Hello World!
China has opened its doors to the world very recently. It welcomes visitors of all kind. But any first time traveler to China will wonder how to endure the trip to the cities of Chengdu, Ningbo, Dongguan, Nanning and even to the bigger cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. While anyone can go around the cities in the west such as NY, LA, Vegas, Paris, Madrid, or London without any need for a guide, this is not the case in China.
How to survive in China is a dilemma for every foreigner whether they are travelers, businessmen, or job seekers. What is there to find in the cities? What kind of food to eat? Can people speak and understand English? Where to go to get help? These are common questions bothering the minds of people who plan to visit China.
Unknown to many, life in China is simple. It is so much simpler than living anywhere in the west. The Chinese are a bunch of friendly people as friendly as anyone else you will find. How to befriend a Chinese is the big question we need to find answer to. Understanding Chinese culture is a prerequisite. We may need to put aside our own sophistication and embrace their way of life. Eat what they eat. If you are from Rome, you can’t be a Roman in China.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Hullabaloos
Another challenge confronts the Chinese authorities recently. Toxic melamine is found on infant milk. According to reports around 53,000 kids had gotten sick.
China has endured a series of scandals in recent years over unsafe products including food, drugs and toys. Many of these products were exported and thus put its manufacturing reputation at stake. Remember Mattel Inc., a leading toy company maker of Barbie, Elmo, Cookie Monsters, and other favorites which recalled million of toys manufactured in China allegedly coated with lead paints.
I was in China when SARS hit the southern province of Guangdong. It was just four years ago when Premier Wen issued an apology and promised greater transparency when official cover-ups aided the spread of SARS from China to the world. And last year after exported pet food, cough medicine, toothpaste and toys made with toxic products sickened and killed pets in North and South America, the government promised to overhaul safety inspection regimes.
The overall impression is of an authoritarian government struggling to enforce its writ on a rapidly developing country where officials and businesses often go their own way noted a foreign observer.
What’s next? We don’t know but we hope for the best.
China has endured a series of scandals in recent years over unsafe products including food, drugs and toys. Many of these products were exported and thus put its manufacturing reputation at stake. Remember Mattel Inc., a leading toy company maker of Barbie, Elmo, Cookie Monsters, and other favorites which recalled million of toys manufactured in China allegedly coated with lead paints.
I was in China when SARS hit the southern province of Guangdong. It was just four years ago when Premier Wen issued an apology and promised greater transparency when official cover-ups aided the spread of SARS from China to the world. And last year after exported pet food, cough medicine, toothpaste and toys made with toxic products sickened and killed pets in North and South America, the government promised to overhaul safety inspection regimes.
The overall impression is of an authoritarian government struggling to enforce its writ on a rapidly developing country where officials and businesses often go their own way noted a foreign observer.
What’s next? We don’t know but we hope for the best.
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