Face | A young Georgian wine merchant hopes to promote his country at China's expo

Dzneladze Zurab, who is from Georgia, has lived in China for over six years and speaks fluent Chinese. He is in the wine business and hopes that more Chinese people will get to know his country through Georgian wine. This week, he came to Beijing as a representative of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to attend the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), where global merchants voiced a collective need to reinforce supply chains through open markets, innovation, and multilateral engagement.

Dzneladze Zurab was in front of the booth at the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. Photo by Ma Ziqian

Zurab often participates in various exhibitions and events organized by China for foreign merchants, but this is his first time attending the CISCE. Frequent participation in such events forms part of his business strategy. He hopes to gather as much information as possible and connect with people from different cities. He believes that feedback from customers in Beijing and Shanghai differs from that in some second- and third-tier Chinese cities.

In an interview with China Youth Daily, Zurab said that his purpose of participating in the exhibition was not to sell as many goods as possible on the spot, but rather to interact with people from different fields and establish connections.

"I want to promote my own country," Zurab added, Georgia is a small country located in the central and western part of the South Caucasus, with a population of just over three million, and that many people have never heard of it.

However, Zurab said, Georgia is actually a country with very rich natural scenery, boasting both deserts and 5,000-metre-high mountains. It takes two hours to swim from a particularly high mountain to the beach. Georgia also has its own cuisine, which differs from Chinese and Western food in terms of both style and taste.

The reporter was surprised by some of the information that was shared by Zurab. He said that Georgia is one of the earliest known regions to have brewed wine. This conclusion was drawn from pottery jars discovered by archaeologists. The history of Georgian wine-making can be traced back to 6000 BC. 

Zurab graduated from Tianjin University and taught himself Chinese. He currently lives and works in Tianjin, where he owns a company and runs the wine dining car in China. "I export lots of Chinese products to Georgia", said Zurab, "Many Chinese products are unavailable in our country. I hope to promote trade between the two countries".

As of May 28, 2024, China and Georgia have implemented a mutual visa exemption agreement. This allows citizens of both countries holding ordinary passports to enter each other's territory visa-free for up to 30 days per visit. Thanks to this policy, Zurab has many relatives and friends who come to China as tourists. He has not been back to Georgia for a while, but when he go back, he wants to find out what Chinese tourists think of the country. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)