Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporters Rayda, Liu Donglai) news: “Welcome to the favorite place of online shoppers.” On August 12, 2023, in the Zhengzhou Economic Development Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, we met Liu Kezhen, the Public Relations Manager of Henan Imported Materials Public Bonded Center Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Henan Bonded Group”).

As women who love online shopping, we couldn’t stop talking once we started.

Liu Kezhen, 31 years old this year, is a true Henan girl. In 2015, after working for 2 years in a web company in Shanghai, she returned to Henan. “At the time, I was working on website design, working in front of the computer every day was a bit boring, so I wanted to change my working environment.” Liu Kezhen said that she was attracted by the recruitment information of Henan Zhongdamen Network Technology Group Co., Ltd. that she saw online.

The Henan Zhongdamen Network Technology Group Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Henan Bonded Logistics Center; Henan Bonded Group is the platform operation and management company of Henan Bonded Logistics Center; the bonded goods preparation mode, which solves the difficulties of customs declaration, tax collection and management, quality supervision, and logistics services in cross-border e-commerce, originates from Henan Bonded Group... After Liu Kezhen searched for various information about the company online, she submitted her resume just for a try. Her life is like the epitome of China's opening up to the world. Over the past ten years, countless young people have been quietly involved in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

“When I was in school, my teachers used to talk about the unlimited prospects of cross-border e-commerce. At that time, cross-border e-commerce in Henan had achieved some success, and I was eager to be a part of it,” said Liu Kezhen. At that time, she had full confidence in doing well in this job.

The position Liu Kezhen applied for was website designer, and in her previous work experience, website designing meant sitting in front of the computer and burying herself in the work. But things were not that simple.

In 2014, Henan Zhongdamen Network Technology Co., Ltd. was established. On May 1, 2015, the Zhongdamen Cross-border E-commerce Offline Experience Center opened. “When I first joined, the company was busy preparing for the opening of the experience center. My task was to build an online shopping platform. We had to do everything ourselves, including selecting products, taking photos, editing images, designing webpages, doing backend programming, and setting up databases. It was a huge challenge,” Liu Kezhen said. It was an unprecedented breakthrough not only for her, but also for the company at that time.

In this way, Liu Kezhen embarked on a process of self-upgrading. “Over these years, our experience center has gone through three upgrades. It started with cross-border products being only experiential and not available for purchase, then to purchasing online and getting them delivered to homes after experiencing, and now we have real-time consumption with instant purchase and pick-up. With each upgrade, my abilities have also been upgraded,” Liu Kezhen said.

Photo taken on August 8, 2019 shows Liu Kezhen (second from right) participates in the publicity of national image ambassador activities at the China (Zhengzhou) National Traditional Food Festival. (Photo courtesy of Liu Kezhen)

Participating in the organization of the 1st Global Cross-border E-commerce Conference Exhibition held in Zhengzhou, and taking part in the construction of the Xidamen Bonded Direct Purchase Center in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, by Henan Bonded Group... Liu Kezhen has moved from sitting behind the computer to the front line, just like how cross-border e-commerce in Henan started from humble beginnings and has now become a national leader. Liu Kezhen has been "upgrading" along with the development of cross-border e-commerce.

"I felt so strongly that with the Belt and Road Initiative being materialized, Henan's 'Online Silk Road' is becoming more and more convenient, and the business of 'buying and selling goods around the world' has grown larger. And I, as a participant and witness to these changes, am also growing," Liu Kezhen said.

At the end of the interview, Liu Kezhen held the reporter’s hand with some reluctance.

“I have a small regret.”

“What regret?”

“When we were preparing for the Xidamen Direct Purchase Center in Urumqi, everyone was so focused on building the center that we didn’t have time to travel in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the past couple of years, there have been a lot of people from Henan and Zhengzhou coming to Xinjiang for business and tourism. Every time I hear about their experiences, I feel envious and have this lingering regret.”

“I sincerely invite you to come to Xinjiang. I’ll be waiting for you in Urumqi.”

(A written permission shall be obtained for reprinting, excerpting, copying and mirroring of the contents published on this website. Unauthorized aforementioned act shall be deemed an infringement, of which the actor shall be held accountable under the law.)