Eighteen kilometers north of Zambia’s capital Lusaka, a sprawling cultural complex nestled into the local landscape evokes a striking, unexpected echo of central China. To first-time observers, the golden-roofed pagoda and traditional architecture can almost feel like a mirage – a piece of China transplanted into southern African soil. This is Africa’s very first Shaolin Temple, launched in 2021 to bring the centuries-old Buddhist monastic and martial arts tradition to the continent.