Surviving but profits suffer

The Chinese generally purchase an existing coffee shop and maybe start a second location from scratch later. "Running a cafe involves less physical and mental strain than a clothing lab. A bar gives more stability. Furthermore, it involves minimum managing risks," Bai says.

In the last couple of years, small business owners encounter a number of difficulties when trying to fund their enterprises. Besides financing, bureaucratic obstacles remain a black spot for all.

Native Italian startups cannot get bank loans easily, so one can imagine the difficulties for Sino-Italian firms. "Banks in general lend only to the most profitable customers. It is a worrying trend," Wu says.

"Chinese bank rates are even higher. For this reason, the majority of Chinese family businesses, which require moderate amounts of capital in their initial years, often raise money through informal channels, such as family and friends," Wu says.

The second-generation entrepreneurs are lucky in one sense in that they don't have the linguistic difficulties that their parents had. "A large number of them have gained degrees from Italian universities. Most of them are capable of managing the family business by the time they are 20," Bai says.

Wu and Bai agree that the new generation of Sino-Italian entrepreneurs have created a new business culture model that increasingly relies on the exchange of interrelated skills between the two ethnic groups.

"We want to create jobs in Italy and contribute to society. We are full of energy and enthusiasm," Wu says.