INFOCUS | INDIA-CHINA | SURVEY
business with China. The highest number of undecided respondents hailed from the central region, closely followed by east. Undecided respondents were more than double in China than India. It may be due to the overall lack of awareness about each other or poor projection of India in China and vice-versa. India is either misrepresented in China or there is widespread ignorance about the present day India. The Chinese business community was found to be mostly undecided on the issue of doing business with India, closely followed by others. Most of the undecided respondents hailed from the northern and eastern regions of China. Besides, a cumulative 89 per cent of the undecided respondents were in the age groups
Regional Distribution: Indian Preference for Improved Business Relations with China
Central 17%
North 21%
East 18%
West 20% South 24%
THE INDIAN PREFERENCE FOR DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA WAS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS ALL OCCUPATIONS, MAINLY AMONG THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND MEDIA.
Agewise Distribution: To Do Business 70 60 50 40
India China
30 20 10 0
<18
19-20
31-40
East (13 per cent) and the South (14 per cent) remained uninterested in the Indian market. The youth in India exhibited a strong business interest in China. The 19-30 and 31-40 age groups showed a cumulative preference of 63 per cent for doing business with China. A far better interest (93 per cent) existed in China in the same age groups for the Indian market. Undoubtedly the future pros-
41-50
>50
pects for both India and China seem far better than the past, especially with the current and future generations believing in improved business relations. Inadequate knowledge about China in India, which may be the reason for the indecision, was found to be highest among the business community and academics. Indian respondents from the government and media were less indecisive on the issue of doing
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of 19-30 and 31-40 age groups. Thus, will it be safe to surmise that there is a strong possibility that the business community in the East and South, especially youth, are relatively ignorant or sceptical about the Indian market? Thus, three important points emerged clearly in this perception survey, viz. (1) ignorance (2) business interest complements the need for improved relations, and (3) youth will play a major role in changing public perception. For (1) and (3), the focus should be on soft options for better marketing of Brand India and Brand China. For instance, a soft option can be improved cultural ties and better opportunities for people-to-people contact. For (2), a direct government intervention is needed in terms of easing travel formalities between the two countries, special incentives for facilitating business by identification of complementarities, and the sharing upgrading of technologies.
Love must not be forgotten A look at Chinese writing
B
eing an admirer of Chinese literature I can stay submerged in its vast variety of novels that speaks volumes about the nature of the Chinese society. Chinese literature, in general, has had a rich history of literary experimentation. From the classical Chinese texts of Confucianism, Daoism etc. to the classical ‘Prose,’ classical ‘Poetry’ with its golden period in the Tang dynasty, the ‘Drama’ of the Yuan dynasty going on to the ‘Fiction’ as the popular genre of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese literature as the mirror to society has reflected all changes in the socio-political and cultural life of China. The 20th century has been quite a journey not only for the Chinese society and state but also for Chinese literature for it witnessed progressive changes right from the turn of the century to the end of the century. Though there were other forms of poetry that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century, fiction retained its position in the new century as the popular literary genre. The contemporary Chinese novels, in particular, provide an insight into different aspects of contemporary Chinese society. Many social issues and different concerns find expression in the world of fiction in order to reach out to
the common people. There are many writers who write on diverse issues that contemporary Chinese society has been grappling with, such as women’s issues, the large middle class, floating migratory population, urban and rural divide and the socially economically marginalized people. Chinese novels, depending on their length, are of three kinds: short, medium and long ( ). Out of the three, the short length novels are basically narrative of the short story kind, the medium length novels can be termed as novella (a narrative longer than short story but shorter than a novel) and long length novels are usually an extended narrative like a full-fledged book. Speaking specifically for contemporary China, there has been a lot of literary experimentation in terms of the selection of themes, styles and narration in fiction. Writers of the New Period Literature (after 1976) were comparatively bold and were not controlled by official dictum as far as their creativity was concerned. Unlike in Mao’s China, many writers ventured into forbidden territories to reform and encourage from within the system. They preferred not to start directly from an ideological and political point of view but rather November 2011 India-China Chronicle |55|
ICEC – A NEW CHAPTER chose to reflect life like a mirror and judge the shortcomings in the system. However, as the economic reforms spread, Chinese society started to register many manifestations of inequality, including gender inequality. The most prominent examples of gender inequality were female infanticide, illegal trafficking of women, prostitution, discrimination in the workplace and so on. It is under these circumstances that a new brand of women writers came to the fore and started to write about the concerns of women and their journey of self-discovery. These women writers reflected the growing consciousness among women and the challenges faced by Chinese women. Zhang Jie ( ) is certainly the pioneer in crafting women protagonists that showcase the emerging image of women in Chinese society. Zhang Jie started to write quite late in her life; her first work came out in 1979 when she was already 40 years old. She created waves in the literary arena with her unconventional themes of educated urban Chinese women who had to make a choice between love and marriage or love and career. Since Zhang Jie grew up in the idealistic climate of 1950’s, thus, her characters are drawn on impressions of both Confucian morality and socialist ideals. Most of her ‘central’ characters are women who stay divided between conflicts of love, marriage and career. Zhang Jie’s early works are the best examples of the New Realist trend (1976-1981) which serves humanity rather than politics. Her Love Must Not Be Forgotten is a trendsetter as it rediscovers the existence of romantic love that was mostly suppressed under political sloganeering. The novel clearly distinguishes between the private world of women and public world of society. When concepts like humanism and human nature were emerging as new trends in literature, Zhang Jie was delving into such sensitive issues. Quite obvious in her work The Ark, Zhang Jie boldly portrays women’s disaffection with conventional values and behaviour. Also, despite her special concern for women’s fate, Zhang Jie has a special place for the principles of socialist society and shows all her character striving to contribute their energy and talent towards the improvement of a socialist society. Therefore, all three women protagonists of The Ark
T
he India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) launched its Gujarat chapter in Ahmedabad on August 26, 2011. HE Mr Zhang Yan, Chinese Ambassador to India, was the Chief Guest at the launch which was attended by representatives of several leading corporate houses, government, trade and industry bodies. At the launch some leading corporate houses like the Adani Group shared their experiences of working in China, while two Chinese companies who are doing business in India namely ZTE and Huawei Telecommunications presented their views on doing business in India. During the visit, Excellency Zhang Yan met Mr Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat. Apart from building bridges for cultural relations between China and Gujarat, they discussed about stronger economic relations. Excellency Zhang Yan also invited Mr Modi to visit China which he accepted. As part of its, the ICEC – Gujarat chapter and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) jointly organized a tree planting campaign under the INDIA
and the protagonist of Emerald, apart from seeking their individual identities, also lay stress on their professional commitment. Zhang rejects the supposed premise of gender equality in China since liberation even though most of her women characters are educated, efficient and devoted professionals; Zhang Jie seeks an equality that did not make gender distinctions but allowed people to live as individuals rather than as men and women, a style that is uniquely her own. It can be said that Zhang Jie has primarily worked on two themes in her major works with female protagonists; one is her portrayal of Chinese society and social duty as in her Leaden Wings and another the more dominant one, is the trials and tribulations of women caught in the different facets of life including love, marriage, profession, that can be found in Love Must Not Be Forgotten, The Ark and Emerald. All a must read!!
MANJU HARA is a Research Scholar at Jawahar Lal Nehru University.
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CHINA GREEN INITIATIVE, where 500 trees were planted by students from various schools and colleges of Ahmedabad. Each plant was named after the student and each student was given a “Vrukshmitra” certificate. With ICEC kick-starting its operations in Ahmedabad, the people and the business community of the state can now easily avail the many important services offered by the ICEC. The major services and activities of the ICEC include import sourcing from China, buyers/ distribution system for export to China, technology hunting, JV partnership identification – both sides, taking & hosting trade delegations, translation services, starting Chinese language courses in Ahmedabad, scholarships to study in China , China business tour planning with appointments & factory visits, exhibition plan – factory visit, inspection of goods, reference/ credibility check – all industry verticals, press coverage in China, tourism & cultural events – like building a culture centre at Kailash Mansarovar, research for the governments of India & China, advocacy in India & China, etc.
H.E. Mr. Zhang Yan giving the inaugral speech at the launch of Gujarat Chapter
H.E. Zhang Yan with Mr. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat
Mr. P.S. Deodhar addressing the audience at the launch of Gujarat Chapter
Chinese Delegation meeting Mr. Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group
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