YANG MAOSHA said that he didn’t expect his booth at the Dusseldorf-China Festival to be so full of people.

“There were so many people at the festival that day. We sold about 470 bowls of noodles within one day,” he said.

Yang, a cook from Shenzhen, was invited by the municipal government of Dusseldorf in Germany to attend the seventh China Festival to demonstrate the skill of pulling noodles Sept. 16, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported Monday.

“I was very happy to showcase the skills of pulling noodles on the stage. Each bowl was priced at 5 euros, or about 39 yuan (US$5.89). The locals gave us the thumbs-up after tasting, and said the noodles were delicious,” he said, adding that he felt like the Chinese hand-pulled noodles will enter into the European market.

That day, his Chinese hand-pulled noodles booth and other delicacies were arranged at a most conspicuous location at the event.

Located along the Rhine River, Dusseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, one of Europe’s most densely populated and economically developed regions. Since 2011, the Dusseldorf government has organized China Festival yearly, attracting about 30,000 people to the square in front of Dusseldorf City Hall each time.

Yang arrived in Dusseldorf on Sept. 14. Led by the president of the local Chinese Food Association, Yang bought the ingredients and spices needed for hand-pulled noodles at a local supermarket and began preparing for the festival. “In order to ensure the authenticity of hand-pulled noodles, the soup base was brought from China.”

The trip to Dusseldorf was Yang’s first time going abroad. After the China Festival ended, Yang traveled around Europe, from Germany to the Netherlands, France and Luxemburg. “I was busy and had no time to travel before, so it was great to broaden my horizon and see the world.”

Out of an occupational habit, Yang visited many Chinese restaurants in Europe during the trip, including a hand-pulled noodles restaurant. “There are a lot of people in Europe who like noodles very much, which I think is a huge market. There’s no problem selling hand-pulled noodles in Germany. The business will be very good,” he said.

Yang is already looking for partners and plans to sell hand-pulled noodles to Europe. “I have confidence in the business,” he added.

Yang is from Qinghai Pro-vince. In March 2006, Yang, then 18, left his hometown and went to Guangzhou to begin his life as an apprentice in a hand-pulled noodles restaurant.

After mastering the skill, Yang opened his own shop in Guangming New Area. At present, Yang is the owner of a catering company operating three hand-pulled noodles restaurants in Guangming.

“Shenzhen is an inclusive city. Being here feels like being at home,” Yang, who has now resided in Shenzhen for over 10 years, commented. “In my heart, Shenzhen is my second hometown.” (Zhang Yu)