Dear Friends!

Greetings! Hope you all are doing well and good.

Last Friday, I met my 23-year-old mate in China. He looked a bit different though. The bright rays of hope that sparkled in his eyes seemed missing. The enthusiasm seemed to have been lost in the crowd.

As I made my way towards him to pat on his back, he took a deep breath and sighed, “Nothing seems to work. China does not seem to be my cup of tea.”

And I know he is not the only one. He is not the only guy or girl who sometimes feels succeeding in China is hard. And that too as a foreigner. It feels that you will be lost within the crowd of 1 billion people.

But you won’t. Because the universe is not so cruel as we sometimes anticipate it to be. In fact, it conspires to help us attain our dream. Sometimes early, sometimes late and sometimes after a lot of hassle and tussle.

So, today to add to your dose of motivation and to fill you with another vibe of positivity, we have brought to you some stories.

Stories about those who made it big in China. And that too as a foreigner. Hope you will find it useful.

For this article, we wanted to highlight ten foreigners in China who have built outstanding careers for themselves here. They range from "China's most famous foreigner", Dashan, to the woman who keeps Smart Intern’s Shanghai staff sated with cookies, Lexie Comstock. What they all have in common is that they have produced things of great value in China, and in doing so, carved out exceptional career niches for themselves.

1.   MARK KITTO - FOUNDER, "THAT'S" MAGS

Kitto arrived in China in 1996 as a metals trader, and soon thereafter invested 3 million yuan of his own money to launch the print magazine That's Beijing. Following the success of That's Beijing, Kitto also launched That's Shanghai and That's Guangzhou before having his media mini-empire seized by the government in 2004. That's Mags continue to this day without Kitto's involvement. Kitto also made headlines in late 2012 when he penned an essay for Prospect Magazine entitled, "You'll Never be Chinese: Why I'm Leaving the Country That I Loved."

2.  MARC VAN DER CHIJS - CO-FOUNDER, TUDOU

Marc is the co-founder of video sharing site Tudou, which he founded alongside Gary Wang in Shanghai in 2005. While China is full of successful foreign entrepreneurs, it is uncommon to see them reach the level of succes that Van Der Chijls has. Following his success in China, Van Der Chijls relocated to Vancouver, Canada, where he now looks for the next big idea as a venture capitalist at Cross Pacific Capital (XPCP). Marc is also a co-founder of Spil Games Asia and united styles.

3. CARL SETZER - FOUNDER AND BREWMASTER, GREAT LEAP BREWING

Carl Setzer decided it was time to begin servicing the world's biggest beer market, so in 2010 he and partner Liu Fang founded Great Leap Brewing, Beijing's first craft brewery. Great Leap makes beers that mix brew heritage with traditional Chinese spices and flavors, and now boasts two locations in Beijing and legions of thirsty fans throughout China.

4.  MARK ROSWELL (DASHAN 大山) - PERFORMER AND SPEAKER OF EXCELLENT MANDARIN CHINESE

DaShan is "China's most famous foreigner", and a veritable icon among Chinese citizens. He is known for his mastery of Cross Talk, a form of traditional Chinese comedy that is difficult for even native Mandarin speakers to perform, much less master. Originally from Toronto, Canada, DaShan is a great reference point for any foreigner looking to develop a "biaozhun (标准)" ("standard") Beijing accent.