With increased friendly exchanges between China and Myanmar, more and more Myanmar retailers are gathering in Tengchong County, Yunnan. In recent years, a “Myanmar Village” has gradually come into being 800 meters from the Tengyue Trade City—or “Myanmar Street” as it is often referred to. Many people from Myanmar choose to rent rooms here.

Thirty Myanmar tenants now live at Zhao Xingfa’s home. Zhao’s rooms are well equipped and managed. His family members are kind and helpful, helping to attract many tenants.

A Myanmar woman named Yiyi and her family are also living at Zhao’s home. Yiyi is bright and cheerful in disposition. She always wears a smile while cooking and doing the laundry. She and her husband Mikai have lived in Tengchong for six years. Mikai sells pharmaceuticals in local market to support his family.

It was a market day in Tengchong when I got to Zhao’s home. Mikai earned 200 yuan and brought back some beer to celebrate the good business with his family. His four-year-old son and Zhao’s six-year-old granddaughter chased each other around the room happily.

Yiyi said to me: “The landlady is very nice to us. She often takes care of my son. She let my son and her granddaughter eat breakfast and watch TV together as if he were her own grandson. We call her ‘Chinese Mother’.”

On the first day of Chinese New Year, the “Chinese Mother” and her daughter-in-law spent a whole morning cooking chicken soup. Then, following the local custom in Tengchong, they invited all Myanmar tenants to enjoy the chicken soup rice noodle, so that they could feel the “paukphaw” friendship of ordinary Chinese people.

More than 500 Myanmar people are now living in “Myanmar Village.” With their own efforts, many of them adapt to the local life after several months in Tengchong. They learn Chinese, eat Chinese food, wear Chinese clothes and quickly adapt themselves to the Chinese lifestyle.