Ni (L) drives a battery vehicle to the warehouse. His Kazakhstani customer is so eager to get the products that he jumps on and goes with Ni. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ni has a Russian name--Vasiliy. It was given by his friend from Kazakhstan's Almaty, 378 kilometers from Horgos. The Chinese Vasiliy can discuss business with clients from Central Asia in Russian accented with a Zhejiang dialect.

"I studied Russian when I came here. I was 32 years old at that time, and found it very difficult to learn the language," Ni said, "Now I can speak only a little about toys in Russian. But that's quite enough for me."

"Better communication means more business opportunities," he added.

Vasiliy Ni sold a batch of balance cars and baby carriages worth 5 million Kazakhstan Tenge (about $16,058) to two Russian traders the day we visited him. He was expecting four more groups of clients.

"I'm too busy. Sometimes I hope it rains so that I can have a rest," he said.