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The People's Republic Of Capitalism. But I Digress.

By Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson

Excellent post over at the inside-out China blog on Ted Koppel's recently completed Discovery Channel show, "The People's Republic of Capitalism." The post really shines in analyzing the views of some of the Chinese nationals who spoke during the series and how those views fit in with China's history. It is just a really good piece and I suggest you check it out. The other day, in a post entitled, "F-ck China Culture Lessons. Give Me Anthony Bourdain With No Reservations," I lit into (a bit) courses that purport to teach Chinese culture. The thesis of my post was that one can learn more about how to deal with people of other countries (including China) by watching Anthony Bourdain than by attending a "How to do business in China" class that teaches you not to bring four gifts (hey, that's bad luck) or white flowers (that's death, baby). Just as an aside, I have never known anyone who has given out or received white flowers as a business gift! In response to that post, I received the following comment from Will Lewis, über law student and the force behind the Experience Not Logic blog:

Dan, I totally agree with you on this. Having sincere fun builds a great network. But ... I've found that some knowledge of Chinese culture adds to the fun. I'm sort of waiting until I finish the book, but I might just wait until I get back to the States to write a post on The Journey to the West. Dude, first off, this book, and especially Sun Wukong, is just plain old awesome. Second, The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is always fun to talk about (I think I confused and bored a lot of my friends in the States with tales of the Protector of the Horses exploits), and there's not a Chinese person I've met that isn't excited to share their opinion on any of the characters in the book. So I guess I'm saying mostly the same thing: genuine enthusiasm for the culture and eagerness to learn about the culture are what counts, and nobody but Westerners who think they know Chinese culture better than you really cares whether you use one hand or two hands to accept someone's business card.

That comment got me to worrying that my post came across as saying it is a waste of time to study China's culture or that of another country when I most emphatically do not think that. I am of actually of a strong view that there is much to be gained in learning about other cultures, on all levels (intellectual, spiritual, emotional, financial, etc.). My problem is NOT with learning about Chinese (or any other culture); it is with those who act as though knowing how many hands to use when handing over a business card is a key to understanding China. I mention all this because one of the reasons I love reading inside-out China (which describes itself as "A Literary and Cultural Blog") is to learn about Chinese culture and history. For an incredible list of what to read to "get a good feel for China," check out "China 101" over at David Wolf's Silicon Hutong, who is of the view that "it begins with history:"

It does not matter you are a businessperson or a tourist, whether you are planning to stay for a good time or for a long time, you need to try and understand this nutty place, and an understanding of China begins with history. I know a lot of people who emphasize current affairs in their reading on China and ignore history. Taking their cue from Henry "history is bunk" Ford, their rationale goes like this: with things changing so fast in the PRC, history is less relevant and more academic than current affairs and business. But to paraphrase an old saying, if history doesn't have a veto in the way things work in China, it at least has a vote, and an important one at that. I'd recommend that anyone traveling here spend time reading the history. If you are planning on working, studying, or building a business here, history is an essential part of your bedside fare.

I completely agree with both Will and David.

Full post as published by China Law Blog on July 19, 2008 (boomark / email).