DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA

I personally feel that when you do your business you are making money for yourself whereas if you work for a company you are working equally hard to make money for someone else. Saying that I would also add that everyone can not do or does not want to do business and no one is forced to do so.

China is the haven for anyone wanting to start up big or small. At this point I know you are thinking why? Why china? Why not any other country that simply because anything and everything can be produced or is being produced in China..

The Chinese manufacturers are not only industrious but, also up to date on the latest trends on everything. May it be electronics, fashion or accessories.

Now that you have decided you want Chinese products than comes the hard part of trying to find a supplier. If you are sitting in one of the western countries please be aware, everything that comes on the internet maybe convenient but its not reliable. Click on the link below to see all kinds of scams that take place here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13986308

China is doing what ever it can to control these kinds of mishaps but, it is a huge country and therefore managing everything is a tough job especially, when red envelopes(traditionally a form of passing on luck by giving luck money, today used as a form of bribe) is so popular in every sector.

If you ever arrive in china and start a life here you will understand the value of this red envelope. The parents give it to the teachers so their kids are looked after. The patients give it to the doctors. The suppliers give it to their vendors and business men to police and other government sectors from where they need favors. If you ask the Chinese populace as to what they think about this culture they will inevitably say we are just taking care of our needs and requirements.

As foreigners please bear in mind that all Chinese think you are rolling in dough and therefore, you are able to pay any amount. They will try to over charge you. You need to haggle a little with the suppliers may it be factories or retail vendors in order to get a good price.

Language is a barrier for us as most suppliers only speak Chinese. Even if you have a translator with you do not expect them to bargain for you or even to speak in your favor. They will always listen and respond to the Chinese suppliers and at times completely ignore your needs and requirements. This seems to be the most natural thing for them to do. I have no clue why but, this is out of my own experience.

Like I have mentioned before things are looking up for us now as more and more people speak English.

All domestic postages are handled by China Post which runs a service called EMS(express mail service). Its reliable if the address is written in Chinese.

 

My first info on china

China sounds very exotic and daunting to many and why shouldn't it we know so little about the real China. We don't get to see much of the present China on TV and therefore, we end up imagining China as we have seen it in the Shaolin or Kungfu movies (further popularized by movies such as Mulan and Kungfu Panda)

I am not saying these movies are not portraying China correctly but, I merely want to share the other side of China. The side where people ride around the city in BMW's, Porsches, Mercedes and every other SUV available in the market.

I have been living in Guangzhou, China for over 2yrs now and I have realized I am doing much better here than I would have done anywhere else (considering the economy and job opportunities) At one point in time everyone used to say 'USA! A place where everybody can make money' and now you can still say the same just replace the USA with China.

Guangzhou is among one of the 5 largest cities. Everyone's heard of Beijing and Shanghai and many travelers give Guangzhou a miss but, being in Guangzhou has it's own charm. The city is very conveniently located between Macao and Hong Kong which are worlds apart from China. As a foreigner this is so cool for me because whenever I want a breather and I feel Chinese traditions are getting a little over whelming I can plan a quick getaway to either city.

In the past two years I have been picking up some Mandarin and it's useful but, these days more and more people are learning English. They realize the importance therefore, here there is plenty job for foreigners who can teach English even if they speak no Mandarin at all. Students can be as young as 18months and as old as 52 or more. Everybody wants to learn and understand the western culture and language making this one of the most viable trade for foreigners in China. One can expect to earn minimum of USD 15 per hour which is not bad at all. Of course, offers will differ according to situation, city, experience etc.....I am only giving an approximate amount.

The city itself has to offer a lot for foreigners these days. You can buy just about everything just like back home. They even have Sam's Club, Walmart, Metro etc....wines a little expensive but, then you can always source it from Hong Kong or Macao.

Living in China is not all perfect it does have it drawbacks for eg, it's tough to find a good steak or decent Italian food but, more western joints are coming up and foreigners don't have to depend on Macdonalds and KFC like most people think. Chinese food in itself is a very healthy alternative with meat, lots of vegetables noodles and array of food to choose from. I have tons of western friends living here and most of them love to eat Chinese as its healthy and inexpensive...

Guangzhou skyline on a cloudy day

I am writing this blog because i feel there isn't a lot of information out there for foreigners to read, learn, get informed and decide whether they want to travel, live, work or visit china. I intend to help get some information out there. i hope to put in some personal experience that would be helpful for all. Please read follow and  watch this blog for further information. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to comment or ask and I will try my best to answer it.