This week I made progress in transitioning the Jianwai soho unit into an office, started the recruitment drive and felt what it is like to commute between cities, a fatiguing experience destined to be the fate of a growing number of mainland Chinese. On Tuesday Guosheng Qi, a serious young IT graduate of Tsinghua university, came in a cream linen suit followed by sweating minions who delivered the hand assembled computer and HP printer. Qi, whose email address alludes to his sense of optimism at jubilantocean@yahoo.com, told me of his desire to work with international clients as foreigners ‘understand that software can add to the business process and not be a cost that must be avoided.’ Qi sees most Chinese firms not paying for software but rather installing it without an understanding of what it can accomplish. Ironically when I had asked Qi about purchasing MS Office he told me that this was not the custom in China, where some 92% of all software is pirated. Qi would answer emails at all times of day and night, seemingly working around the clock, keeping pace with the 24 construction of Beijing. There is a sense in Beijing that to stop working is to be left behind. Jian Wai Building 10 is an island of finished construction surrounded by a road receiving rails, a power sub-station being deconstructed, two acres of settling soil awaiting the piling cranes and the white lines being painted in the car park of the new International Trade Centre building. In the office across from mine the young entrepreneurs at the glamorously named XianTu Design Centre kip on the couches, their aging Xerox machines spitting out copies and RMB while they slumber. This prevailing sense that ‘now is the time’ keeps me driving forward, and the next part of the plan is to find people – considered to be the hardest part of setting up in China. I placed an English language advert on the Shui Mu Qinghua bulletin board at 10.00 on Monday morning. Eden, who kindly did this for me, told me “be prepared for the rain.” By 16.00 I had 35 applications and 4 phone calls from people with email addresses including ‘rosiedream’, ‘hope’, and my favourite, ‘maximisechina.’ Within 24 hours I had 65 applications. A complete mix of people applied, some considering their experience as an organizer in the Youth Communist Party to be critical, one their computer skills and one lad named Jack, just felt he should be given a chance. Overall the bi-lingual written skills are high, and I look forward to discovering who actually wrote their resumes themselves and who paid English competent friends for the favour. I headed back to Singapore mid-week on CA 969, one of an average 932 flights leaving Beijing airport daily. A herd of country people were being rounded up for flight 1991 to Vancouver, and I thought the flight number was
synonymous with the year that these folks were emerging from. One 20 hour flight to ‘Hongcouver’ would carry them through 20 years like a scene in ‘Back to the Future.’ The plane to Singapore was full of ‘commuters’ like me, mostly asleep before the delayed take off. China Air planes don’t have in-flight entertainment, save the distance screened movie, and flight 969 ressembled a flying dormitory for the China hopefuls. The hope for Singapore, now that it has arrived in the future, is to become a great sporting nation. The Rugby Sevens were being played this weekend here, and I was fortunate enough to be invited by my friend Tim to hear three rugby legends talk – John Eales, Willie John McBride and Martin Johnson. An audience of nearly 1000 expatriates heard these men talk of their exploits, and bid some S$140,000 for memorabilia, money that would go to replenish the coffers of the Singapore Rugby Union after executive Steven Lee absconded with S$300,000 of club funds last year. John Eales former Australian international said, “Leadership requires humility, composure,?,having faith in the plan, the people, and the opportunity.” As I prepare to commute back to Beijing tonight, to start interviewing people who will become EASTWEST China, I continue to have faith in the plan, the Chinese and the opportunity that lies in middle Kingdom. It is the inescapability of commuting that requires humility, and efforts not to display fatigue that require composure. In response my end rejoinder of Man Zou, long time friend and IT support guru, Jin Chong commented that “Man Zou” is used mostly when you meet people whom are going back, a smaller version of “Bon voyage”, in most cases, conversational. As I commute it seems as though Man Zou is what Jin should be saying to me. Although pretending his Mandarin is rusty, Jin suggested I say “Zhen Zhong Zaijian” ????Translated as “Very seriously I wish you well for the future” – or less seriously as “take care”?Interestingly enough the alternative spelling of Zhong is Jin’s surname Chong – some people will do anything to get into the Diaries it seems. After all the commuting I think I still rather like the idea of man zou??, walk slowly. NOTES Source: Trade Secret Theft. Computer World. Nov. 15 2004. 92% of the software installed on computers is pirated, according to a recent study by IDC and the Business Software Alliance. One of Beijing’s leading universities Source:
Beijing Capital Int'l Airport So called because of the number of Hong Kong people living in Vancouver
This week I made progress in transitioning the Jianwai soho unit into an office, started the recruitment drive and felt what it is like to commute between cities, a fatiguing experience destined to be the fate of a growing number of mainland Chinese. On Tuesday Guosheng Qi, a serious young IT graduate of Tsinghua university, came in a cream linen suit followed by sweating minions who delivered the hand assembled computer and HP printer. Qi, whose email address alludes to his sense of optimism at jubilantocean@yahoo.com, told me of his desire to work with international clients as foreigners ‘understand that software can add to the business process and not be a cost that must be avoided.’ Qi sees most Chinese firms not paying for software but rather installing it without an understanding of what it can accomplish. Ironically when I had asked Qi about purchasing MS Office he told me that this was not the custom in China, where some 92% of all software is pirated. Qi would answer emails at all times of day and night, seemingly working around the clock, keeping pace with the 24 construction of Beijing. There is a sense in Beijing that to stop working is to be left behind. Jian Wai Building 10 is an island of finished construction surrounded by a road receiving rails, a power sub-station being deconstructed, two acres of settling soil awaiting the piling cranes and the white lines being painted in the car park of the new International Trade Centre building. In the office across from mine the young entrepreneurs at the glamorously named XianTu Design Centre kip on the couches, their aging Xerox machines spitting out copies and RMB while they slumber. This prevailing sense that ‘now is the time’ keeps me driving forward, and the next part of the plan is to find people – considered to be the hardest part of setting up in China. I placed an English language advert on the Shui Mu Qinghua bulletin board at 10.00 on Monday morning. Eden, who kindly did this for me, told me “be prepared for the rain.” By 16.00 I had 35 applications and 4 phone calls from people with email addresses including ‘rosiedream’, ‘hope’, and my favourite, ‘maximisechina.’ Within 24 hours I had 65 applications. A complete mix of people applied, some considering their experience as an organizer in the Youth Communist Party to be critical, one their computer skills and one lad named Jack, just felt he should be given a chance. Overall the bi-lingual written skills are high, and I look forward to discovering who actually wrote their resumes themselves and who paid English competent friends for the favour. I headed back to Singapore mid-week on CA 969, one of an average 932 flights leaving Beijing airport daily. A herd of country people were being rounded up for flight 1991 to Vancouver, and I thought the flight number was 