An hour's drive northwest of Guangzhou, the flower markets in Sihui, Zhaoqing, were buzzing ahead of the Chinese New Year. Among the crowds picking out orchids and red couplets is Maximus Ogbonna from Nigeria, celebrating the holiday with his family.
Now the President Emeritus of the Nigerian Community and the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce in China, Maximus has lived in Guangdong for 23 years. "I came with two feet, now I'll walk back with ten," he jokes as a playful way of saying he now has a family of five: his Chinese wife and their three children.
Maximus first arrived in China in 2003 and decided to stay, building a trade business exporting cars and trucks to Nigeria. Over the years, he has made the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area his home, drawn by its openness, efficiency and warm winters that remind him of West Africa.
Three years ago, the family moved from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing for a slower pace of life. Before the Chinese New Year, he bargained fluently in Mandarin at the local food market and prepared New Year's Eve dinner with his wife — a reunion feast that blends flavours from China and Nigeria. In their kitchen, cultures blend in subtle yet meaningful ways. Take the tomato and fried eggs dish, for example: it may look like a typical Chinese recipe, but with the addition of onions, it takes on a Nigerian twist.
For Maximus, the Greater Bay Area is no longer just a place, but a second home. "We've lived here a long time, and thrived more and more," he says, "it's so nice to live in such a place."
Editor's Note: Home is the starting point for every person, and the place where emotions return. With the vigorous development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, families here are painting a rich and vibrant picture of life along the surging Pearl River.
South has launched the series "My Home in GBA," stepping into the lives of families throughout the region to experience their everyday moments and feel the pulse of the Greater Bay Area together.
You may also be interested in:
Secrets behind legacy of a century-strong overseas Chinese family | My Home in GBA ①
How a Belgian diplomat finds a second home in Guangzhou | My Home in GBA ②
Fridge magnets & big dreams: HK business leader's "integrated home model" for GBA | My Home in GBA ③
Reporter | Chen Siyuan
Video | Chen Siyuan, Ou Xiaoming
Poster | Lai Meiya
Coordinator | Hu Nan
Special Guest | Maximus Ogbonna and his family
