Editor's note: East China's Zhejiang province is renowned for its large international population. Aloft on the wings of China's reform and opening-up policy, a group of Zhejiang people have gone abroad to make a living since the 1970s. As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the policy, the Zhejiang website (www.ezhejiang.gov.cn) is launching a series of stories about overseas Chinese who are originally from Zhejiang, as well as those who are active in the province's development. Stories courtesy of Zhejiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and Zheshang Magazine

Huang Yunfeng, a businessman from Yiwu, Zhejiang province [Photo/Zheshang Magazine]

When Huang Yunfeng first set foot on the land of Angola in 2003, he found the African country filled with opportunities, just like China during its initial stage of reform and opening-up.

Huang was born and bred in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, a city with a prosperous small commodities sector. Influenced by the city's strong commercial atmosphere, Huang has been engaged in the small commodities business since the 1980s. In 1987, he founded a garment company in his hometown and thanks to his forward-looking and hardworking spirit, the company quickly grew into a leading enterprise selling products to more than 20 countries and regions.

In the early 21st century, Huang felt that the Chinese garment market did not have the potential it had before and got the idea of finding a market similar to China in the 1970s and 1980s. He embarked on an inspection tour to countries in Europe, America, Middle East and Africa in 2003, and chose Angola, a country with abundant natural resources, to be his destination.

After two years of preparations, in 2005, Huang began investing in Angola and established several factories for building materials there. Raw materials and semi-finished products were transported from China to Angola for further processing. His businesses quickly expanded and by now Huang has set up 16 factories in the African country.