by Xinhua writers Huang Kangyi, Zhou Xiaoli

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Having lived in China for the past 15 years, U.S. engineer Sridhar Ramasami has successfully turned himself into an entrepreneur and artist, and gained a level of fulfilment he couldn't reach back in the United States.

Based in the capital city of Beijing, Ramasami owns a studio in Songzhuang, a small town on the outskirts of the city, where he develops software and creates artworks.

FOLLOW THE HEART

Born in India, Ramasami graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and received a master's degree in engineering from the University of Delaware in the United States in 1990.

After many years of corporate life as an engineer, he quit his well-paying job in the United States and completed a 9,000-km-long journey by foot. The trail began from Gaspe in the Canadian province of Quebec and ended in Key West in the U.S. state of Florida.

Speaking of his time in the United States, he said that "socially I think it wasn't such a rich life, so I didn't find satisfaction."

Along the journey, Ramasami kept himself away from the hustle and bustle of city life and listened to his inner voice. "That voice for me was to follow my heart," he said.

News about China back then kept him informed of its economic take-off.

"I followed the stock market. I knew at that time a lot of news was about China," Ramasami said, adding that he wanted to know what China and Chinese people were like when the country was growing.

"China is like a mysterious country. Most people don't understand it well and I wanted to come and see for myself," Ramasami said. He moved to China in 2003.

STARTUP HUB

As an experienced professional in information technology, Ramasami considers today's China as a platform to exert his talent.

"China has been growing a lot and before it's like more industrial and more about manufacturing, and now it's going more and more into tech," he said.

Taking Beijing's Zhongguancun high-tech area as an example, the number of high-tech businesses has exceeded 20,000, among which 300 are listed.

Now Ramasami is preparing for his newest high-tech product, an information-sharing device via Wi-Fi connection.

"Now we are testing it on site. Some of the people who are using it say they will buy it," the 50-year-old said confidently.

His Chinese wife also joined as a cofounder who handles administration, sales, company registration and so on. Last year, she gave birth to their only daughter, Maya.

Ramasami regards China, and Beijing in particular, as a good option for overseas investors.

"The opportunities are extremely good in Beijing. It is a startup hub," he said.

ARTISTIC FULFILMENT

Moving to China meant more than just developing new products here. China is also where Ramasami became an artist.

Ramasami traveled a lot across the country over the years. It was in Zhangye, a city in northwest China's Gansu Province, that his artistic talent was first displayed.

With new materials, new ideas and new designs as their features, Ramasami deemed his paintings more appealing to well-educated people, saying "they are more open-minded and more exposed to new ideas."

When he worked as a foreign teacher at the Hexi University in Zhangye, the faculties of the art department appreciated his paintings and offered to help the artist hold his first exhibition in the city.

His first exhibition was advertised in the local newspaper and attended by thousands of people.

Ramasami has held over 50 solo exhibitions of his paintings across China. The highest price for a piece of his painting exceeds 3,000 U.S. dollars.

Living in China, the artist also derived inspiration from Chinese traditional art, such as Xuan paper, a traditional form of art paper for Chinese calligraphy and painting.

"Xuan paper is fairly strong. It can hold the ridges and doesn't become flat. That's the reason I started with Xuan paper," he said, adding that Chinese people share the same resilience.

Life as an artist has helped Ramasami gain a self-fulfillment that a corporate life could not provide.

"As an engineer, they (his bosses) tell you what to do and you do it," he said. "In art, I can express myself, and I can be myself."