Sheffield retailers find the words to make Chinese students feel at home

Campus of the University of Sheffield. [Photo/Provided to China Daily UK]

Retailers in Sheffield -from a florist and a duck egg shop in Moor Market to a kebab restaurant near Sheffield University - are turning to Mandarin to help with an influx of Chinese students and visitors to the city in the north of England.

In recent years, the number of Chinese students enrolled at Sheffield University has surged, with 2,278 coming in 2015 from the Chinese mainland alone. An additional 159 arrived from Hong Kong. Across town, Sheffield Hallam University reported that 1,378 Chinese students registered for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Sheffield's Chinese connection does not stop there. In July, the city announced a 60-year partnership agreement with Sichuan Guodong Construction Group, worth more than 1 billion pounds($1.32 billion).

Smith & Tissington is one of the local businesses on Sheffield's Moor Market that is keen to attract Chinese customers with its offering of duck eggs, a popular purchase back home.

Spotting a rise in the local Chinese population, the owner hired two Chinese staff members and posted a sign in Chinese reading 'Duck Eggs' to attract Chinese students. Nigel Wildgoose, who has worked at the shop for more than two years, said the local duck eggs were proving to be a welcome purchase among Chinese communities in Sheffield.

"The Chinese characters help catch the attention of Chinese customers," he said. "And the presence of a Chinese sales assistant makes Chinese students feel more comfortable and it adds convenience to their shopping experience."

Karon Breckon, owner of Meadowhead Flowers at the market, actively uses social media to promote her business and now uses Chinese symbols in her Twitter feed. As of 6 months ago, whenever she posts, she always adds a hashtag with the name of a flower, followed by its Chinese symbols.

She has learned that roses are very popular with Chinese customers, while chrysanthemums are not, adding: "There's a great link between flowers and Chinese culture, in which reds and pinks represent luck and friendship, whereas white chrysanthemums are usually linked with funerals."

Nearby, at the Istanbul Restaurant and Takeaway, adverts in Mandarin offer students a 10 percent discount on the dinner menu. And a kebab restaurant on West Street, near Sheffield University campus, uses Mandarin on its lunch menu flyer.

Chinese students in Sheffield have welcomed the gestures from local businesses.

Chen Zhenkun, 24, who studied for his master's degree at Sheffield University, said he was particularly amazed with the Chinese signage provided at local tourist spots. He said that local staff are also able to greet visitors with a good command of Chinese.

Chen said he tends to go to restaurants and shops with some Chinese connection because it makes him feel at home, even though he is abroad and in an unfamiliar place.