In August 1993, a 20-year-old Pakistani youth named Agil Hussain arrived at a construction site in his worn-out shoes to apply for a job with a Chinese company. The site was in the Thar Desert of the Punjab Plain in Pakistan, and Hussain’s family had lived near the desert for years. Although the young man had never attended school, he proved hardworking and eager to learn. In fewer than six months on the job, he quickly picked up the standard Chinese language.
In December 2019, a trip to China to attend the company’s annual year-end meeting fulfilled his long-held
