An aerial view of the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center on the China-Kazakhstan border.

Ni Jianhua is never worried about slow sales in the free trade zone on the China-Kazakhstan border.

After seeing the fifth client of the day out, the baby care product trader hurried to a warehouse in the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center to inspect a batch of baby carriages, which just arrived at the northwest China's port from south China's Guangdong Province.

"They will be sold to Kazakhstan very soon," he said, "Products always sell out here."

Ni, 44, has been doing business in Horgos, the largest land port on the border with Kazakhstan in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, since 2006. Like his fellow merchants from east China's Zhejiang Province who are dubbed as the "Chinese Jews" for their success in doing business, Ni is diligent and works hard all day long.

With a startup fund of 300,000 yuan (about 43,500 U.S. dollars) 12 years ago, Ni has expanded his business and now cashes in more than 300,000 yuan every day. He is considered as one of the most successful businessmen in the FTZ today.

Ni's Kazakhstani employee reports sales to Ni (L).

Although he is one of them, Ni is still surprised by the rapid development of the FTZ. Covering 5.28 square kilometers, the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center opened in April 2012 as a destination for cross-border shopping. It has more than 40 duty-free shops selling luxury brands such as Omega and Versace.

The facility is the world's first cross-border free-trade zone and the biggest duty-free shopping center in west China. It allows entry of citizens from any country with valid passports or with exit and entry permits.

Since its establishment, more and more fortune-seekers have been enticed here. The FTZ has recorded a trade volume of 878 million U.S. dollars since opening as of last July.

Ni (R) checks trade information while looking after his daughter in his shop. He has a shop covering 100 square meters.

Ni has a Russian name--Vasiliy. It was given by his friend from Kazakhstan's Almaty, 378 kilometers from Horgos. The Chinese Vasiliy can discuss business with clients from Central Asia in Russian accented with a Zhejiang dialect.

"I studied Russian when I came here. I was 32 years old at that time, and found it very difficult to learn the language," Ni said, "Now I can speak only a little about toys in Russian. But that's quite enough for me."

"Better communication means more business opportunities," he added.

Ni carries products in the warehouse when his shop is shorthanded. He walks fast, because he believes time is money.

Vasiliy Ni sold a batch of balance cars and baby carriages worth 5 million Kazakhstan Tenge (about 16,058 U. S. dollars) to two Russian traders the day we visited him. He was expecting four more groups of clients.

"I'm too busy. Sometimes I hope it rains so that I can have a rest," he said.

Ni's wife arranges products in the shop. Ni's daughter sleeps in a display baby crib. It is noisy, but the girl sleeps soundly.

Ni owes his success to his sincerity and precise targeting. "I can speak some Russian, so I know what my customers want. My products have a good quality and a reasonable price, and thus become popular."

Based on the demand of his customers, he usually orders products from manufacturers in Guangdong, one of China's manufacturing hubs, and sells them to Kazakhstan and Russia.

Ni (L) drives a battery vehicle to the warehouse. His Kazakhstani customer is so eager to get the products that he jumps on and goes with Ni.

Ni negotiates with a client. Other clients wait for him.

Balance cars sell best in Ni's shop recently. He has just ordered 500 balance cars for his Almaty client. As business booms, Ni plans to open a new shop in a newly-built shopping center, selling high-end made-in-China toys.

Ni counts the bills after making a deal.

At the westernmost end of the Silk Road in China, Horgos was a transit point on the ancient trade route in the Tang Dynasty (619-907). In ancient times, merchants from Central Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe braved the Gobi Desert and nomadic bandits to arrive at Chang'an, the historical name of Xi'an, then the world's largest metropolis and capital city of Tang.

Today Horgos has become the youngest city on the Silk Road Economic Belt as the city of Horgos was officially established by the State Council in 2014.

Put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

"I'm not the first generation of Horgos citizen, but my daughter is," Ni said, "We have schools, hospitals and everything in Horgos. We have decided to settle here."

When asked about what Horgos means to him, Ni gave his answer by citing a slogan here: "If you have missed Shenzhen and Shanghai, you can't miss Horgos." Shenzhen is the showcase of China's reform and opening-up, while Shanghai is an economic center of the country.

(All photos by Zhao Ge)