Posts Tagged ‘Chinese Culture’
November 24th, 2009
Yep so I’ve been working on developing this event as attendance has been dwindling lately. That, and the fact that it now has potential to net me some money in the long run. I’ve been learning a lot the past several months promoting through various avenues. Little things like… not to take for granted how easily someone can get lost even with clear directions in picture, text, and video format – as well as bigger things like the general relative ineffectiveness of impersonal invitations and mass marketed ad’s.
The more I’ve been using online means to generate traffic and eventually warm bodies to different events in the area the more I’ve felt a connection to the appeals of social media in the Chinese marketplace. As I’ve mentioned before mass marketing, at least initially, for anyone results in far less returns here than it would in western countries. People here need to know your brand name well, gaining a consumers trust is an incredibly challenging task in a world where business law, customs, and infrastructure are based on non-trust.
Using social media you can interact with your target customer’s on a human level. This may not get you sales right away but it will grant you access to people that you can then make further contact with face-to-face. Without making those phone calls and meetings where you meet potential clients, partners, etc. you wouldn’t get anything done through the internet here in China. Not on any reasonable time line anyway. The appeals I’m talking about are even more useful in western countries – however I find their effectiveness particularly attractive in this market where so many other tactics that work well in the west fail miserably.
Seems I’ve drifted off away from the subject of my Chinese corner event but hopefully it will be beneficial for some of you that take the time to read it. If not, you can forgive me right? Hope to see you guys reading this from the Shenzhen area at my event this weekend I promise the wine will be good, the cheese fresh and the fruit sweet and ripe as always. Plus if its not you can always try to convince me to cook something for you instead 
.
November 13th, 2009
It’s an all too common occurence in China even today – theft. My last victim this past weekend was my electric scooter. I suppose it was my fault for placing it where the parking lot camera was poorly supported by area lighting. My fault for not having purchased a more massive bike lock from outside of the country (to lesson the chance that thieves have a master key for my lock). My fault for not fighting the guards to let me park the bike closer to the camera and perhaps even auditing their security system to ensure proper coverage of the areas I usually park my bike. Definitely my fault.
That was sarcasm for any of yousguys that didn’t catch it. These thoughts might sound rediculous but if you spend enough time here you may begin to see how real-life practical they are. I’ve lost count of the number of people I know who’ve been thieved of something here. Wallets, bikes, cars, cell phones, purses, pens, books, cats, watches, you name it.
So far I’ve had a bike, a passport, and an electric bike stolen in China. I suppose that’s not too bad considering I’ve been here for almost 2 years….
Anyway back to being angry. I spoke with my office buildings staff (the vehicle was taken outside my office building) and managed to get into the surveillance room where I found to my amazement a rather extensive video surveillance system. After quite a bit of fast forwarding and rewinding we managed to deduce that my ebike was stolen between the hours of 5:41 and 6:10. The end time was established via the gate guard outside who reported when he arrived for his shift around 6pm their was no bike there.
Upon this realization I had a choice to make: call the police and inform them of the theft and lie to most of the questions they would ask about what I’m doing in China and where I live and what have you… this would more than likely result in nothing as even if there was a clear picture of whoever it was in the video locating him would be impossible… I know the western realities of investigation don’t apply here.. OR not call the police and possibly pull out my shotgun and run madly through the building lobby blasting every shady looking chineseman in a futile but satisfying effort to reclaim my lost property…. or at least the dignity it went with. I settled for not calling and signing… ammunition is hard to come by.
October 10th, 2009
Now wait just a minute – I’m not going to go off on some kind of ignorant man-rant. This entry is simply a reiteration of a warning I hear over and over again about Chinese girls from those I care about in my life and what I believe we should take away from them.
For anyone that’s had the privilege and position to be a westerner in China exposed to younger Chinese women in this day and age you will know the allure. It’s almost too easy for us to attract attention and affection with minimal effort. Satisfying needs requiring the opposite sex become all to easy. It truly will spoil you. However dealing with this situation with the tools your mother culture has equipped you with can leave you in some very sticky situations. Here are some of the guidelines I’ve learned – in the form of the voices that delivered them to me:
Don’t let a girl live with you..
Unless of course you have the intention of marrying her and having babies and buying her all the things she wants + her parents and extended family need.
I find the meaning in this step forward in a relationship usually extends deeper for Chinese women than western women. Moving in together is essentially step A in the sequence of steps necessary to obtain marriage. Take care – don’t make this move unless you basically want to spend the rest of your life with this woman – or want to pay hell to get out of it.
As for the parents/extended family aspect. I’m not saying that all Chinese girls are created equal and that their entering into your lives in any long term fashion will automatically involve her parents and extended family. However it would be wise to consider this influence on their lives. I have yet to meet a Chinese girl who doesn’t have parents that are upset with her for being unmarried after her early 20’s. I also have yet to meet a Chinese girl who doesn’t feel strongly that she needs to care for her parents in a “hands-on” fashion until the day they die.
Be Careful with your financial data..
This is a lesson I’m still too naive to enforce full strength. I don’t believe that the majority of Chinese women are gold-diggers. On the contrary most of the women I’ve spent any time with have been quite the opposite (as far as i can gather). However, we’re talking influence here not absolutes. Consider the fact that, historically speaking, Chinese women have been socialized to find a good provider (rich dude) and latch onto him for the benefit of her family. Even those women that are doing their best to fight this influence will be hard pressed to ignore the allure of a man candidly revealing the multitudes of his wealth. Strong social forces are at play – keep your bankbook to yourself and don’t drive her around in your Lambo to see all your property in the area – again unless your looking for a permanent situation.
Generally Speaking..
Just like most of my cultural learnings in China – you need to be respectful and accepting of the ways of the Chinese – women’s right’s, cultural influence, social position, perspective, and belief system’s are no exception. If your interested in making an impression on them and adjusting their expectations – you’ll first need to be prepared to do some accepting of your own. Blunt force will not help you achieve any meaningful goal with a beneficial end. Adopt the perspective of a respectful student and teacher – push gently and firmly when you find you have an appropriate amount of social capitol – listen carefully and thoroughly when she voices her own perspective and understanding of things. Be ready to adapt just as you would expect her to if turns out it makes sense to do so.
September 27th, 2009
In Macao trying my hand at a little low level gambling (I only have 200RMB in my pocket.) At the hotel they charge for internet – thought they were nice enough to include a 15 minute free access card with our room card. Gee thanks! You also need to go down to the lobby to use one of their computers. I refused to do that. So how you might ask am I writing this post from said hotel? Well I am in that lobby and I noted their computers were password protected. Ah ha! that must be their point of controlling access. So I yoinked the ethernet cord from the back of the tower and put it into my laptop. Mwahahha. Aye I can even access facebook from here sweeeet. Life outside the GFWC is grand.
What exactly is one supposed to do with 15 minutes of internet access.. well wait before let’s think about the experience of a potential user. In this day and age isn’t internet access right up there with access to water or air? It’s an essential part of our everyday lives and these places (this hotel isn’t unique in their practice) seem content to try and squeeze a little extra cash out of you for access to what has become a daily necessity. I would rather they say they don’t have internet access than to notify me that they do and then after insulting me with quotation on a daily/hourly rate to further irritate me with a “complementary” free 15-minute access card. Do you want me to sign in and out with my name and room number for this service? Are you going to chaperone me while I use to ensure I don’t go over my alloted 15 minutes. Viva la net!!! Someone needs to remind me to do something scumbaggy before I leave here… I know it’s a silly thing to get too aggrevated about but I’m venting.. safer than talking about other problems hehe.
For those of you that don’t know it’s a national holiday in China right now. They have from the 1st to the 6th off from work. This two day trip to Macao is a “team building” kick-off for our new staff and I guess an excuse for me, Mike, and John to go a little crazy – and probably not sleep. I’ve heard stories about this place 
. Let’s see if I can make some of my own. I’ll be sure to leave any juicy bits of my adventure on here when I sober up.
September 20th, 2009
It’s a developing trend I’ve been noticing in my communication with others, and my preference for communications from others. Is what your saying useful? If it’s not why are you bothering to say it in the first place. If what you say serves absolutely no purpose that either you nor the intended listener can immediately discern why are you bothering to open your mouth in the first place. I call this type of talk and communication (phone, e-mail, chat, instant messaging, etc.) noise. More and more I notice that when i get fatigued my tolerance wanes quickly for this type of useless chatter.
China, in my experience, is notoriously aggravating when it comes to noise. So many times I ask a simple question that can be answered in one or two sentences and in return I have to comb through two to three paragraphs of fluff to get to the meat of the matter. The language barrier is helpful when it comes to talking to some Chinese through mediums such as e-mail but if I dare approach them with my Chinese that is a horse of a different color indeed.
It’s funny because I used to be and still occasionally am a noise-maker. As I’ve gotten busier and my perspective on life has adapted in this new environment I’ve learned the uselessness of some of the things I used to bother talking about. There simply is not enough time or energy to go around to waste blabbing about things people don’t want to hear about. If I ask you how much your product is – just tell me how much the goddamn thing is. I don’t want to hear about minute details of your products quality, that your family has owned this shop for generations – that the shop down the street underselling you by 10-15% is no good. I don’t care if you think my Chinese is good or that you think it looks good on me. Shut up – just tell me what I need to know!!!
Ah that reminds me of another thing that really gets me going. I love Chinese people you can ask anyone that I know on a first name basis – but one bad habit that tends to push my buttons is their avoidance of saying “I don’t know” when they don’t have the slightest clue what your talking about, looking for, asking about, etc. You don’t know how many times I’ve walked in 3 or 4 different directions only to find out when I asked the next person that my destination was nowhere near where I was walking. I literally need to stress 2 or 3 times + “are you sure” to figure out if they actually know what they are talking about. I have to soften them up to the idea of saying “I’m sorry I don’t know.” I understand some of the why behind the habit – but my soft skill capacities are better spend on profitable endeavors… I guess its difficult to realize that by telling me false information due to inexperience is actually more aggravating and makes you look like a bigger asshole than telling me you have no idea. Maybe I’ll make a T-shirt about it – write it both in Chinese and English.
Anyway back to my Noise rant. I think this is a lesson that can be applied liberally pretty much everywhere. Get to the point – order your sentences to reflect their relative importance and keep all the useless fluff to yourself. Maybe I’m too hard – thinking too much like a company man than an accommodating human being, but really, who has enough time in life to examine the minute details and nuances behind every interaction and exchange of information. I think like a businessman. My time is precious and my mind is already full of other shit I have to deal with and when I take the time to ask you a question I am looking for the answer to the question so I can solve that problem and move onto the next. If you want to be successful you need to be useful – not loud, not overly informative, not well-spoken, nor attractive, not even accommodating and filled to the brim with soft skills – first and formost you need to be USEFUL. Nurture the mindset of solving people’s problems and you’ll have a lot less trouble getting ahead in life.
Anyway I need to get back to pumping out this worksheet for my Chinese corners this afternoon. Hopefully I’ll have enough time to eat properly – that way I can take the inevitable noise-storm of bs I’m going to run into as soon as I step outside in stride. -end rant-
