Young migrant brings Australian lifestyle home

Taiyuan (CNS) -- Mao Lin took Australian citizenship in his mid twenties when he was studying there in 2007. He came back to China in July 2011 and opened his own shop "selling" the Australian lifestyle in north China's Shanxi Province.

In his view, though the Oceania country doesn't own any first-tier luxury brands, Australians live an enviable, simple and natural life, making the best of their precious red wine, wool and skin care products.

The idea of a "lifestyle business" came to him when he was travelling in Xi'an and happened to run into a shop of the same style. After several rounds of marketing research, he selected Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, because compared to most coastal Chinese cities the high potential of the local market has not yet been fully explored. However he is familiar with the products and the way the Chinese market might react.

Asked why he returned to China rather than settling down in Australia where better living standards are assured, Mao said young men of his age ought to embrace challenges instead of taking it easy. His ambition is to create his own brand that manages to combine traditional Chinese thinking patterns and the straightforward behavior that foreigners expect in commercial mode.