By Lisa Carducci

Born in Hotan ("Hetian" in Chinese) on March 17, 1951, Tursun claimed he was influenced by his father at a young age. His father, a Hadji, meaning that he has accomplished the pilgrimage, hadj, to Mecca, owned a restaurant, and Tursun, the eldest of 12 children, started to cook at the age of 12. His mother, with eight daughters and four sons, certainly had no time to work outside the home, not even to help her husband in the restaurant.

Tursun attended primary and middle school, in the Uyghur language exclusively. He learned Chinese from his colleagues when he started to work. Today, he speaks it with a strong accent and can read some but not write it. This detail may interest especially the readers who still believe in the Sinitic standardization of all the ethnic groups of the country.

Lisa(Front M), Tursun(R), and his restaurant staff. [Foreign Languages Press]

All of Tursun's brothers and sisters still live in Hotan – home of white jade and roses. He is the only one who lives in Urumqi.

At 20, Tursun was called up for military service and remained there from 1972 to 1977. During his service, he cooked for his comrades and worked as a chef for two years with the Bianjiang Hotel under the army.

In the national capital, each province and autonomous region of the country has a guesthouse where their citizens stay when they go to Beijing for business. Tursun worked with the Xinjiang Banshichu (Hotel), in Beijing, for two years. In 1980, he returned to Xinjiang where he continued to be a cook for the Urumqi Manpower Centre until 1985.

Then 34 years old, he opened his own restaurant and bought an apartment that he kept until 2004. He finally sold it because it was too large, and he bought a smaller one – 160 sq m – with three bedrooms.

It did not take a century for Tursun to become very prosperous. However, he remains modest, doesn't criticize his competitors, and doesn't pride himself on his achievements. In 20 years, five other restaurants were added to the main establishment: King of the zhua fan, 17 Wu Yi (May 1st) Avenue – in Urumqi, Shihezi, Bole, Changji, and Shawan. Tursun trusts the managers of his branches, whom he contacts by Internet without having to go the locations physically. His son, who specialized in financial administration, has been working with him since he graduated, while his daughter, a tradesman's wife, is unemployed. She did not pass the university admission exam. Her father wanted her to continue her studies, as he thinks it is as important for a girl as for a boy to be highly educated. However, he found neither shame nor despair in this failure: Chinese students are legion, while university admissions are limited.

At the main restaurant, 20 employees, all Uyghurs, serve 200-300 customers a day, a large majority being Han. Tursun doesn't serve alcohol or allow smoking, but he tolerates beer in reasonable amounts for the non-Muslims. The Chinese and foreign tourists are numerous and they make reservations long before they arrive. The customers flow between 13:00 and 15:00 and the evening, from 19:00 to closing at 10:00.