First, there were a lot of questions about guidance regarding proposals. We will cover some of that in class on Saturday 10 January and your best best for feedback is email through my gmail account (which I won't put here on the blog--its hidden up in the syllabus to avoid spam-spiders). I think the best trick is the oldest trick: ask your friends, find a network, use your guanxi, your 关系, your relationships. Find a friend of a friend of a friend; check the Internet, check at work, etc.
Map and observational exercise
So what the heck did you NOTICE about the map of China? (take NOTE of?) (Asterisks denote things that more than one group noticed, so the most salient things have more ***s)
*** Shared boundaries with a lot of countries
*** Mountain range splits the country
** China is LARGE, surrounding countries are small
** Close to the ocean is where people are
** Geographical diversity: west seems open, less population mtns & desert
** Lots of provinces (can you name four, right now?)
* Lot of opportunity (someone was reading into the map)
and my personal favorite
* China is shaped like a chicken
In each class, we'll post two things on the white board: Free Parking (issues we don't have time to discuss but that we may get to later, if you hound me enough. . . ) and Lexicon, important terms and concepts we'll often return to that may or may not be new to you.
Free Parking:
Chinese Business Hours
Lexicon:
Guanxi 关系(pronounced guan-shee)
Zhongguo (middle kingdom, China, 中国) (pronounced chong guə)
Lao Wai （老外） ("old foreigner," a gringo, a non-Chinese person, not at all pejorative)
Culture(s): as a relational concept
On this last bit, the problematic and often uncritical use of the idea of culture, go to http://www.ethknowworks.com and find the article by Mike Agar called Culture: Can You Take It With You. Hardly required reading unless you dig the theory and are wondering what the heck is wrong with me when my face gets all grouchy looking when I hear the term tossed around (as people, me included, so often do!).
Great class today! Looking forward to China.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any suggestions on how I can get over my fear of airplane bathrooms?!?! I think I can make it 14 hours!!!!
ReplyDelete1. Go before you fly. 2. Time your restroom visits with care so you don't wait an hour in line (though a little standing-up time will be good for you on a long flight). 3. Don't even THINK about smoking in the restroom, 4. Leave it as you found it, or cleaner, 5. Be sure the door is REALLY shut. You'd be amazed how often people don't do this, with really unpleasant results. 6. Remember that if it gets bumpy you are less likely to have luggage or another passenger fall on you if you are safely in the loo, where there is a grab-bar. 7. Don't believe the urban legend about getting stuck on the pot or being sucked out into the stratosphere—the head is a very safe place to be, if not the most capacious or comfortable 8. Bring a magazine and focus on some image of a lovely landscape if you feel claustrophobic in there. (On some 777 aircraft, there is usually a handicapped-access restroom that is bigger than the others, or one with a changing table with more room, so pick that one). 9. Don't lower your fluid intake in-flight: dehydration makes jet-lag worse!
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10. Wave your hand in front of your nose before you go to the loo, as if there were already a bad smell, so that when you you leave the restroom you can pretend it certainly wasn't you who left it smelling like a rendering factory, but the person who was in there before you!
Dear Natasha:
ReplyDeleteREGULAR BATHROOM is to AIRPLANE BATHROOM
as
SUV is to MOTORCYCLE!
You've already got what it takes... :)
I am concerned about not being able to find a contact in China
ReplyDeleteCorliss
I am worried about not connecting with the right people in China and saying the wrong thing
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know how to make a connection in Gansu or Hebei provinces?
ReplyDeleteIs there a way all of our comments can be placed on one page instead of having to click on all of the different posts? It may save some time if we don't have to surf through. Just asking, I am okay either way just hoping for some simplicity:o)
ReplyDeleteComments on Comments:
ReplyDeleteI wish there were a way to group comments together but it looks like this is something beyond my blog-expertise. Sorry about that.
Let me say that the blog will be fairly quiet EXCEPT for your comments for the next three weeks. You all have other work to do, and my introduction has left you with plenty to read and browse with for now, so there won't be (many) new posts from me for the next three or four weeks (except an admin. post or two as books, films, and strategies for teams become available).
The questions about contacts, however, are worth their own post. I'll do that for you guys.
I will be having dinner the weekend of Feb 7 with a Chinese businessman on my own project while he's in NY. If anyone would like to have me ask him any questions regarding setting up meetings, let me know. Eddie
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