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How a retired Taiwan resident launched a duty-free empire in Pingtan

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2017-04-12

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At that time, Aoqian Taiwan Town, a duty-free commodity market targeted specifically at businesses from Taiwan, had just finished construction and was attracting prospective tenants to settle in.

The market aroused great interest in Yang, and the idea of starting a new business in Pingtan dawned on the retired Taiwan woman.

In early 2014, Yang registered a trading company and planned to start over along with her relatives in Aoqian Taiwan Town.

The veteran businesswoman was initially concerned that she would find it difficult to run a business on the mainland without a pre-established network of contacts, but to her delight she found that the bidding process for acquiring stores in the new development was open and transparent, and she won her bids for her desired slots smoothly.

Decked in colorful Taiwan temple fair decorations, Yang's stores selling Taiwan snacks and gift bags produced in her old home of Changhua county swiftly gained popularity among local customers and visitors to the city. Her business has grown quickly, and she now runs five stores in Aoqian Taiwan Town.

The recent arrival is also benefiting from the generous support offered by the Pingtan government. In 2016, the city rolled out a preferential policy, which stipulates that tenants that sign a four-year lease at the market will be exempt from three years'rent, according to Yang.

"The great support and care I received from the local government strengthened my confidence to start a business in the city, making me feel at home," she said.

How a retired Taiwan resident launched a duty-free empire in Pingtan

Aoqian Taiwan Town is a market exclusively selling duty-free Taiwan commodities in Pingtan, Fujian province. Yang Cailin has established a chain of five stores in the market. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]