11.11 Global Shopping Festival attracts both Chinese and foreign customers.

At Zhejiang Jinhua Polytechnic, An Ping, a student from Rwanda, earns 100,000 yuan a month by working as a surrogate for hometown friends and relatives during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival season. An Ping says that the electronic business is still not developed in his homeland. Not until he came to China for studies did he truly begin to experience online shopping and take China’s specialties and culture back to his country. China’s specialties are quite popular in Rwanda, as "the products are high-quality and affordable."

Mobile phones, bags, shoes, and computers, are among most popular items he takes back to his country. His surrogate purchase business spans China and Africa, and has grown from just a few customers growing to hundreds of thousands. The scope of his business has also expanded from Rwanda to surrounding areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An Ping has also launched a China-Rwanda international trade project at the College Student Pioneer Park at Jinhua Polytechnic.

The Rwandan customers select the products they want on E-commerce platforms such as Alibaba or Taobao, then send pictures to An Ping. Knowing Chinese, An Ping helps them compare prices and place the order. Ordinarily, the products An Ping buys for them are work around 30,000 yuan per week, but from the pre-sale until now, spending at the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival has reached RMB 60,000.

“I like Zhejiang. My dream is to help my country develop, particularly kids and the youth.” The young African also intends to establish an E-commerce brand and sell bags and shoes around the world.