Something To Remember When You Return to Work Tomorrow: Safety

Note: I tried to post this last night, but I couldn’t because of technical glitches. After today’s earthquake the recommendations seem all that more important.
J.
I was really surprised this week when I received the latest issue of EuroBiz, the magazine of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and read Bill Dodson’s column on [...]

China Visa Update

This week I attended an AmCham seminar on the new regulations for Chinese visas. I thought I’d share my notes with everyone so that you can all be informed about the new rules:

There are no changes to the Z (work) visa procedure. These visas are converted into work and residency permits inside China upon entrance [...]

The Great China Visa Debate

On Saturday morning while I was sitting in Starbucks a group of Laowais walked in and they were talking how they were all afraid that they were going to all be kicked out of China because they can’t renew their visas. Now from their conversation I could tell that this was an area they didn’t [...]

The Poor State of Chinese Building Materials

After I read Shanghai Scrap’s Adam Minter’s account of the collapse of a radio tower outside his apartment on Christmas Eve — and the death of the migrant worker that it caused — got me thinking about the poor state of building materials in China and how they have gone down hill over the last [...]

Top Ten Lists

I hate writing Top ten lists, but I love finding and reading them — and I discovered two beauties today:

Global Voices translated Kuan Feng’s Top 10 Chinese Internet stories of 2007
CNNMoney and Fortune Magazine have put out 2007’s 101 Dumbest Moments in Business Unfortunately China and the product recalls from this summer are a number [...]

Merry Christmas

Well Christmas Day is here and it’s time to say Merry Christmas to everyone. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve decided to take Christmas and Boxing Day off to enjoy the holiday season. Therefore I’m taking a break from blogging for those two days as well. I hope your Christmas will be just as relaxing and [...]

Art is Now Just Part of the Chinese Production Line

I read a really interesting post today by James Fallows, the Atlantic’s China correspondent. Entitled, “Workshop of the World, Fine Arts Division”, it details Fallows’ visit to a fine arts “village” outside Shenzhen. But instead of being an artists’ colony like you would see in Europe, the US — or even Beijing, it’s a [...]

An Interesting Observation About Business Ethics in China

It’s been a busy week so I wasn’t able to put this observation down as fast as I’d like to. I attended a great speech on Thursday morning given by Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Senior partner/founder of Dezan Shira & Associates. Mr. Devonshire-Ellis was giving a talk comparing business environments in China and India where his company [...]

The Canadian Auto Worker Union Gives Up the Right to Strike — Is This A Successful Method to Fight Outsourcing to China?

I heard an interesting news story yesterday while listening to CBC Radio’s the Sunday Edition (podcasts can be found here). The Canadian Auto Workers Union has signed a deal with Magna International that would allow the CAW to form a union in Magna’s plants, but workers would not have the right to strike. At the [...]

Mooncakes as a Networking Tool

I read an interesting article today in China Daily. The article entitled “Mooncakes acquire networking flavor” it tells how mooncakes have become a favourite way for businesses to keep in touch with business contacts and clients:
“We send presents to our clients during the Mid-Autumn Festival, rather than the Spring Festival,” said Elsa Wang, who works [...]