Sun, who frequently offers advice to the store owners and vendors in Hui Fang, said an opportunity arose 15 years ago.

"One day in 2005, a restaurant owner on the main street in Hui Fang said he was planning to stop working and asked whether I wanted to take over his business," he said.

"I had to go out of town on a short business trip, but when I returned, he had kept his restaurant for me," Sun said, adding that this was when he decided to start his paomo business.

He now owns two restaurants in the area, with a total of 70 employees. In addition, Sun is responsible for liaison between Huimin Street traders and restaurant associations and eateries in other cities.

"I love talking about Huimin Street, about the variety of halal food that can be found there, about the people selling the food－in short, about everything to do with the street," he said.

About five years ago, Sun decided to step back from the day-to-day running of his restaurants.

"The next generation of restaurant managers and service staff members began to arrive, but they sought advice from me all the time," he said.