How to understand China in a word
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of folly, it was the age of faith, it was the age of unbelief, it was the season of Light, it was It was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything ahead of us, we had nothing ahead of us, we were all going directly to heaven, we were all going directly to the other side ….
Excerpts from A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens
If you are asked to use a word to describe China, what word will you use? “Undemocratic” because both Facebook and YouTube are blocked in China? “Prosperous” because you have seen skyscrapers and high-speed trains flying in China? “Inhuman” why have you seen the Yuling Dog Meat Festival report? “Rich” because you have seen crazy Chinese buyers of luxury goods in the main cities of the world? None of the above could generalize to China that easily, but a sure way to describe China is that everything in China is in transformation, meaning that nothing in China has been completed or perfected yet, and nothing has ever started.
1. From lack of creativity to full creativity / From uniformity to diversity
Suppose there are ten phones made in China with the same inch but with different brands on the table, it can be easy to think that they are just different models under one brand, because they have almost the same appearance, functions and specifications. Almost every new change in a new iPhone can invite numerous designs copied in the Chinese telephone industry, Chinese manufacturers do not even have to think, just copy their industry leader. The origin of the Chinese people’s lack of creativity actually dates back to the ancient Chinese imperial examinations in which the essays were formulated around a rigid and artificial structure. This kind of unnecessarily uniform educational system has a far-reaching effect on the current Gaokao (China’s National Higher Education Entrance Exam) leading to a lack of focus on teaching critical thinking and ignoring emotions, values and personalities. of the students. As a result, Chinese students or providers tend to focus only on the best way they can take from their counterparts, so that they can achieve the same high grades or gains. However, with the rapid development of the Chinese economy and society, the Chinese are turning their attention to awakening people’s individuality and personality; for example, people are praised for being who they are, expressing what they think, and doing what they like rather than simply according to common expectations. So are Chinese products, the world is witnessing wave after wave of technological innovation in Chinese industry, which is why Chinese companies, including tech giants like Huawei, are placing increasing importance on intellectual property.
2. From driven by money to driven by ideals
The Chinese people are more or less regarded as a faithless nation, as generation after generation of people are learning to believe in socialism and Marxism and to regard religious beliefs as superstitious. But do the Chinese really have no faith and have nothing to trust? Not exactly, the Chinese root their actions and words in money, family ties and human connection (Guanxi). Although these concepts are not written in the textbooks of the country, all Chinese are consciously or unconsciously representing these essential elements in their life. The first questions that come to people’s minds when talking about a certain profession are: Does that make you earn a lot of money? Do you have a tall family member or friend who deals with that line of work? The answers to these questions generally determine the likelihood that someone can earn respect and achieve success. People care less about the contribution that a certain profession makes to other people and are more focused on what that profession can gain for the family and for themselves in an economical and respectful way. However, despite the opposite, the Chinese are also changing, more and more people are dedicated to solving virtual problems and creating something truly revolutionary for humanity. Examples include Jack Ma, who completely changed the way people do business and shop, Pony Ma, who changed the way Chinese connect with each other, etc. The Chinese find that they are too focused on material gains and begin to focus their attention on improving the environment, science, ways of doing things and social welfare.
3. From unprofessional to professional
Commercial lies are not lies. But sometimes Chinese entrepreneurs tend to abuse this form of communication in business, they are inclined to think that they can do everything possible to achieve great business, because they believe that anything that can be done is not wrong, as long as it is not be criminalized. easily. Some are admired by many others because they can make huge fortunes even if they cheat their buyers or bypass taxes in some “smart” way. They believe that the person who makes the most money is the real winner. Indeed, their way of doing business will certainly not fit the world outside of China, that is one of the reasons why many giant companies in the world consider China to be a very difficult market to fit in, such as Amazon, eBay, Yahoo or even Google. Fortunately, as noted at the beginning of this analysis, nothing in China is perfect yet, but China is also undergoing significant changes in the way it does business, more and more companies discover the long-term advantages of ensuring transparency, professionalism, good quality , good service and integrity. Take Alibaba, for example, Jack Ma’s team is working hard to remove counterfeit products from Taobao, although effectiveness is another topic to discuss.