stella ling

As I Chinese living in the Netherlands for 4 years, I have, in many times, astounded by how little Europeans know China (Well, it is no different from how little Chinese know about Europe) Nowadays, many Chinese, like me, got the opportunities to study abroad. Some of us, might be a little bit 'Chinese' at the very beginning, but after a while, we adapt, accept, or at least open to different views. We might hold bias against many things, but after some travel, some experiences, we start to realize, step by step, why the culture and mindset are different from ours. And most importantly, many of us realize, the word is never black and white. Naturally, I, sometimes, expect the same thing from people live in Europe. Many Europeans have travelled to China, once, twice, or three times.... During a conversation, I read from some of their tones that, I know China (maybe because they were in China in 19xx, or 20xx....) I gave a smile and replied, well, I was born and raised in China and I went back each year since I started live in NL. So far, I wouldn't say that I know China. I think many of you know what I mean. Our country has undergone tremendous change in the past 30 years. The change is not just the landscape of cities, of countryside, it is also the mentality and behavior of people from different generations etc., Maybe that explains, to some extent, why Chinese are, in general, adaptive. When I started reading the book, I first read the humor in Prof. Haico. To me, it is not just a book about economics, but also a personal experience. Why a personal experience? First, he constantly goes back to China since his first time in China (I suppose, in 1970s) for teaching and company visits. Second, due to his background and knowledge in economics, he can combine his personal experience, especially personal experiences with MNT and European companies operating in China, with economics so well that in some chapters, I have the feeling that I am reading a novel. Third, his passion about China. I cannot remember how many times, this book has refreshed and enlightened my understanding about our culture. Therefore, reading the book is like a cultural, economic exploration and discovery. He also combined many of his experience visiting MNTs in China, the success and the failure. If you are a manger, I have no doubt that you know your business better than anyone others. Still I recommend reading this book to help you understand China from a much comprehensive way.