On some level I have no right to complain about what I complained about in yesterday’s post. When I first went to China at 23, I was a roiling mess of self-righteous “concern” for China in its failure to be exactly like the U.S. It’s taken almost 20 years of learning for me to nuance [...]

In today’s online Wall Street Journal, this piece appeared. Reading it was an odd experience. The headline goes like this: “Obama, Hu Highlight Cooperation.” The first three paragraphs are right on point, with high-level summaries of the nature of Hu’s and Obama’s conversations. Then, suddenly, the fourth paragraph: Mr. Obama’s statement also pointedly noted the [...]

Today we’re revisiting the topic of contracts versus hétong. There’s rich territory to explore here. I was recently revisiting Lin Yutang’s classic book, My Country and My People, and it spurred some more thinking on this issue. I’ve quoted from the book before: it was Lin Yutang who referred to China as “a nation of individualists” [...]

Speaking of contracts and hétong, how exactly are they different? The differences have been the source of endless trouble in relationships between Chinese and Western organizations, with Westerners leveling accusations of dishonesty at the Chinese, and the Chinese chiding Westerners for their inflexibility.

So you’ve laid them bare, all the “shameful” thoughts. Now what? The first instinct is often to reject, to wish the thoughts away. “That’s not really me,” we think. Or, a common response to some of the milder thoughts is to believe them, to reaffirm them: “Well, Chinese really are [insert stereotype].” Neither of these responses will [...]

Building on the last post: One aspect of China life that keeps me going back is how it pits my highest and basest selves against each other. For anyone, an honest engagement in that struggle cannot help but yield rewards: for your organization and for yourself.

These past two weeks in Beijing, charged with guiding Americans with little or no exposure to China through their initial, often strong reactions, I was reminded so many times of my own initial struggles almost 18 years ago. Time had dimmed for me the power of my own reactions. As a hot-headed and very American [...]