Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    TIM DOLIDZE, 20, fell in love with drones after seeing one flying over the vast lawns of the Shenzhen University campus. While studying Chinese at the university, he has also pursued his hobby of drone making.

    “Even my girlfriend got a bit jealous because I spent too much time with my drones,” he said.

    Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Dolidze moved to Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2012, where he studied Mandarin for a year.

    “I could only ask for the price of the goods in Chinese but didn’t know how to say the numbers at that time,” said Dolidze in fluent Chinese. “It was very funny.”

    Dolidze said that his home country doesn’t offer opportunities for young people to develop. A Kyrgyz friend told Dolidze about Shenzhen where Dolidze has found the opportunity he was looking for.

    “I feel this city is a land of great opportunities no matter what field you decide to settle in,” said Dolidze.

    The day that Dolidze saw the drone flying over the lawns of Shenzhen University was one of the opportunities. Shenzhen is home to the world’s top consumer drone maker, DJI, and Shenzhen is famous for the availability of electronic parts to build almost anything.

    Dolidze decided to build a drone. “It was extremely hard at first, because I had very limited background in technology before I actually started putting my hands on it,” said Dolidze.

    For the next 18 months, Dolidze spent days and nights studying how to make drones.

    After countless failures Dolidze successfully built his own drone. He has successfully built four drones.

    Dolidze said he wants to get a job at DJI. Dolidze and his friends will take part in an international drone competition to be hosted in China by the end of the year

    Dolidze is also a talented swimmer and has two Shenzhen University swimming records to his name. He was awarded first prize in a university sponsored swimming competition in 2014.

    “I think I have adapted to this city and fit into the Chinese lifestyle. I really want to make a contribution to this high-tech city and to China.”