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Issue link: https://fairweathermagazine.epubxp.com/i/144159
jet stream Shanghai High christoph hering on his life-altering experience as a Westerner working in China Thousands of young Americans and Europeans arrive every year, searching for the chance of a lifetime to live and work in this extraordinary place. For me, it was curiosity, which began in college when I studied Mandarin and took a class in Chinese culture and business ethics. I frst visited the country a week after Chinese New Year and the freezing streets were covered with red Rabbit Lanterns and burned frecrackers, which welcomed the year of the Rabbit. Back then, in 2011, I was an International Business exchange student at Tongji University. In these frst weeks I tried every dish and savored the refreshing favor of Tienfu green tea, Dahongpao black tea and Xiehu Longjing Olong tea in Shanghai´s teahouses. I walked the historical streets of Jing´an and the French Concession. I explored the vibrant nightlife. Every week I met new interesting people from all over the world who came to study, work and live. Some were English teachers, while others were working for big western companies or studying Mandarin. The western communities are still quite small, with only 200,000 foreign workers and students living in Shanghai, contrasted with 20 million Chinese. It took me but a few weeks to fnd new friends and establish business relationships. My Chinese friends taught me about Asia's customs, where strong, personal 18 | SUMMER 2013 | FAIRWEATHER relationships are prerequisites to conducting business. The Chinese call it guanxi —personal network—and it is deeply rooted in their culture. Before you can start any serious business in China, your partners want to know you personally. Don't be surprised when they will ask about your family, children or even your favorite soccer team. Another important lesson I've learned was that the Chinese do like to drink, preferably strong alcohol. Chinese vodka (baijiu) and whiskey (huangjiu) are standard at most business dinners. Afterwards, most go for more drinks at a karaoke bar or in a club. Really, this is the best way to do business in China! Shanghai is a multicultural whirlpool, Courtesy of Christoph hering China is all over the news today with reports detailing everything from massive cyberattacks on American companies to widespread toxic pollution. But I experienced a diferent version of China, as a German student working in product control in Shanghai.