BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Zahid Khan grabbed BBQ lamb chops and chicken, and took a seat by the window of his restaurant in Wudaokou, Beijing's university area, enjoying his reminiscent dinner time.
"The chef, decor, ingredients and table music -- everything is from Pakistan," said the 46-year-old Pakistani, speaking fluent Chinese.
The restaurant in an office building, 500 meters away from the nearest metro station, is the second "Khanbaba" restaurant that Zahid opened in Beijing. The first was opened in Sanlitun, Beijing's famous bar area, in 2010.
When Zahid first arrived in Beijing 25 years ago, he came as a freshman majoring in international trade at Beijing Language and Culture University.
He chose to study in China at the advice of his uncle. In the 1980s, at the beginning of China's reform and opening up, Zahid's uncle was hired by several Chinese companies to coordinate with projects in Pakistan, when he foresaw China's "unimaginable" economic potential, said Zahid.
"I believed in my uncle's insight. But when I came, street signs were all in Chinese, and I could not understand a word of Chinese. I felt like I was deaf," he said, adding that in six months, he was able to communicate in Chinese "like a baby learning to walk."
He said getting into the restaurant business is a way of healing his homesickness so that he could have a nostalgic place for parties with his friends. He didn't expect the first Pakistani restaurant could catch Chinese foodies' appetite.
Both of his two "Khanbaba" outlets are among highly recommended restaurants on Meituan and Dazhongdianping, Chinese online platforms for restaurant reviews and takeout services.
Thousands of review posts list Pakistan beef stew, cheese naan and curry chicken as must-try dishes on the "Khan Baba" menu.
Zahid said he quit his 10-year job in the Beijing branch of American firm Terex in 2013, not only to devote himself in the restaurant business but also so he would have more time to work on coordinating with China-Pakistan cooperation projects.
This was the same year China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative and embarked on the building of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Zahid sensed opportunities from the connectivity strategies and felt assured of his choice.
"When overseas Chinese get homesick, they eat dumplings, which can remind them of their parents and hometown. Pakistanis in China do the same thing," Zahid said.
According to the Pakistani Embassy in China, 2,500 Pakistani students were enrolled in Chinese universities in 2017, to add the total number of foreigners studying in China to 22,000.
In 2017, Pakistan became the third-largest source of international students to China after the Republic of Korea and Thailand, up six places from 2012.
Zahid said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor pushes for regional connectivity, enhancing linkages benefitting China, Pakistan and southern Asian countries of Afghanistan and India, creating trade and business opportunities and boosting academic and cultural exchanges.
