The Access Point

Everything is possible but nothing is easy

At the Public Relations Organization International (PROI) conference in Beijing more than 60 CEOs from 40 different countries gathered to talk about trends for the public relations industry and to learn more about China and its opportunities and challenges as a communications market. Beyond the fact that the Chinese language has more than 40,000 characters making it a challenging language to master, it is distinct cultural differences that divide the Chinese from western business executives, or as today's speaker shared with us "it is one step from Confucius to confusion." A lot of this confusion stems from the fact that the Chinese believe in telling people only 1/3 of what is on their mind, an obvious barrier to clear and effective communications. Also, as the Chinese never say no, it is easy to believe that there is agreement when in fact the Chinese believe that there is still that needs to be discussed and that no resolution has been reached. The solution is to be prepared to have multiple discussions, listen to what is unsaid instead of just what is said, and have a lot of patience.  It is clear that in China everything is possible but nothing is easy. More to come tomorrow.

-- Susan Butenhoff

Day 2 in Beijing

Day 2 in Beijing and no blue sky in sight. Apparently it is only visible 80 days of the year when heavy winds or big storms manage to successfully clear out the smog that hangs in the air every day. The addition of more than 3 million cars in Beijing in less than five years and constant gridlock hasn't helped. While this air quality issue was expected (I almost packed a face mask but it just seemed too much of a fashion faux pas), what I hadn't expected was how welcoming the Beijing residents have been. It was only a few decades ago that Chairman Mao encouraged everyone to have large families because each child provided another bullet against the Americans (roughly paraphrased). Yet today at lunch a young lady came up to me and with the biggest smile and halting English welcomed me to the Beijing Olympics and handed me some orange fruit I had never seen before called pipa. While upcoming Olympic visitors may be awed by the brand new roads and buildings, the really striking transformation lies with people and their beliefs - including mine.

-- Susan Butenhoff

High Speed Change

Ni Hao from Beijing. I am here attending the PROI conference, the largest network of independent PR agencies in the world. More than 50 CEOs from 44 countries are going to mix and mingle, and learn about agency trends and "How the Chinese Think." Before the back-to-back lectures start I have stolen some time to explore Beijing. The best way to describe the city is high-speed change. In advance of the upcoming Olympics it is a city transforming itself from communism to socialism fashionista. Flashy high-rises and blocks lined with Cartier, Versace and Hugo Boss have replaced those quaint Mao suits and streets filled with black bicycles. I have learned that all Beijing residents – whatever their age – are being forced to learn English so they can demonstrate Chinese hospitality at its best. Despite all this there are still elements of Beijing that are uniquely China – the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven are filled with beauty and history that wars, communism and time could not destroy. A really incredible place.

– Susan Butenhoff