Syrian cashing in on China's success

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Syrian cashing in on China's success

By Xinhua writers Ma Yujie, Zhang Jianhua and Zhang Yichao (Xinhua) 14:18, October 22, 2013

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GUANGZHOU, Oct.22 -- Nine years ago, Mudar Abou Asi was sitting in his home in Syria, reflecting on his current situation. He had no work lined up and wasn't sure if he would be able to find any.

He described that time as "the toughest time of my life."

But now, at 32 years old, he is the head of three China-based companies.

Abou Asi came to China to further his education and seek new opportunities. Although it took time and dedication to do so, he has now found great success in China.

"The first few years, every morning when I would wake up, I'd take a breath in front of the window and say 'thank God I'm here,'" he said.

Abou Asi grew up in a city south of Damascus, the capital of Syria.Despite doing well in his studies at Damascus University, he soon realized that high scores were no guarantee of success.

In 2004, he applied for and was granted a scholarship to study abroad. Candidates were given three options for countries they would like to go to. Abou Asi said China was always his top choice.

"We're very interested in the culture here because it's new for us. China has great potential and we can touch the market there. Today I feel it was a smart decision," he said.

In 2005, Abou Asi enrolled at Sun Yat-sen University in south China's city of Guangzhou to work on his master's and doctorate degrees.

Guangzhou is a major Chinese import and export hub. Bolstered by his academic success, Abou Asi turned his hand to tapping into China' s economic success while still a student.

He started working as a translator and assistant for international traders before setting up his own company. But his business didn' t do well at first.

"For six months I didn't do any business at all. I just lost money for six months for the company," Abou Asi recalled.

When he finally managed to complete one large deal, it was enough for the company to survive for the following three years. He said this success gave him confidence for the future.

Specializing in exporting Chinese goods, his company serves clients with a large variety of goods, ranging from agricultural equipment to furniture and home appliances.

As with most successful entrepreneurs, his newfound profits did not sate Abou Asi's appetite.

In 2011, Abou Asi ventured into the field of e-commerce. He created Mamarow.com, a website that assists international buyers, sellers and suppliers in communicating and conducting transactions online.

Based in south China's city of Shenzhen, it offers services for over 5,000 companies from around the world. Abou Asi said he is excited about the company's prospects.

"Our marketing budget for the coming three months is 10 million dollars. We believe spending this amount of money will make us a big hit around the world and encourage more people to use the site," he said.

Abou Asi is also targeting the fashion industry. His bilingual English-Chinese fashion magazine "In The Red" targets affluent Chinese and expats with articles on fashion, art and lifestyle.

Established in 2012, the magazine is gaining increasing popularity in south China. Abou Asi hopes to expand the magazine to other major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as create an electronic version of the magazine that can be read on mobile devices.

Abou Asi is enjoying the trappings of success, as well as his ongoing residence in Guangzhou.

"Whenever I leave the city, I find myself really missing it. It has become my new hometown," he said.

Despite Abou Asi's success, the troubles of his homeland, where a civil war has been raging since 2011, are never far from his mind.

"It is painful to see it on TV and in the news every day. Nobody is happy about it and it hurts everybody," he said.

He said he hopes his success in China can be mirrored by the destiny of his home country.

"The war should stop immediately. But I want to say that the situation should be sorted out by the nation, the people who live there," he said.Abou Asi said he is still amazed at the possibilities offered in China.

"I can tell you truthfully that this place has great potential. I believe my aims and targets can be achieved here," he said.

(Liu Lishan contributed to the story)

(To watch the video story, please visit China View on YouTube: http://xhne.ws/Tftho)