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God helps those who help themselves
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Paul Shen
JIANG YONGPING came to Shenzhen with just 1,000 yuan in his pocket, and though it took him almost three months to find work, the teacher-turned-entrepreneur is running a 500 sqm restaurant.
It took hard work, patience and above all faith to get where he is today.
In July, 1995, he joined in the flood of migrants who regarded this city as a land of opportunity.
Rather than find riches, though, he suffered hard times at first.
Before coming to Shenzhen, he was a graduate of a Zhejiang college, working as a middle school teacher. When he came to Shenzhen, he struggled to get a teaching job, but failed.
"During that time, I kept having nightmares, while my 1,000 yuan nearly ran out. My job back home was okay, so I even thought of returning home," Jiang chuckles now.
Jiang has always believed perseverance and diligence will pay off, so every day he went to the job market to try his luck.
At long last, his perseverance paid off landing a job in a securities company. And in 1998, he started running a small restaurant with the help of a friend.
"I set up a restaurant not because I loved this work, but because my brother needed a job," Jiang said.
But his small effort produced big fruits.
In 1999, Jiang moved his eatery to Yannan Road. Formally named Sanweibao, which means pots of many flavours, the eatery turned into a restaurant. In March, 2000, the business moved again to Zhenhua Road, a business road famous for its restaurants, and Jiang renamed it Palace of Sanweibao.
Competition is intense in this city, and this is no more true than in the restaurant business, so Jiang takes great pains to find unique dishes. Pot dishes are common in Shenzhen, but dishes of various flavours are not, he said.
Jiang is now taking an MBA class. Sometimes he simply cannot spare the time to go to class, but he is determined to finish it, because he believes knowledge is the real source of profit. He aims to open up a second restaurant by the end of this year.
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