It is a long way from the souks of Egypt, but Mohamed Abdalla is right at home in Yiwu, the heart of the small commodities community in China. Yu Ran hears his story.

SHANGHAI - He has been exporting commodities from Yiwu, Zhejiang province, for 21 years, and 49-year-old Egyptian businessman Mohamed Abdalla speaks fluent Mandarin and loves local food. In fact, now he thinks he is more Chinese than Egyptian.

"When I went back to Egypt for a short vacation, I couldn't help missing the life and friends in China, which has become my home and career focus for now and in the future, " said Abdalla, who started learning Chinese in Peking University in 1983 and obtained a doctorate from Renmin University of China in 1990.