My name is Asilbek, I was born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A city rich in culture, architecture, history and delicious food. Before coming to China, I was a professional kayaker. I have participated in many national and international competitions. At the age of 18 years, I had achieved huge appreciation to become a master of sport in this field in my country.

I came to China in 2018, the first couple of months in China made me realize the impact of e-commerce on people's lives when the cashier at a convenience shop frowned to me, "Alipay or WeChat?", yet I stared awkwardly at the cashier for few seconds before I realized what she meant. I fumbled around my pockets for my phone, too embarrassed to collect the receipt afterwards. And within two years, I did not know I would become a part of this rapid change in digitalization.

In 2019, I got an opportunity to study at Hangzhou Normal University, Alibaba Business School where I have gained knowledge and a deeper understanding of e-commerce to drive positive changes.

As a student at Alibaba Business School, I was surprised by the entire infrastructure of my school and the city of Hangzhou, which opens huge opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Since very beginning, I have been getting good results, encouragement and my professors recommended me to join several projects. Therefore, I became a live-streamer for Alibaba.com who is the world's largest cross-border B2B e-commerce platform.

From 2020, I have done quite a lot of live-stream broadcasts for different trading companies, suppliers and manufacturers in China whose targeted clients are living overseas.

In my experience, I would say: "Livestream is not only about selling – it's a means to connect with people from all over the world by building trust”.

I believe that the younger generation plays a major role in building a modern society, and a healthy digital youth will be the basis of growth and prosperity. That’s the reason that hard work and perseverance of Chinese youth have turned me into a person who is always ready to take on a challenge.

In the future, I wish to become a volunteer for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 where I can inspire more people into the spirit of sports. In the meantime, I hope to use my story to inspire young people in my home country to pursue their dreams by marching a small step forward each day.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at [email protected], and [email protected].