[Video/WeChat account: iJinhua365]

In 2000, Yulian came to Beijing to learn Chinese and martial arts and later worked at a foreign trade company. He found employment in Yiwu three years ago, and often participates in volunteer activities after work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic this year, he volunteered to help combat the pandemic without concern for his personal safety. He said that Yiwu is his second hometown, and when the city is in trouble, he should do his part to help.

Destiny begins with a 'rattle drum'

Although Yulian has lived in Yiwu for only three years, he feels he has been there for more than 20 years.

Long ago, when he was wandering around a night market in Ukraine, a unique drum suddenly drew his attention. There were two small beads strung with ropes on both sides of the drum, which made a loud clanking sound when he rotated it. His daughter was still young at that time, so he bought the drum for her to play with. Before he left, the seller told him that the drum was made in China.

Yulian has always been fond of China. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chinese martial arts films were popular in Ukraine. He loved watching them and admired the heroes in them, and would try to do Chinese kung fu afterwards. Some martial arts stars, such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, became his idols.

In 2000, 33-year-old Yulian came to Beijing, the capital of China. In addition to learning the Chinese language and culture, he also studied martial arts. For him, learning martial arts was a valuable experience, as it has not only improved his physical health, but also strengthened his mind. He learned to be disciplined and follow his heart. While in Beijing, he also enjoyed going to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and other places to admire their architecture. He said that Chinese architecture had a unique charm that was different from the West.

Ten years ago, he came to Yiwu for work and noticed the same drum that he had bought for his daughter in Ukraine, and learned that it was called a "rattle drum". Yulian instantly felt deep in his heart that he was destined to live in Yiwu.  

He then quit his job in Beijing in 2017 and moved to Yiwu.