Sitting in the grandly named Metropolitan, unit 10-A, that lies outside the fourth ring road of Beijing, I am listening to Handel’s Messiah enjoying the uplifting score after my first week in China that was marked by missing Singapore, skiing, my first car crash, and some cynical conversations about China. I will only permit myself one cathartic sentence to say that leaving Singapore has not been easy; my wonderful friends, the super team at EASTWEST, balmy weather, riding my scooter in shorts to the driving range, and sheer ease of life, have all been missed. As it was my decision to set up an office in Beijing, I can give myself no sympathy but have tried this week to stay committed to my vision for leaving my home of 10 years on the eve of my 39th birthday, arriving at dawn on the 25th January, to start a new company in the biggest potential market on the planet. 
One of the fastest growing markets in China is leisure, with China becoming the fourth biggest tourist destinations, and also a fraction of its own population enjoying leisure time. In my first week I’ve been skiing twice to different resorts. My expectations were high when Carly and Mary Jane told me about Nanshan, one of 200 ski resorts in China, and we hired a Hyundai elantra and driver for RMB600 (US$72) to drive us 1 1/2 hours north of Beijing. The car park was filling up with Audi’s, Hyundai, and Toyota’s containing passengers able to spend RMB340 
(US$42.50) to ski. The confusion was inside where the Chinese practice of having multiple people for one function was in evidence – buy a ticket from one person and have it checked by another a few feet away. Luckily for Carly she was able to rent the entire ski outfit too – another indication that this wasn’t St. Moritz. A good friend of mine, Steve, had refused to come skiing because of the appallingly high number of accidents on the slopes – Chinese ski as they drive; into one another without indication or brakes. On Friday my cab driver duly looked left as we crossed a 4 way no stop junction and the other driver looked right – both entirely neglecting to look at the direction of on-coming traffic. I did – but my Mandarin doesn’t extend to ‘that big car is going to hit us’ – at least not quickly enough. Both drivers got out and proceeded to light smokes without remonstration, which surprised me, and within minutes the roads on all 4 sides were backed up as other drivers drove as close as they could for a look. Somehow it is like the cars arrived but the roadsense gene, like the enzyme for processing alcohol, just doesn’t exist in Beijing drivers. I was on my way to meet Marianne Freise, a German lady who has lived here for 5 years and used to run a large PR firm. Marianne has been kind enough to share some information about the competitive PR scene here, not least the practice of giving a Hong Bao (red packet) with cash to journalists when they come to an interview or conference. She passed me also details of a lawyer and I spent a happy day emailing lawyers and accountants to set up appointments to learn about company incorporation here. It felt good to be slowly starting the wheels turning and piecing together the costs for legal, staff, accommodation, taxation. The main anxiety of course is not the cost of setting up the business, but rather getting the clients. It has been my vision, or theory, that all eyes will focus on China until the Olympics are over on August 24th 2006. Certainly when I turned on my TV this Sunday morning to CCTV 9 (the only English language channel available without cable) a songstress was singing “I love Beijing, I love China, I love the Olympics, I am in love” and so it seems to me that China is as excited as everyone else. I want to help people make the most of the Olympics – and I believe I need to be here to do that. The questions to answer this week will be: a) Legal form the company will take – Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise or Representative Office b) Size and location of office – knowing that Chinese staff choose a company partly on the prestige of the location c) Size and location of the apartment – knowing that Beijing traffic can be, quite literally, bad for ones health. The question on the lips of the mates I had a beer with, while watching England thrash Wales in the 6 nations match on the South African channel, was how in favour China will be after the Olympics. My own naivety was crushed on Wednesday when, after only a week on-line, my blog and the entire wordpress.com blog publishing portal was blocked in China. ‘A nice little business in China” – is viewable from everywhere except from where I am. Marianne was telling me of having emails sent by her firm to a lawyer entitled “legal disclaimer” being returned to her with a “get out of here” remark. Her lawyer didn’t ever receive the email. I am reading a book by Gordon G. Chang entitled “The Coming Collapse of China” and it depicts an authoritarian regime desperately holding onto power and attempting to assuage the rural poor, reconstructing the bankrupt financial system, while maintaining a face of calm composure to the outside world. I am not sure that I have maintained a calm composure myself this week, in a darkened dry moment getting out my Treo and tapping ‘Brittle.’ I’m brittle. Beijing. Shaving blades scratch and slash My nose bleeds The dried blood never leaves Early or late to bed My burning eyes always China red In the Beijing dust lies the future and the past Brittle Olympian, I will last. NOTE 1. Bear in mind average income in China is still only US$4 per day. Rob told me that at the same resort the local peasants had barricaded the road previously demanding monies be paid to them by the resort and it’s patrons.
One of the fastest growing markets in China is leisure, with China becoming the fourth biggest tourist destinations, and also a fraction of its own population enjoying leisure time. In my first week I’ve been skiing twice to different resorts. My expectations were high when Carly and Mary Jane told me about Nanshan, one of 200 ski resorts in China, and we hired a Hyundai elantra and driver for RMB600 (US$72) to drive us 1 1/2 hours north of Beijing. The car park was filling up with Audi’s, Hyundai, and Toyota’s containing passengers able to spend RMB340 
(US$42.50) to ski. The confusion was inside where the Chinese practice of having multiple people for one function was in evidence – buy a ticket from one person and have it checked by another a few feet away. Luckily for Carly she was able to rent the entire ski outfit too – another indication that this wasn’t St. Moritz. A good friend of mine, Steve, had refused to come skiing because of the appallingly high number of accidents on the slopes – Chinese ski as they drive; into one another without indication or brakes. On Friday my cab driver duly looked left as we crossed a 4 way no stop junction and the other driver looked right – both entirely neglecting to look at the direction of on-coming traffic. I did – but my Mandarin doesn’t extend to ‘that big car is going to hit us’ – at least not quickly enough. Both drivers got out and proceeded to light smokes without remonstration, which surprised me, and within minutes the roads on all 4 sides were backed up as other drivers drove as close as they could for a look. Somehow it is like the cars arrived but the roadsense gene, like the enzyme for processing alcohol, just doesn’t exist in Beijing drivers. I was on my way to meet Marianne Freise, a German lady who has lived here for 5 years and used to run a large PR firm. Marianne has been kind enough to share some information about the competitive PR scene here, not least the practice of giving a Hong Bao (red packet) with cash to journalists when they come to an interview or conference. She passed me also details of a lawyer and I spent a happy day emailing lawyers and accountants to set up appointments to learn about company incorporation here. It felt good to be slowly starting the wheels turning and piecing together the costs for legal, staff, accommodation, taxation. The main anxiety of course is not the cost of setting up the business, but rather getting the clients. It has been my vision, or theory, that all eyes will focus on China until the Olympics are over on August 24th 2006. Certainly when I turned on my TV this Sunday morning to CCTV 9 (the only English language channel available without cable) a songstress was singing “I love Beijing, I love China, I love the Olympics, I am in love” and so it seems to me that China is as excited as everyone else. I want to help people make the most of the Olympics – and I believe I need to be here to do that. The questions to answer this week will be: a) Legal form the company will take – Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise or Representative Office b) Size and location of office – knowing that Chinese staff choose a company partly on the prestige of the location c) Size and location of the apartment – knowing that Beijing traffic can be, quite literally, bad for ones health. The question on the lips of the mates I had a beer with, while watching England thrash Wales in the 6 nations match on the South African channel, was how in favour China will be after the Olympics. My own naivety was crushed on Wednesday when, after only a week on-line, my blog and the entire wordpress.com blog publishing portal was blocked in China. ‘A nice little business in China” – is viewable from everywhere except from where I am. Marianne was telling me of having emails sent by her firm to a lawyer entitled “legal disclaimer” being returned to her with a “get out of here” remark. Her lawyer didn’t ever receive the email. I am reading a book by Gordon G. Chang entitled “The Coming Collapse of China” and it depicts an authoritarian regime desperately holding onto power and attempting to assuage the rural poor, reconstructing the bankrupt financial system, while maintaining a face of calm composure to the outside world. I am not sure that I have maintained a calm composure myself this week, in a darkened dry moment getting out my Treo and tapping ‘Brittle.’ I’m brittle. Beijing. Shaving blades scratch and slash My nose bleeds The dried blood never leaves Early or late to bed My burning eyes always China red In the Beijing dust lies the future and the past Brittle Olympian, I will last. NOTE 1. Bear in mind average income in China is still only US$4 per day. Rob told me that at the same resort the local peasants had barricaded the road previously demanding monies be paid to them by the resort and it’s patrons.