Mr. Oguzhan Arslan. (COURTESY PHOTO)

"China's big manufacturing industry provides the basic foundation for my business and [is helping to] make my dream come true," said Oguzhan Arslan, a 29-year-old Turkish entrepreneur who started his own business as an international trade agent in 2022, after graduating with a master's degree from Tianjin University (TJU).

"I serve as a bridge between the demands in international markets and China's manufacturing industries, and promote international trade development," said Arslan, who lauds China's developed transportation network and extremely high manufacturing efficiency, which provided a solid foundation for his business. He is also grateful for his study experience in China, which opened his mind to the world and provided the necessary knowledge and skills he needed as an entrepreneur.

From growing up in the small town of Tokat in Türkiye to a graduate from TJU and then going on to become a young entrepreneur in China, Arslan is steadily closing in on his ambition of becoming a successful businessman, something he has cherished since childhood.

Both of Arslan's grandparents ran grocery stores for a living when he was growing up. For the young boy, selling and buying things was not only an exchange of goods and money but also happiness and friendship. "When the deal was done, you could feel the satisfaction and happiness of both sides. It brought a special sense of fulfillment. That is when I decided to pursue business as my life's career," he said.

After graduating from Boğaziçi üniversitesi in Türkiye, he decided to further his studies in China. "China has been developing fast these years and committed to sharing its achievements with the world. So I think by studying in China, there will be more job and life opportunities." After contacting several universities Arslan finally settled on TJU.

On being presented with several faculty options, Arslan discussed the way forward with a TJU professor, who later became his tutor, and helped him make his final decision.

He chose the College of Management and Economics at TJU for its high reputation for excellence.

"Prof. Dou Ruiliang gave me hope. He was candid about the possible difficulties I would face, but he assured me that with hard work, he believed I could be successful," said Arslan.

He admits, however, that he had a hard time adjusting to life and study at TJU. "Before I entered TJU, I learned Chinese for a year and a half. But while my Chinese proficiency sufficed for daily communications, it was definitely not good enough for academic lectures and classes. I could only understand 50 percent of in-class content for the first year," he said. To make up for the lost content, Arslan partnered up with another international student as his tutor suggested, and together they persevered despite struggling to keep pace with the academic requirements. He also found some online English courses as supplementary learning material.

All the hard work paid off and Arslan passed the academic tests and obtained a Tianjin Municipal Government Scholarship for two consecutive years and he graduated on time with a master's degree in June 2022.

"My educational experience at TJU not only equipped me with the necessary knowledge about entrepreneurship but also endowed me with the opportunity to learn about Chinese people and Chinese society," said Arslan, adding that his idea of starting a business became increasingly more evident as his graduation day approached.

The enthusiastic young entrepreneur hoped he could continue to grow his business brand and extend his business from China to Türkiye in the future.

This article is contributed by TJU. The author is from the publicity department of TJU.