Archive for April, 2008
A really good article in yesterday’s NY Times titled, Chinese Students in U.S. Fight View of Their Home.
You need to read this article, not with the assignment of agreeing or disagreeing with the activity in question, but because an educated person digs deeper and always asks the “why?” to try to get at the root cause behind such human behavior.
Reading this article will also help you better understand a cultural difference and way of looking at the world that is different from ours. For that quiet student from China who sat in the front or back row in one of your undergraduate or graduate courses, and you made the mistake of not reaching out to him/her, this article gives you some insight as to how he/she may have had to bite their tongue as current events came up and were being discussed in their American college or graduate school classroom.
This article also dovetails nicely into Dr. Morris’ excellent session on Chinese history with you in the Fall.
It also directly ties into the following book you will enjoy and might read for your Spring quarter book review by Hanes and Sanello, The Opium Wars: The Addiction of One Empire and the Corruption of Another (2004). Said book points out that these two wars (which the Chinese resoundingly lost) and the opium/drug running trade by the British in China (how many of you knew the British were once major drug runners who made today’s Columbian drug cartel look like lemonade stand pharmacists?), continue to have geopolitical reverberations for all of us, well over 150 years later. Part of what we see spilling out in classrooms such as the USC classroom described in the above article harken back to what happened in China between roughly 1830 and 1860.
You now have built up a base and learned enough about China in this course (or should have) so that you can start to connect the dots like the one I note above.
And watch out for those incoming water bottles.
April 30th, 2008
Click HERE (and scroll down a bit) to check out the latest delivery Tom and his crew made to a school in the An Hui Province in China. The kids in their band uniforms are priceless.
April 29th, 2008
Not to sound like an oldie, but I remember the day when I could get my dress shirts washed, pressed and medium starch put on them here in the US for 80 cents per shirt.
Today I picked up my laundry, and it was a mere $3.00 per shirt (definitely not the price I could get in China). I asked my dry cleaner about this April 27, 2008 NY Times article, Dry Cleaners Feel an Ill Wind From China, and whether the activity noted in the article (last month a federal tariff was placed on the importation of wire hangers from China) impacted pricing here in SLO town. She responded, “Yes, of course.”
To those wire hanger protectionists/industry that claim to be good ol’ American capitalists that welcome competition, yet sprint to Washington or Sacramento begging to tax imports from other countries in order to protect their domestic products every time somebody makes them compete on the world stage … you are girlie-men for making my dry cleaning bill higher than it needs to be.
April 28th, 2008
This is a follow-up to my previous post on getting a suit made in China — Baby, If You Look Good, You Play Good.
Check out this recent March 29, 2008 WSJ article that points out that while high-end Chinese made suits may not yet fully be at the level of high-end Italian made suits, the gap has closed.
This is an example of how Westerners can/will sit back with the status quo, “God, we are good. There is no way the Chinese (or Indians) can touch us or our products or processing.” And then they wake up one day, find that the Chinese are making high end suits that can compete, and the next day other high end items such as computers, cars and the like. If you have been monitoring recent moves by the CCP Government (e.g., click HERE and check out this recent China Law Blog post), the government has made it clear that they will make things easy for firms that seek to move up the manufacturing value chain, while for those who wish to continue to focus on low end goods such as textiles and rubber duckies things will only become more difficult in terms of tax breaks, allowed FDI investment, etc.
Or, if you are a Brit, you might wake up one day and your former colonies, first the US (Ford Motor Co.) and then India, now own your once crown jewel known as Jaguar and Range Rover. Oh, wait, that already happened. Click HERE to read about what many thought was impossible for something like this to occur. Good for India.
I am not saying will all happen tomorrow, but I am saying over time, it will happen more and more and more. The lesson is that those in business who rest on their laurels and own beliefs of infallibility and talent, will die.
Eric K., you are right (for now) in your post, “Would Your Drive This?” … China now makes crappy cars and nobody here will touch them, but I think you would be remiss to assume that China will always be making crappy cars and/or components.
For example, you may be too young to remember this, but not too long ago most Americans scoffed at goods coming from Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan (now they come from China; those other listed countries have moved up the production value chain and if/when you visit them you will see this immediately upon getting off the plane). Now, a number of firms in those listed countries make products that are quite good and people from those same American industries that scoffed are like boxers who have had their butts kicked in the ring and are standing around asking, “What just happened?” I see no reason why that pattern will not repeat itself in China.
Another thing to think about — what business opportunities does a car market in its infancy in a country such as China present to foreign and domestic firms?
For example, nobody can stop the Chinese from wanting their own car (materialism is by no means a foreign concept), and if anyone wants to sell cars in said market they will have to take their lower per capita income into account and be able to sell a car that is much cheaper than what is sold in the West. Further, with the CCP government leaning on said industry, the pressure will really be on to create and produce a lot of cars that are more “green” than the current SUVs and big trucks we see driving around the Cal Poly campus, in part because the government simply cannot import enough oil to keep its population driving cars that get only 16-18 MPG and if it wants to survive, it will need to find a way to foster the development of cars that can do better in this regard.
In short, I predict we will therefore see some new and interesting and perhaps even incredible technologies coming out of China (or India) in the auto industry in the next 10 to 20 years that cannot take place in the west due to our lobbyists, unions, special interest groups needing their piece of the pie, the high cost of labor here, etc. I.e., per economic theory, are the rent seekers in the West just too powerful and establish to overcome and implement change and new technologies?
I am not alone in asking this question. Jack Perkowski, an American in the auto parts business in China supplying parts to their domestic industry (not for export) and the author of the very good book that just came out, Managing the Dragon: How I’m Building a Billion-Dollar Business in China, makes this very same point. See also this NY Times piece that echoes a similar tune, A Chevy With an Engine from China.
If you think the future I am describing is unlikely, I would love to here why you disagree. But please, give me a reason more substantive than the usual, “Man we are just that good” spiel. No reasonable global person buys that anymore.
As Bob Dylan sang, “These Times Are A Changin” ….
April 27th, 2008
Several weeks ago the Wall Street Journal ran a special section on China and the Olympics. Some great articles in there (see below). I put a *** by the articles I thought were particularly well done and relevant to our upcoming trip.
A Look at China on the Verge of the Olympics. Its Politics, its Religion, its Demographics — and Yes, the Games
The Olympics And Politics***
No Comparison: The Olympics helped bring democracy to South Korea. So why aren’t they doing the same thing for China?***
Brand Strategies: Despite global protests, most corporate sponsors are gambling that the smartest move is to stay the course***
In Search of … Something: A growing number of Chinese, unmoored by rapid change, are finding answers in religion***
Do As I Teach: Thanks to Donnie Pei, more Chinese schools are putting Olympics education on their curriculum
On The Move: Chinese officials want more farmers to migrate to the city. But they are also aware that migration brings problems.***
So Many Children Left Behind: Parents migrating to cities face a wrenching decision: what to do with their kids
Where Have You Gone, Lei Feng?: China needs heroes — and the hope is that the Olympics will provide some
Going For The Gold: China hopes to increase its medal totals this year. And the athletes hope they can cash in as well.
The Show Will Go On: The pomp of the Olympics has long been a favorite of authoritarian governments. This year will be no exception.
Prof. Carr June 10, 2008 addendum: See the WSJ article that just came out relating to this very post, Victim or Victor? China’s Olympic Odyssey
April 24th, 2008
You may not know who Tammy Wynette is, the lady that made this song famous. I saw her perform this song live during the Stockville County Fair in Stockville, Nebraska (population 57). I was a twitter-paited hormonal boy who thought he was in love with this super star country singer and beauty. I wanted her to divorce her then alcoholic and abusive husband, George Jones, another country singing legend, and marry 11 year old me right then and there. Oh, if she could only be mine.
C’mon. Stop laughing. I will take Tammy Wynette over the Tiger Beat or People magazine ding-dong you swooned over any day.
But this post has nothing to do with the break-up of joint ventures gone bad in China, but a lot to do with marital divorces.
Check out this April 1, 2008 WSJ article, Women MBAs More Likely to Divorce Than Men (same for women with law and medical degrees).
Gents and Ladies, what say you? Fact or fiction?
Are you immune from these statistical probabilities? If so, how do you know that will be the case? How are you planning for this, today, to minimize the chances of this happening to good ol’ you?
How will you lead and manage employees, which statistically will be half of them, that go will go through this type of a life changing experience, so that they can continue to be as effective for you/the firm as possible while and as they heal?
And fellas, let me really open a can of worms here and ask you this — are we a major part of the problem for such a trend? Our manhood aside, are men threatened by intelligent, driven, confident, successful, take-no-prisoners women? Do men unconsciously put pressure on the women they love? E.g., men expect them to look like a supermodel 24/7, stay forever young, work and help the clan make a high income, raise the kids, let them watch our Monday night football and March Madness with the boys while the doting wife serves drinks, pizza and cleans the house, etc. Be honest. If you are the man foolish enough to go down in writing here and argue, “Well, I would never do that, as I am one of those enlightened, sensitive men,” which of your female colleagues and classmates do you think will jump out of her chair next to you in class and strangle you for arguing that you are different than the other bizillion cave men that came before you (and me)?
Wait. I just realized there really is a China connection here. The Chinese have a saying: “Women hold up half the sky.” True or false? And what does this mean? Maybe you can ask some of the women in China you will meet what this means to them.
April 23rd, 2008
Siok Siok Tan is another entrepreneur and panelist I have lined up for you to have the opportunity to meet in China, should you elect to participate in the hutong event we set up for Sunday, June 22 (see your info booklet for more information).
Siok Siok’s bio from her weblog reads:
Tan Siok Siok (also known as Siok Siok Tan) is a filmmaker and educator with a deep passion for China documentaries. Born and raised in Singapore, she has built a career as an executive producer of international documentaries, focusing on the greater China region.
Her executive producer credits include Discovery Channel’s China First Time Film Makers Initiative, Portraits Taiwan– a biography series of prominent Taiwanese as well as travel and lifestyle shows for Discovery Travel and Living. These shows have clinched more than a dozen awards and nominations at the Asian TV awards and the Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Emmy Awards.
Siok has also been a visiting lecturer at the Beijing Film Academy, one of Asia’s preeminent film schools. As part of her lecturing stint, she directed a documentary about the Beijing Olympics with the assistance of her students.
Siok holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honors) in Comparative Literature from Brown University, USA. At Brown, she won a Rosalie Cole Prize for her thesis on modern Chinese fiction and was admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. She also received the Joslin Award from the Office of Students Life and a prize from the Swearer Centre for Public service for her contribution to the university and her leadership in community service.
Click HERE to check out her weblog.
Re: her latest documentary, Boomtown Beijing, click HERE to watch the trailer. And below are some reviews of her film that I pulled off Facebook. If you join her film page you can receive an update re: an upcoming screening in San Francisco.
She is a sharp person. What business questions can you think of to ask her when we meet with her? This could also be one of your shots on the trip to separate fact from myth with regard to the issue of media and information censorship in China.
Reviews:
A balanced, insightful view of Beijing — by Dave at 2:03am yesterday
First time director Tan Siok Siok’s engrossing look at Beijing before the Olympics is a balanced, delightful and enjoyable look at a city and its inhabitants. The four featured are intriguing, particularly the cleaner determined to honor the Olympics in his own way, and the visually impaired athlete who wants one last chance to make his country and son proud.
Equally arresting are the miscellaneous shots of the city preparing for the Olympics, such as police officers struggling to learn English. It marks Siok Siok as a director to watch.
In a Nutshell — by Stefan at 5:35pm on April 19th, 2008
Thoroughly enjoyed the numerous candid moments caught on film, which makes this documentary highly watchable and memorable, with little room to think that it would have been manufactured for the camera, such as the very fun parallels drawn from Olympian activities, and the everyday activities that we do.
With Olympic fever slowly brewing in the run up to the opening of the Games this year on 8th August, Boomtown Beijing drills down to the individual, personal stories, and this are but just 3 in this documentary, nicely put together, linked up to provide a sample snapshot that the Games is not just solely for the athletes, but serving to inspire masses of everyday folks.
Beijing Olympics - An Alternative Perspective — by Arul at 6:03pm on April 13th, 2008
A much needed counterpoint to the anti-Chinese sentiment enveloping the Olympics today. This documentary which was filmed way before the current unrest in Tibet and the Western demands for a more humane China policy, delves into the lives of four ordinary Beijing residents. A taxi-driver, a janitor, a school kid and a visually impaired athlete share their lives and how the Olympics has given them and their country a renewed sense of hope and pride. The film shows the countdown to Olympics which began almost a year ago and how each character prepares for it. It provided me a much needed insider perspective stripped of official political rhetoric. Many scenes were deeply touching like the taxi driver explaining how he pushes his car while waiting for passengers on a taxi queue to limit the pollution in Beijing. An inspired tale of hope, universal brotherhood and the power of the human spirit. A true celebration of the Olympic values set against a dramatically evolving urban Beijing.
April 22nd, 2008
[Prof Carr note: David and Richard submitted related posts, so I loaded them both at the same time. Be sure to see and catch Richard’s related post below. Other posts remain in the cue. If yours has not yet appeared, it will in time as I space these out, be patient.]
Submitted By: David Dougherty
When Beijing was chosen as host city for the 2008 Olympic Games, many human rights campaigners around the world expressed their discontent since China is often credited with having the worst human rights violations, most notably the 1989 massacre of T******** Sqr. This was justified by the committee as being a “force for good” and China has seemingly committed to using this event to boost their international image.
Ironically, with only a few months before the opening ceremony, yet another humanitarian catastrophe could be brewing.
Many of you may be familiar with the events currently taking place in T****, as they currently dominate international news. They stem from decades of forceful Chinese sovereignty over the region clashing with a T****** desire for independence. A summary of the history behind this rise can be read here.
The recent anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against Beijing rule has sparked new demands for more autonomy.
Recently, China President Hu Jintao told a T****** delegation that Chinese leadership must “ensure the well-being of T******* improve the work related to religions and ethnic groups, and maintain social harmony and stability.” On March 10 in an annual address, the T****** leader said “he looked forward to the implementation (of Hu’s words).” He continued to state “For the realization of these concepts, economic progress alone will not suffice. There must be improvements in observance of the rule of law, transparency, and right to information, as well as freedom of speech. Since China is a country of many nationalities, they must all be given equality and freedom to protect their respective unique identities if the country is to remain stable.” Beijing did not react well to these words. They conclude that it is evidence to prove that sabotage in Lhasa was organized, premeditated and masterminded by the D***-led government in exile.
In this context, riots erupted in Lhasa. One day later, Chinese forces are said to have been “forced to use a limited amount of tear gas and fire warning shots to disperse the desperate crowds” to control hundreds of Buddhist monks who gathered near the Central Cathedral. There have been claims that more than 2,000 armed police and security personnel surrounded an estimated 500 to 600 monks from the Sera monastery as they marched near a police station, where some of them had been detained.
The “limited” force however caused the death of 10 people, according to Chinese sources. Eye-witnesses speak of at least 100 dead, and it could be hundreds more when all is said and done. Despite China’s restriction of foreign journalists in T**** to gain control over spread of the protests, the uprising continues to escalate all over T****.
We can all surely recognize that Beijing’s handling of this fragile situation is extremely critical in protecting years of human rights progress. With China already being forced to answer criticism of its ethical right to host the games, does this event have the potential to unite the world in an international boycott of the Beijing Olympics? Should it?
[See also Richard’s related post below.]
April 21st, 2008
Submitted By: Richard Ciesco
Fear that the 50th anniversary of the T****** uprising against China might be a problem has now become a reality for the Chinese Government. Knowing that any bad press is not needed, especially with the close proximity of the Olympics, the Chinese government are down playing the events that went on in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital last week.
Tension between T******* and Hans, the ethnic group indigenous to China and represent 92% of the population, is nothing new in Western China. China as long seen T**** as part of its country and has had control of the area since the early 1950’s.
T******* live largely confined to segregated urban ghettos and poor villages in their ancestral lands. Lives for T******* revolve most around their Buddhist religion. T******* feel that their culture is being destroyed through forced incorporation with the Han, and that the Chinese has spit on their religious freedoms. T******* view the Chinese as bullies and who are only interested in making money. They want the DL to be able to return, who was forced to flee T**** for exile in 1959 after the failed revolt.
The Chinese government has heavily financed efforts to strengthen control over T****. Billions of dollars have been invested in this region. With economic stimulation in the area an influx of Han has followed. T******* and Hans live in closer proximity and must interact more now than ever. This has caused an increase in tensions in the area, as seen by the recent riots. Relations between the two groups are typically marked by distrust, prejudice and stereotyping. Hans view the T******* as lazy and ungrateful for the economic stimulation that the government has been doing.
Last week a number of protests by T******* m**** ended in bloodshed. The Chinese government blamed the protests on the DL. TV stations in China have been saying the T****** people are trying to have another revolution and have had no mention of the large number of T******* killed during them as told by eyewitnesses. Official reports said only ten T******* were killed during the clashes. Reporters and TV crews have been banned from the area.
After reading these two articles I really am questioning the decision of the Olympic committee to allow the games to be held in China. This is just more proof that the government in China suppresses its people, and should not be held as a role model. It is an honor to be able to hold the Olympics in your country. Having the games held there this summer puts the up on a pedestal. I feel that until they stop controlling their people governments should question their actions like the one here against the T*******.
Governments from around the world need to stand up to the Chinese and make them accountable for their actions. The way the Chinese government is able to break up riots by firing military weapons upon unarmed civilians and get away with it without repercussions is unacceptable. It’s amazing how countries and individuals are willing to turn a their heads because they want to be able to do business with a country even when it is oppressive.
Now I am not saying America is any better, in fact we could even be worse. When we were the super power, we got away with murder many times over because countries were afraid to stand up to us. Even today, with America in Iraq, we get away with many bad things over there without being held accountable. It is the responsibility of people in power to uphold human rights and respect others. Hopefully a country will begin to put pressure on China, (or even the US) to clean up their act. Are cheap Chinese goods worth the price of allowing people to get away with murder?
April 21st, 2008
I am impressed and humbled by those who do non-profit work who can stretch a few dollars a long way to make a significant different in the lives of others. A good example of this is Tom Stader at The Library Project. Tom is one of the entrepreneur panelists I have lined up for you to have the opportunity to meet in China, should you elect to attend and participate in the hutong event I set up for Sunday, June 22 (see your info booklet for more information and the cost).
Click HERE to see his amazing pictures of a recent school in China where he and his team delivered and set up a library (you need to scroll down a bit to get to the pics). The joy on the faces of these kids is inspiring and beautiful.
What business questions can you think of to ask him when we meet with him?
Prof. Carr April 29, 2008 update: Click HERE to check out the latest delivery Tom and his crew made to a school in the An Hui Province in China. The kids in their band uniforms are priceless.
April 18th, 2008
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