Rustam, 33 years old, is from Uzbekistan. He has a deep affection for China because he has lived in the country for many years. Rustam graduated from Chongqing University with a master's degree in 2014. After deep consideration, he decided to stay in China. He then served as a foreign designer at CCTEG Chongqing Engineering (Group) Co., Ltd., a Chinese state-owned enterprise.
A screenshot of Rustam's interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Why did he choose China?
According to Rustam, he decided to pursue a master's program overseas and see the outside world passingly. China and Uzbekistan are both Asian countries, and they had close contacts in history. China is one of the major fastest growing economies in the world. These reasons brought him to China.
During his study period, Rustam visited many cities together with his professors and classmates, where he experienced China's plural culture. "Those visits brought me a new idea of China. The country is an integration of ancient and modern elements. My previous understanding of China was limited to Jackie Chan's films and the trade contacts between China and my country. I didn't expect China's architectural design and industrial development are so amazing."
In the past five years, Rustam has progressed together with the city he lives in. Now, he is a group leader of the international department in his company. The team of foreign designers led by him is widely recognized in the domestic architectural design circle. It has made great contributions to projects in countries along the Belt and Road.
"As an Uzbek who has lived in China for many years, I hope to function as a bridge and build my homeland with the skills and design philosophy I have learned in China." As Rustam introduced, he has contributed to projects like Tashkent President's Terminal Building and Tashkent President Avenue.
In the design for President's Terminal Building, he specially used phoenix, the totem of Uzbekistan, as the shape of the airport to imply happiness and peace; on President Avenue, Rustam ingeniously utilized the buildings of different ages in the surroundings to create a temporal theme from the past to the future.
Rustam said, "This is owed to my life in China. Many great ideas and inspirations come from Chinese culture."
Rustam has long been integrated into local life. He married a Chongqing girl, and they now have an adorable daughter.
"At first, the only thing I could not adapt myself to in Chongqing is the spicy food. But now, I cannot live without it. I even want to make my coffee spicy. In the future, I will continue to develop in China, where my life will be as prosperous as the city of Chongqing," said Rustam.