It was while looking at her boxes full of mobile phones that Lu Runwu came up with the idea of starting a business to help rich people sell second-hand luxury goods.

"It's potentially a big market," Lu said. She extracts a dozen fancy cell phones from a wooden box, displaying them one by one.

Some of the phones are too rare to be found in an ordinary shopping mall, she said, pulling out a Louis Vuitton flip phone and a Nokia E90 covered by an unusual rosy metal crust.

"Many of my friends have large quantities of luxury goods, just as I do. But when their interest in a particular item goes, the goods are often cast aside and not used anymore."

Lu said selling unwanted luxury goods was popular in other countries she had lived in - Britain, Italy and Switzerland - and she decided it was an idea that would work in Beijing.

Last September, she opened her first luxury goods commission store - Rain-Wow Consignment Store near the Fourth Ring Road.

The store is good for both buyers and sellers, she said. On one hand, it offers luxury handbags and accessories at a fraction of the price new; while on the other, sellers receive a better return compared to pawnshops.

"I plan to set up 30 shops in Beijing by the end of 2010," Lu told METRO. An ambitious goal since she has only five stores at present.

"I am not a smart person, but I am really hard-working," she said. For her QQ, Lu uses a Chinese phrase Tiandaochouqin, or "the gods reward those who are industrious", as her nickname.

Lu said she slept only two hours a day in the build-up to the opening of her first shop.

"I have serious insomnia because my brain cannot stop working at night," she giggled.

Many women of Lu's age do not understand why Lu keeps working and spares little time to rest.

"I seldom go to beauty salons, and I have few methods for relaxing. I do not go shopping, see movies or do sports," Lu added.

Lu is by no means short of money. She drives expensive cars and changes her phones, watches, and bags frequently. However, she admits that she is never content with what she has.

"I am never satisfied. I want to become richer and stronger," Lu said with a determined look. "I was too poor in my childhood and becoming rich is my constant pursuit."

Lu was an orphan born in Hangzhou. Her adopted parents treated her badly and she was cast off from the family at the age of 15. A kind teacher took care of her and brought her to Hong Kong in 1980s.

(China Daily 03/24/2010 page27)