Kelly, an expatriate English teacher in Anji county, receives lots of gifts from her students on Teachers' Day on Sept 10, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"When I traveled to Anji county for the first time, I fell in love with the scenery and culture here. That's when I decided I wanted to stay here," said Gertrude Kellen Shang in a recent interview.

Gertrude Kellen Shang, nicknamed Kelly, came from the Republic of Cameroon in Africa and settled down in Anji county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province in 2012, two years after her first visit to the county.

Kelly is currently an expatriate English teacher in a foreign language school in the county. She is one of the most popular teachers in the school.

Kelly is always lively in the classroom. She is one of the most popular teachers at her school. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

According to her colleagues, Kelly is full of passion and energy in class and an all-around outstanding teacher.

In her spare time, Kelly likes to travel through the nearby bamboo forests and a valley famous for Anji white tea. She also makes some African-style clothes on her own using a sewing machine she bought online.

Over the past seven years, Kelly has completely integrated into the local community. Some locals greet her every time they meet her. They affectionately call her the "black peacock from Africa".

"Although I lived in Anji alone, I never felt lonely. Once, I went to the hospital for an operation and happened to meet one of my former students working there. With the help of the student, I recovered quickly," said Kelly.

Kelly added that she regarded the county as her second hometown due to the many meaningful friendships she has made.

She hopes that she can return to her hometown one day and teach locals about the Chinese culture and language.

Kelly takes a group photo with a local vendor while shopping in an agricultural market. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]