CHINA
22 March 2014
Living, working and doing business in China
China can be an awfully difficult country in which to do business, or even just visit. But Leo Lacey's "Living, Working & Doing Business in China" is the perfect reference to prepare you.
China can be an awfully difficult country in which to do business, work, and live.
Foreign companies are regularly discriminated against. Enforcement of contracts and the law is problematic. Corruption is rife. Disrespect for intellectual property is legion. Politics can be capricious. Everything is based on relationships. But trust is a fragile commodity. And foreigners can be treated as aliens.
But China is inescapable. It is becoming the world's biggest market. It is modernising and improving. Its wonderful civilisation is beguiling and seductive. And as Chinese investors, traders, migrants, students and tourists fan out across the globe, we are all being influenced by the Chinese way. We are becoming "sinicized".
In this context, everyone needs an excellent guide. And there is none better than Leo Lacey's "Living, Working & Doing Business in China".
I strongly recommend it, not only to those living, working and doing business in China. But to everyone. China is the key to the Asian Century in which we are now living. And we all must know and understand China, in the same way that we all had to know and understand America in the 20th century.
Indeed, Lacey's guide is much more than a book. It is virtually an encyclopaedia. It covers everything -- finding a job and doing business, employment conditions, permits and visas, arrival, accommodation, postal services, telecommunications, television and radio, education, public transport, motoring, health, insurance, finance, leisure, sports, shopping, odds and ends, the Chinese, and moving house or leaving China.
In addition to the rich information, there is the clear narrative of a country, a millennial civilization, undertaking the immense challenge of modernization in the space of virtually one generation. Lacey's book thus whets the appetite of us all, we who are captivated by the unprecedented economic, social, cultural and political transformation underway.
Whether we have been to China or not, it is intriguing to wonder who the Chinese really are, and what they are really like -- even after we have met them!
Thankfully, Lacey offers us an answer:
"The typical Chinese man (or woman) -- and they never use the term Chinaman -- is atheist, ambitious, amusing, anonymous, arrogant, beautiful (the women, that is), black haired (into old age), a born trader, brave (with money), bureaucratic, business like, casually dressed, cheerful, commercial, complaining, corrupt, deaf, diligent, discontented, dishonest, a dreadful driver, an excellent negotiator, enterprising, family oriented, a food lover, frank, friendly, funny, a gambler, generous, a good citizen, a gossip (men and women), greedy, a Han, a home lover, honest, hospitable, humorous, impatient, an intrepid cyclist, law abiding, loud, a loyal friend, materialistic, modest, money obsessed, morally superior, naive, outspoken, parochial, a skilled plagiarist, politically correct, practical, pragmatic, private, proud, punctual, religious, republican, respectful towards their elders, rude, short-sighted, small boned, sober, sociable, stoic, thrifty, tough, unadventurous, unassuming and a worrier."
As Lacy says, this list is full of contradictions. But this is the essence of China!
And, for better or worse, we can only embrace her!
Executive Director
Asian Century Institute
www.asiancenturyinstitute.com
Foreign companies are regularly discriminated against. Enforcement of contracts and the law is problematic. Corruption is rife. Disrespect for intellectual property is legion. Politics can be capricious. Everything is based on relationships. But trust is a fragile commodity. And foreigners can be treated as aliens.
But China is inescapable. It is becoming the world's biggest market. It is modernising and improving. Its wonderful civilisation is beguiling and seductive. And as Chinese investors, traders, migrants, students and tourists fan out across the globe, we are all being influenced by the Chinese way. We are becoming "sinicized".
In this context, everyone needs an excellent guide. And there is none better than Leo Lacey's "Living, Working & Doing Business in China".
I strongly recommend it, not only to those living, working and doing business in China. But to everyone. China is the key to the Asian Century in which we are now living. And we all must know and understand China, in the same way that we all had to know and understand America in the 20th century.
Indeed, Lacey's guide is much more than a book. It is virtually an encyclopaedia. It covers everything -- finding a job and doing business, employment conditions, permits and visas, arrival, accommodation, postal services, telecommunications, television and radio, education, public transport, motoring, health, insurance, finance, leisure, sports, shopping, odds and ends, the Chinese, and moving house or leaving China.
In addition to the rich information, there is the clear narrative of a country, a millennial civilization, undertaking the immense challenge of modernization in the space of virtually one generation. Lacey's book thus whets the appetite of us all, we who are captivated by the unprecedented economic, social, cultural and political transformation underway.
Whether we have been to China or not, it is intriguing to wonder who the Chinese really are, and what they are really like -- even after we have met them!
Thankfully, Lacey offers us an answer:
"The typical Chinese man (or woman) -- and they never use the term Chinaman -- is atheist, ambitious, amusing, anonymous, arrogant, beautiful (the women, that is), black haired (into old age), a born trader, brave (with money), bureaucratic, business like, casually dressed, cheerful, commercial, complaining, corrupt, deaf, diligent, discontented, dishonest, a dreadful driver, an excellent negotiator, enterprising, family oriented, a food lover, frank, friendly, funny, a gambler, generous, a good citizen, a gossip (men and women), greedy, a Han, a home lover, honest, hospitable, humorous, impatient, an intrepid cyclist, law abiding, loud, a loyal friend, materialistic, modest, money obsessed, morally superior, naive, outspoken, parochial, a skilled plagiarist, politically correct, practical, pragmatic, private, proud, punctual, religious, republican, respectful towards their elders, rude, short-sighted, small boned, sober, sociable, stoic, thrifty, tough, unadventurous, unassuming and a worrier."
As Lacy says, this list is full of contradictions. But this is the essence of China!
And, for better or worse, we can only embrace her!
Author
John WestExecutive Director
Asian Century Institute
www.asiancenturyinstitute.com