Any stranger talking to Misiutkin Vladislav on the phone for the first time would consider him a native of Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Far better known as "Da Wei" in China, Vladislav, 26, from Irkutsk in south Russia, speaks fluent Chinese with his thick northeast Chinese accent.
"I am havin a great time in Shenyang, and my dream is to settle here," said Vladislav, owner of three restaurants in the city.
In 2014, Vladislav, a university student then, decided to embark on a journey to the city about three hours away by air from his hometown.
He said it was his father who had advised him to study in China. "He believed I would have a better career here because of China's rapid development."
"Looking back, it was a wise decision," he added.
After graduation from university, Vladislav became well-known locally thanks to his mastery of Chinese.
A comedy video filmed by himself on the Shenyang subway went viral on the Chinese short-video platform Douyin in 2019. It includes banters about cultural differences between China and Russia explained by himself with Shenyang accent.
The great success of this video spurred the young Russian to become an online influencer in China. His later videos, featuring northeastern accent and culture shock stories, have earned him a nickname among his 2 million followers as "that foreigner who forgets his mother tongue."
In recent years, Shenyang has rolled out a series of preferential policies for foreign investors, including streamlining the approval process and tailoring visa for start-up entrepreneurs. In October 2020, Vladislav set up his catering company in Shenyang's pilot free trade zone.
His three restaurants sell food from both China and his homeland, such as coconut coffee, which is trendy in China, and traditional Russia Shashlik.
Benefiting from his popularity on the internet, his business is thriving.
Looking back on his life so far in China, Vladislav said his understanding of China had been reshaped by his real-life experiences.
"Before I came here, all my impressions about China were from movies," Vladislav said. He was astonished by the skyscrapers and busy streets when setting foot on the ancient but energetic land.
"Even things beyond my imagination are happening in China now," he said, praising China's technological and infrastructure achievements such as 5G network, mobile payment, express delivery and high-speed rail.
Looking ahead, Vladislav said that he hopes to bring his younger brother to China after his high school education. "I believe he will have better chances in China, too."
