Indian Benjamin: China’s reform and opening up benefits everyone

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. To help you better understand the tremendous and fruitful changes having been occurring in China and its southwest province of Yunnan, we invited some foreigners who live in Yunnan to share their stories.

“I came on a shared bicycle. OFO and Didi are so convenient!” said Benjamin who comes from India. “Yunnan and other Chinese provinces are developing rapidly. Every foreigner living here can feel it.”

Benjamin came to Yunnan in late 2012. Now he teaches business English at the Haiyuan Campus of Yunnan Normal University. As a foreigner, he has witnessed the development of the province over the past few years. “The construction of high-speed railways, highways, airports and other infrastructure facilities are all going well,” Benjamin said excitedly. “My friends and I like to travel in the province. You can go almost everywhere by highway. I especially love small villages. Whenever we go, villagers share with us their best things. Everyone is so hospitable here.”

As a university teacher, Benjamin hopes to promote exchanges between China and India. “Yunnan is close to India. In organizing exchange programmes, I hope Chinese students can go to India. I will also bring Indian students to Yunnan so that they can learn about China’s achievements in social and economic development. In this way, the two peoples can better understand each other.”

When the interview was over, Benjamin took out his mobile phone to hail a taxi through China’s mobile ride-hailing platform Didi. “China’s reform and opening up has benefited everyone. I enjoy living in Yunnan”, he said. 

(Text and Pics by Li Hengqiang)