“I was born in a mountainous area in Nepal, which is near China’s Tibet. When I was young, I always wanted to go to the other side of the mountain. Then, I realized my dream of going to China. My Chinese teacher gave me a Chinese name ‘Gao Liang,’ which is similar to my Nepalese name in its pronunciation,” Kalyan Raj Sharma, president of Nepal’s AOE Tourism Company, told the Global People.

 
Kalyan Raj Sharma works in his company. (Photo/Global People)

Sharma started to learn about China from the book “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. The thoughts proposed by Sun Tzu, the military strategist, such as “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles,” deepened Sharma’s understanding of what was happening in Nepal and around the world. He had written an article on the book, believing that whoever read and understood its content would prevail themselves in the end. It was from then on that he began to cultivate a deep interest in China.

In 2007, Sharma was admitted by the School of Economics at Fudan University in Shanghai, embarking on a five-year journey to obtain a doctorate degree. Over the course of the five years, he gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, publishing a number of papers focusing on tourism economics, which provided a foundation for him when he began running the AOE Tourism Company after he returned to Nepal.

In 2015, a major earthquake hit Nepal, triggering an avalanche on Mount Qomolangma. Several Chinese climbers were hit by rocks falling down the mountain. After receiving a call about rescue efforts, Sharma immediately arranged a helicopter to rescue the climbers. During those days, he received numerous calls associated with the rescue operation, sleeping only four hours each day. He also provided water and food for Chinese tourists stranded at the airport and arranged buses for the tourists to have a place to rest.

Sharma believes that making friends matters more than doing business. He once sent a female Chinese climber to a local hospital after the latter was injured during an expedition to Mount Qomolangma. He also helped the woman handle insurance-related matters.

“She appreciated what I had done for her and we’ve been in touch since then. After her hometown, which is in Anhui Province in east China, was hit by floods, I made donations to support flood relief there. Asian people think alike, believing that we should treat each other nicely. This is also what I learned from the book ‘Analects of Confucius’,” Sharma said.