David Schaumann is from Berlin. Today the German capital city but when Bruce passed through in 1987 on a train coming to China it was still a divided city. Today it is one of the world’s most liveable cities with a great artistic feel to it. By German standards, David tells us it is actually a remarkably cheap place to live. David studied at a university in Berlin but life changed when he came on a semester exchange programme to Hangzhou. With that experience he decided to settle in China although returning regularly to visit family and friends back in Berlin. He explains that for people looking for opportunities China can be an exciting place to be.

Two year ago David joined CHEERS – this is a young company that has grown rapidly in recent times. CHEERS is an international importer of affordable wine operating out of many brightly decorated stores initially in Beijing but now expanding nationwide across China. David has several important roles including reporting and marketing within the organisation. Part of the success and growing popularity of CHEERS is that customers and staff are really part of ‘the family’ – people feel comfortable and feel involved with the stores they shop for wine in.

David talks of wine from his homeland, Germany. The middle and lower Rhine valley is famed for vineyards climbing the slopes above the river. Bruce remembers one German wine, Liebfraumilch that was popular during his student days. That wine, in its distinctive blue bottles David explains is one of the many world wines available at CHEERS.