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Stock Picking in China Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 10, 2010
The other day, I met with the head of a 基金会 (fund) in Shenzhen. He compared the process of institutional investing to a 选美 (beauty contest) rather than a more focused and individualized process such as 选偶 (selecting a spouse). He iterated time and again that one must have basic standards as the groundwork for 筛选…
Market Climate in China Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 4, 2010
The other day I met a businessman interested in 创业 (entrepreneurship)- he was the 老板 (head) of a startup company which investigates 专利权 (patents) and 商标 (trademarks) in China. He was visibly 激动 (excited), but he had given no thought to how his Chinese company would ensure that their 记帐 (bookkeeping) standards 符合 (met) those…
Hong Kong Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 30, 2009
After leaving 伦敦 I had to spend some time in Hong Kong. Having never spent time at 兰桂坊 (Lan Kwai Fong, an area similar to Beijing’s 三里屯 [Sanlitun] district), I went with some friends to investigate. There I met an American 本地人 (local) who had moved to Hong Kong when he was a toddler, as…
Christmas at the Airport Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 25, 2009
Today I was at the London 机场 (airport) on my way back out to China. When I went into downtown London, it was truly a scene of 人烟稀少 (barely having a trace of human activity). I saw a 旅行团 (tour group) including people from 山东 (Shandong province in China). While going to Big Ben in…
Shipping Woes Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 23, 2009
When ordering 包裹 (packages) purchased online, there is almost always a way to get a 单号 (tracking number) which you can 查询 (look up) online to track the progress of your package. However, you may sometimes encounter some 差异 (discrepancies/differences) between the information on record and the real-time data. Worst of all, some large companies…
China’s National Soccer Team Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 20, 2009
In my previous post, I talked about my experience attending an NFL game. A great way to understand the people of a country is to understand its sports. For China, a large headache is the organization jokingly referred to as 国猪 (national pig), which is short for 国足(the national soccer team)- the 中国国家足球队 ([official name…
A Real NFL Game Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 15, 2009
The other day I attended a live 橄榄球 (American football) game with family and a friend. As we approached the 运动场 (stadium) sponsored by a company which manufactures 剃须刀 (razors), we observed large numbers of 球迷 (sports fans) preparing their 烧烤 (barbecues). The idea of eating meat before watching a gladiatorial match made me wonder…