Angolan student chases 'Chinese dream' on video-sharing platform

Clarck Gable, an Angolan student who studies computer technology in Nantong Vocational University in Jiangsu province, has become an online celebrity with 2.8 million followers on China's video-sharing platform Douyin.

Naming himself "Laoma" in Chinese, Gable registered a Douyin account under his Chinese name with several Chinese young people last year and started to write, direct and act in short videos.

Most of the short videos made by Gable and his partners are based on Gable's experience of studying and living in China. In those videos, he speaks fluent Chinese and makes jokes about himself making funny mistakes when he studied Chinese in the past.

This is the second time Gable has been a student in China. In 2015, he once studied in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies but had to come back to his hometown in Angola because of some accidents. To return to China, he found a translator job at a Chinese company in Angola to practice his Chinese and got sponsored by a chamber of commerce from Nantong last September to study in Nantong Vocational University.

Gable thinks funny videos are the same as traditional comedy on TV. He does brainstorming with his partners everyday to generate ideas. Sometimes, to make a video that lasts several seconds, he needs to work late into the night.

Behind his humorous videos are Gable's understanding of and passion for Chinese culture. He hopes people can feel the charm of the Chinese language, writing and culture while they are amused by his performance.

Gable has attracted more than 240 million likes on Douyin but he turned down all commercial performance invitations. Instead of money, he cherishes his experience of living in China far more and wants to become a professional actor in the future to chase his own "Chinese dream".