Masud Alam is the Bangladesh chef of the Ashuganj 400MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (East) Project of the Genertec CNTIC. He was left alone at six and was brought up by Zeng Guilan, an employee of a Bangladeshi project department of Genertec CMC, a subsidiary of Genertec International. Zeng bought him clothes and taught him to read and write, and that's where Alam learned independence. Zeng kept in touch with Alam even when she completed work in Bangladesh and returned to China, and Alam called Zeng "Mama". That's how Alam started his story with China and ever since he's been working for Chinese enterprises.
Genertec has been developing in Bangladesh for 20 years and Alam has been devoted to cuisine for the same period. The local cuisine, simmering with curry and peppers, is similar to the Indian. In order to make the dishes with more Chinese flavor, Alam kept learning how to cook in the Chinese style from his colleagues at the project.
A photo of Chef Alam [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
To better understand Chinese cuisine and more easily communicate with Chinese colleagues, Alam started to learn the Chinese language. From the ingredients to food materials, from a single Chinese character to sentences, he sought help from his Chinese colleagues and asked them repeatedly to teach him pronunciation. He would then use what he had learned in daily communication with the Chinese people to collect their demands. Alam said that the Chinese enterprise not only improved his income, but also gave him many opportunities to learn Chinese language and cuisine and how to live a more civilized life.
A view of dishes made by Alam [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
Alam has now become an "Internet celebrity" chef and said that he hopes to open a Chinese restaurant in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to serve more Chinese enterprises and people.
Involving local people in the project construction has drawn Chinese and Bangladeshi people closer together and helped the two cultures integrate as well. Understanding between the two nations is increasing.
The power plant project adopts a world-leading gas-turbine combined cycle power technology. Once operational, the project is expected to generate more than 3.3 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, benefiting about 1.2 million people.
A view of the Ashuganj 400MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (East) Project of Genertec CNTIC [Photo provided to sasac.gov.cn]
(Executive editor: Li Zhiyong)
