It is interesting see the different personalities from the West doing business in China. From what I have gathered, you must not be afraid to lay some upfront authority in China. Bargaining pays off. Vance dropped the price to pay for manufacturing his faucets by almost half by doing some face-to-face hard bargaining. The culture of the interactions you are dealing with is definitely very important. Bargaining is expected. In the case of the old military man selling the air-conditioning efficiency units, you must know some of the MANY cultures that exist in China. He had to develop a relationship with an insider, who then had many existing relationships within the different communities out west in China. Each community had a different way of doing business, and if you didn’t know those ways, you are likely to fail closing a deal. Having some inside connections is good, but it is also very nerve-racking. You, basically, put your trust in someone that you barely know in hopes of them returning with what you expect. It is very risky, but the rewards are high!

Undoubtedly Vance was the most shrewd and entertaining of the three Brits. Mouth like a sailor but he knows how to get the job done. I thought his fake Olympics bus was hilarious but also very smart. Same with his showrooms selling “English kitchens” back to the Chinese. However the film also showed that Vance was not ruthless, as he knew that demanding his money back would put an entire village out of work.

The other two Brits I think got lucky in their successes. Peter was the most lucky. He was a stereotypical old English guy wo first got lucky in finding Cecil, and then got even more lucky that Cecil didn’t burn him. As for Tony he was constantly at the mercy of his business partners. I thought for sure that when his patner’s sister’s father-in-law became the new factory manager, that Tony was doomed. In the end he lucked out. He didn’t even know if the factory was finished on the way to the ceremony! All in all a fasinating portrayal of the wild business environment in China.


Even when a deal is made, there is no guarantee that the product will be delivered or the money will end up in the right hands. Each of the three cases seemed to have happy endings, but that might not be true for many situations in China. Mr. Vance had to continuously build relationships and barter with Chinese businessmen to make sure costs stayed low and products were delivered. Had he not been checking in on his factories, his story would not have ended with stacks of money in his hands. We still don’t know if Peter will ever see the money from the deal Cecil made to save energy for the government. Tony’s factory was built just in time, but there are many things that could have gone wrong in his situation. For example, what if a purchaser had asked to see the cushion factory before making an order?

From watching these videos, it seemed that Vance, the person with the most experience doing business in China, was the one who could make sure what needed to happen happened. The more business he did, the better deals he could make later on. It pays to be the experienced foreigner, and minimizes the amount of luck it takes to ‘make it big’ in China.

The Chinese supply change effects nearly every aspect of business today. Everything changed in a generation. I sure very few people have any idea that that kitchen cabinet in Home Depot was made in a rural village near the Korean border. I’m sure Sara Bongiorni must have struggled to live a whole year without buying things made in China. Here book sounds very interesting: A Year Without “Made in China”: One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy

I found this hour of video quite entertaining and eye opening. We saw 3 businessmen try to do business in China: Tony, Peter and Vance.

It appears that all three businessmen will get ripped off, but in the end, they all pull through. Tony and Peter relied completely on their associates. Vance was the only one who seemed to know what was at stake.

I found my classes in Chinese are starting to pay off. In episode 5, Peter was negotiating and said he understood every word, when it was quite clear that he had no idea what was going on. Around 2:14, the woman clearly says “Give Me…” and then the music rises. Maybe in 12 more weeks, Ill be able to follow along during business meetings in China better than Peter.

Vance is the true star of the series. He’s crass and condescending. He’s an asshole and a good businessman.

We don’t know it, because we’re American, but Vance Miller is actually a celebrity businessman in the UK. He’s a cross between Donald Trump and John Gotti. He has a very colorful business history, including many arrests. He’s memoir is called Kitchen Gangster? It will be the next book I read.

I found the relationship between the business men and their Chinese stakeholders played out. Many times the business men would appear as if they did not trust the Chinese they were working with or had to fight for certain things to be done for their business to succeed. Though that is the way business can be in general, having to deal with people that not only speak a different language but are of a completely different culture makes it even more complicated.

I would like to see some sort of follow-up on these stories, are they still up and running and have they run into any major problems since?

I also noticed the different varieties in the Chinese businessman. When in the city, it seemed as though they were always trying to rip off the Brits by acting like they were trying their best to do things right when really they were trying to trick them into thinking this. In this way, doing business with these people means being direct about all the complaints and to avoid being tricked by foreseeing things that seem too good to be true. Unlike the city businessmen, once Vance went out to the country side, I found that their practice was much more genuine. It was even said by the factory owner that Vance’s business is vital to their little village and that if they don’t make wooden doors good enough, they will lose business with Vance. In general though, I’m glad that all three of these Brits were able to find reliable Chinese business partners. I know that China is full of scammers trying to make money off others innovations. However, with the right connections and hard work, making a fortune is very possible as these Brits realized.

While I can see why Vance may rub people the wrong way with how he does business, like he said, he went through the tough times and knows how to interact with the Chinese business community as to not get scammed. He obviously knows what he’s doing when doing international business in China — as seen through his arguing and clever use of the Olympic bus disguise. But other than Vance, I felt as though the two other featured businessmen were not as capable, in fact, although everyone in the documentary succeeded in their initial goals — to make some heavy profits — both Peter and Tony seemed to have lucked their way into a happy ending.

Having to rely on Chinese business partners to do the bulk of the heavy lifting on business deals is not an ideal situation. Both Peter and Tony managed to succeed in this fashion, but it could have just as easily gone sour. Perhaps having a documentary crew around may have helped, but only Vance was equipped with the mindset to fix what can easily be broken.

Tony –
He did it the hard way, but was it the best way? Why didn’t he strike a deal with a manufacturer in China to produce his cushions? He could have started outsourcing the moment he realized that his British manufacturing operation couldn’t compete with the Chinese. Maybe he should have bought an existing building to get cushion production up and running and then expand into a new one. The cushion copycats are a potential risk for him and I’d like to know how much they’ll hurt his company several years down the line.

Peter –
The market potential for his product could be huge, if the opportunity is handled properly. He faces the risk that China’s lax copyright laws will allow his air conditioning efficiency device to be ripped off. I don’t know if it would have been possible for him to sign a contract in Great Britain, under laws that offer more protection and that he’s more familiar with, to have a Chinese sales contractor handle selling his product in China. But I think it would have cut his risk. He’s never done business in China, and put his product in the hands of a man who he should not have trusted so easily.

Vance –
Many of Vance’s interactions were confrontations with those who were trying to mess with him, so we were treated to the pleasure of seeing him call them out on it. I enjoyed watching Vance catching the granite supplier, Mr. Wang, trying to pull one over on him. Just open the container and don’t make excuses. Then we have Mr. Lee, “I promise to change my ways.” Ha, Ha, Ha, yeah right. Serving the “very special, special, special dish” he knew Vance wouldn’t like, and saying that it would be offensive if he doesn’t eat it was a below-the-belt move. What Vance lacks in book knowledge (He says he hasn’t read a book since 1992) he makes up in street smarts, drive, and guts. Good entrepreneurial traits.

Videos can give an inaccurate picture and can control, to a great extent, the impression the viewers get. We don’t know the whole story. How many people did they film? How many failed? Was it an exaggeration to say that Tony would be in financial ruin if the building was not finished on time? Was Cecil Pih an ethical business man who was portrayed as a shades-wearing, cigarette-smoking mafia type? Did he end up paying Peter or was that sad ending edited out of the video? Was the “special dish” a joke?