A Harvard girl carnival: Comments on media reaction to a Chinese girl’s admission into Harvard
A girl from Shanghai named Tang Meijie — featured in the New York Times Magazine article “Re-Education” — soon became the focus of major media in China following her admission into Harvard College in December, 2004. The press talked her up as every Chinese parent’s dream child. Headlines such as “What Does Her Success Tell […]
On managing the departure of a valued Chinese employee — Part I
Our guest article this week comes from Gary Baney, CEO of Boundless Flight. Managing Chinese hires is an important part of a corporation’s reputation and impression in China. Gary shares somes of his practical and valuable insights on this topic. Here’s Gary: ————————————————————————————————— One of the reasons many companies have hesitated to hire Chinese national […]
Interview with Gary Wells of Dix & Eaton about international communications
Jocelyn: Good morning, this is Jocelyn, we’re at the Wu Way, this is January 29, and I’m here at the BP Building and I have the pleasure of meeting with Gary Wells, who is the Senior Managing Director for Media Relations and Global Communications for Dix & Eaton. I might add that Gary is a […]
McKinsey looks into China’s hinterland…and sees opportunity
Seems like Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities in China are the current darlings of the international business world. Who can blame them? The breakneck pace of development has produced a dizzying array of buildings, shopping malls — and accompanying stats — to make any marketer swoon. Meanwhile, one has to wonder about the 70 […]
Cultural icons as a brand: Starbucks in the Forbidden City revisited
Back in January, I wrote about Starbucks’ unwelcome presence in the Forbidden City. Just yesterday, NPR’s Morning Edition did an interview with the man who gave the cause an extra jolt of caffeine – CCTV TV anchor Rui Chenggang. Steve Inskeep interviews Rui about the “invasion”.
Full moon fever on the Lantern Festival
The brightest moon of the new year welcomes a festival of light – the Lantern Festival, also the official end to Chinese New Year. Thought the new year was over after Chinese New Year’s Eve? Think again. In China, celebrating the new year is not just a matter of swinging around a few firecrackers and […]
What does the number 9 mean in China’s culture?
Look to the numbers as another reflection of superstition in China. Here in many Western, Judeo-Christian cultures, 7 is the big one. But it’s another story in China, where certain digits promise good fortune, long life and prosperity. Let’s take the number 9, for example. What does the the number 9 mean in China’s culture?
The Golden Pig Year baby boom and the power of superstition in China
It’s no secret that superstition runs deep in Chinese culture. And this Chinese New Year is yet another reminder of that, as this NPR news story discusses in the baby boom for the Golden Pig year: In China, city-dwellers are only allowed one child, so many are timing their pregnancies according to the traditional lunar […]