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Stephen Chen

Professor Wang Qingfeng, from the Wuhan Botanical Gardens, discovered a new plant species during a recent expedition by Chinese scientists to the highest mountain in Kenya. Wang, who headed the expedition as director of the Sino-Africa Joint Research Centre in Kenya, shared with Stephen Chen his surprise discovery and why China’s curiosity in the African continent is growing.
Tell us about the plant you discovered?
We named the new species sedum keniense to honour the country of its origin. As far as we know, the plant exists only in Kenya.
Growing on the damp cliff banks of a large waterfall on Mount Kenya, more than 3,000 metres above sea level, the sedum keniense struck our eyes as something very familiar, but very exotic at the same time.
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Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants known for their succulent leaves that are great for salads. It has hundreds of relative species, which are distributed mostly in the Northern Hemisphere and very common in China.
The sedum keniense has many alien features. Examinations showed it was different to all the four known sedum species in Eastern Africa. The differences ranged from its leaves to its stem to its flowers and its fruits.

In the past, sedum was widespread in Africa, but now it is quite rare due to the dramatic change of ancient climates. The sedum keniense had obviously survived natural calamities. [We found them] living not as lone individuals but in large colonies and they were thriving in their little paradise!
A detailed description of the plant and the environment they live in can be found in our paper recently published in the journal Phytotaxa.
The biodiversity of Kenya, and the entire African continent, remains a gold mine for natural discoveries.
What was the purpose of your expedition?
In January last year, we set off for a scientific expedition to cross Mount Kenya from east to west on foot. Mount Kenya is known as the second highest mountain in Africa, only about 700 metres short of Mount Kilimanjaro.
One main purpose of the expedition was to survey the biodiversity of the area and find out why it had sheltered so many rare, strange plants and animals.
Sedum keniense was just one of the many new plants we discovered during the expedition, the other discoveries will be published in the near future.
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We suspect the rich biodiversity of Mount Kenya was caused by ancient volcanic activity which created many isolated “islands of life” with the rugged landscape.
On these life islands, not only were some ancient species preserved, but they remained out of contact with the world outside for millions of years.
The scientists participating in the expedition came from both China and African countries. In fact, with financial support from the Chinese government, similar expeditions have been carried out since 2009, on different routes several times each year.
The teams have encountered lots of hardship and risks to their safety as they have tried to enter some of the least accessible areas on the continent, but most team members have enjoyed their experiences.
We chose areas rarely or never visited by Western scientists before. We were constantly excited by new discoveries.
Tell us about the book you are writing, The Flora of Kenya?
T he Flora of Kenya will be the first comprehensive catalogue of plants for the nation, containing more than 8,000 known and newly discovered species of plants. It will differ from all existing national plant catalogues in Africa, with not only hand drawings but real-life photos of each plant and their living environment. A large digital data base will come with the book to give readers easy access from around the world. The project, financed by the Chinese government, will take us ten to 15 years to finish, or by 2025 the earliest.
What does the Sino-Africa Research Centre do?
The centre, headquartered in the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi, was officially launched in 2013 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has joined 18 top research institutes and universities in China in partnership with about 10 research institutes and universities in African countries.
Many projects have been sponsored and facilitated by the centre. Chinese scientists, together with our African colleagues, are engaging in a wide range of research areas to study ecology, environment, agriculture, desertification, minerals and other natural resources. Some topics, such as the outbreak of Ebola, have drawn global attention.
China’s expanding role in Africa will benefit all sides
Thanks to the generous funding from the Chinese government, the centre has brought some of the world’s most advanced scientific research hardware to Africa.
A substantial proportion of the resources in the centre are dedicated to the training of research talent in African nations, from masters to post doctorate degrees.
Why does the Chinese government fund the scientific research in Africa?
After decades of rapid economic development, China can now afford such activities. The nation has built up one of the world’s largest pools of scientific researchers, whose curiosity in the world outside can no longer be contained by the border.
There are practical benefits for China in sending its scientists overseas. New scientific discoveries on foreign soil will help the government’s efforts on political and economic fronts, such as the One Belt, One Road project, and help it take the lead on international affairs.
To China, Africa is a land of opportunities. Major scientific expeditions in Africa by Western countries took place before the 1960s. That was a long time ago, when there were many technological limits. In the past, China’s investment in Africa fell mostly on infrastructure, such as railroads and oil fields, but now government leaders have realised the importance of science and technology to Africa. These areas can lift the continent out of poverty and backwardness more effectively than money itself.
What are some of your personal experiences and concerns as a Chinese scientist working in Africa?
My first trip to Africa was a small expedition in Chad two decades ago. I was amazed by the plants there because they were so different to those in China.
With luck and personal effort, I participated in more expeditions by Chinese scientists in the years that followed. Now, to facilitate the rapidly increasing scientific exchange between China and African nations, I visit the continent at least five or six times a year.
The activities of Chinese scientists are at present largely limited to East Africa. I hope, with support from the government, we can expand the reach of our research to the western side of the continent.
My biggest concern for Chinese scientists working in Africa is safety. We can be easy targets for terrorists when we work in the field.


A career in bloom: the Chinese professor who discovered a new plant on Mount Kenya

Professor Wang Qingfeng during his scientific expedition to Africa. Photo: Wuhan Botanical Garden

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