Huang Xiatian, meaning ‘summer’, comes from Penang, Malaysia. She used to work for Dell as a white-collar worker, but she quit that job because of her love of Japanese sushi and the Spring City of  Kunming.

On October 1, 2017, having learned to prepare sushi, Xiatian started her vegetarian restaurant—Sushi Kitchen—on Wenhua Lane in Kunming.

Xiatian always uses the word “destiny” to explain why she came to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province.

She used to receive a fat paycheck from Dell and lived a stable life. However, she likes challenges and is “destined” to pursue a more exciting life. There are always some turning points in our lives, and her turning point happened during a meal.

 “I always wanted to find a job in another field. I was eating in an outlet of Sushi Kitchen in Penang one day when it occurred to me that I could join the restaurant. Then I quit my job and started as a dishwasher at Sushi Kitchen,” Xiatian recalled. Was it a hot-headed decision? No. She started from the lowest level and worked at the restaurant for two years.

When Sushi Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant with six outlets in Malaysia, was considering a seventh outlet, Xiatian suddenly had an idea. “Why not China?” she suggested. She next chose to locate the outlet in Kunming, making the decision without hesitation.

Xiatian had worked as a volunteer in Lijiang. Once, she had a layover in Kunming and was deeply impressed by the city.

She came to Kunming alone and began to prepare to open her Sushi Kitchen in a foreign country. On October 1, 2017, she went into business.

 “To make sure the food is authentic, we transport a lot of ingredients directly from Malaysia by air,” Xiatian said. “Some dishes are very special and require more than ten different kinds of natural spices. We always use choice ingredients and provide customers with the best combinations. All dishes are prepared after the customers order.”

 “Some customers take buses for more than an hour to dine here. Some of them walk here on cold days. A Zen master from Yuantong Temple comes here every so often and gives us tea leaves,” Xiatian said, listing off her frequent customers with a smile. “The guitar and books on the first floor and the piano on the second floor were also given to us by our customers.”

When asked why she chose Kunming, she thought for a while and said, “It is beautiful here. I can live a comfortable life, and people are friendly.