Bangladeshi restaurateur Mohammed Uddin prepares food at his restaurant in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhuang Beining)

The 10th China-South Asia Expo held in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, featured Bangladesh as the "theme country" this year. For 51-year-old Bangladeshi restaurateur Mohammed Uddin, the sight of bustling throngs of South Asian merchants and enterprises converging at this trade event stirs a complex mix of heartfelt pride and gentle envy.

"Once I hire more hands to help run the restaurant, I will definitely sign up for the expo in the future," he said with firm resolve.

Hailing from Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, Uddin opened the 10-plus square meter Dhaka Restaurant in Kunming's Chenggong University Town two years ago, serving authentic Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

Despite its small size, the restaurant enjoys booming business, drawing international students from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Middle Eastern and African countries, as well as curious Chinese customers who come for a taste of exotic flavors.

One afternoon, a student surnamed Xu from Yunnan Arts University visited the restaurant with her two classmates after seeing recommendations on Chinese lifestyle platform RedNote.

"We wanted to try the fried chicken, beef dishes and pani puri," she said. Though the tangy sauce paired with pani puri took some getting used to, the group spoke highly of the flavor of Bangladeshi dishes.

Uddin insists on using fresh ingredients, and he makes daily runs to a vegetable market 200 meters away from the restaurant during off-peak hours.

"He speaks multiple languages, runs a thriving business, and students all love chatting with him," said a local vegetable vendor who has known Uddin for a long time.

For Bangladeshi students studying at Kunming Medical University, Dhaka Restaurant is far more than a place to get a taste of home, it is also a cozy spot that soothes their homesickness.

"He is like an elder brother to us. Every bite here tastes like home," said Mutmainnah Tuba, a Bangladeshi student who dined at the restaurant with her classmates.

Uddin also offers affordable monthly meal plans tailored for students. The plan covering one meal per day is priced at 450 yuan (about 66.1 U.S. dollars), while the option with two meals per day costs 800 yuan per month.

Emmanuel Onubi, a Nigerian student interning at the sports medicine department of a local hospital, is one of his regular subscribers. "The food here is very budget-friendly, I don't have to worry about the cost," he said in Chinese.

Since many of his customers are medical students or medical workers, Uddin never panics when he has minor health issues. "They will recommend the best hospitals for me to get check-ups. My student customers always support me and I am so proud of them. I hope they can become excellent doctors in the future," he said.

Before settling in Kunming, Uddin ran restaurants in multiple countries. He chose Chenggong University Town as the location for his restaurant after careful consideration, as his Bangladeshi friends in business told him the area gathers a large number of international students, especially those from South Asia, making it an ideal place to start his business.

Uddin is not the only one chasing his dream in Kunming. Maruf Hossain, a Bangladeshi student who came to the restaurant to pack takeaway, has been drawn to China's cutting-edge AI medical technology and its safe, convenient living environment.

He hopes to take China's advanced medical technology back to his home country and work at a China-Bangladesh friendship hospital in the future. "Before that, I want to get a master's degree or even a PhD in China first," said Hossain, who gave himself the Chinese name Ma Rufu, a homophone of his original name.

Uddin also has a clear plan for his future. He hopes to run the current restaurant well first, before hiring more assistants and opening new branches in downtown Kunming or even other Chinese cities, or to bring his family to China to develop a family business.  ■