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Kain Picken has set up a fashion business with his partner, Fiona Lau, in The Shenzhen, great leap northward A new breed of Australian adventurers is making it big — in every sense of the word doing well in China can mean doing Amiel Rabbelier, from Sydney’s twins (a boy and a girl), he is concerned (www.boomerangbakery.com.cn). Amiel Rabbelier with the children from the Superstar Kindy in Nanjing, China (above); and Shannon Bufton (below), very well indeed. eastern suburbs, is another Australian about the health hazards. Tracey and her business partner, a who aims to promote cycling in — in the new China. Sian Powell reports Still, no matter how well they are who misses the clear skies of home. Ami concedes he and his wife, who’s fellow Australian, worked out the pros doing, these miss the parks Now aged 31, he has lived in China ‘‘on a Nanjing city councillor, employ three and cons, drew up a business plan, and and beaches, and the clean air of and off’’ for the past 11 years, and he’s housekeepers — servants who opened on Day, 2010. Now ohn Graham Harper crouches in entrepreneurs, diplomats, musicians: visitors as gifts, regardless of whether Australia. Outside John’s gym, the sun been based in the northern city of eliminate much of the drudgery from the operation has two retail premises as his gym in southern China, Australians have a big presence the visitors smoke or not, and where a is shining and the waters of the South Nanjing for the past four. everyday life. well as the baking operation, employs bending his muscled legs and in China. waitress, who earns pennies for long China sea are glittering. But an ‘‘Right now, looking out the But the most important advantage is 34 staff, and sells an array of pies, concentrating. Then he leaps up, And the numbers are likely to keep hours of hard labour, races after a ominous fug hangs in the air — window, I can’t see the buildings more the potential to do well financially. sausage rolls, chocolate e´clairs, J using the power in his thighs and growing as the ascendant nation edges foreigner to give back a tip that she pollution from thousands of factories than about one kilometre away,’’ he China, Ami believes, has enormous cupcakes, caramel slices and — of calves to shoot him up in a past the US to become the world’s assumes has been carelessly left behind, stretching northwards and belching says with a sigh. Like many of the economic potential. ‘‘The thing is here, course — lamingtons to their tremendous bounce. He lands neatly economic superpower. Once Chinese and where Chinese donations paid fumes, and from China’s love affair Australians living in China, Amiel it’s always growing; it’s one of the customers, both expatriate and on a waist-high structure, an fortune-hunters flocked to Australia’s for an American to have a brain with the car. In the nation’s capital works in the field of education. He set advantages. China hasn’t been affected Chinese. There are also sales to other impressive feat. ‘‘It’s all in the goldfields to try their luck. These days a tumour removed. Beijing in early January the pollution up the Superstar Kindy in Nanjing in so much by the economic downturn.’’ commercial operations in China. explosive force,’’ he says with a grin. growing band of Australians can see It’s a nation that works on ‘‘guanxi’’ sat on the city in a thick and evil toxic 2010 (www.superstarkindy.com), and Like Ami, Shannon Bufton is in But living in another country means Like thousands of other Australians, gold in China’s rapidly developing — networks of friends, relations, China for the long term. Originally there are always difficulties. Tracey John has hooked into the sheer market of nearly 1.4 billion people. associates and other social connections, from Geelong, outside Melbourne, he remembers an experiment that strength of China’s economy. He first China’s National Bureau of Statistics and it can be an alien land for a newly- has spent six years in China, beginning demonstrated the difference in arrived in Shenzhen, the powerhouse of estimates that in 2010 more than arrived Australian. Some Australians I realised that the ideas you grow as an urban planner in the important cultures, and the practical nature of southern China, more than 14 years 13,000 Australians — and more than do very well in China, such as the northern city of . non-hostile racism in Chinese society. ago. Now he and a partner own and run 60,000 foreigners in total — were successful Melbourne-born up with really get lost here in China ‘‘After being involved at a pretty Her father was staying with her. He Fusion Fitness in the Shekou district living in mainland China. restaurateur Michelle Garnault, whose high level for a number of years,’’ the speaks no Chinese and he went to buy (www.fusionfitnesssz.com). The gym is These expatriate Australians have upscale M restaurants in Shanghai and 36-year-old says. lilies in the market, where he was doing well, with more than 400 adapted to the very different culture of Beijing are enjoyed by those cities’ cloud. It reached hazardous levels, and he says the operation is now doing well. ‘‘I realised that the ideas you grow charged an extortionate price. Tracey members, and these fitness China, where city air can be almost elites. But some do it tough, like the residents were warned not to spend too Open seven days a week, the up with, architecture and urban went to the market, speaking fluent entrepreneurs will soon open a second unbreathable, where the ever-watchful Australian-born businessman of ‘‘much time outdoors. kindergarten employs expatriates who planning, for better cities and to make Chinese, and the price was lower. Her gym in Futian, some 20km to the east. government routinely censors social Chinese origin, Stern Hu, who was ‘‘It’s not that bad here usually,’’ teach English, history, geography and the planet more sustainable, really get Chinese assistant went, and the price ‘‘After being here for so long, I’m media, where celebrities are invited to sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 John says ruefully. ‘‘But it’s true, I get maths. ‘‘For now it’s a business lost here in China.’’ was different — lowest of the three. not in any way settled,’’ says the ‘‘drink tea’’ with a garnish of for receiving bribes and stealing off the plane in Sydney and I get a head decision,’’ he says. ‘‘If this (the So Shannon and his wife, who is ‘‘I miss a lot of things about living in 27-year-old Queenslander, who now interrogation if they step out of line, commercial secrets. buzz. The oxygen levels in Sydney give kindergarten) wasn’t here, we’d from Beijing, decided to try to make Australia, the ease of doing things, as speaks ‘‘rockin’ Chinese’’. where human rights activists have been There is a shining thread that links me a head buzz. I don’t appreciate the probably be in Australia. First and a difference at ground level. The push- simple as driving to the grocery store, ‘‘I haven’t bought a property. I’m locked up for years without redress. expatriate Australians and keeps them smog that Shenzhen has.’’ Still, with foremost, I don’t think we can have the bike level. and being able to read what’s going on here for the business potential.’’ But it’s also a nation of endless working in China: they have moved to the rush of opening another gym and same lifestyle here, the life with parks In 2009, they launched Smarter in your community,’’ Tracey says. Personal trainers, chefs, teachers, generosity, where packets of cigarettes, the once-isolated Middle Kingdom to expanding his business, John is doing and beaches. A lot of it comes down to Than Car, a movement to get ‘‘Quite often the roads here are closed accountants, students, bankers, or even loose cigarettes, are pressed on take the chance of doing well. And his best to ignore the pollution. pollution.’’ And with 17-month-old pushbikes back on the streets of and unless I ask someone I never Chinese cities, with a website to know why.’’ promote the idea (www.stcbj.com/en). This latest band of adventurous Shannon is a passionate cyclist. He Australians to live in China follow in rode a bike to school in Geelong and a the footsteps of a small army of bike all round Melbourne when he was bold and inspired individuals, at university. dating back to the 1800s, people manufacturer in southern China, Fiona Lau, employ about 10 people to Sadly, at the moment China isn’t spurred by religious fervour, is the president of the ever-hopeful produce garments for their ffiXXed very interested in the movement to get greed, or sheer curiosity. Scorpions (www.guang collection (www.ffixxed.com), which is bikes back on the road. There are Back in the 1840s or so, zhouscorpions.com). sold in boutiques around the world. pressing problems, Shannon was told, Australian squatters hired An ardent Swans fan from Sydney’s With a studio in Wutong Mountain, like dealing with the problem of water thousands of Chinese Dulwich Hill, Jon says when the call on the outskirts of Shenzhen, Kain quality. So he and his wife opened Serk, labourers from Amoy John Graham went out for a volunteer president for and Fiona spend nearly all their a hybrid cafe´, bike shop and cycling (modern-day Xiamen, on the Harper, who the AFL team, he was ‘‘the stupid guy time working. There have been promotion business (www.serk.cc). Chinese coast opposite has set up a who got left at the front when everyone disconcerting brushes with officialdom. Cycling, of course, usually needs clean Taiwan). This ‘‘coolie’’ labour, gym in took a step backwards’’. When the University Games were air, and Beijing’s pollution even gets as it was known then, consisted Shenzhen, Shannon off his bike sometimes, exclusively of Chinese men, hired China although he is unfazed by the city’s to work as shepherds out in the winter temperatures, which are often lonely stretches of Australia. We have to see the future . . . the well below freezing. Biking, he hopes, The squatters, or their will make a comeback, and Shannon Australian agents, may numbers are on your side here and his wife will be there when it does. have gone to China to ‘‘I think we’re here for the long oversee the term,’’ he says. ‘‘We get out to the recruitment, and A long-term resident of China, the held in Shenzhen in 2011, bureaucrats mountains and ride in good quality could well have 45-year-old says he is often still turned up, wielding cameras and pens air as often as we can, at least once a been the first ‘‘mystified by the workings of his host and told the couple they had to leave, week. But the air is always a Australians to nation. ‘‘There’s a certain lack of logic move out, within two days. ‘‘So we had consideration here.’’ work in the in China,’’ he says. ‘‘I don’t think it to go,’’ Kain remembers. ‘‘It was quite Like Shannon, Tracey Redshaw is a Middle matters how long you stay in China stressful at the time.’’ But they went on long-term China resident. Originally Kingdom. They you never really understand why to find a better place, and they really from Wahroonga in Sydney’s northern were followed by some things happen and some like the ease of producing in the go- suburbs, she and her husband moved to Australian things don’t.’’ He and his wife ahead nation. ‘‘I can’t see us moving the massive southern city of entrepreneurs, enjoy the wealthy expatriate life, our production out of China,’’ he says. Guangzhou 10 years ago, when journalists and with servants to do the For many Australians, China is the she was 22. missionaries, and housework, but he notes that’s land of opportunity, where hard work, As a blonde, Tracey attracts a lot of these last frequently not unique to China. And, he determination and clear thinking can attention, and she speaks Mandarin so risked their lives in says a little wistfully, if he pay rich dividends. John Graham she knows exactly what is being said their quest to spread could get a comparable job, Harper, fitness impresario, is a believer. about her. But she says she usually lets the word. it’s likely he and his wife He’s in China with an eye to the future, the comments slide, regardless of These days, would return to Sydney. and three of his brothers are also living whether they’re positive or negative. Australians in China Kain Picken is still getting in the giant nation. One works with As with many Australians, she are more likely to go to used to life in China. The him in the gym, one is a student and enjoys a good meat pie and sausage an AFL match than take 32-year-old fashion designer and one deals in wine. roll, and it was a sudden yearning for a risk on intrepid journeys artist, originally from Broken Hill in far ‘‘We have to see the future, the the staples of Aussie takeaway that into the unknown. Jon western NSW, has lived and worked in business potential, it’s all about seeing fired her decision to set up the Hopper, who works for a Shenzhen, in southern China, for more the business potential,’’ he says. ‘‘The Amiel (Ami) Rabbelier with the children from the Superstar Kindy in Nanjing, China Boomerang Bakery in Guangzhou large footwear than a year now. He and his partner, numbers are on your side here.’’