Bangladeshi restaurateur realizes dream in SW China's Kunming

KUNMING — The 10th China-South Asia Expo held in June in Kunming, capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province, featured Bangladesh as the "theme country" this year. For 51-year-old Bangladeshi restaurateur Mohammed Uddin, the sight of bustling throngs of South Asian merchants and enterprises converging at this trade event stirs a complex mix of heartfelt pride and gentle envy.

"Once I hire more hands to help run the restaurant, I will definitely sign up for the expo in the future," he says with firm resolve.

Hailing from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Uddin opened the 10-plus-square-meter Dhaka Restaurant in Kunming's Chenggong University Town two years ago, serving authentic Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

Despite its small size, the restaurant enjoys booming business, drawing international students from Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Middle East, and African countries, as well as curious Chinese customers who come for a taste of the exotic.

One afternoon, a student surnamed Xu from Yunnan Arts University visited the restaurant with two of her classmates after seeing recommendations on the Chinese lifestyle platform RedNote.

"We wanted to try the fried chicken, beef dishes and pani puri," she said. Though the tangy sauce paired with pani puri took some getting used to, the group spoke highly of the Bangladeshi dishes.

Uddin insists on using fresh ingredients, and he makes daily runs to a vegetable market 200 meters away from the restaurant during off-peak hours.

"He speaks multiple languages, runs a thriving business, and students love chatting with him," says a local vegetable vendor who has known Uddin for a while.

For Bangladeshi students studying at Kunming Medical University, Dhaka Restaurant is far more than a place to get a taste of home; it is also a cozy spot that soothes their homesickness.

"He is like an older brother to us. Every bite here tastes like home," says Mutmainnah Tuba, a Bangladeshi student who dines at the restaurant with her classmates.

Uddin also offers affordable monthly meal plans tailored for students. The plan for one meal per day is priced at 450 yuan ($66.37) per month, while the option for two meals per day costs 800 yuan.

Emmanuel Onubi, a Nigerian intern in the sports medicine department of a local hospital, is one of his regular subscribers. "The food is very budget-friendly, so I don't have to worry about the cost," he says.

Since many of his customers are medical students or medical workers, Uddin never panics when he has minor health problems. "They will recommend the best hospitals for me to get check-ups. My student customers always support me, and I am so proud of them. I hope they will become excellent doctors," he says.

Before settling in Kunming, Uddin ran restaurants in multiple countries. He chose Chenggong University Town for his restaurant after careful consideration, as his Bangladeshi friends in business told him the area hosts a large number of international students, especially from South Asia, making it an ideal place to start his business.

Uddin is not the only one chasing his dream in Kunming. Maruf Hossain, a Bangladeshi student who visited the restaurant, has been drawn to China's cutting-edge AI medical technology and its safe, convenient living environment.

He hopes to take China's advanced medical technology back to his home country and work at a China-Bangladesh friendship hospital. "Before that, I want to get a master's degree or even a PhD in China first," says Hossain, who gave himself the Chinese name Ma Rufu, a homophone of his original name.

Uddin also has a clear plan for his future. He hopes to run the current restaurant well before hiring more assistants and opening new branches in downtown Kunming or even other Chinese cities, or to bring his family to China to develop a family business.

XINHUA