The film ends and the lights slowly turn on. Senegalese businessman Ababakar Niang looks into the audience, unable to conceal his excitement. On the evening of May 1st, a film documenting Niang's life experience in Yiwu, China premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Niang's story is the first episode of the documentary series "Yiwu: City of Miracles". This documentary was produced by the China Documentary Research Center and started shooting in 2021. It lasted nearly four years and spanned more than 10 countries and regions around the world, telling the struggle stories of many foreigners in Yiwu. On May 1st, Senegalese businessman Ababakar Niang (left) gave a speech at the documentary premiere event held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in the capital city of Dakar. In 2013, when Niang first arrived in China, he had just won a sports equipment procurement contract in his hometown. With excitement and anticipation, he went to Yiwu, Zhejiang to find suitable suppliers. Unexpectedly, the project was stranded halfway and the funding chain was broken, leaving him in a dilemma and forced to stay in Yiwu. Faced with sudden setbacks, Niang did not choose to give up, but gritted his teeth and started from scratch. He enrolled in international trade courses and worked hard to improve his language skills. He interned at a Chinese company, running business during the day and learning Chinese and professional knowledge at night. He said that during that time, he almost woke up early and worked late every day, but he didn't feel bitter because "every step he took, his heart lit up a little bit". With the accumulation of experience and the expansion of his network, Niang gradually gained a firm foothold. He founded his own import and export company, dedicated to helping African businessmen connect more smoothly with the Chinese supply chain. He travels between various cities in China all year round, helping clients find goods, negotiate prices, inspect quality, and even enthusiastically mediate disputes, gradually gaining trust in the local African business community. After stabilizing his career, Niang also formed a family in China. In his spare time, he uses videos and text to record his life in China, hoping to let more people understand the real Yiwu and China in the eyes of Africans. In recent years, Niang has started to frequently return to his home country, not only to visit his family, but also to bring back what he learned and felt in China to Senegal, including his understanding of market rules, respect for education and labor, and pursuit of contracts and efficiency. It was in this context that the Chinese documentary team found Niang. At first, he didn't pay much attention and thought it was just an ordinary shooting. But as the filming deepened, he gradually realized that this was not just a simple recording, but also a "seeing" from different cultures. The filming team filmed him stocking up in the warehouse, coordinating orders in the factory, and also captured footage of his early morning video communication with clients. Those seemingly ordinary daily tasks are recorded and presented one by one under the lens. At the premiere, Zhang Nan, the executive director of this documentary, said that her filming experience in Yiwu has changed her understanding of trade and the world. Trade is not only the flow of goods, but also a connection that transcends culture, language, and destiny. It allows people from different countries to build trust in seemingly small transactions and weave each other's future through daily cooperation. "Zhang Nan believes that this is exactly the meaning of the documentary, which is to allow people to rediscover those commonplace lives and discover extraordinary moments belonging to ordinary people in the lens. For Niang, this documentary is a recognition of his years of hard work. Today, Niang is still traveling between Yiwu and Dakar, continuing its transnational life. He said that he has never done anything grand, but if this documentary can make young people less hesitant and more courageous, then its significance is already enough. (New Society)