CNT: Do you plan to bring micro-finance to China?

Yunus: We visited several provinces to talk about micro-credits, which have grown slowly there because of the lack of a legal framework. A huge number of Chinese need micro-finance. The income gap between rural and urban is a growing problem.

CNT: You are taking Grameen micro-finance global. Does it translate across cultures?

Yunus: Absolutely. I visited our program in Guatemala, where we helped 5,000 women making handicrafts and toys. I felt so close to the people. Their dreams and concerns—such as difficulties in marketing their products—were the same as those in Bangladesh. We launched in New York City, too.

CNT: What can one see in Bangladesh?

Yunus: Everything: corruption, terrible politics—and how people are changing their lives anyway. You see women's empowerment and people escaping poverty.

CNT: And what about beauty?

Yunus: There are many historic sites, such as the eighth-century Somapuri Vihara, once the biggest Buddhist monastery south of the Himalayas. I love Sundarbans National Park, where the Bengal tiger is found, and Cox's Bazaar, the world's longest beach.

CNT: How does travel affect you?

Yunus: I develop ideas. Villagers understand my ideas very quickly. Heads of state need more explanation.