Editor's note: We have asked expats living in Zhejiang to share their stories about the province's cities where they live and work. Benjamin Speyer is a British expat who has lived in Hangzhou since 2014. He is founder and CEO of technology and financial advisory consultancy Serica.

Benjamin (L) with Jack Wang (C), chairman of Hakim Unique Group, and Henry Huang, CEO of Hakim Unique Group, after formally completing a joint venture. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Moving to China and starting a business has been an ambition of mine since I was a student.

When the recession hit in 2008, the UK was affected worse than any other industrialised nation. In my economics classes, we examined the effect of this recession on my country and how my generation would be the first in four centuries to be poorer than the previous generation.

In sharp contrast, we learned how the Chinese economy – "the sleeping giant", as my professor called it – had a GDP growing by a whopping 15 percent per year. I decided then and there that I couldn't achieve my entrepreneurial ambitions in the UK or the US; I needed to be in China.

Benjamin and his wife Carly on their wedding day. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

For the next few years, I worked as a manager for a corporate strategy and marketing firm that helped world-famous brands expand their presence across the UK. By the beginning of 2014, I felt that I had learned enough – and saved enough money – to follow my own path, and three months later, I set off to China.

I'd originally intended to learn about the Chinese market and business culture by spending a year working at a large advertising agency in Shanghai, but due to some last-minute contractual issues, I decided not to accept the position. Back at square one, and without a plan to pursue my dream, I reached out to a Chinese friend of mine.

He recommended a "small town" called Hangzhou, where he had previously studied. Like most Westerners, I had never heard of it, so I decided to do some research online. I discovered a booming city with a thriving technology sector steeped in history and culture and full of lush greenery – an ideal mix!