Victoria Nikolayeva finds herself in the middle of the July-September "rush season."

The shop-owner in China's northern border town of Manzhouli operates in a border free-tax trade zone. Each day, customers buying imported Russian goods can bring her a turnover of over 20,000 yuan – about 2,807 U.S. dollars. Victoria said Chinese consumers love the quality and competitive prices of her Russian-made watches and leather handbags, which has drawn more visitors.

Seven years ago, amid the steep drop of the Russian ruble, Victoria moved to China with her Chinese husband to find trade opportunities. But cross-border bartering between people from both countries was not easy at first. 

Since the 1990s, many Russians have crossed into Manzhouli to run business. A border trade zone on the Chinese side was then set up to give them a trading platform. 

Early every morning, these Russian border traders, dubbed "backpackers", take Russian goods, mainly food and daily necessities, through Chinese customs. And after a day of sales, they return with some Chinese products.

Victoria was lucky enough to grasp the new trends, as the city upgraded the trade zone for a more balanced, trusted petty trade growth. What she got was not just a boutique in the newly established tax-free transaction hall, but also assistance with her business. Victoria said the complicated procedure of importing Russia commodities puzzled her in the beginning. "Chinese officials helped me a lot with paper work, logistics, and speedy customs clearances," she grinned.

With a wide range of Russian goods in place, Chinese inhabitants of the border area were allowed to enter the trade zone using their trading cards to enjoy a duty-free allowance for purchases worth up to 8,000 yuan. Tourists from outside the city are only eligible for an annual duty-free allowance of 8,000 yuan.

Zhang Jinzhu, director of the cross-border trade zone, said they aim to build a platform for people from both sides to benefit more from favorable trade policies. "And to attract more Russian merchants to our territory, we will give them more convenient and efficient services to make them feel at home," Zhang said.

Victoria's shop is just one of the 50 Russian companies operating in the Manzhouli duty-free trade zone. In 2018, the footfall of the trade zone exceeded two million people while the annual turnover reached 400 million yuan. In the first seven months this year, the average daily trading volume here reached new heights.

For Victoria, she has already fallen deeply in love with the city that very much resembles her homeland – the rapid urban renovation and the growing prosperity of business environment, not to mention the many Chinese she has met. The couple said they hope to open more branches to offer authentic Russian goods in other Chinese cities. Although winter comes early to this northern town, they are confident that bilateral trade will remain piping hot on the border.