Yunzi: first Chinese woman at the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc

For Yunzi, aged 26, of Team 203 (CHEN YUN ZI / Sophie NAYLOR - AMC Travel), this adventure is providing a lot of firsts. First trip to Morocco, first rally, first time this far away from home by herself, and above all, first Chinese woman to take part in this event!

9,700 kilometres from home

Yunzi is from Sichuan, a province in south-western China, a mountainous region with peaks soaring more than 6,000 metres high. She is a radio presenter, a profession in which she often works alone. The presence of 329 other Gazelles and as many organizers will be a big change for het but that is all part of why she is here.

To help her adapt to it all, Yunzi arrived a week ago after more than 22 hours of flights, not just to adjust to the new time zone (8 hours later than in China) but also to get a feel for Morocco. “I love this sun. It was raining when I arrived in Casablanca, the same type of weather as in Bangkok. But we’re going towards the sun!

Significant for everyone

This first Chinese participation represents a great deal for everyone: the event organizers, the Gazelles, her friends and family, and especially for Yunzi herself: “I heard about this rally while reporting on a tourism show. I would never have considered doing this a few months ago. This is huge for me, it’s developing my group spirit. At first, I told myself it was impossible, that it was too far. This is not a very popular destination in my country. The Chinese, and especially Chinese women, don’t have much experience travelling abroad alone. I feel like anything is possible. 

The young woman decided in January to take part in the Rallye. When she told her parents, her father encouraged her, seeing the experience as a challenge. On the other hand, her mother, more protective, was worried at the idea of her travelling alone… Some of her girlfriends did not understand her choice. “As for my boss, he agreed to let me go for three weeks because he considers this rally to be something highly significant. He told me he would be proud if I became the first Chinese Gazelle.”

Like a mother/daughter team

Yunzi loves a challenge, so this adventure does not scare her in the least. Since childhood, she has fought for her education, for her work. This determination is an important part of her character. While preparing for the event, she took boxing and English classes to be able to communicate easily with Sophie, her teammate who she has never met!

Sophie is from Geneva and is the same age as her mother. “Of course, she has much more experience than I do, she has more maturity even if this is the first time she is doing the Rallye. To me, it’s a bit like a mother/daughter team. In China, elders are highly respected, they are considered to be “treasures”, whereas in France, you don’t tell anyone your age, it’s taboo. I will wait and see how Sophie sees our relationship.” Naturally, they have spoken many times over the Internet.

A message she would like to share?

“I would like to speak to all Chinese women and tell them that they can become independent and face up to challenges by persevering, by being courageous and by having confidence in themselves.”