By Valerie Sartor

Chef Phillipe Ancelet sat down in a booth at his East Lake, Beijing shop and grumbled good-naturedly: “I’m past my prime”.

He raised his huge shoulders and gave an abashed shrug. He wasn’t being coy, yet this tall, robust Frenchman still beamed out energy and enthusiasm from his large brown eyes.

At 52, with over 38 years of international work experience, he exudes boyish charm and goodwill and has none of the stiff formality normally associated with French entrepreneurs and bureaucrats. He has the charisma of a handsome man and a surprising modesty that rarely appears in top chefs (famed for being prima donnas). Chefs respect him too; He’s like expensive, cave-aged Roquefort that attracts and allures using presence alone. He is as magnetic as his chocolates and pastries, which are, by the way, the very best treats in all of Beijing.

Women should be warned that Mr. Ancelet is married with children and a doting Filipino wife, or surely they’d bombard him with all kinds of sweet proposals. This busy man has no time for love letters in his mail because it’s packed already with endless orders for lunch boxes, party pastries and product invoices.

Nonetheless, Mr. Ancelet’s generous nature, like a high quality aromatic cheese, wafts through the air and heartens all who are near him. They’re happy to pay up for pastries and other goodies too, now that Mr. Ancelet has three shops and and fourth opening in Beijing’s Chaoyang district.

Beijing isn’t known for its breaded delicacies. Stuff tends to be super dry, stuffed or topped with weird stuff.

Did Mr. Ancelet find an elite dessert niche Chinese consumers would inhale more fondly than their Beijing air?

Hardly.

“I did try to make mooncakes but they did not come to my shops,” Mr. Ancelet said. “My efforts toward attracting Chinese customers by doing Chinese pastries have not been successful.” Read More →

By Ernie Tadla

When I went to China, I had a negative, self-righteous view of all things Chinese. It was a communistic, godless dictatorship. We in the West, on the other hand, were a capitalistic, democratic, Christian society.

So after seven years and several major epiphanies, I changed my paradigm and discovered many positive things about the Chinese way.

I returned to Canada and wrote a book from my fresh, new Chinese perspective. My editor, Ross Freake, brought to my attention that I was now bashing the Western way as I had earlier bashed the Chinese way. I had been infected with the Stockholm syndrome.

Through synchronicity, I received another epiphany.

It is the concept of whole-brain integration and the differences between the two brain hemispheres. Compare the same numbered phrase in each group and notice the contrasts.

The left hemisphere

1. uses logic/reason
2. thinks in words
3. deals in parts/specifics
4. will analyze/break apart
5. thinks sequentially
6. is time bound
7. is extroverted
8. is characterized as male
9. identifies with the individual
10. is ordered/controlled

The right hemisphere

1. uses intuition/emotions
2. thinks in pictures
3. deals in wholes/relationships
4. will synthesize/put together
5. thinks holistically
6. is time free
7. is introverted
8. is characterized as female
9. identifies with the group
10. is spontaneous/free

I learned the importance of learning how to create balance with both sides of the brain.

analysis vs. synthesis
reasoning vs. intuition
extroversion vs. introversion
outer vs. inner
male vs. female
friend vs. enemy
capitalism vs. communism

As for my a-ha? The West is left-brain and the East is right-brain! Read More →

A while back I mentioned that I’m on a student visa as an Olympic-era expedient.

Now that I’ve completed my “semester studying,” I thought I’d review how this went for any others who might want to use this method to stay in China for business purposes.

First off, why would any businessman want to get a student visa?

As foreigners on the ground here in China are well aware, multiple entry F (business) visas have come under fire. In the run-up to the Olympics it has been impossible for some to get such visas for any significant duration of time. It also can be difficult to get Z (employee) visas. For instance, the All Roads Lead To China blog reported that anyone born after 1983 can’t get one.

For many foreigners serious about staying in China lately, various visa options have to be considered.

The one I opted for was a student visa for the following reasons:

• It is multiple entry
• It lasts as long as you “matriculate.”
• It allows me to stay through the Olympic period.
• No visa trips to Hong Kong or anywhere else inconvenient for renewal.
• I wouldn’t have to get an employee (Z) visa through a Chinese CEO friend, and then owe a lot of favors.
• I wouldn’t have to set up my own registered company yet in China to get a visa, which would have required a sizable investment. This was especially important initially because my business – which revolves around this website – was new, and I wasn’t sure whether advertising would sustain it. If not and I got registered officially, I would have wasted a lot of money. Instead, I have looked at this initial period as market research, and now am indeed looking to expand. Although I could have set up a representative office for market research, I probably would have had to pay taxes on expenses, and waste a lot of money. Why not do like the Chinese do and work around the law? There’s no law against operating a website in China. So I’m just a student with a website, as far as the government needs to know.
• No one is paying me for anything in China, so technically, I don’t think I’m breaking the law by “working” on a student visa.

My student visa became active on March 19. For about three months, I showed up to class twice. Had I found visa manna from heaven?

Not exactly. Read More →

Looking to mail something cute, fuzzy and electronic to Beijing?

You could have trouble.

Our correspondent, Kyle, just stopped by the China Post post office in Shanghai to mail a package of electronics to our Beijing office.

The contents of the package included a microphone and mini disc player – definitely nothing akin to a weapon.

The postal agent refused to mail it – at least until “Shi Yue” – October, well after the Olympic Games.

Kyle asked her if there was something wrong with the package. She suggested only that nothing can be mailed to Beijing – at least from her office in Shanghai - until October.

We’re not sure if this agent was having a bad day, if the person was high, or if this truly is a new government directive.

Beijing has had a bug up its Olympic ass lately, tightening visa restrictions and increasing patrols to foreign compounds. The visa crackdown pre-Olympics has proven that new restrictions don’t have to be written officially to be happening.

Incredulous, I called FedEx in China several times to find out more about new postal restrictions. Read More →

I called up an old colleague this morning at Beijing Review – one of China’s state-owned news publications - and asked her if she could help me find a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book on Amazon.cn.

After a pause, she put her cell phone down to ask other colleagues for help, and was hit with a barrage of laughter.

No. That apparently was a stupid question. I’d have to find an antiques store to buy that.

There were a few related quotes from Mao on CD at Amazon.cn, but nothing little, red and full of propaganda.

She, however, said she did frequently buy books online – mainly for the steep discounts.

Westerners living back West might be surprised to hear that what was once an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, read and carry – and, indeed, what could be the most printed book in history – isn’t available via China’s version of Amazon.

Foreigners on the ground here in China, however, know how bored Chinese have become with recent history, often as a direct result of the government’s push toward modernity. In 2006, when I worked there, Beijing Review itself was mired in internal controversy over whether to publish a special issue or not in tribute to Mao 30 years after his death. Although eventually, the publication did, other issues about the then-hot stock market and reality TV shows went unchecked.

So I was more surprised to hear that my old colleague frequently goes online to buy books. Traditionally, after all, Chinese have been reluctant to go online to shop for security reasons. China’s obsession with paying by cash also has resulted in distrust of other payment methods.

Indeed, times have changed.

According to a MasterCard report published last week about online shopping trends, China lags only behind Australia in total dollars spent online in the Asia-Pacific region over the past three months.

Chinese still are security-conscious, as those who were reluctant to buy something in the past three months listed safety as the primary concern in 87 percent of instances (compared to 73 percent among Indians and 65 percent among all Asia-Pacific residents surveyed).

But a lot of Chinese, like my former colleague, now are confident enough to click ‘purchase.’ Read More →

When dealing with shady businessmen or government officials in China, why not figure out whom they’re sleeping with? Chances are it’s not their wives, and mistresses tend to be good sources of information.

In an investigation in the industrial city of Dongguan, nearly 80% of corrupt officials had lovers who shared information needed to garner convictions, according to the People’s Daily.

Getting jaded lovers to speak may prove easier with the clout of the Chinese government behind you, but it could be an option for the Machiavellian among us.

In a country of China’s size and scope – on a more serious note - there are bound to be a few (or few million) bad apples in the business world, so the chances of not receiving a shipment, or getting a product of less-than desirable quality can be great, especially for small and medium-sized importers.

Over on our partner blog, ChinaWhy, consultant Steven Chow answers the question: How much is too much to write off as a loss when dealing with a bad supplier? The answer may be lower than you would think. Read More →

By Valerie Sartor

Bill Emmott, the former chief editor of The Economist - that unique, thriving British weekly magazine that publishes astute but unsigned articles – has a not-so-interesting view on how China and India, along with Japan, will shape this century.

They will dominate it - duh.

Nonetheless, Mr. Emmott, who spoke at The Beijing Bookworm earlier this month about his newest book, Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade, provided some helpful insights for why those doing business in China should look for more regional synergies.

Namely:

• Political orientation is moot. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China are all on similar economic growth paths – namely, investment led economies with considerable openness to trade.
• India will be making more business headlines soon. “In 7-10 years India will be another economic focal point,” Mr. Emmott said. “In the last four years India has moved away from an economy dominated by services and is now investment oriented, growing from 25 percent of the GDP to 35 percent. Finance by domestic capital and trade and manufacturing industries are increasing, and like China’s history, are now growing faster than the service industries. The Indian economy is becoming an Asian type of economy.”

Read More →

By Valerie Sartor

Mary Peng is a woman on a mission.

She wants to provide the very best veterinary care for people and their pets in Beijing.

In 2007, along with her partner Frank Fan, she created a state-of-the-art 5,000 square foot veterinary hospital with 15 staff members in Chaoyang District.

“We wanted to create a place in China that was comfortable, where you and your pet would be treated with kindness and respect,” she said. Not only does she have a full service international standard vet hospital with western trained veterinary doctors (DVMs) and local Chinese vets, but also she offers dog grooming, pet boarding, and a pet store stocked with safe foods and excellent accessories for animals. Moreover, her hospital has an official government license to dispense the rabies vaccine. Ms. Peng also sponsors on-going academic learning exchanges between veterinarians from Western countries and Chinese veterinarians.

Ms. Peng feels like a radiant ball of energy when it comes to talking about her life’s work. Small, attractive and extremely articulate, she exudes enthusiasm toward pets, their owners and her hospital.

“When I first moved to China in 1991 I saw that pets were not really popular,” Ms. Peng said. Read More →

By Ernie Tadla

Food is important in all cultures, but in China, it plays a paramount role as the tool for face and guanxi.

Business eating is where guanxi is established. To get to know another person and to build trust, eating together is necessary. The Chinese don’t eat at their desks, and they don’t rush out to the nearest fast-food joint. It is a specific time for talking and getting to know the other person. Typically, business is not discussed. That’s done during the many business meetings.

The business banquet is the pinnacle of guanxi building, celebrating, and or honoring guests.

Yesterday, I wrote about banquet drinking culture, and how I managed to abstain from the beloved Chinese liquor maotai and still save face. Equally important, obviously, is the food culture, which I would recommend embracing wholeheartedly. Read More →

By Ernie Tadla

I attended many banquets, but one, as the guest of the chairman of Jia Ling Motorcycles, was more memorable than the rest. Jia Ling produced more than one million motorcycles a year plus over one and a half million motorcycle engines for other manufacturers. DMG was staging a large international exhibition for Jai Ling in Chongqing in Sichuan Province. We planned it as a Las Vegas style event: strobe lights, large overhead movie screens, blasting music, and many gorgeous, leggy ladies.

We were mobbed. The mayor, who heard of our sound and light show, couldn’t get near our area. The press of the people damaged the stands and the grounds and caused us problems with the building management. We ran out of literature. For a guy from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada, it was an amazing spectacle to be at the center of.

On the last evening, the Jia Ling chairman staged a banquet for DMG’s senior people. Protocol stipulates that the most senior person from each company sit together at the head of the round table with the rest sitting in descending order. As group general manager, I sat next to the chairman. Business dining is a ritualistic affair based on guanxi and face.

A row of drinking glasses was placed in front of me — for water, beer, wine, and maotai. Maotai, a type of baijiu - or Chinese liquor - is made from wheat and sorghum and has an alcohol content of 55 per cent. It is a clear, white liquid and you drink it from small, shot-type glasses. Clearly from some foreigners, like me a, it is a lethal drink. Chairman Mao served maotai at state dinners during Richard Nixon’s state visit to China. I’d had maotais before and it was awful, had a nasty aftertaste and didn’t agree with my body.

The waiter filled the chairman’s glass and then mine. I was crushed with cultural and male, macho pressure. Read More →