[Iran] Zahra Ghorbani Ravand, Donghua University
I was born in Kashan, a small town in central Iran which is famous for its fine Persian carpets. With a history of more than 200 years, our family is well known in the region for making and selling carpets. Because of the good quality of the wool and silk carpets, our products are exported to as far as Europe and East Asia. It is safe to say that the family business has helped me open a window to the outside world.
After graduating from university, with a heart to explore the world, I left Iran for Canada where I worked as a project manager in a power plant. It was there that I met my future husband –Sali. We not only have similar professional backgrounds, but also are on the same wavelength. At the age of 30, after seeing international trade between China and Iran was heating up, Sali and I made a bold decision to return to Iran and set up a trading company that would export Iranian oil and gas and handicrafts to China and import industrial products from China to Iran. During this period, we made the acquaintance of a number of Chinese businessmen from whom I began to learn a lot about China’s past and present. The country’s long history and modern business opportunities aroused my interest to explore this great Eastern country, and the desire to pay a visit to China grows stronger and stronger.
Between 2007 and 2009, our company suffered a huge drop in orders due to the global financial tsunami. To search business opportunities, my husband and I set foot on Chinese soil for the first time, visiting Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Besides seeking business opportunities, we also took this trip as a tour to experience Chinese culture. It was the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year throughout China that impressed us greatly. Half a year later, we visited two major cosmopolises — Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are the windows of China’s Reform and Opening-up. The tall skyscrapers and strong commercial atmosphere made us see another modern China, and we started to fall in love with this country. In March 2011, my husband and I travelled to China for a third time to conduct in-depth business visits to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an.
After comparison, we believed that the business environment in Shanghai is more cosmopolitan and an intention to live in Shanghai on a permanent basis has also arisen.
After much deliberation, I applied for a PhD in management and science engineering at Donghua University, hoping to enhance my business and management skills through professional studies, while learning more about China. I said jokingly that my relationship with Donghua University began 2,000 years ago, as silk products made in China were transported to Iran by way of the famous ancient“Silk Road,” thus promoting the progress of local silk carpet making skills. Without the opening of the “Silk Road” there would have been no contact between the peoples of West and East Asia. My connection with China began on our family carpet business.
During my studies at Donghua University, apart from studying Chinese language and academic program, I was also very keen on cultural exchange activities. I wanted to help China and Iran understand each other. I have participated in international cultural festivals for three times and was responsible for the set-up and display of the Iranian booth. I also provided a lot of materials for teachers Ke Ling and Wu Xiaojun during their compilation of Silk Road Love/National Style: Changes in Fashion Trends along the Belt and Road for 100 Years, especially the Iranian dress culture and its fashion changes in the past 50 years. With the development of the BRI, Donghua University took its unique academic advantages and advocated the establishment of the BRI World Textile University Alliance. With my help, Donghua University signed a reciprocal cooperation agreement with my alma mater, Amirkabir University of Technology, thus paving a “modern Silk Road” for the exchange of students and teachers between the two countries.
In additional to daily classes, our company’s trading business with China keeps growing. We opened our own shop in China and participated twice in the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Over the past six years, Iran has benefited greatly as one of the countries along the BRI proposed by President Xi Jinping. The construction of BRI projects not only promotes the economic development of our country, but also brings benefits to the local people and a win-win situation for the whole world. Our family’s carpet business develops rapidly thanks to BRI and is getting bigger and further.
Coming to study in Donghua University in Shanghai, China proved to a lucky choice, which links my family business and my life with the ribbons of the Silk Road. After graduating from Donghua University with a PhD, I wanted to stay in Shanghai with my husband in order to expand our business scope and find more good partners. We planned to form a sales network in small-and medium-sized cities in addition to the first-tier cities. Meanwhile, making money is not the only goal in life for my husband and I. In the future, we hope to continue exploring the uncharted territories of this great country, discovering new wonders and enjoying a diversified life in China. I hope I can be a cultural ambassador for China and Iran along the BRI through the spreading of the Silk Road spirit, which is embodied in peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, to my motherland and the rest of the world.
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
