies like seaworm jelly and oyster omelets. 

During my stay in Xiamen, another interesting sight of the city that caught my eye was the bright yellow shared bikes that everyone seemed to have. By using an app and scanning QR codes, visitors and residents can have access to these bikes anywhere in the city. It is part of the country’s booming new idea of sharing economy.

And that's perhaps what makes Xiamen the ideal location for this year’s BRICS Summit – it's a city that encourages sharing despite diversity. As the world's emerging economies converge here, it's symbolic of the country opening its doors to sharing ideas and working together with all emerging economies to usher in the second "Golden Decade" of BRICS cooperation.

Uche Okoronkwo joined CGTN Africa in 2015 as a business anchor. A rising star in Africa's business and financial news landscape, Okoronkwo has spent her eight year career travelling across Africa uncovering major development initiatives and debating issues around African business and current affairs. She has previously worked with other major channels including Bloomberg TV Africa, CNBC Africa and BBC World. Uche graduated with an MA in Business and Financial Journalism from Columbia University's School of Journalism.