Category: China Rising

For many who work with social media, Twitter has become an indispensible tool. It allows us to keep in passive contact with our connected friends no matter where we or they may be located. And while the Twitter user base continues to grow there are other solutions that do much the same thing, but in a different language. Take a look at FanFou for example.

This great post shows how you can tap into the Chinese conversation — even if you don’t speak the language (just follow the instructions) — or check out the YouTube clip. There are many Chinese people who speak and write a small amount of English, so it is possible to engage in basic online conversation (also for Firefox users, add this auto-translation button to your Favourites bar). And with the Beijing Olympics coming up later this year … and many questions round the "Tibet Situation", it could be a fascinating way to gain some insight into China and Chinese thinking ahead of time.

So, now I just need to figure out how to translate "servantofchaos". Hmmm … maybe I should just stick to "Gavin Heaton" for now! If you are interested, you can find me at FanFou.com/servantofchaos

China has been in my blood since childhood. A family friend tried (in vain) to teach me some of the Chinese language when I was about 10 years old — it was not that I was not interested — it was that I was only 10 years old and needed a little more structure to my learning.

Later, while studying at university, I was lucky to share a house with some Chinese scholars who were on a research assignment in Australia. One, in particular, Zhong Ning Ning, was a great man with a true passion for the world. Over a year or so he taught be as much Chinese history as could be crammed into our evenings, and in return I taught him English. I think I received more than I gave … but it was one of the highlights of my time at university … and it fueled my interest in China and its history.

Ning was also a man of great humour. I remember taking him to see Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, and at the "feast" I looked across the darkened theatre to see Ning’s reaction. I had been living with Ning for some time and we had become good friends — I had learned about his childhood, his family (waiting for him to return) and his belief in the communist system. Now, watching a movie with western decadence as one of its core themes, I was wondering what my friend would make of me and my society. After a pause, he looked across, smiled, and said, "wow, big dinner!". Those three words taught me about China than a whole year of conversation.

Over the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to travel to China for business and I have found my old interest in China reigniting. I am fascinated by the language, by the energy of the place, its history and its people. I am overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of the people who I meet and work with — I have certainly been spoilt by this. And the sheer fact that they can converse in Mandarin, Cantonese and English (not to mention any number of dialects) … embarrasses me by my inability to clearly say much more than "good morning" and "thank you".

So I have started listening to some Mandarin lessons in my car on the way to work. It is slow going, but very rewarding. Even successfully asking "what is your name" elicits genuine joy in the faces of my friends. Some of my pronunciation leaves much to be desired, but I am making slow but sure progress thanks to Ken and Jenny over at Chinesepod.com. If you have an interest in a flexible online system for learning Mandarin, then check it out.

zai4 jian4

S.

I remember meeting a translator at university. At the time he was working on a fairly heavy translation (to English) of a contemporary French philosopher’s work (it was one of Gilles Deleuze’s works) and he would sometimes talk about the challenges of creatively translating such a work. I must admit that my limited exposure to other languages did not allow me to understand exactly what he was saying … but a recent trip to China showed the real value of a good translator.

As we prepared to fly out of the Hangzhou airport, we breakfasted in the airport cafe. And after a week of "trying" many dishes that could not be translated into English, and with my sense of adventure drying up, I found I was unable to order the appealing "egg millk blend juice", and opted for a black coffee instead.

But in a western world, used to the superlatives of copy writers, the literal translation of Chinese to English seems strange, yet to native speakers, even good bi-lingual speakers, these translations are more than fine — they convey fact, are clear and communicate economically. Translators like copy writers are not born, they are made. They train for years in the nuances of cultures … and their task and learning never ends. And it is a creative endeavour … and the more we are all exposed to places like China and India, the more demand there will be for creative cross-cultural thinkers, speakers and (dare I say it), poets.

S.

Some time ago I saw a live performance show by a troupe called "The Happy Sideshow". Their motto is "it just keeps getting better" — often said as a hand or arm is placed into a dingo or bear trap (or much worse). This motto implies that improvement can only be made through a strange sort of pain — one that requires you to endure it while still smiling.

After almost a week here in Shanghai, I see a special relevance to this phrase … in fact, it is the same phrase I used with my team when in China last time. If you are looking to do business in China, then you need to know that it is never easy. There are many protocols, challenges, obstacles and cultural minefields to negotiate — and that is just at the airport!

When you can’t believe that the issues you face can become worse, then you must remember that "things just keep getting better". When the items that you purchased arrived and they are "below standard", you also need to remember that "things just keep getting better". And when you feel that the work you have paid for is shoddy, but there is no one responsible, no one to instruct or no avenue for recourse, you need to remember that "things just keep getting better".

It is clear to me that the best way forward in China is to be patient, firm in your articulation of need (matched with determination) and flexible in the way you deal with obstacles. This in itself can be frustrating, but is often the only way — the more you resist, the more stress you cause yourself and those around you.

But there are benefits and joys also. The people can be warm, supportive and very hospitable. They will go out of their way to show you the very best of their country and culture, point you in the right direction and even negotiate the price at markets. They are generous with their time and energy.

It reminds me of this post by Seth Godin. He talks about the perception of "weirdness" — and points out that it is not weird if it is YOUR weirdness. The things that frustrate and challenge westerners in China are just "part of life" for those who live here.

Does it just keep getting better? Thanks to my friends in China, I can say "yes"!

S.

I am off to Shanghai next week, and greet it, as I greet any overseas trip … with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. One of my favourite writers, Helene Cixous, explains that she "shivers" every time she crosses from one country to another. I agree that there really is something profoundly unsettling about crossing borders and this is always amplified when you can’t speak the language and the culture is instrinsically different.

It will be my first time in Shanghai, which is from what I hear, one of the most cosmopolitan and vibrant of China’s cities. I expect there will be much to see, do and absorb … and I hope there will be no problem posting my observations and thoughts. On my last trip I was overwhelmed by the energy and enthusiasm of the people that I met. It made me think of New York in the 1980s (even though I was never there for it). It opened my eyes to new and different ways of seeing — but I must admit, I am still struggling to know how this translates to thinking.

I will keep you posted on my current state of culture shock as it advances. In the meantime, if you have any questions, thoughts or ideas that you would like me to write about or think through while in China, add a comment and I will do my best.

S.

As I struggled through day after day of greeting people in Mandarin (of which I know only a handful of words), I was constantly surprised by the number of kids who could speak with me in English.

Some of these Chinese kids are barely toddlers, yet can clearly say hello, thank you and goodbye in English. Some can hold long and complicated conversations. One eleven year old and one 14 year old that I met spoke English as good as I do (ok that is open to debate). Now I don’t know about you, but there are no kids that I know that can speak Mandarin.

China is obviously serious about engaging the West, and with Beijing 2008 just around the corner, there will be plenty of people going to visit and experience what China has to offer. But this is just the beginning … China is preparing to walk on the world’s stage, and its kids are the ones that will be leading the multinational businesses of the future. They are smart kids, interested and curious about the world … but they do NOT expect you to speak their language. Even my very few words would generate excited smiles and torrents of words I could not understand …

These kids are the ones putting in the extra effort to communicate … and they will do the same in everything else that they do.

S.