May 2011
3 posts
2 tags
Using Mandarin in China
I don’t know near enough Chinese. I wish I had started studying Mandarin earlier. According to one of our guest speakers, an American who has become fluent in Mandarin, it takes 10 years or 10,000 mistakes to learn Mandarin. I’m okay with making a lot of mistakes, so I’m hoping it’s a little faster then 10 years.
I cannot thank my professor, Tian Renner, enough for what few phrases she was able to...
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Cultural Visits in Shanghai
Peppered into our busy days were important cultural visits. One of our speakers said: “If you don’t like the Chinese people, their culture and their history, don’t even think about doing business here.” Many people see the financial opportunity in this growing economy and want in, thinking perhaps they can act in a Western way and get things done, or hoping that maybe they can change the...
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Guanxi & The Art of Building Relationships in...
During the Shanghai course, we had many speakers mention “Guanxi.” This is basically the relationship you have with someone, whether that be friend or business relationship. This guanxi is crucial to building a personal brand in China and it goes even further to address the reputation you achieve through these relationships. At it’s basest level, it’s networking but unlike the networking we do in...
