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Modern 'Marco Polo' finds business success in Hangzhou

ehangzhou.gov.cn| Updated: April 16, 2021 L M S

Click the video to learn more about Olivier Ruelle. [Video/hangzhou.com.cn]

Olivier Ruelle is a Frenchman who has been living in China for 25 years.

"The Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo said Hangzhou is the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world. More than that, Hangzhou, in my eyes, is a warm and vibrant city that boasts a friendly environment for one to start a business," Ruelle said.

Having studied and worked in Chinese cities like Beijing, Hong Kong, Fuzhou, and Shenzhen for years, Ruelle felt that Hangzhou was his home away from home and settled with his family in the city in 2016.

A year later, he founded a consulting company in Hangzhou. On the one hand, he helped enterprise senior managers with public speaking and on the other hand, he helped European technology companies, especially those based in France and Germany, to settle in Hangzhou as well as other cities in Zhejiang province.

"Before I came to Zhejiang, I never would've imagined the private economy would play such an active role," Ruelle said. "For example, a Zhejiang enterprise has been crowned as one of China's top 500 companies for 20 consecutive years."

Ruelle said that he wanted to praise Hangzhou's open and vibrant business environment, while also hoping that more foreigners would come to the city to enjoy its picturesque views and promising future.