Business in Modern China: Emails from the East

Bill Thomas is the owner of 40West. He has studios in the US, China, and Vietnam. He is currently working at his China studio. This photo is of the West Lakes in Hangzhou, which reminds him of home on Smith Mountain Lake.

He responded to my questions via email.

Describe your business in America:
Marketing Communications... we provide creative services, photography, branding strategies and video production. We seem to be best suited for clients who want something different.... a different look, a different method to communicate the message, a different message.

Where are your studios located?
Dongguan (city) in the Guangdong Province in China. One in Vietnam, but we want a presence in Shanghai, and possibly Hangzhou (that's why I have been there several times)

What were the motivating factors which lead you to open a studio in China?
The mass exodus of manufacturers (specifically in the furniture industry) who were coming here.

What challenges were you faced with in China that you did not experience in the US or did not expect?
Our name (40West) was a problem. The pronunciation of the number "4" is similar to the word for death... big problem. From what I hear, it is not as big an issue now, as it used to be. (I find this to be very interesting consider how the number four is repeated through Chinese history: 4 olds, Gang of Four, 4 Modernizations.) I think it only has to with the sound relationship to "death". As I noted, though, I have not heard or seen any reactions to our logo, and all the buildings I go in have a 4th floor.

The biggest issue by far is the language barrier. Unlike 'romance' languages like Spanish, Italian or Portuguese you can't get any sounds that might help you figure out what is being said. With writing, there are 2,000 characters, instead of 26 letters. They do have a written system using western letters, but it seems to be hard for people from different provinces to understand. (Bill’s office manager is named “Lucy” serves to bridge the communication gap.)

Were you faced with any political hurdles in China?
Everyone is very accommodating, but the paperwork issues and procedures for getting registered are taking time.

During your time in China, do you see past influences on the present day?
Oh yes, I call it the two faces of China. One very modern and forward thinking, and one still trying to break out of the last 40 years.

It really depends on where you are. You will see many historical influences in northern China (cities like Shanghai , Beijing, Hangzhou).

But in the south (Guangdong Provence) everything is new. When I came here 5 years ago, Dongguan (city in Guangdong) was just a small town with one main road. Now it's a city of 10 million, that you can drive for an hour (on a freeway) and still be within the city limits.

What are some of the major differences you see in Chinese and American culture? Business?
The food namely. They eat many vegetables, and several items that we in the west would not expect... or try. I have found, that if you try something and like it... don't ask what it is.

The Culture is very fun loving, closely knit society. It is not unusual for parents to come and live with the children when they get old. Their society is very young too. When I am in the cities, the average age is probably 25.... you just don't see many people over 40 (like US cities)

Business is very different. The blend of communism and capitalism is formidable. They don't discuss and debate what they want to do... they do it. They also are geared for large production volumes. They do not seem interested in short run, small orders. In addition, the labor pool changes the dynamic here incredibly. They will throw 1,000 workers at a project before they would ever consider buying expensive equipment

Anything else relevant to Modern China?
You may want to read "China Inc" by Ted Fishman, I believe. He did his homework, and was right on. I read it while I was here, getting adjusted and it was amazing.

I would say that I see a real sense of nationalism here. They are growing rapidly and have the world's attention. They firmly believe they will lead the world into the 21st century. The Olympics are a big feather in that cap, and I am sure they will be incredible.

One last thing, it is incredible how much they like our culture. People will come up to me and practice English with me. McDonalds is a huge hit here (and KFC) and it's the only place I know where you can find someone under the age of forty driving a Buick (GM has a big Buick plant in Shanghai).

Many thanks to Bill Thomas for the interview and the photo provided.