HAIKOU, April 8 (silubaba) -- Having spent years introducing Hainan to the outside world, Jake Canning decided to bring something British into the southern Chinese island, and the platter included the iconic fish and chips.
Running a Western-style restaurant named Roxy's in Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, the 32-year-old British national has seen a rising enthusiasm among the Chinese to taste homemade Western food beyond the menus of McDonald's and KFC.
"My customers include not only Western expats, but also a lot of locals. Every weekend, the restaurant continues to receive customers until closing time," Canning said.
Canning came to Hainan six years ago. He worked for about five years in the media sector, traveling around the island province to take photos and shoot videos.
Canning enjoys the blue sky, warm climate, soft sandy beach and simple lifestyle of Hainan. After marrying a local woman, he decided to stay in Haikou and start his own business.
Though not as conversant with the Chinese market as other local restaurateurs, Canning believes his competitiveness lies in his credential as a provider of authentic Western-style food.
"People in England don't buy Chinese food from English people. They buy it from restaurants run by Chinese people. I think that is the same attitude here," he said.
His restaurant, named after a dog the couple adopted from an animal shelter, opened to the public in September last year, facilitated by the business-friendly environment of the province.
"I got my business license in around two weeks and then I got my visa for working in China in about a month. It was much easier than I had expected," Canning said.
Since the eatery's opening, he has been pleasantly surprised by the number of local foodies who have been drawn to the restaurant's menu of homemade Western items such as the full English breakfast and fish and chips.
"Food culture is a large part of everyday life in China, and in my opinion, the Chinese people are adventurous when it comes to trying new foods," he said.
China's push for high-quality opening up and the construction of a free trade port in Hainan have given Canning another reason to be optimistic about his restaurant business, which he plans to expand to a larger scale.
"I have a lot of repeat customers, and with a higher number of visitors to the island, I'll also be able to serve customers from all over the world, which helps spread the word about my project," Canning said.
China aims to build the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century. As Hainan becomes more open, Canning expects more opportunities for local people to taste authentic Western-style foods.
"I think it's time to join the free trade port journey and grow together," he said. "I want to be a successful example of how a foreign-owned business can be set up in Hainan and later launched into wider markets." ■
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