Internal working platform of Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

   "Welcome, please. It was noon, and Mao Mao, who was wearing yellow overalls, shuttled through the Yedena restaurant in Jinghong, Yunnan, welcoming guests to their seats, introducing dishes, pouring tea orders, checking out and seeing off guests, all in an orderly manner.

 &emsp ;In 2016, Maomao came to China from his hometown of Mandalay, Myanmar's "Wacheng". From being fresh and ignorant when he first arrived, to having a clear career plan, he spent 4 years drawing the blueprint of his dream.

On January 14, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Mao Mao made desserts at Yedena Restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  "I majored in bridge engineering." After graduating from university, Mao Mao started his "old profession" - bridge construction in his hometown of Mandalay. "At that time, I often built bridges in the forest, and it was common for wild animals to come and go." Recalling that he and his workers climbed into the elevated house in the dark to avoid wild animals, Mao Mao still has lingering fears.

 &emsp ; By chance, Maomao learned that he could go to work in China. "I heard that I am going to work in a Chinese restaurant, and my family is very supportive. They hope that I can go to China to experience it." The 29-year-old decided to try it in Jinghong, Yunnan.

On January 14, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Mao Mao made desserts at Yedena Restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  When I came to work in China for the first time, I took the risk to experience the double "butterfly changes" of living environment and work content, and I was full of novelty about everything around me. At work, from the back kitchen assistant to the foreman at the front desk, I took the risk to try various positions in the restaurant and learned new job content. During the break, Maomao would go out with friends and try to communicate with people in Chinese.

 &emsp "After coming to China, the boss kept telling me that you can grow faster by trying more." Maomao said with a smile, after getting familiar with the environment, he began to practice English with mobile phone software, and learned restaurant skills such as cutting fruit plates by watching videos. Ask the boss about the experience of catering service management, and actively "recharge" yourself.

On January 14, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Mao Mao was making drinks at Yedena Restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  Speaking of the boss, the most used word is "role model". "The boss and the proprietress are my role models. They not only taught me what to do in the restaurant, but also taught me how to treat people."

January 9 On March 1, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Mao Mao ordered food for customers at Yedena Restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  The owner of Mao Maokou is Xu Dingla and Xu Junjun, a returned overseas Chinese who founded the Yedena restaurant. 20 years ago, the couple came to Jinghong to open a Burmese-style cold drink shop. The business has been booming day by day. Now it has developed into an old brand of "Yedana" with 4 branches in Jinghong, which is quite famous.

On January 9th, Mao Mao used his mobile phone to learn English during his break. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  "Over the years, the 'Belt and Road' initiative has brought us a lot of development opportunities, and we want to contribute a little bit." As the business got better and better, he once lived in Myanmar In the past, Xu Dingla and his wife decided to recruit some employees from Myanmar to provide them with development opportunities and platforms, and Mao Mao was one of them.

On January 14, Mao Mao (left) chatted with his boss Xu Junjun in the restaurant.  Photographed by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  The proprietress Xu Junjun said: "They can not only increase their income here, but also learn technology, and then bring the technology back to Myanmar after learning." Currently, in Yedna There are 22 Burmese migrant workers like Mao Mao in the restaurant.

On January 14, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Mao Mao (left) went out for business on a shared bicycle. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  Now, Mao Mao has worked in Yedena Restaurant for 4 years and has become the waiter foreman of the restaurant. In his spare time, he often envisions the future and gradually plans a blueprint for future development: returning to China to start a business.

On January 9, in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, I was walking on the way to the restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  "Two years later, I will go back to Myanmar to open my own milk tea shop." Maomao said that compared with China, there are not many milk tea shops in Myanmar. He is optimistic about the development potential of Myanmar's beverage market.

On January 9th, after finishing work, I took a break in the restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  "I have worked in a cold drink operation position, and I have learned how to make milk tea." He said confidently. In addition to the "online" skills, Maomao also began to investigate the location of the store and understand the capital investment. "The cost of opening a milk tea shop in Myanmar is not high. It will take about two years before I can go back and open a shop."

On January 14, in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province In Jinghong City, Mao Mao used mobile payment to buy drinks. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao 

  "Coming to China is a rare experience for me." Maomao said, "Here, I found my dream again, and I look forward to returning to Myanmar in the future .”

&emsp ; At the end of the interview, Xu Junjun, the proprietress of the restaurant, explained the meaning of "Yedena", which means precious in Burmese. The boss Xu Dingla said: "I hope that more 'mao mao' can come to China to learn skills and experience life, and the exchanges between the people of the two countries will become closer and closer, and a 'yedna' friendship will be established." (End)