Project China 2013 Report Book: Next Generation

Next Generation

Next Generation Bridging the gaps between the future leaders of China and Sweden since 2003

© Project China 2013 Text: Project China 2013 Editor: Anna Zhan Layout & Design: Anna Zhan Photos: Marcus Brate, Julia Freter, Johan Karlsson, Cecilia Liu Print: Elanders Fälth & Hässler Legally Reponsible Publisher: Olle Ericson, President of the Media Committee at SASSE Published by The Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics (SASSE) Stockholm, November 2013

Table of Contents 5 Introduction

Next Generation: PEOPLE 8 12 17 20 24 27 30

Are You Ready for China’s Next Generation?

Beauty Ideals From China with Love Does Change Leave Room for Tradition?

Chinese student in Sweden: Jia Liu Swedish student in China: Robert Odéen Swedish expat in Beijing: Anna Gross

Next Generation: CITIES 34 The Fastpaced Growth of China’s Megacities 39 Kunming 40 Chengdu 41 Tianjin 42 Wuhan 43 Chongqing 46 A Diary From the Countryside 49 Making Money Last 52 Love to Eat - Hate to Cook 54 Focused on a Green Future

Next Generation: TRENDS 60 Taobao 62 Weibo 66 The New Chinese 68 To be on a Chinese TV Show 71 China for Dummies - Things to Bear In Mind 72 A corporate perspective of China: Johan Björkstén, MSL China 75 A corporate perspective of China: Louise Hedberg, H&M 76 Travel Journal: The Geely Car Design Competition Winners

About PROJECT CHINA 80 The History of Project China 82 China Week 85 Sweden Day 86 The Project Group 92 Acknowledgements 94 Partner Companies, Collaborators and Project Sponsors

T

his year, Project China is extremely satisfied to have initiated a collaboration with our main sponsor: Geely. As a good example of Swedish-Chinese business relationship and a great company, Geely has made the 2013 edition of Project China into something spectacular.

First, Geely showed their interest in connecting the best students at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) with the highest level of Management at Volvo and Geely. Thanks to the participation of Mr Xiaolin Yuan, one of the most prominent board members of Volvo, students got to hear first-hand how hard Geely and Volvo are working together to make both companies better. Second, launching the unique car designing competition at KTH was a great opportunity for creative students, which showed the innovative and forward-looking business culture of Geely.

What has struck us during our contact with Geely is their immense will to look into the future and to give it their best. Few companies show so much willingness to grow and understand the need to invest in order to make it happen, something that is not obvious in today’s business climate. In order to succeed, you need to be pragmatic and willing to try new things, both of which Geely has shown us. Project China is extremely proud of having helped Geely present themselves to the students. We are very grateful for this year’s collaboration and look forward to future cooperation.

Kindly,

Johan Karlsson Project Manager

6

Cecilia Liu Project Manager

Introduction

Dear Reader, What you hold in your hands is the result of a project that started in 2003 as a collaboration between students at the Student Association at Stockholm School of Economics and the Royal Institute of Technology. Over the years, Project China has worked for improving cultural and professional exchange between Sweden and China, and has grown to become the largest student project with international focus in Sweden.

Project China 2013, being the eleventh consecutive year of the amazing project, has brought it to new levels; the university fairs we arrange in Sweden and China have been expanded, a competition was launched and new collaborations has begun. As we joined this project in November 2012, we embarked on a tremendous journey - both figuratively as we were put before countless challenges and opportunities, and literally on our month-long travel to China in the summer 2013.

As of this year’s report book, we have chosen to look forward.

China is in constant transition and development; it is growing faster, larger, stronger and higher. That is why we have chosen to focus on the Next Generation of China; its People, Cities and Trends. We strongly believe that these changes are not only going to have an impact nationally, but also affecting economy, society and people around the world, including you. Therefore, we want to take you there, bring you closer and let you take part in the change.

Read on, enjoy, and be part of the Next Generation!

Anna Zhan Report Book Manager

7

8

Next Generation: PEOPLE 9

Are You Ready for China’s Next Generation?

By Anna Zhan There is a new generation growing up in China today that has been called China’s Me Generation, consisting of little emperors and little princesses. In Chinese, they are called baling hou, the post-80’s generation. They are also known as the fourtwo-one phenomenon, after the family structure of four grandparents, two parents and one child. Clearly, it is a generation unlike any other.

T

he one-child policy in China established in 1979 is a law to control population growth by limiting parents in urban areas to having only one child. Even though the law does not apply to rural families, ethnic minorities and couples consisting of two only-children, it is estimated to have prevented about 250 million births to this day.

The young people born in the 80s and 90s have grown up in a time during which China’s economy has skyrocketed. They never experienced the poverty, the Cultural Revolution and Chairman Mao like their parents did.

The generation that grew up on the countryside during the middle of the 20th century lived through some of the experiences described vividly in Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan’s books.

They had to work hard, support their parents and siblings economically, in addition to giving their lives for their only-children.

In contrast, the new generation has seen its own city expand to double its size while the skylines rise higher above them every year.

10

They may have grown up as only-children, treasured and pampered by their four grandparents, but they are also more educated and international than any previous generation.

“My daughter belongs to the baling hou, which I do not have much faith in since they never seem to grow up. It was not until the series of events that followed my receiving of the Nobel Prize that I realized what she was really capable of” Mo Yan in Stockholm, Dec 2012 Pick a random young Chinese from the streets of an urban city today and you will find him or her drinking coffee at Starbucks, wearing Nike shoes and holding an iPhone.

But life does not necessarily come easy for the spoiled and overconfident youngsters; they

are facing other challenges than their parents did. In the absence of siblings, the whole family’s expectations and hopes are on you. With such a weight on your shoulders, how will you dare to fail?

Being born into the most populated country in the world must be like being born into the most intense rat race. The competition is extremely tough and starts as early as preschool, where parents fight over the limited places at the best kindergartens, and continues through primary and secondary school.

All this eventually culminates in the enormously competitive university entrance exam, gaokao. In 2010, more than 10 million students were competing for 6.5 million university places. For all of you who have suffered through the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (HĂśgskoleprovet), or even the SAT, the unfamous Chinese gaokao is about ten times worse. It is the moment that decides your entire future,

the moment that you have been preparing for your whole life.

For those lucky enough to get a university spot, new challenges await. The unemployment rate is more than 16% among urban 21 to 25 year-olds with an undergraduate degree or higher. As university enrollment has increased steadily over the past decade and forced the universities to expand, many students are coming out poorly qualified and lacking practical skills.

Sadly, the reality for many graduates is a university degree that is decreasing in value, making them take jobs that they are overqualified and underpaid for. That is why they have to be twice as ambitious as we Swedish students are.

Other than focusing on studies, we Swedish students also see ourselves as very social.

Have you ever thought that Chinese youngs-

11

ters grieve over not having access to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube? I do not really think they do. In fact, there are several Chinese substitutes and the most interesting one is Weibo. This Chinese equivalent of Twitter has 300 million users, including Bill Gates and Tom Cruise.

The most followed Weibo user is Chen Kun, an actor with the power of reaching 53 million people in just one click, beating Justin Bieber’s 42 million Twitter followers. (Read more about Weibo on p.62) Urban citizens practically live their lives through microblogs, to such an extent that

”Individualistic, materialistic and global - but also ambitious and motivated to make a better life for themselves” young people can sit around a dinner table without speaking to each other, busy with posting pictures and commenting each other’s posts on their smart phones. Obsessed with social networks, are young Swedes heading the same way?

In summary, the future of China, as well as the rest of the world, lies in the hands of this spoiled, well-educated, ambitious and global generation. Do I see myself as a part of China’s Next Generation? Yes, in some ways I do. We may face other challenges here in Sweden, but they are not as far away or as different from us as we may think.

By understanding China’s Next Generation and how they make their decisions, you will have a better understanding of what our future will look like. Take the chance to get to know China’s Next Generation now, and we can shape and create our future together.

Are you ready for the Next Generation?

12

Name: Frank Tang Age: 21 Hometown: Chengdu Current studies: Electrical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University What do you associate with Sweden?

I use many items from Sweden, such as H&M clothing and IKEA furnitures.

Also, I participated in the Sweden Day activity held by Project China with Swedish students. What’s more, Sweden is my dream place and I would like to visit it some day.

What are your career aspirations?

After finishing my Master studies at UCLA in Los Angeles, USA, I’m going to be an engineer and establish my own company.

What would you like foreigners to relate with young Chinese people?

In my opinion, Chinese young people don’t have enough chance to communicate with foreigners, especially those from a small city or the countryside, so I hope more foreigners can seek them instead. For example, foreigners can work as teachers to teach them languages and open their eyes to the outside world. Chinese young people are eager to know the world outside of China. So I think the activities of Project China are very successful.

And if you can hold activities in places that are less modernized, it would be even better.

Sign outside a popular cafĂŠ

Beauty Ideals

By Cecilia Liu Skin Colour

The beauty ideals in China are quite different from Sweden, perhaps even more so than you might expect. One of the first things you will notice is the obsession of being pale. At first glance, the beauty products look the same as in Sweden, but when you take a closer look you will notice that the popular bronzing and self-tanning products in Sweden are replaced by whitening creams and brightening products to meet the Chinese market demands.

On the streets, it is more a rule than exception to see young fashionable girls carrying umbrellas on sunny days to protect their skin from the sun rather than from the rain. They have most likely put on their whitening facial creams and a lot of sunscreen in the morning as well. This might seem ridiculous to Swedes who struggle every summer to get tanned.

In the end, it is about showing status and Westerners do this by traveling to a tropical destination while the Chinese try to avoid the sun exposure, since it is mostly farmers and migrant workers who are darkened by the sun through their daily work outdoors.

14

Pale and Pretty Equals Perfect?

The beauty sector is a growing business in China and plastic surgery gets more and more common as people start to have more money.

From a young age, Chinese girls get compared with other girls both by themselves and by the people in their surrounding. It is even common, and not considered rude, to comment on someone’s weight gain or skin colour. This, together with heavy media exposure, creates among young girls a strive to reach the unnatural beauty ideals that exists and are specific to China.

Double Eyelids As most of the Chinese people are born with small eyes, due to obvious genetic factors, they are fascinated by the Western ”double-eyelid” look. Many girls undergo surgery to get the right appearance, which is nowadays a simple procedure costing from a couple of thousand yuan (about the same amount in SEK). Girls even choose this surgical procedure as graduation or birthday present. In addition, there are popular contact lenses called meitong which make the eyes look bigger. The contact lens is slightly larger than the actual iris and thus creates an enlarging effect.

Slim Physique and Being Tall The Chinese have a different view of the physique. You seldom see advertisement or famous people with defined muscles or curves - they are all very skinny. Even for guys, a huge muscular body is not always desired. The fact that skinny comes at the cost of female curves does not seem like an issue. The young Chinese girls do not strive to be sexy and female the way girls do in Sweden. Instead, cute and innocent is the way to go. ”Many Chinese men like very skinny legs.

It is not healthy and I think it is more important to look proportional”, says 28-year-old Tao Li from Shanghai.

The Western Look Many people claim that the treatments girls undergo is supposed to make them more beautiful and enhance their own features. Nonetheless it is mainly to look more Caucasian; the big eyes, high nose and pale porcelain skin they desire are all typical western features.

The Western beauty ideals of having a curvy figure, big breasts and a pouting butt however do not seem to concern the Chinese, they focus mainly on the Western face. ”There are not many people doing boob jobs here as in the US for example”, continues Tao Li. ”Instead I have friends who have taken shoulian zhen (thin face needle) and it makes their face less round and the chin appear more pointy. I don’t know how that works though.”

15

What does the next generation Chinese girls think about this?

If you are considered beautiful in China, it can prove to be very beneficial. Many jobs nowadays, especially in the service sector, demand a certain height or absurd requirements such as symmetric breasts. ”It is not easy for young people in China nowadays. There is a lot of pressure to have a career and at the same time look pretty, especially for girls”, Fanny Wang from Shandong province says.

Nevertheless, some parts of the upper middle class in the big cities seem to start break up from the traditional view of beauty. ”Most people still think pale complexion is the most beautiful, and the paler the better.

However, I prefer to tan a little bit and get a skin colour that is healthy”, says Tao Li. She continues to talk about the eyes: ”I have friends who have done the double eyelid surgery. It is not expensive anymore, but I would never do it since I am too scared of the complications and it is not natural.”

The beauty complex exists everywhere in the world and put a lot of pressure on the young generation. When asked about the desire for a Western-looking face but not a curvy figure, Fanny Wang says: ”We have to sit at least 14 hour per day and study, it is not surprising that Chinese girls’ butts are flat!”

16

17

18

From China with Love

By Nickilina Heikkilä and Julia Freter While walking the streets of Beijing, it did not take too long until we noticed something that caught our interest – there were couples all over the streets. We saw people holding hands everywhere, guys giving girls a lift on a bike or men carrying their girlfriend’s purse. Where are all the Chinese singles? With this initial thought in mind we noticed more and more differences between the ways of dating in China compared to Sweden.

T

his article has its origin from one of the funniest scenarios that we had the pleasure to witness during our stay in Beijing. We spent one evening watching a concert at the Tsinghua University campus. All around us mainly couples were to be seen, but one of them caught our interest. Both the girl and the boy where wearing mouth protection covering almost the entire face while watching the concert, arms wrapped tightly around each other. This was not really a romantic scenery in our eyes.

Furthermore, girls did not seem to take a bike alone, but instead, always got a lift by a boy.

We actually tried this way of getting around and cannot recommend it in a city like Beijing.

While travelling through China, we found that the only change in transportation became the use of motorcycles instead of bikes. Are guys in China the typical gentleman that is about to disappear in Sweden?

With this question in mind we took the train from Beijing to Shanghai. On the train we were told that guys in Shanghai are known for being the “housewife” in a relationship. In detail this means that they serve their girlfriends dinner and, at least according to our sources,

”What woman would not like a man, who carries her handbag and cooks for her?” start to care about their own looks (but we do not quite agree). There a three words to describe a Shanghainese man – Ma da dao (shop, wash, cook). A deeper research about the typical Shanghai-guy revealed that these guys are actually in great demand in China and the world according to the Global Times.

Apparently, they are seen as high-quality husbands and the rumors have also reached foreign women. Every year, about 300 foreign

19

women marry a Shanghai man. What makes them so attractive compared to other men?

One part of it seems to be their mild temperament, their respect for their brides, but also that Shanghai has become more open to foreigners is an important fact. What woman would not like a man, who carries her handbags and cooks for her?

But Shanghai actually exposed one of the great mysteries regarding the relationship status of Chinese people; all the singles hide in tunnels. This may seem a bit strange, but our journey proved that this was a widespread pheno-

”The scene that met our eyes, were tunnels with walls covered in advertisements of singles searching for a partner” menon in the Middle Kingdom. The scene that met our eyes, were tunnels with walls covered in advertisements of singles searching for a partner.

Apparently, most of these adverts were written by concerned parents and contained their child’s age, height, education, salary, job, whether they owned an apartment or not, as well as strict requirements of a potential partner with everything from length to monthly income. Isn’t that charming?

These tunnels called marriage markets or matchmaking corners are filled with concerned parents every Saturday and Sunday, where they try to find a partner for their child.

Many times the child has returned from overseas studies and find it too late to efficiently meet a partner. For them, it is not that important, but for their parents holding traditional values it is a big issue since creating a family is essential.

20

Finding a partner takes time and some of them wait for several years to finally succeed (if they do). But do the grown up children really agree on their parent finding their one true love on a market for them? Not really, many times they don’t even know what their parents are doing.

All in all the only thing parents thrive for is to help their child to find Mr. or Mrs. Right.

A glimpse of light, at least for all women in China, is the excess of approximately 24 million Chinese bachelors due to gender imbalance – they will surely find someone they can fall in love with.

An article published by CNN points out that one reason for all this networking-dating could come from the one-child policy. Many

years ago dating-tunnels did not exist, so where did they come from?

The article claims that because children nowadays don’t grow up together with any siblings their social skills are limited, which makes the search for a partner more difficult.

This could also explain why we met many very shy Chinese people on our trip through the country. The matchmaking events are therefore seen as a way of social interaction and experience.

From Shanghai to Chengdu the scenery for these rendezvouses was moved out into the bright daylight of a nice park.

Here we experienced the task of dating first hands; one of us was followed by a very inte-

”Maybe finding the one in a country with 1.3 billion people is like finding a needle in a haystack” rested man in his best years (read: old) who wanted a foreigner as his wife. Though he was not very picky, as the first girl ran away he quickly turned to the next foreigner. He really knows how to make a girl feel special.

To sum up our experience of Chinese dating is that people don’t seem to be searching for their one true match, instead it almost seems like they are keener about having someone.

Maybe finding the one in a country with 1.3 billion people is like finding a needle in a haystack.

21

Does Change Leave Room for Tradition?

By Julia Freter and Nickilina Heikkilä What happens to the Middle Kingdom as it more and more implements the Western way of living? Will the traditions and virtues that have been the base of society survive or be displaced by new influences?

W

hen we picture China, we see green rice fields, farmers with the typical rounded hat and entire families working together; a peaceful China. This was before we arrived in Beijing, full of pollution and people.

Of course we knew about the environmental issues and the problems arising from a rapidly growing population China face at the moment. Still we wanted to believe in the pictures spread by movies of the ancient culture and traditions that made China what it is today.

To begin with, what exactly is the typical Chinese tradition and culture? This is as hard to answer as the question about what is happening with it. China is such a large country; driven by different values across the regions that only some characteristics seem to build up the entire society and they have changed throughout the years.

The set of values comes partly from the Confucianism and is expressed in the word ren which means love or benevolence. This influences the relationships between all groups in China, where the most important relationships are represented in the box below.

Between elderly and young people (family) - filial piety (孝 xiao) Between brothers or siblings - siblings love (悌 ti) Between friends - trust (信 xin), honesty (誠 cheng), righteousness (義 yi) Between nations and citizens - loyalty (忠 zhong) Between people - forbearance (恕 shu)

22

But not only Confucianism has left its mark on Chinese culture and tradition. The influences from Taoism and Buddhism have been as important to politics, philosophy and religion and a mixture of these three has built up society to what it is today.

Confucianism lies behind the social hierarchy and respect for society, Taoism promotes the philosophy of inaction while Buddhism highlights self-emancipation through good deeds. This led to a collective thinking among Chinese people.

As James Palmer, a British writer, describes it, there is a rising gap between the generations in China. The generation of the Cultural Revolution where raised under completely different values influenced by the Maoism.

Their children are facing a difficult situation, with their parents trying to influence

One of the first things we were told in China was that a big issue nowadays is that the elderly population can no longer rely on their children to take care of them. This change may be partly driven by that many young Chinese

Zhang Jun, 26, PhD student

”Small political changes, e.g. a more open economy, contribute to a step away from Confucianism toward a modern and more global way of thinking” people go abroad to study or work and the older generations are left behind.

While talking to many of the students at the universities it was not hard to notice that many of them where dreaming of going on exchange abroad. The values arising from the filial piety are declining in importance. Also the small political changes, for example a more open economy, contribute to a step away from Confucianism toward a modern and more global way of thinking.

“In my opinion, Chinese traditions are affected a lot by the foreign style of living, especially among young people. For example, more and more people are willing to celebrate Christmas instead of just Spring Festival. I think we should learn from the Western style of living, but at the same time, we should keep our own traditions and values and it’s very important”, says 21-year-old Tang Tianlei.

“It is not just a generation gap.

It is a values gap, a wealth gap, an education gap, a relationship gap, an information gap” them to live the life they never could live, while the children themselves want to experience the world on their own.

Here again the Confucianism enters the picture, addressing the children’s debt to their parents. This is actually written down in Chinese law and if you do not support your elderly parents this could get you a jail term. The burden put on the next generation is heavy, because the one-child policy forces one child to take care of his or her parents, which used to be divided among several siblings.

The most influential factor changing the way of living in China, besides the reforms and economy, may be the change in population.

The combination of a rising life expectancy among Chinese and a falling fertility cause the change in social values. “Ren” disappears or at least gets less influential, while a more individualistic thinking society is waiting around the corner.

The future will prove if the next generation will manage to combine the traditional values with the changes caused by domestic as well as foreign influence. The changes that can be observed right now are disturbing and require action. Maybe the Middle Kingdom is growing too fast to reflect the transformation in its social structure throughout all generations.

23

Chinese student in Sweden: Jia Liu

By Xintong Zhang

What are Chinese students’ views on the study-abroad generation?

What has been their biggest challenge so far?

What are their career aspirations?

Regarding the theme of this year, we wanted to explore a Chinese student’s view on Sweden, Stockholm and the study experience. Meet Jia Liu who will share her experience of her first year in Sweden.

“A

fter I graduated from Zhejiang University in July 2012, I came to Sweden to pursue further study, becoming a master student majoring in Industrial Management at KTH. In my eyes, Sweden has always been a fairy tale world and a creative place where such a small population leads amazing world-class technologies. Moreover, education at Swedish universities is known for its close relationship with companies which is totally different from my previous experience. Luckily, I got a scholarship from KTH which would cover my whole tuition fee. So Sweden became my best choice and I have always felt really wise to seize the chance of studying here.”

Nowadays there are more and more Chinese students going abroad for further studies since Chinese families are getting richer and people’s views are broader. Overseas study experience can sometimes no longer give students absolute advantages in their career as it could 20 years ago, which

26

Name: Jia Liu Age: 23 Hometown: Liaoning Current studies: Master program in Industrial Management at The Royal Institute of Technology

means they really need to achieve excellent professional knowledge and skills, instead of simply being content with getting a diploma.

“Education here in Sweden can provide even more than what we need, so all we should do is to make full use of all the recourses during this valuable period of time.”

For Jia’s career aspirations, she wants to find a job and work in Sweden after her studies at KTH. Her ideal option is to work in an industrial company where she can apply her knowledge about optimization of flow line into practice.

After around three years’ working experience, she hopes to be able to speak fluent Swedish and have valuable working experience. It will then be her right time to go back to China to pursue a bright career.

As for many other Chinese students, the biggest challenges so far is firstly learning Swedish and secondly finding a job or internship in Sweden.

“It will probably work for a Chinese student to find a job as a software developer or something similar without speaking Swedish, but not for me.

If I want to find a job or internship related to indu-

”In my eyes, Sweden has always been a fairy tale world and a creative place where such a small population leads amazing worldclass technologies” strial management, I have to be fluent in Swedish and in the meantime keep practicing my English.

Moreover, considering the limited time, I need to develop some other useful competiveness in order to make up for the inadequacy of language”, says Jia. On what she likes about Sweden, Jia mentions a long list of things that many Swedes take for granted.

“Despite all those difficulties, I enjoy my studies and life in Sweden. As a capital, Stockholm is so quiet and tidy, with an amazing archipelago and beautiful water areas. Also, fewer tourists make this city safe and idyllic. It is never hard to find a peaceful and quite place to sit and relax, enjoying the best views and breathing the fresh air”, says Jia. In addition, Swedish welfare is something much better than she expected. Just looking at

”In Sweden, there is almost no hierarchy system, so I can just talk to company representatives or even professors in an informal way” what she has benefited, it is completely free to learn Swedish at SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) and possible to attend as many classes as you want of different levels.

“This policy makes many friends of mine who are studying in other European countries envy me a lot”, she says with a smile.

Continuing the list of what she enjoys with living here, Jia mentions the public libraries in the city where you can spend a nice afternoon and borrow books without any charge or annual fee.

What makes her life as a student even more colorful is the many interesting activities taking place at campus.

“KTH provides all students countless opportunities to meet people from famous companies all over Sweden, in the form of job fairs, lunch lectures and even guest lectures within certain courses. In Sweden, there is almost no hierarchy system, so I can just talk to company representatives or even professors in an informal way, which is great. All in all, I enjoy my study life in Sweden a lot!”

27

You are what you do

By working with the global leader in purifying, refining and recycling innovation, professionals at Alfa Laval make a career of building a better world.

Do extraordinary. With Alfa Laval. www.alfalaval.com/career www.alfalaval.com.cn Alfa Laval in China Sales office: Shanghai · Beijing · Guangzhou · Wuhan · Chengdu · Xi’an · Qingdao · Dalian · Shenyang · Hongkong · Urumqi Service center: Kunshan · Jiangyin · Shenyang · Chengdu · Shenzhen · Hongkong · Jiaozhou Factory: Jiangyin · Kunshan · Jiaozhou

www.alfalaval.com

Swedish student in China: Robert Odéen

By Ingrid Eelde Koivisto Many Swedish students are interested in learning Chinese and curious about the Chinese culture. Surely, if you should learn a new language today, it would be Chinese. But watching the Middle Kingdom from a distance is nothing like a firsthand experience. Robert Odéen is one of those who took the step to discover what China had for him.

Why did you go to China?

Moving to China was an easy decision to make. My interest for China and Chinese culture started in High School since I attended a Chinese-oriented program where I got the chance to visit both Beijing and Shanghai for a couple of weeks.

I have now lived in Shanghai for two years.

To be so far from family and friends was of course hard at first but it is easy to find new friends, especially in Shanghai. I would say that it is hard to “prepare” oneself to go to China. I thought that I was prepared after getting all the papers such as visa and health check done. But the most important thing is to be open-minded and embrace all the challenges that you will encounter. Patience will probably be the biggest of them all.

Was it difficult to learn Chinese? What were the challenges?

To study Chinese is very interesting but you have to have a good measure of discipline and focus. If you have never studied Chinese before you have to pay close attention to the teacher the first week since the first lessons are focused on practicing different tones and intonation. I was lucky because I had studied some basic Chinese in High School which helped me a lot. The teachers’ way of teaching differs from typical Swedish teachers. The tempo is high and the teachers presume that you will

Name: Robert Odéen Age: 21 Hometown: Svenljunga Current studies: Mandarin at Fudan University, Shanghai learn everything they write on the blackboard by the next day.

The easiest part when it comes to study Chinese is to actually study - read texts, practice characters and grammar exercises. The hard part is to practice what you have learned.

Fudan University recommends us to spend at least one hour per day speaking Chinese. That

29

was by far the hardest part for me. But it got better as I met more and more Chinese people that wanted to chat.

How is the life in Shanghai?

A normal day in my China-life is simple. I wake up in the apartment which I share with my three Swedish friends and simply go to school to study. In my spare time I play football with the Fudan International Football Team as well as with the Danish team “Shanghai Vikings”. The life of a foreigner in China is in many ways simple since it is still quite cheap to live. Shanghai is a wonderful, dynamic and growing city. I love the feeling of opportunity and faith in the future that I have felt so many times here.

During my time in China I have had several different jobs such as club promoter, waiter and general promoting tasks. To be a part of an organization as big and important as

”The easiest part when it comes to study Chinese is to actually study - read texts, practice characters and grammar exercises.

The hard part is to practice what you have learned” Young Professionals in such a dynamic city is by far my best experience to date. I was elected Member of the Board in February and my role was to run the organization together with my board colleagues and the Chairman. I am very happy that I got the chance meet so many interesting people. [The Young Professionals in Shanghai is a part of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce China and works actively to organize a wide range of events.]

How do you look at the cultural differences between Sweden and China?

One big pillar in the Chinese culture is family and friends. Since China does not have any

30

social security as Sweden do, they have to rely on their family and friends. This fact has shaped the Chinese culture for generations and affects their everyday life and decisions they make in it.

When it comes to the Chinese students around my age they are as any other student.

I have got many good Chinese friends that I have shared many funny and interesting moments with. I would say that most of them are

”I have changed my way of thinking. I have more of an international point of view and a greater understanding of how different countries interact and are dependent of each other” very interested and curious of the western way of life and particularly what goals we have in life and so on, just as I am curious about them.

What have you learnt from these two years in China?

I have learnt a lot in China except for Chinese, culture and getting around Shanghai. I would say that I changed my way of thinking.

I have more of an international point of view and a greater understanding of how different countries interact and are dependent of each other. I think most of us who have lived abroad share this experience.

Last but not least, what are your plans for the future?

I will definitely return to Shanghai! The only thing I have to do is to finish university in Sweden and then I am on my way back. Hopefully working as a business lawyer!

My world-class challenge

Linking Atlas Copco to our customers Bruno Manzini Convento, Project Leader, Brazil All projects and machines are special. And I am the link between the customer and Atlas Copco. This is a challenging task as I must capture each customer’s specific need and apply it to the equipment, while ensuring that their solution meets the requirements of quality, productivity and ergonomics. In other words, we can build two identical machines and incorporate different applications to make each machine customer specific. Always with safety in focus.

Atlas Copco is an industrial group with world-leading positions in compressors, expanders and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. We offer you world-class challenges and responsibility from day one. This includes creating your own career path in our open culture.

Read more at atlascopco.se/careers

Swedish expat in Beijing: Anna Gross

The Puzzling Face of Cultural Exchange in Beijing

A

month or so after I moved to China I received an email from my friend criticizing me for not having made many Chinese friends during my time in Beijing. Her email caught me off guard and really sparked an irritation. Moving to Beijing was a big step and there was so much to adapt to.

Was I not entitled to some English-speaking, Youtube-watching, Facebook-having friends that reminded me of life back home?

Despite my irritation, I knew from experience that 99% of the time this girl made good points. I sulked for a while, feeling angry and misunderstood before I swallowed my pride and moved on, keeping in mind to try to understand her criticism and grasp opportunities to see more of the Chinese culture.

A few weeks later the full implications of my friend’s words hit me. There is only one way to truly experience Chinese culture exchange, and that is to be completely immersed in it. Becoming a part of Beijing’s international community does not qualify. In fact, sometimes it may create even bigger barriers, as this community allows detachment from the Chinese culture by creating a dangerously safe distance from which to observe it.

The sadness of this realization lays in the fact that part of the open mindedness that inspires students to move abroad in the first place is lost somewhere between the separate international dorms and the lack of integration into Chinese student culture.

Even more alarming is that with the authority of someone living in China people ease into a role of entitlement to generalize the Chinese culture. Hanging vaguely in the air is a sense of “us” and “them” that infiltrates people’s thoughts and causes students to draw general conclusions about Chinese culture. Is this not exactly how prejudice is born?

As exchange students, we can break free from it only if we allow ourselves to be the sole variable in an already established cultural equation. We need to be put in the centre of the culture to an extent where we become part of it.

32

One problem is, of course, that without a Chinese appearance, foreigners will never be able to blend in as locals in Beijing, which does make it more difficult for students to see themselves as anything else. However, with a bit of effort there are some aspects in the nature of the exchange that can be turned into advantages. First, as exchange students we initially come to Beijing driven by a will for culture exchange, and second, many Chinese people take an interest in learning about western culture, making it easy to approach people and make new friends.

Despite my cynicism, I should point out that I have met many interesting and open-minded people within the frames of this international community that I have just butchered with criticism. It definitely lives up to the positive ring of an “international community�, where a diverse group of people come together to create a new culture, and I would never be able to swear it off completely.

In conclusion, living in a foreign country requires great care not to step in the minefield of generalizations that can so easily be blown out of proportion. It is important that exchange students make an effort to reach out of this hazardous zone and create a network of good, Chinese friends, both to learn their language and also so that they can, once home again, speak of the Chinese culture as one that they partly see as their own – thus fulfilling the goal of culture exchange.

Anna Gross came to China on a Confucius Institute scholarship and spent two years at Peking University studying Chinese. While in China she also co-founded the web-based journal Far and Wide (www.farandwide.org) to encourage people to share their ideas and inspire debate. Now on the move again, she is preparing to commence a three-year History degree at the University of Oxford.

33

34

Next Generation: CITIES 35

The Fastpaced Growth of China’s Megacities

By Marcus Brate Today, urbanization is on a scale and at a speed never witnessed before in human history. It is bringing many changes in the social, economic, and political lives of people living all over the world. The milestone of more than half of the world’s population being urban has been reached so we are now looking at an urban future, in which all eyes will be on Asia and a country that will greatly contribute to the age of megacities: China.

I

t is estimated that by 2030, about 300 million migrants from the countryside will have become urban residents and China’s total urban population may have reached 70% (around 1 billion people), rising from just 26% in 1990.

Altogether, there will be 221 cities with more than 1 million residents and eight cities each exceeding populations of 10 million, so called megacities. In 1950 there was only one urban area in the world qualifying as a megacity, New York City. Today there are dozens of them and the very largest ones are all to be found in Asia. Not unexpectedly, it is China that has the highest number of megacities.

This change from the West to the East is a result of both a stagnating urbanization rate in North America and Western Europe, as well as the rest of the world catching up on their head start.

To accommodate the migration from the countryside enormous sums will have to be spent on infrastructure. China has prepared the expansion relatively well; the government has planned ahead and for example telecom-

36

”China is to account for 28% of total global infrastructure investment through 2030, and in terms of floor space it is the equivalent of building one New York every two years” munications networks have been plotted out, land has been allocated for upcoming projects and substantial investments have been made in infrastructure, which has also been a significant factor to China’s high GDP growth.

A McKinsey report shows that China is to account for 28% of total global infrastructure investment through 2030, and in terms of floor space it is the equivalent of building one New York every two years.

No wonder foreign architects and designers are pouring into China for work opportunities. For example Shanghai Tower, currently on the way of becoming China’s tallest building and the second tallest in the world after Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is designed by San Francisco based Gensler. China is a dream for developers and construction companies.

Among the megacities of China we find its ancient capital, Beijing. It is a city where traditional hutongs, alleyways, are demolished to make room for new roads and buildings, where the subway system is being heavily upgraded (it became the longest in the world in 2012), and where its airport has quickly climbed the ranks of the world’s largest airports.

Only half an hour away from Beijing, thanks to the rapidly expanding network of high-speed trains, lays Tianjin, another city having experienced growth that is without resemblance. It among some people that this proximity to Beijing can be used to ease the capital’s problem with overpopulation.

Further down the coast, in the financial center Shanghai, an extensive system of satellite cities is being built to house its growing population, and the Port of Shanghai recently overtook Singapore as the world’s busiest container port.

In 1980 there was not a single skyscraper to be seen; today there are twice as many as in New York. But it is not only migrants from the

countryside that are contributing to this urban growth, Shanghai is one of the most popular cities among foreigners moving to China, already having large expatriate communities,

”Shanghai recently overtook Singapore as the world’s busiest container port” and is often the city of choice for expanding companies setting up their head office in China.

Beijing and Shanghai are cities known by everyone; they are popular tourist destinations in Asia and they are regularly mentioned in mass media.

But other cities like Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu and Guangzhou are often only known to those having been in contact with or have an interest in China. Looking at many of the major cities in Europe, for example Berlin at about 3 million residents, which is hard to think of as small, one realizes that this what it really is compared to these rapidly growing Chinese cities.

37

Undeniably this explosive urbanization and forming of megacities are bringing on challenges in proportions never seen before. The cities are growing upward as well as outward, meaning vast areas of the countryside are being consumed and it all comes with a price.

“Urbanization is a complex and big project that will trigger profound changes in economy and society. It needs to be supported by integrated reforms in many different areas,” China’s recently inaugurated Prime Minister Li Keqiang said in a press conference, and he has early expressed that urbanization will be of his top priorities.

Some problems that may rise are chronic urban unemployment if not enough jobs are available and increased social unrest over land disputes. Furthermore, the wealth gap between rural and urban areas is growing with urbanization, as well as creating a housing bubble because of the booming construction.

But China’s biggest urban challenge may very well be water shortage, a serious problem

38

that is already imminent; the actual amount of water may not be a problem, but the location and transportation of it is. Inevitably, there is also the pollution problem.

With that said, China’s leaders are definitely up for some tough challenges. There have been indicators to reforming the hukou, a household registration system that prevents millions of rural migrants settling in cities to enjoy basic social services. Other important steps have been taken to address the housing bubble as well as environmental concerns, where China is already ahead of the US in the development of sustainable building technologies and clean-energy alternatives.

Ultimately, almost all socio-economic aspects of China are affected by the urbanization; the question is whether sufficient action has been taken to make it a sustainable one and not just an uncontrolled rush to boost economic growth. This is also all of great importance for the whole current world economy, as China could contribute in rebalancing it.

”The cities are growing upward as well as outward, meaning vast areas of the countryside are being consumed and it all comes with a price”

Shenzhen, the second fastest growing city of the past decade, was once a sleepy fishing village and in 1979 home to 30,000 people.

Today it is a 12 million people metropolis, and the rise has been so quick that Asia Society has called it a “city without history”.

The starting signal for Shenzhen, and many other cities like it, was Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms which involved decentralizing agriculture, allowing entrepreneurs to start-up businesses and opening up China to foreign investment. This is the man, who after Mao Zedong’s death, led China towards a market economy, and is often credited with turning the country into one of the world’s fastest growing economies for over 30 years and improving the standard of living for hundreds of millions of Chinese.

39

Which Chinese cities do you know apart from Beijing and Shanghai?

It’s time to get to know some of China’s upcoming megacities!

Tianjin

Chengdu

Chongqing

Kunming

40

Wuhan

Next Generation City: Kunming

By Josefin Halvarsson

Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles

The City of Eternal Spring Kunming lies in the Yunnan province in the south-west of China bordering Burma, Laos and Vietnam. It is a province with great diversity both culturally, with all the ethnical minorities living there, but also biologically with rainforests in the south and dry, snowy climate in the mountains in the north-west.

Due to its geographical position, Kunming has mild year-round temperatures and flowers blooming all year round, hence being known as The City of Eternal Spring.

A visit to the Green Lake Park is a definite must, strolling around the large network of waterways and small paths were you can witness the fantastic water lily covered ponds and see the sun reflect in the water.

During our first lunch in Kunming, we came across this famous and unusual noodle dish with an interesting name. A big bowl of boiled chicken broth was placed before us, together with half-cooked rice noodles, raw meat, fresh vegetables and mushroom in small side plates. As we sat there busy with organizing all the different plates, our group member Xintong told us the romantic origin of crossing-the-bridge noodles: The legend behind it involved a student who was studying at an island away from home. His devoted wife wanted to bring him food but had to cross a long bridge to get there, so by the time she reached him the food had gone cold. She figured that she could keep the broth warm by adding a bit of oil to it and put the noodles together with the raw ingredients in another container. When she arrived to her husband, she would mix the soup with the ingredients into a warming noodle soup that warmed his body and soul.

Needless to say that after hearing this story, the noodles did indeed taste very good!

41

Next Generation City: Chengdu

By Philip Shen

Home of the Spiciest Food in China During our time in China, we spent two days in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in central China, known for its hot cuisine. The spicy food was something none of us missed during our first meal in Chengdu, starved after a twenty-two hour train ride from Shanghai. Even when ordering extra mild food there were several in the group who still had a hard time eating it, as it was said that the chilli flavour from the spicy food was stuck in the pan, which made even unflavoured food spicy once being stir-fried.

Still, we were curious about trying the infamously spicy ma la hotpot, and it was undoubtedly hot, and delicious. Flavoured with Sichuan pepper, it left our tongues with a numbing feeling and our mouths were burning.

We learned from this experience that the best way of relieving the burning feeling was to drink coconut milk and eat a lot of rice, which we certainly did during the rest of our stay in Chengdu.

42

The Chengdu Way of Living Everyone was really tired after the long train trip to Chengdu and the outside temperature was 36째C, so we decided to take it easy the first day. Something we quickly noticed was people playing mahjong. We found that it was a very popular activity, for some as indispensable as eating and sleeping.

Chengdu citizens are known for having a relaxed and unhurried lifestyle, gathering in tea houses with friends and playing mahjong.

We went for a try but got very confused in the beginning since the Chengdu-style mahjong had different rules, and discovered that people in our group did not play by the same rules either. After some discussion we finally agreed on how to play and immersed ourselves into the Chengdu way of living.

Next Generation City: Tianjin

By Josefin Halvarsson

Once Ruled by Nine Countries

A Gateway to the World Tianjin lies just half-an-hour’s train ride south-east of Beijing by the Bohai Gulf.

At an early stage, the city functioned as an important transportation hub for Beijing and a gateway to the rest of the world. The trade from already established European countries led to growth in certain industries like glass and salt manufacture as well as the textile industry.

This industrialization is one of the factors for the rapid growth of the city and the urbanization that followed. Today, it is a metropolis and railway hub with high speed rail transport to Shanghai, Qingdao and Hangzhou.

How about finding yourself in a French or Italian street in the middle of a Chinese city you have never heard of? Between 1860 and 1945, Tianjin was divided into concession territories to Britain, France, America, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, Austria-Hungary and Belgium.

Today, these foreign influences can be seen through the European architecture and industries that arose during this period. If you stroll around the area of Munan Dao or Jiefang Lu, you can travel from a picturesque Paris to the streets of London and end up outside a neo-Gothic cathedral.

Nevertheless, today’s modernized Tianjin has more of a Manhattan skyline with high buildings reaching to the sky and water runner through the city center, but the traces of history can still be found in the remainders of the foreign rule.

43

Next Generation City: Wuhan

By Josefin Halvarsson

The Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the biggest holidays in China and is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival originated in Wuhan and dates back to around 278 B.C. An advisor to the Emperor of the Chu Kingdom predicted the fall of the Kingdom and was turned to exile by his fellow ministers, after which he committed suicide in the Miluo River.

Since he was a greatly admired and beloved person, people took their boats and raced out to the river. In order to scare of the fish from eating the corpse, they played drums and threw sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, zongzi, into the water.

Today, people celebrate the festival by eating the pyramid-shaped zongzi and arrange dragon boat races where teams race their dragon-shaped boats to a drumbeat competing to reach the finish line first.

44

The Next World Metropolis?

Wuhan’s local government announced on July 2013 that they intended to transform the city into a world-class cosmopolitan metropolis by 2049, comparable to New York, London and Tokyo. With its great location in central China, a pathway to nine provinces and the Yangtze River, as well as housing one of the best universities in the country, the government wants to attract foreign investment in order to realize the dream.

This industrial city has a long history of being the capital of several Chinese kingdoms and was possessed by five European concessions during the mid-19th century, similar to Tianjin. The government of Wuhan is dreaming big – time will proof if they will surpass Beijing, Shanghai and other financial cities in China on the way to reach the desired international status.

Next Generation City: Chongqing

By Philip Shen

The Unknown Biggest City in the World Chongqing is one of China’s four directly controlled municipalities along with Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. As a home for 32 million people, it makes Chongqing the biggest city, or municipality, in the world.

Not only is it large, but also one the fastest growing cities in China and the rest of the world. It is an example of the rapid urbanization in China with more than 1,300 people moving to the city each day, and countless tower cranes creating towering blocks for shopping malls, residents and offices. To drive through the city feels like driving through a never-ending construction site which is not that strange when 140,000 square metres of usable floor space is constructed every day.

China’s Detroit Chongqing may be a centre for chemicals, textiles, engineering, and the home of Asia’s largest aluminium plant, but it is the expanding motor vehicle industry that has led to the city being described as “China’s Detroit”.

There are 17 auto manufacturing enterprises in Chongqing, producing 550,000 cars and 90,000 trucks a year. Large amounts of money are being invested in the industry; production of automobiles reached 1.15 million RMB in the first half of 2013, which is a 19.2% increase from last year, according to Chongqing Economy and Information Commission.

Due to the rising demand of the growing middle class, China is estimated to overtake the US as the world’s largest car market in the coming years.

45

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven, integrated bio-pharmaceutical company, which provides many areas of medicines: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and metabolism, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology, anesthesia and infection. Most of its products are world-leading in their respective areas.

As a global bio-pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca is committed to improve health, finding solutions that will help drive improved health through collaboration. Our mission is to make the most meaningful difference to health through great medicines that bring benefit for patients, add value for our stakeholders, our business and society.

AstraZeneca is committed to developing and manufacturing innovative medicines to deal with the world’s most serious health challenges. AstraZeneca is active in more than 100 countries, with 23 manufacturing bases in 16 countries and 51,700 employees. AstraZeneca grows fast in China, Brazil, Mexico and Russia. In 2012, AstraZeneca’s global sales revenue exceeded 28 billion US dollars.

AstraZeneca in China AstraZeneca China’s headquarters is in Shanghai, business covering all the major cities of China, including Hong Kong region, with 5,000 employees. AstraZeneca is committed to being "In China, For China; In China, For Global" with long-term planning and investment.

As the core of the Asia-Pacific strategy, AstraZeneca China has become the command center of the future development of Asia Pacific, product research and development center, and the market supply center. Therefore, based on the corporate vision of "In China, For China; In China, For Global", China has become the core of company's APAZ strategy. While growing along with China market, AstraZeneca has increased investment in China continuously and developed the strategic organizational structure: One of the 3 headquarters: Shanghai becomes the headquarters of APAZ region, as one of the three headquarters besides Wilmington and London, this symbolizes China's importance in the company's global strategy; 2 manufacturing bases: Wuxi supply base and Taizhou manufacturing base. The 2 bases in China will become the supply center for China, APAZ and global market; 1 R&D center: China Innovation Center. The R&D center is focused on the discovery and development of new drugs specifically targeting diseases that are more prevalent in Asia, catering to local needs in China; 1 clinical operation hub, which delivers the global/regional and also China stand alone studies across different indications and therapeutic areas from phase I to phase III. AstraZeneca is committed to be the leading bio-pharmaceutical company in China, and the best at good corporate citizenship, innovation and broad market generics. We are dedicated to be the most respected bio-pharmaceutical company by industry, partners, patients and the staff. As the frontrunner in prescription drug market for years and a responsible corporate citizen, AstraZeneca sticks to the highest standards on drug quality in the industry. Taking drug quality and patient safety as top priority, the company has constructed a complicated and effective quality control system, which covers each single aspect of operations including research and development, clinical trial, raw materials sourcing and manufacturing etc.

A Diary From the Countryside

By Anna Zhan

Dear diary,

T

oday is my fifth day on the countryside and I have to admit that I’ve gotten used to this lifestyle - quiet and worry-free, far from urban stress. The day usually starts with the old lady next-door who comes shouting with fresh vegetables or newly laid eggs in a basket. The custom of bringing food to each other is evident when vegetables and homemade dishes arrive every now and then, especially when everybody knows we’ve come all the way from Sweden to visit.

So how did I end up here? Well, dear old grandma decided to take a leave from Guangzhou, with its 12 million inhabitants and smoggy air, to spend some time in our lao jia, meaning old home. I tried to google the address 广东省潮州 市饶平县饶洋镇陈坑村 before we got here, but didn’t find anything other than a small dot in the middle nowhere in Southern China, a place where not even the postal service reaches.

The brick stone-houses, wandering dogs and chicken poop on the roads are all clear signs of the countryside. Some 40-50 years ago, the whole country lived like this, whereas today most people live in the cities. Local villagers say that agriculture isn’t much to make a living on nowadays, which is why I’ve seen so many empty fields that nobody’s farming. The majority has gone out to work in the cities and the people left here are either white-haired or baby-haired.

This village holds a lot for me since it’s my native place. Yesterday, when I walked down the empty street during the afternoon siesta, wu xiu, I imagined how my ancestors walked up and down on the cobblestones every day, and maybe even slipped on them when it rained. They are all Hakka people and speak a regional dialect of Chinese called ke jia hua, which for me is an unintelligible mix between Cantonese and Mandarin. It’s such a pity I don’t speak it (although Mandarin, Cantonese and a bit Teochew was already a lot for me to learn) because that, if anything, is what really makes me feel like an outsider here in my native village. On the other hand, I feel such a belongingness since everyone in the village shares the same family name, Zhan 詹.

48

The house we’re living in was built by my great-grandfather and has housed many generations and events of our family. Luckily, we have running water, year-round electricity and a modern TV, which is quite above the average standard in the village. Otherwise, it would have been tough for me, raised by Swedish living standards, to get through these five whole days. On the other hand, this is my rare chance of escaping the Internet for a while to enjoy other pleasures in life.

What other pleasure could there be, other than the kungfu tea culture, gongfu cha? It’s more of a social activity if you ask me, the kungfu-part referring to making the tea with effort. It’s all about the tea. Every day, people drop in spontaneously for some tea and a talk. Living with grandma who’s a real tea-addict, I don’t think I’ve ever drunk so much tea in my whole life! The ritual contains boiling, pouring, brewing, filtering and waiting before it’s finally poured into tiny tea cups. But it doesn’t end with drinking the tea; it’s the constant topic of interest and the most popular give-away present. No kidding - we’ve definitely received enough tea to fill one suitcase so good luck with bringing all that back to Sweden, mom!

Living on the countryside, it makes me think of Mo Yan and his stories. It’s no coincidence they all take place in his hometown, Northeastern Gaomi Township. After all, that’s the place he knows best and he seems proud of being born a farmer. Compared to the city life, it may appear eventless and boring on the countryside, but it just depends on how you look at it. Life here is just primitive and simple, this is the real China. I think it must have been part of Mo Yan’s success; to write stories from a grass-root angle and widen his own individual experiences to a societal perspective.

Maybe I shouldn’t reflect so much and just concentrate on enjoying the last few days I have left here - who knows when I’ll get the opportunity to experience this again? Maybe in another 50 years’ time, the Chinese countryside will be unrecognizable, or even non-existing. Nevertheless, it’ time for some tea!

49

Nanjing Lu shopping street in Shanghai 50

Making Money Last

By Gabriel Öberg Bustad “An aversion to borrowing, a determination to work hard, and a definition of success in terms of money, power, and social status.”

I

t is nothing new that Swedish youngsters, and students in particular, have tight budgets every month. Similarly, the young Chinese are facing strained wallets and budgets, but their situation takes a different shape.

According to figures from Chinese cities’ statistics bureaus, the industrial city of Guangzhou had the highest average salary level of 4,800 RMB a month, while the national average was 3,500 RMB. The salary levels were highest in the eastern coastal cities of Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, whereas the heartland and western cities had the lowest average.

“This 18-35 group, for a variety of reasons, are much more optimistic and more open to risk because they haven’t experienced bad times at all,” says an associate principal analyst at China Market Research. Growing up in times of abundance, the young people in China nowadays have an attitude towards money that is more self-centered and focused on their own happiness for the future.

“My main source of income is from my parents and [I spend] about 30% eating, 40% shopping, 30% others, I don’t save too much,” says 21-year-old Tang Tianlei, student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

“We don’t have the mind-set to save all our money and worry about what will happen in the future, we are more focused on how to improve our lives now” Han Lingxiao, law student

The focus is also more directed towards shortterm ideas and plans rather than long-term dreams of creating a family and so on, which was more normal in earlier generations. Most of these are only-children and show their confidence and independence through consumption.

With the nation’s growing wealth and prosperity, the mind-set of this post-80’s generation has changed. People like Han Lingxiao are not hard to find.

The change in mind-set is especially clear in those once poor provinces that now have grown prosperous, mainly in the minor cities that have undergone high pay raises.

51

Guo Qian, a 22-year-old administrative worker from Henan province, is an active Taobao consumer who spends almost all of her 3,000 RMB income every month, and sometimes even her dad’s money. Rising incomes for these “newly rich” have led to a significant growth in the consuming class as they are not afraid of spending what they have.

At the same time, retail is booming as a result of the rapidly growing middle class and Western luxury brands are more popular than ever. Naturally, they strive for higher living standards, defining this in terms of expensive products and digital gadgets.

“I would rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle”, said Ma Nuo, a contestant on a dating show, when asked by an unemployed male contender if she would ride with him on his bike.

The other side of the coin is that the average Chinese family saves a quarter of its income, making China’s savings rate one of the highest in the world. One important reason for this behavior is the insufficient social security that makes people save large amounts of money for a rainy day, especially costly medical emergencies.

Thus, they strive to make money out of necessity and not to blow it on consumer goods.

Thriftiness remains deeply entrenched among them, especially the older generations.

52

Despite the fact that rapid economic growth has led to much comfort, it has also resulted in a lowered belief in the future. The necessity of saving money for young people in China has become more and more important as the living cost has gone up.

Housing prices have zoomed out of control in the last decade, particularly in the big cities.

As the newly examined university students enter their first jobs and save up for an apartment during the year, the housing prices have risen faster than their savings, and the dream of an apartment has drifted further away.

Other than buying real estates, major purposes for saving money are buying cars, children’s education, taking care of elders and as a general precaution. A difficult task is facing this generation of only-children is to provide for a child meanwhile supporting their own parents, not to mention owning a house and a car.

The paradox of spending all you have contrasting saving all you have is clearly a big challenge facing China’s next generation. At the same time, we should not forget that the situation varies greatly among them owing to differences in lifestyle, values and family background.

Love to Eat - Hate to Cook

By Cecilia Liu In most cultures, food is something central and there is certainly no exception in China, where food has a very special status. However, the one-child policy has made its mark in the food culture and the way of eating.

F

riends and family gather every day to enjoy meals together and share their love for food. It does not matter if it is a wedding reception, birthday celebration or just an ordinary dinner; the Chinese always like to put a great effort into it, most noticeably by putting many different kinds of dishes on the table.

However, the more than three decades old one-child policy has made its mark in the food culture and today’s young people are making a drastic change in the way of eating.

Being brought up as the precious only child, sometimes the parents’ only lifeline for having an income in the future, the young Chinese are

54

being cosseted from an early age. The so-called helicopter parents, and often also grandparents, serve the child everything on silver platters, making them unwilling to do anything by

”Being brought up as the precious only child, the young Chinese are being cosseting from an early age” themselves. Even at the age of 20, most of the university students in China have never cooked one single meal on their own. How does that fit with the food-loving society?

“In some families, they are all very busy so they don’t have time to cook and they always

eat out, especially in big cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing. However, in other families, if they have enough time to cook, they’ll make food at home. As for me, I always eat out because I am too lazy to cook and food in restaurant is much more delicious than that made by myself”, remarks a university student in Shanghai.

The next generation of China forms a new behaviour in eating out. When people invite their friends for dinner, it is nowadays seldom to their own house.

The most common thing is to go to a restaurant in the neighbourhood or downtown and get a bao fang, which is a private room, separated from the main dining hall in the restaurant. This is a way for people to still get the privacy of the being in someone’s home but not having to cook themselves.

The fact that society adapts quickly to this change is not helping. There is an abundance of restaurants on the streets in every city in China and they are almost all affordable. This makes it very easy to just go down the street and grab a quick meal with your friends after work or school. ”I learnt to make sushi and once in a while I go barbecue with my friends when we want do something fun, but I have never coo-

ked food because I have to”, says 23-year-old Jinwei from Heilongjiang province.

Many young people who start their adult life away from their parents, e.g. after university graduation, lack many of the basic household skills. However, this might not be a problem since the plenitude of such services makes the life very easy in China, if you have got the money of course.

”The new upper middle class buys apartments with kitchens more spacious and more ”westernised” than ever before to show that they are wealthy and rich” You might think that the decreasing home cooking will result in smaller kitchens, as that space is not used, but the case is surprisingly the opposite. The new upper middle class buys apartments with kitchens more spacious and more ”westernised” than ever before to show that they are wealthy and rich.

This is a paradoxical trend; the new generation is as food loving as ever, but the actual time spent in the kitchen preparing it seems to have shrunk to the minimum. In the future, will the kitchen only be a rarely used status symbol?

55

Next Generation Sustainability:

Focused on a Green Future

By Ingrid Eelde Koivisto ”If it were not for the smog of pollutants covering the sun, the future of Chinese youth would look bright”

C

hinese President Xi Jinping, says that the Chinese dream is coming true with the revival of China. With the growing economy, more and more children get the opportunity to go to school and get an academic degree, resulting in a growing middle class and improved life standards.

However the economic growth not only brings with it a better everyday life for a great part of the Chinese, but also devastating effects. If it were not for the smog of pollutants covering the sun, the future of Chinese youth would look bright.

While the average Chinese wallet has grown thicker as a result of mass production and fast growth, the environment has suffered, and the lives of the next generation is threatened. How is China coping with the most prioritized topic on all political agendas? Will China be able to save the future of the Chinese dream?

China is accountable for 25% of all carbon emissions in the world. Less than 1% of the country’s 500 biggest cities meet the WHO’s clean air criteria, of which 16 of the cities are rated among the world’s 20 most polluted.

Parents are keeping their children at home because of deadly air pollutants causing never-ending smog covering the cities. ”I hope that in the future, we will move to

56

a foreign country - otherwise we will choke to death,” says Ms Zhang who works as a lawyer in Beijing, interviewed by the New York Times in April 2013.

Air pollution is not the only issue caused by factory emissions and spillage; also soil and water has been poisoned. An estimated number of 300 million Chinese do not have access to clean water. In spring this year 16,000 dead pigs were found in the Huangpu river that floats through central Shanghai, and in August 15 people were killed from chemical factory spillage in the same area.

Although not as fast as before, the economic growth in China continues to prosper. Every

”Less than 1% of the country’s 500 biggest cities meet the WHO’s clean air criteria, of which 16 of the cities are rated among the world’s 20 most polluted” year more and more people move into cities, urbanizing the country.

The next 17 years, an estimated number of 300 million Chinese will move from country side to cities, consuming 4 times as much energy and 2.5 times as much water than if staying

57

in rural china. Aggravating the environmental deterioration. ”The people my age have seen the economic development in China,” says Chang Cheng, who is working for the environmental NGO Friends of Nature China. ”But the economic development has become our opponent. We must balance development with sustainability.” He continues to talk about climate issues and its impact on environment: ”The US complains about China taking the jobs, but the latest years we have also paid all environmental costs.” Chang Cheng stresses the cost factor. While western companies have gluttonized on cheap Chinese production,

”The economic development has become our opponent. We must balance development with sustainability” factory spillage and emissions have become unexpected and mind-bogglingly gigantic consequences for China and its coming generations. Pro-vice Chancellor at Plymouth University, David Wheeler, says Chinese environmental costs have been estimated to 8.9% of gross national income, compared to Germany’s 0.5%. ”But times are changing,” says Chang Cheng.

More and more NGOs work on making the issues public questions, which has resulted in an increased knowledge, leading to demonstrations urging the government to work for a cleaner environment.

In October 2012 a new energy policy was set, taking to heart the environmental question. The policy involves a large cutting of carbon emission, an increased support for hydro-electricity, biomass and wind- and solar energy.

The new energy policy was set one year

58

ago, however the Chinese government started investing in green innovation long before that. The year of 2010/2011 China was one of the fastest growing countries in clean tech products with a national market growth of 29%, and an absolute sale of clean tech products greater than both the US and EU, David Wheeler claims.

China is also leading the market for eco-city technology, a market that is growing by the minute. In May 2012, BBC environment columnist Gaia Vince visited the world’s largest Eco-city in Tianjin. The city is build upon a previous industrial dumping ground for toxic waste. ”We wanted to show that it’s possible to clean up a polluted area and make it useful and liveable,” says Ho Tong Yen, who is the head of Development and Investment. After three years of hard work with removing heavy metals and cleaning up the toxics, the first families are now moving in. Buildings will have solar panels and smart controls that automatically adjust temperature, green lands and parks have been built all around the city, with reed nests to help birdlife and cycle routes are built to encourage low carbon using transportation.

This is one of many cities that will be built in China to see how new technology can help save the environment.

”China has a long way to go before the environmental costs, that have been stored on piles for years, have been fully repaid to nature” Furthermore, China has encouraged the growing market for electric vehicles. The most common model is a rechargeable city car on three wheels that are several times cheaper than original cars, and that can only travel a

limited distance before the battery runs out of power. The car has become so popular among the Chinese that many of the big car manufactures are now looking for an opportunity to step into the market.

Notwithstanding, China has a long way to go before the environmental costs, that have been stored on piles for years, have been fully repaid to nature. With the continuing mass urbanization and industrialization the environment has to have an important role in Chinese politics.

As claimed in the McKinsey Quarterly report of 2013, the urbanization can either be a golden opportunity for people to achieve the ”Chinese dream” or a nightmare if pollution spreads wider and deeper into the country’s

more ecologically fragile west. To seize the opportunity, Beijing’s administration must match economic growth with sustainability.

Lots have to be done, but as the philosopher Confucius once said ”A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step”. The quote might sound like a cliché, but when applied to environmental issues, the words together become meaningful food for thoughts.

China has already taken the first staggering steps towards a greener future, and with the help of innovative technology at a gigantic scale; the country in the East is walking faster and faster, with bigger and bigger steps to ensure a bright future and a continued prosperity for Chinese Youth.

59

60

Next Generation: TRENDS 61

Taobao The Future of Chinese Shopping?

By Johan Karlsson Have you ever gotten the feeling that you could stop going to shopping malls altogether and just buy all your stuff online? Mash together Amazon.com and Ebay, sprinkle on some counterfeit goods and make it all free to use. Then you have the Chinese website Taobao, which means to search for treasure, and you can surely find some great deals there.

T

aobao was launched already in 2003 and is nowadays divided into regular Taobao, serving customer to consumer and Tmall, serving business to consumer (although in China there is a thin line between being a consumer or a business). Annual sales on the site are on the same level as Amazon, about 400 billion RMB. Taobao’s unique selling point that made it succeed over both Amazon and Ebay in China is that it is completely free for the users, and does not charge any sort of fee for putting up a listing, or buying from a seller. All revenue comes from nothing else than different types of advertisement on the page.

Free is definitely hard to compete with as Taobao defeated world giant Ebay who had to withdraw from China in 2006 following increasing losses. Ebay’s failure can be attributed to three mistakes:

62

First, the top managers responsible for launching the site in China did not speak word of Chinese, which is a big drawback in a coun-

”Free is definitely hard to compete with as Taobao defeated world giant Ebay who had to withdraw from China in 2006 following increasing losses” try where speaking the local language is essential in understanding the local culture.

Second, Ebay stuck to their Western business model where the seller has to pay to put up a listing as well charging the buyer. This was not viable in China with Taobao as a competitor. And when Ebay finally realised that, it was already too late.

Third, Ebay failed to understand that unlike in the West, the regular seller is not a tech

savvy person who spends a lot of time online.

On the contrary, they get most of their media content from traditional sources like radio and TV, where Taobao marketed itself and Ebay did not.

All in all, by understanding the market and bringing an innovative business model Taobao was able to defeat Ebay.

Taobao has been the motor behind the transformation of the Chinese shopping mind.

It has brought customer closer to seller and changed the way millions of people shop.

The next generation Chinese all have Taobao as a natural part of their lives, but can it be a supplement to ordinary shopping or is it only a compliment? Taobao-addicts who spend all their available time looking for online bargains has become a phenomenon and the low prices are hard to compete with.

It has also become a source of income and inspiration for a lot of young entrepreneurs.

Young artist often start out with selling on Taobao to generate some cash flow and build a customer base before they take the step out into the offline world, or just remain an online seller.

Although growing, it is unlikely that online shopping will replace normal shopping for a long period of time. Especially in China, shopping in malls and boutiques plays a large so-

�Taobao has been the motor behind the transformation of the Chinese shopping mind. It has brought customer closer to seller and changed the way millions of people shop� cial role. To stroll around the stores, eat some snacks, socialize and have a good time is a natural part of many people’s lives in China.

Cramped living conditions make this the natural and preferred way of meeting with friends rather than inviting them to your home. This is different from Sweden where we engage socially in different ways and shopping sometimes becomes more of a chore.

Currently Taobao is only available in Greater China, but who knows when it will spread abroad? Soon, Swedish Tradera (owned by Ebay) will have to watch out!

63

Weibo China’s own Twitter

By Johan Karlsson Who would have known that Weibo, the Chinese microblog, would bring such a change in society and the way of living for millions of people.

D

id you know that China has its own microblog? It is called Weibo, one of the most influential social network in China, and has more than 500 million registered accounts and around 250 million active users.

Every imaginable topic is being discussed and it has become a source for gossip, news and political debate. The most popular topics are similar to the west; gossip and internet memes take up a lot of space.

However, just like with the Arab Spring there has also been a range of political topics discussed online. Even though some topics like the Dalai Lama are censored there is much more room on Weibo for divergent political views than the offline media channels. Previous scandals like that of Guo Meimei (a 20-year old girl claiming to be working for the Red Cross Society in China whilst showing of her wealth) have revolved around spoiled brats and corruption, receiving a lot of scorn from the general public.

64

Weibo has also taken an important position as a tool to gain traction in fighting corruption on the local level. There has been several incidents where public outrage online has resulted the exposure of government mismanagement, following resignation or in some cases prosecution of the officials involved.

One examples of this was when a low ranked government official got caught smiling

�Every imaginable topic is being discussed and it has become a source for gossip, news and political debate� and laughing at a large traffic accident with around 40 killed. Naturally, there was large public anger and his actions turned people into online detectives. Soon a number of photos surfaced where the said official.

Eventually, the public found enough evidence to make the government launched an

investigation against the official and he lost his job a few weeks later.

The most talked about people on Weibo, as of the end of 2012:

This is one example that shows how Chinese netizens have created a platform they have never had before to express attitudes against society.

Moreover, it does not only play a huge role for the Chinese, but also for people on the out-

1. PSY, topping the list with around 110,000,000 mentions is the worldwide sensation who made entire China dance to the contagious Gangnam Style. (His messages are in English but accompanies with a Chinese translation).

”Weibo serves as a window into what Chinese people think. It is collects the voices of the young generation and what’s on their minds, how they look at things and what they prioritize” side, as Weibo serves as a window into what Chinese people think. It is collects the voices of the young generation and what is on their minds, how they look at things and what they prioritize.

Weibo has also become a useful marketing tool as part of a modified business model.

Many industries, companies, individuals, organizations and even Swedish universities are registered on the microblog to reach out to their target group.

Nowadays we can even see non-Chinese turning to Weibo! Lately celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Messi and Maroon 5 have opened up accounts, usually blogging in English or getting their lines translated.

Weibo sure has some advantages over Twitter, allowing my kinds of content such as pictures and videos attachments. If the trend continues maybe even you and I will soon have a Weibo account of our own!

2. Han Geng 韩庚, with a bit less than 75,000,000 mentions, is a famous Chinese singer, dancer and torch bearer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is very active in charity projects and won the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards’ ”Best Worldwide Act”.

3. Ren Zhiqiang 任志强, a controversial real estate businessman and current president of the Huayuan Property Group. He has attracted a lot of media attention for posting radical comments of the Chinese real estate market, such as “China’s houses are too cheap, young people should not afford them.”

4. Han Han 韩寒 is well-known for being the Chinese multi-talent. How about a career as a rally driver, singer and author of several books, all after dropping out of high school? It may not come as a surprise that he also runs China’s most popular blog!

5. Xie Na 谢娜, one of China’s most famous TV hosts, with a career as singer and actress alike. Having starred in 16 movies and 12 TV-series, she recently started her own clothing brand, which she and her famous friends cleverly promote through Weibo.

65

66

67

Foreigners drawing a crowd in Chengdu

世

The New Chinese

By Jessica Ho

China is a fast developing country in many ways; the economy, people and not to forget, the language.

C

oming from a Chinese family, I am exposed to the Chinese language on a daily basis, but when I hung out with Chinese teenagers at the same age as me I quickly realised that the language I heard at home was far different than the language that they spoke.

An explanation to this could be the influence of the online social forums and networks. In the same way as the expression ”lol” (laughing out loud) is verbally used in the English-speaking world, without necessarily laughing out loud, there are enough trendy slang words in China that would fill up a whole dictionary of its own.

Take the expression hold 住 for example; it was first used as a catchphrase by the character Miss Lin during a comedy sketch on a Taiwan variety show. After a very short time it spread all over the Internet and very soon it had become a common slang word.

Hold 住, hold zhù, verb Hold steady, stay strong or calm, keep cool Zhù means to live, dwell, reside E.g. 大家一定要hold住，一直坚持下去。 We must all stay strong and continue to stick to it.

The social media has as much power in creating new slang words as the entertainment world. One of the most famous is dajiàngyóu.

打酱油, dajiàngyóu, phrase Literally meaning to go and get soy sauce. Used in slang as to mind one’s own business, to not be involved.

Originates from a news coverage where a man on the street is asked about his opinion of a Chinese celebrity’s sex scandal. He answers that it is none of his business and that he is just going to dajiàngyóu.

E.g. 我怎么知道，我只是路过打酱油。 How should I know, I’m just passing by.

During one of our dinners with the students who helped us arrange Sweden Day at Tsinghua University, we were taught some useful expressions that they frequently use, for example:

给力, gěilì, verb To give force or power, to make something impressive, amazing, powerful E.g. 考试考了一百份，真是太给力了！ You aced the test, that it just too amazing! 囧, jiong, emoticon It expresses being shocked, amusement, embarrassment, awkwardness Originally meaning patterned window or brightness. Used online and verbally amongst teenagers as an emoticon because it looks like a face. 跪了, guìle, verb Originally meaning to kneel down When used as a slang word, it means to admire, respect, or to look up to someone.

E.g. 你真是个好人，我跪了。 You really are a good person, I respect you.

Mainly because of globalisation and that all Chinese students now learn English in school, the slang words are often combined with English words and prefixes. For example the expression gěilì from above could also be used in many different ways combined with English:

Geilivable, noun Impressive, cool, strong, exciting Using the verb gěilì and adding the English suffix -vable (e.g. unbelievable).

Hengeilivable, noun Very impressive, very cool, very exciting “Hen” meaning “very” in Chinese.

Ungeilivable, noun Opposite of Geilivable, unimpressive, lame, weak It will be very interesting to find out how the Chinese language will continue to evolve with the new trends and technology, how English will continue to be incorporated into Chinese words and phrases. If you want to be considered as geilivable, just learn and start to use Chinese slang!

Other trendy slang:

Smilence, verb To smile and keep silent, where the underlying meaning is to accept the situation and move on. 牛屄, níubì, adjective If translated word by word níubì means cow cunt, but in slang it is used to describe a person where the meaning of it depends on when it is used.

Negative: self-important, arrogant Positive: confident, impressive, awesome Niubility, noun The ability of being very confident and impressive Want to learn more? www.chinasmack.com/glossary

69

To be on a Chinese TV Show

By Xintong Zhang I never imagined that signing up as one of the project managers of Nobel Night Cap 2012, the official Nobel Prize after party arranged by university students, would make me appear on the glamorous Chinese TV show Fei Chang Liao De...

O

ne day in December 2012, I got a surprising call from Jiangsu Satellite Television (JSTV), inviting me to one of their TV shows to talk about the exceptional experience as I was the only Chinese among the thirty managers of the project. Receiving the invitation felt surreal, because Fei Chang Liao De is a very popular entertainment show in China, hosted by the famous duo Meng Fei and Guo Degang.

Furthermore, my visit to the TV show was during the time when the whole world was celebrating the Chinese author Mo Yan as he had

�Receiving the invitation felt surreal, because Fei Chang Liao De is a very popular entertainment show in China� received the Nobel Prize in Literature, which got a huge media attention in China. (Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for being able to merge folk tales, history and present in his writing.

This Nobel Prize in literature is important for any Chinese who values the art and literature of our country.)

70

All in all, it was a significant moment in my life, to share my experience with the viewers of the highest rated show for JSTV. Of course, I was really nervous as I stepped into a TV studio for the first time in my life.

Experiencing the professional make-up and staging behind-the-scenes was all magnificent. The JSTV station was well-organized, the filming equipment was excellent and the TV show was well-planned with high efficiency.

So I had my make-up and hair done, put on a pair of new shoes with the same Chinese qipao dress I wore at the Nobel Night Cap and took a deep breath. The lights went on and the cameras started rolling.

In the show, people are invited to provide a brief story of their lives and then asked questions to determine whether they are telling the truth or not. With every right guess, the participant will rise to the next level and win prizes.

For example, there was a man who had experienced a Titanic-like incident in Italy (true), a professional female parachute (true) and a girl whose hair had stuck in the door of a train for nine subway stops (false).

When it was finally my turn to share my story, I gave a clear story of how the Nobel Prize and the Nobel NightCap was conducted, which is a really new thing for most of the Chinese. Being part of the show also gave me an opportunity to introduce and explain interesting things about Sweden; Swedish universities, other Swedish practices, traditions and culture.

Reflecting on my own experience as a manager of an eleven-month-project with 300

”Looking back, it was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something I can tick off from my bucket-list” participating students, I was glad to demonstrate the memorable moments that we all had while planning and managing the project as well as meeting Nobel Prize winners and all the talented students.

Although I knew that I was telling the truth and not acting, it was difficult to stay calm and controlled as the participants tried to reveal my “real” identity by scrutinizing every word I said and every movement I made.

For example, they asked me to name some of the six Nobel Prize laureates I had met that night, but I have always had a hard time with names and honestly couldn’t remember David

or Alvin’s surname! Maybe this is what revealed my honesty because it was a relief when they finally decided that I was telling the truth.

Indeed, participating in the show was not only fun but also inspiring and educative for me and the other participants. It was great to interact with them behind-the-scenes as we discussed about the achievements of our people. Meeting and talking with the famous TVhosts was also fun.

Furthermore, it was also an opportunity for me to share and listen to other stories, in which Chinese youngsters make positive contributions through various activities and projects.

These stories added more fun and interesting experience during the show, an opportunity that I wish to be given again someday.

Looking back, it was a real once-in-a-lifetime experience and a thing I can tick off from my bucket-list. The show was aired on JSTV on March 13th 2013 and you are welcome to watch it any time if you are interested!

71

72

China for Dummies

- Things to Bear In Mind

By Julia Freter and Nickilina Heikkilä The Pizza-trap Even if it looks like pizza, smells like pizza – we promise you, it is not proper pizza. After the first time we tried it we could not believe it, apparently the pizza-look-alike bread that you can buy at local supermarkets and bakeries in China is sweet and includes sugar. Again, we could not believe it and bought it one more time with the same result. Our advice – don’t try it. You will get disappointed!

Choose your accommodation wisely If you are staying in a dorm or a hostel close to campus, make sure that no long-staying guests are present. We stayed at hostels together with students that literally lived in their beds, including cooking and spending the day. Another related experience we had were our journeys in the hard sleeper part (six beds in one coupé without a door) of a night train. Our advice, bring your own sheets because your bed has probably already been used. If it is an overnight train ride it will most likely include snoring people, so earplugs can be useful as well.

Be sure that your Chinese friend knows proper Chinese Even for Chinese eyes (at least of a foreign-born Chinese) some of the Chinese words can look kind of the same and they apparently sound pretty much alike. The incident of ordering bullfrog instead of beef taught us that lesson.

Double-check what Chinese people tell you One of the things we undertook when having arrived in the south-western part of China was to go hiking in a mountain. The view was great, but we had a problem, we didn’t have a proper map and nobody could tell us which way to go. Every time we stopped and asked for the way we were sent to the opposite direction from what the person before had said.

It took us 1.5 hour of hiking to understand that the only way for us to get to our goal was by getting a more accurate map. So always double-check what Chinese people tell you, if they make you an offer that is too good to be true, don’t take it.

Toilet training Before going to China, we strongly advise you to stretch your Achilles tendon. The toilette in form of a hole in the ground makes it tricky to use if you can’t crouch like a Chinese.

Locking the door is not yet an established habit When entering any kind of room to which the door can be locked, be careful to check if it is really empty (this includes public toilets).

Don’t challenge the sun Apparently the sunlight in China is much stronger than it seems. Don’t try to get a fast tan on the last day before you leave – outch!

73

A corporate perspective of China: Johan Björkstén, MSL China

How has the Chinese business culture changed the last 10 years?

It has become much more cosmopolitan and mature. English skills have improved tremendously and here are many returned executives educated

”What many do not realize is that the next wave is about more advanced tasks and China has a long tradition of knowledge and innovation” abroad or with work experience from abroad.

This means that it is easier for Chinese companies to globalize and to upgrade their skills in all areas of operations.

Europe and the United States have in recent years woken up to the Chinese competition in manufacturing. What many do not realize is that the next wave is about more advanced tasks and China has a long tradition of knowledge and innovation.

How are western companies and people received now compared to, let’s say 10 years ago?

Being a good host is a virtue in China and foreigners have always been well received in China in general. Especially if you speak Mandarin, the

74

© MSLGROUP

A

lmost every day in the business press, China’s size appears in different contexts and it is undoubtedly impressive. China is the world’s largest producer of coal, steel and cement, the world’s second largest energy consumer and the world’s third largest oil importer.

Relating to these circumstances, we asked Johan Björkstén to help us develop a clearer and enhanced picture of the business climate in modern China.

By Gabriel Öberg Bustad

Johan Björkstén (白石桦 Bái Shíhuà), is a Swedish author, entrepreneur, TV/radio host and co-founder of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China.

In the mid-1980s he studied Chemistry, in Chinese, at Beijing University and later started several businesses, including a miniature golf course selling company and China’s first legally copyrighted record company. In the late 1990s, he saw an opportunity in the PR industry and founded Eastwei Communications, which grew into one of China’s largest local PR agencies and was later acquired by MSLGROUP to become MSL China.

Johan Björkstén has also written several books including “Learn to write Chinese Characters”, “Catching Up Fast: PR and Marketing in a Web 2.0 China” and “How to manage a successful business in China”.

Chinese businessmen as well as common people are extra happy to speak with you and make friends. There are more foreigners in China now compared to 10 years ago so western people do not turn as many heads as they used to, at least not in the foreigner-dense cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

To attract foreign companies and investors, the Chinese government used to give western companies many tax benefits as well as other advantages. Most of these policies have now been adjusted to create a more leveled playing field for Chinese and western companies.

�Two of the newest trends are how Chinese companies have started to invest in western companies and acquire businesses overseas�

What are the trends in the Chinese business market at the moment?

The Chinese market is a very dynamic market that has grown rapidly and seen many changes during the last decades. Two of the newest trends are how Chinese companies have started to invest in western companies and acquire businesses overseas. This in combination with how the Chinese government is changing the focus of the economy from export focused to internal consumption has created the basis for the new market environment.

What is the main future focus for Chinese companies in order to adapt even more to the more open-minded business culture in China?

The Chinese economy is being transformed from low-tech, production-intensive to more service-driven and consumer-focused. Chinese companies are actively seeking to globalize, both in order to diversify country risk but also because they are trying to acquire global intellectual property and management expertise to upgrade their own business in China.

75

Teenage girls in Shanghai 76

A corporate perspective of China: Louise Hedberg, H&M

By Philip Shen What lead you to Shanghai?

I was already working in H&M Head Office as a purchaser and also had experience from working in store which made my profile fit for product management in retail. The idea of moving to Shanghai sounded so cool to me and before I knew it I was on a plane to China.

How is it to work in China and what are the challenges?

It is amazing being in a successful fast-growing company giving you a lot of responsibility and chances to make things happen. I enjoy the daily life in a place where things are so different and yet so easy when it comes to social life and new cultural experiences.

Challenges are few. Biggest one for sure is being away from family and catching up with old friends. The convenience with having a car

”Be open-minded, ambitious and team player – that is what all companies want no matter what background or competence you have” is quite impossible to enjoy here, but you get used to it without problem. Not fully understanding people, even when speaking English, can be frustrating at times, but somehow you find ways of expressing things even without the correct words or pronunciation.

Do you have any tips for students who want to pursue a similar career?

Be flexible and start enjoying to get out from your normal way of thinking when it comes to Swedishness. See the possibilities and do not let home, relationships, special education or convenience stop you from making a career or

Name: Louise Hedberg Position: Product Manager Company: H&M China doing things you find interesting and fun.

For getting a career my best tip is to be open-minded, ambitious and a team player – that is what all companies want no matter what background or competence you have. In retail it is a lot about salesmanship and seeing opportunities to make more money than before and being better than the best competitor.

Dare taking risks and responsibility for new ideas you want to go through with - it is always highly valued to aim for the stars and admit you did not reach them but at least you reached the sky.

What is the best thing about China?

Being in China is great because this country is fast developing and it is a very cool feeling to be at the place you read articles and hear people talk about. You see all skyscrapers being built in real life, scratches the surface of a communist political system that is at the same time extremely capitalistic, the people becoming as modern as Westerners and totally different ways of enjoying food and values in life that comes with Chinese culture.

77

Travel Journal: The Geely Car Design Competition Winners In May 2013, Project China initiated a car designing competition together with the main partners Geely Holding and Volvo Cars. Students at the Royal Institute of Technology were to design a car as they envisioned it 50 years from now, competing for an exclusive trip to Geely’s headquarters in China. Team Modular Drop, stood out with innovation and technical competence in a sustainable solution for their vision of the future car. Read about their winning trip to China here!

A

fter more than 10 hours of flight, we landed on Friday July 12th in Shanghai Pudong airport. It was 2 pm local time, but we had been able to sleep much on the plane. We were warmly welcomed by our guide, Dorothy, our chauffeur Mr Yu and his impressive Emgrand EC8, a luxurious top market sedan produced by one of the three brands constituting Geely. They would be our travel companions throughout the different stages of our amazing trip.

We then spent four full days in the wonderful city of Hangzhou. Many consider Hangzhou as one of the most beautiful cities of China. The best way to understand why is probably to rent bicycles and ride around the West Lake.

Despite the very hot and sunny weather (almost 40°C), cycling in this area is an experience one cannot miss when visiting the region. Green islands, wooden bridges, impressive pagodas, all of that with a warm wind caressing our faces and drying our wet t-shirts.

One evening, we had been invited by Jeff, one of Geely’s top managers, to play football with the company’s team. It was an exhausting but very enjoyable time - exhausting because we clearly were not used to playing under such temperatures. But we enjoyed this a lot as it has been a unique occasion to meet some of Geely’s employees.

One morning we visited one of Geely’s factories, which is located in Ningbo.

The high level of automation and the production capacity of this site definitely impressed us. In the afternoon, we had the great privilege to be welcomed to Geely’s headquarters in Hangzhou by top managers, such as the Public Relations director and the Head of Human Resources. After a fascinating presentation about the company’s development strategies, we had the opportunity to ask them questions and had a very interesting discussion.

We were all very excited to visit the Research and Development center and we were not disappointed at all! This center located in Hangzhou is where all the components are meticulously tested and where new technologies and some concepts are developed. We have seen much more than any European firm would

78

The Modular Drop Concept probably have allowed students to see, from the small custom-made concept car production line to the car doors testing area. One thing for certain: there is innovation in China!

On Wednesday July 17th, we moved to Shanghai and lived in a sumptuous hotel right in the heart of the city. Shanghai is probably one of the most occidental Chinese cities. But even with this in mind, we have been constantly amazed by the personality of this multicultural giant. We walked along the Bund, went up the World Financial Center building, the business area of Shanghai, went to the former French Concession‌ In one word: A-MA-ZING! We also visited the Design Center of Geely, where all new cars are shaped, from the exterior to the interior. This was a very interesting insight in the world of car design, where engineers and designers collaborated to mix beauty and inventiveness, culture and technology. At the end we were extremely impressed by the high level of manufacturing quality and marketing strategy of Geely, which were very different from what we had imagined. By introducing Geely to us, you definitely changed our vision about the Chinese industry and business style.

On Saturday July 20th, we visited Wuzhen which was not a very big city, but it had managed to preserve some architectural and cultural elements that made it a key spot for those in search for a more traditional China. Narrow canals weaved through the historical center; one could maybe call Wuzhen the Venice of China. And when the night came - the water, wooden bridges and houses all came to life.

Summarizing this amazing experience in a text or a picture is just not possible. We have had one of the most exciting trips of our lives. We would like to thank the staff of Project China, KTH and Geely for this unforgettable experience. We hope that many more students from KTH will have the chance to win this great Car Design Competition in the coming years. For our school, for the future of cars, and for the beauty of China!

By Florian Celliere, Bastian Gindroz and Malo Jacquemet

79

80

About PROJECT CHINA 81

The History of Project China

A

s we have worked on this project, carrying out the eleventh consecutive year of this tradition, it made us wondering how it all started. Our curiosity was fed as one day in the hot August of 2013, our group member Marcus was on his most exploring mode and made some amazing archeological discoveries inside the International Committee room in the SSE basement - he had found a Project China report book dated 1997!

This was how the genealogical research for Project China started. Back in the 1990’s there was an East Asian Society in the Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics that each year arranged a project focusing on a specific country in the East Asia. Therefore, 1997 was the focus on China, which resulted in the book “The Recruiter’s Guide to China”, a copy of which Marcus had found hidden in a lonely bookshelf. This group, Project China, consisted of Master students at SSE and had conducted an extensive research and interviews with students and companies in China. Could you imagine them carrying out the project sixteen years ago, without the help of Skype, advanced mobile phones, laptop computers and extensive internet information?

Shanghai Pudong, 1997, in contrast to the picture on p.32 taken in 2013 © Daisuke Horie 82

“The initiative to Project China 1997 and to the consequent writing of this book was taken by us, a group of students from the East Asian Association (EAA) at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) in September 1996. […]

In June 1997, after eight months of preparations, we left Sweden to spend a month in China. The schedule in China included 63 different company interviews, personal interviews with more than 100 students at seven of the most distinguished Chinese universities and an immense amount of impression. […] We hope that the tradition of co-operation between students and companies in projects of this kind will continue in the future.”

As the East Asian Association’s rotating projects focused on different countries every year, it was not until 2003 that Project China started to take its present form and arrange the annual events in collaboration with students at the Royal Institute of Technology. And so, Project China was born. Each year’s project has been unique to its own, documented and preserved in the report books, which has been our key to the genealogical research. Apart from the vivid memories and photos of China Week, Sweden Day and our research trip, this book is the only physical result we will leave behind. Maybe someday, ten years from now, somebody will find our dusty book hidden in a forgotten bookshelf and bring the grandness of our project to light once again. Until then, we hope that you will succeed us in continuing the line of generations who create amazing and memorable projects to bridge the gaps between Sweden and China!

You are the Next Generation of Project China!

Report Book 1997, The Recruiter’s Guide to China

Report Book 2003, The Dragon Takes Off

83

O

China Week

ne of Project China’s main events is the annual China Week held at two Swedish universities, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). As the interest and importance of China has been on a constant rise worldwide, we want to create greater interest and spread knowledge about future opportunities in China to the Swedish students. We do this through a popular career fair at both schools where Swedish and Chinese companies participate to meet and interact with students. For the students interested in a deeper insight, the companies held lunch lectures and interactive workshops combined with a visit to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities.

This year’s China Week, held in May, also gathered many different activities and events during a fully packed week at KTH and SSE for trying out Chinese culture personally.

These were very popular and included for example a crash course in Chinese, a cooking class, Fengshui, Qigong and a tea ceremony.

We also invited researcher Emma Björner to hold a lecture on the upcoming Chinese megacities and the renowned China financial expert Frédéric Cho to give us an insight into the Chinese market. The week ended with an exclusive banquet with delicious dinner and great

84

company among students, company representatives and the project group.

In addition to keeping many reoccurring events of the Project China traditions, we launched a new and unique car design competition at KTH in cooperation with our main partners: Geely and Volvo Cars. The competition consisted of designing the future car, challenging the student’s innovation, creativity and technical knowledge. The contributors all demonstrated a wide range of innovations and were assessed by a jury consisting of Geely representatives, KTH professors and a Facebook voting. We were very happy to announce the winner Team Modular Drop and the grand prize; a trip to Geely’s headquarters in China, including flight and living expenses.

We had worked hard for months preparing the China Week, hence it was very satisfying to see that all preparations and planning turned out successfully. Our hope is to keep creating amazing events to decrease the distance between Sweden and China, thus bridging the future generations of both countries. Finally, we would like to thank all sponsors, visiting students, participating companies, helpful volunteers, the project group and other involved people for creating a fantastic China Week for Project China 2013!

85

86

T

Sweden Day

hroughout the years Project China has strived to create a platform for mutual exchange between China and Sweden, and even though each year’s project has been unique to its own, Sweden Day has since long been a recurring and much appreciated concept. The idea is realized by the arrangement of a number of career fairs in China, where students are given the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about Sweden and learn what’s in it for them. It has for many years been an annual event at both Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai, and we are now very glad to have initiated collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University as well.

Sweden Day was thus held at our now three partner universities in June this year and welcomed their students to discover the exciting culture as well as education and work opportunities our country has to offer. Visitors interacted with our many corporate partners at their booths and learnt more about the companies, their connections to China and the career possibilities at a Swedish company. The interest among students was very high and particularly internship programs were very sought after. Games and competitions attracted many students in addition to creative display of several companies’ products, e.g. H&M with its clothing and Volvo its cars. Visitors were also welcome to attend lectures on different topics held by company representatives.

The Swedish culture was brought to the Chinese students in many different shapes, e.g. the amusing tradition of dancing around a midsummer pole and popular games such as Kubb, where participants could win prizes of Swedish design. At Tsinghua University the Swedish School in Beijing attended with their adorable children choir performing songs in Swedish, English as well as Chinese.

Two of Sweden’s leading institutions of higher education, Stockholm School of Economics and Royal Institute of Technology, where also present at the fairs informing about their program offerings and exchange opportunities. In addition students could talk to the Swedish Embassy or Consulate General as well SRA, an organization for Chinese people previously having lived in Sweden, who were more than willing to share their experiences.

Arranging these fairs Project China is very thankful to all our partner companies and organizations that have participated or in any other way shown their interest in Sweden Day, and for all the students attending despite their tight schedules and exams. Many thanks are also given to the staff and students at our partner universities for their contribution and help in the arrangement of the fairs. We are very glad to have collaborated with and met people so genuinely interested and curious about Sweden, which has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the work with the project. See you at Sweden Day next year!

87

Johan Karlsson Project Manager With China being my favourite topic and the most interesting country in the world right now, my expectations were very high taking on this project as a Master’s student in Accounting at SSE. Now when it is done, I can say that it was better than what I could ever have imagined.

First, I am extremely impressed by all the fantastic people who have worked with me on this. Everyone involved in the project has been just wonderful, through hard times and through good! There has been so much love for this project and for making stuff work. When you are stuck on a twenty-hour train ride across China, or when a storm hits Shanghai on the day of your fair, you need people around you that are positive and pragmatic! This project sure has given me some memories I will never forget.

As a project manager I have done my best to lead by example and I hope my joy and interest in China has made the people around me as inspired as I am. I really feel that we have achieved so much together! And what about the difficulties we faced? Well, we picked up some Korean on the train ride and made an awesome fair indoors!

The Project Group Cecilia Liu Project Manager My first years on this planet Earth were spent in the most northern part of China. I was born in the year of the ape in a city called Harbin; it is often called the Ice City for ever so bitter winters. A few years later my family moved to Sweden and at the moment I am in my third year at Stockholm School of Economics.

Here is where Project China comes in. It is a fantastic project; showing Chinese students what a great country Sweden is and teaching Swedish students about the fast-growing China. In recent years my interest in China has grown rapidly, and when the opportunity to join the project came I did not hesitate for one second, without having any idea of what was in front of me.

The project gave me the opportunity to see and experience China from a different point of view. In addition, I faced a huge challenge leading a project and at the same time trying to manage the cultural clashes in China. Project China has been most rewarding and I did not only learn heaps about my home country but also about myself.

I want to thank each of my project group members and all the other people I met who helped me make Project China 2013 such an unforgettable journey.

88

Marcus Brate Head of Sweden Day In the summer heat of 2011 I found myself in China, probably somewhere between the 4th and 5th ring road in Beijing, and probably having my favourite Chinese soft drink, the very sweet and refreshing Uni Lemon Ice Tea (冰红茶). I was about to round up a very eye-opening gap year, which I had spent at a Chinese university studying Mandarin, and this was the time I first heard about Sweden Day - “Marcus, have you heard about that Sweden Day fair, maybe there’s meatballs?”.

I never would have thought that two years later, I would be standing outside my old classroom at Tsinghua University now arranging that very fair. It was with great joy I could talk to the many Chinese visitors, and even some old friends showed up. Culminating in this day I had with Project China taken on a challenge to bridge the gaps between China and Sweden, and I am certain our efforts have made an impact on the relationships we have aimed to strengthen.

Personally, my best day of the project was when a Chinese student gave me his red scarf as a token of our newly formed friendship.

I am now back at Stockholm School of Economics and my greatest wish is for Project China to continue to grow, to involve more people, organizations, companies, institutes and never give up on its vision!

Jessica Ho Head of Sweden Day I am a student within the Design and Product Realisation program at the Royal Institute of Technology and currently on an exchange year in Singapore. As a person I am constantly seeking for new experiences and exciting places to explore. Being Head of Sweden Day has given me invaluable experiences working with students at China’s top universities and an insight in how things work in China. Learning that if only you are friendly, persistent and refuse to give up, most things will turn out the way you want in China.

As for new places to explore, the research trip has brought me far away from the usual megacities I am used to visit every year on family vacations, to places I never imagined existed in China. Never had I travelled across the countryside by overnight hard sleeper trains, spent the night in a temple on a holy mountain or bicycled on tandem bikes through small cosy villages built up of cow dung.

Project China has given me a new perspective, realising the greatness and diversity of China which makes me longing to return and explore the rest of the country!

89

Nickilina Heikkilä China Week Manager I am 21 years old, grew up in a small place called Forshaga, and had until I joined this project as a bachelor student at Stockholm School of Economics never even thought of visiting Asia. Project China has certainly given me a long line of unforgettable memories; some of them really fun, like crazy KTV nights with faceplants to Gangnam Style; some a bit disgusting, like when we thought we were eating a strangely shaped cow actually were feasting on bullfrogs; and not to mention the mixed feeling of exhaustion, emptiness and pride when finishing China Week, one of the most intense weeks of my life this far.

The most valuable things I am bringing with me from this project are all the incredible people I have spent so much time with, all the beautiful places we have visited, and all the lessons learnt after making a mistake or two…

I never really had an interest in China before, but a combination of curiosity and restlessness made the choice easy when I was asked to join the project group. If you are thinking of joining the project yourself the only thing I am going to say is: DO IT! You only regret the things you never did.

Gabriel Öberg Bustad China Week Manager During my final year of the master’s program in Production Engineering and Management at the Royal Institute of Technology I have together with Nickilina been responsible for China Week, the days of activities and events taking place in Sweden at KTH and SSE for creating knowledge and increased awareness of China and its culture. Personally it was very rewarding to see the interest and joy of students joining the purpose of building bridges between future leaders of Sweden and China.

All of the amazing memories that I will take with me when the project has now ended are definitely too many to mention in this text. However, the tasty street food, seeing the pandas in Chengdu and visiting Shanghai again are all great memories. But I think I will remember the experiences in Hong Kong the most. I will start counting the days to my next trip to China and I wish next year’s project group good luck and hope they will take advantage of all knowledge and information which will be available.

Project China has been a wonderful experience and a journey I will never forget! I would like to thank the whole project group along with all other participants (lecturers, companies and students) for making the project such an enjoyable one.

90

Ingrid Eelde Koivisto Corporate Relations Manager I began my studies at Stockholm School of Economics after a year in Shanghai studying Mandarin. Returning to Stockholm, I missed the Chinese atmosphere, the never ending sounds, the street food, the smells, the people, and everything that makes China what it is. This together with my extreme interest for international relations made me decide to join Project China 2013 the second I heard about its existence.

China is an incredibly interesting country, from where we have much to learn and also to which we have lots to give. As Corporate Relations Manager I have had the great opportunity to be responsible together with Josefin and Philip for our contact with all companies that have been involved in this year’s project. The work has from time to time been very challenging. Connecting companies and students from universities in the two different countries has given me invaluable experience in handling cultural differences and communicating over borders.

After returning to Sweden from my year in Shanghai, Project China gave me the opportunity to keep a piece of China in Stockholm, and for that I am grateful. I want to thank all those who participated; the project group, company contacts, and sponsors. I take with me an unforgettable year filled with wonderful memories.

Philip Shen Corporate Relations Manager My name is Philip Shen and I am a third-year student at Stockholm School of Economics. I chose to join Project China as I saw an opportunity to discover a part of China that I otherwise probably never would see. Although both my parents are from Shanghai and we go there quite often, we rarely take the time to travel around more than in the surrounding areas of Shanghai. The journey to China was the culmination of the project; we visited so many cities, spent over 40 hours on Chinese trains and just had so much fun together.

Project China has been a long and instructive project, where communication and teamwork were put to the test. As a group of 12 non-graduated students we pulled this project together and made it a real success; 5 fairs at 5 universities in 3 different cities in 2 countries over 7,500 km apart (!), 9 participating companies and 30 collaborators and product sponsors – all this alongside full-time studies and sometimes even part-time jobs. I think this demonstrates the strength of the members of Project China 2013. Being responsible for the corporate relations this year, I had the privilege to be in contact with potential partners, which is always fun but also challenging. I want to thank all the companies I have been in contact with, especially all the companies that participated in Project China 2013.

91

Josefin Halvarsson Corporate Relations Manager My name is Josefin Halvarsson and I just finished my second year of the bachelor program at Stockholm School of Economics. My year with Project China has been wonderful; meeting interesting people and experiencing fantastic new places, as well as sharing a cultural exchange between the two countries and showing the opportunities available to students.

As Corporate Relations Manager I have to not only made sure we got sponsorship, but also made every party satisfied during the project. Once in China, we had two weeks of really hard work ahead of us, hosting three fairs in two cities, but with the amazing team nothing was impossible.

We have experienced things in China I never thought I would do, like traveling across the country by train, sleeping in a run-down temple after an eight-hour hike to see the sunrise at Mt. Emei, eating bull frogs and extremely spicy dishes in Sichuan, living with cockroaches, and witnessing bird-fishing in the Yunnan province. The trip to China has given me a much wider perspective on people and the diversity in this fantastic country, and has allowed me to witness the changes that are happening due to the country’s fast-paced economic growth. I would like to thank all the companies participating in Project China 2013 making this project possible.

Julia Freter Visual Communication Manager My name is Julia Freter and I am a 20-year-old student at Stockholm School of Economics, where I have started my third year on the bachelor program. This year with Project China has been an awesome experience made possible alongside a wonderful group of people. I went from not being able to locate Beijing on a map to traveling through the country for a whole month, experiencing everything from the food, living in a temple, sleeping on a Chinese train and so much more.

As Visual Communication Manager I had the pleasure of being involved in most parts of the project, which was both fun and sometimes a daunting challenge. The best part of the project was of course our time in China, the fairs and our experiences in the country. It was the first time I visited China, so everything was new, different and most of all I did not understand a word anyone was saying.

However, apparently not even Chinese people always understand each other, which made it a bit less hopeless for me. One thing I learned for life about communication is that if you point really intensively at something you will get it‌ eventually. To sum up, I am grateful to everyone, most of all our sponsors, who made all this possible!

92

Xintong Zhang Media and Marketing Manager I am 25 years old, born and raised in Changchun, China, and came to Sweden in 2008. I love both the Swedish and Chinese culture, and have enjoyed exploring the differences between the two during my studies in the master’s program in Production Engineering and Management at KTH. After being the KTH Official Blogger and Digital Ambassador I will stay on as a public relations officer at the school.

My task in Project China has been to deliver all the interesting activities to students so they would not miss anything. Being the only “real” Chinese in the group, I have also helped out with improving the communication with Chinese companies and students.

As a Chinese student in Sweden I am interested in the cultural differences as well as the opportunities for students to experience something different. I was interested in the idea of bridging the gap between China and Sweden, and hope that we have opened doors to places the students previously thought to be inaccessible.

Project China is without doubt the best project I have done so far – traveling for one month with young and enthusiastic team members I have enjoyed every minute working with them. We learnt from each other, helped each other, and of course had lots of fun together. Most importantly, I also learnt more about real Swedish culture spending time with this great group!

Anna Zhan Report Book Manager I am a 19-year-old girl from Malmö, the youngest member of the group, and responsible for the Report Book you are currently reading. Other than working with the book I have had the privilege of taking part in all the other areas of the project – marketing to companies and students, contacting media, product sponsoring, food logistics, preparing the fairs – and it has all been loads of fun.

During the unforgettable trip to China, I explored my home country in a completely different way and gained a much deeper insight. My skills in Chinese have been utterly tested and I have done things I did not think I was capable of. Chasing after a lost passport, climbing a 3,000 meter high mountain like in the Amazing Race and dealing with obstacles at our fairs are challenges that have taught me a lot.

Joining Project China is one of the best decisions I have ever made and the whole experience has surely brightened my first year at SSE. I am truly grateful for the project group and all the things that I have learnt from them, especially when I know how much energy and heart they have put into the project. I hope that our spirit will shine through in the result you are now holding in your hands.

93

Acknowledgements We would like to extend a special thank you to the following people for your continued support in making the project possible.

Companies and organizations Amy Shen Nancy Yu Mala Chakraborti Sigrid Jönsson Calvin Kan Åsa Andrae Mikael Samuelsson Marita Hellberg Xiaoguang Sun Kenneth Gillberg Ingvar Plogfeldt Victor Young Jeff Zhang Louise Hedberg Julia Viklander Jonas Arbman Kerstin Roos Knut Gangstad Henrik Blomgren Yingfang He Ramon Wyss Lisellotte Kjellme Guo Liang Li Shushu Yin Weihai Jerry Ni Vivian Wang Zhang Ling Carina Aspenberg Karin Folcker Ronja Bjurulf Hannah Molin Isa Widerståhl Marianne Wikström Elisabet Söderström Yvonne Chen Synne Nording Anna Nygren Anne-Charlotte Ramsthaler Lynn Li Joy Shen Yuan Xiaolin Birgitta Hansson-Sidvall 94

Alfa Laval Astra Zeneca Atlas Copco Atlas Copco Consulate General of Sweden, Shanghai Embassy of Sweden, Beijing Embassy of Sweden, Beijing Ericsson Ericsson Finnair Finnair Geely Holding Geely Holding H&M H&M Medborgarskolan Medborgarskolan Odibo Royal Institute of Technology Royal Institute of Technology Royal Institute of Technology Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University SKF SKF SRA, Sweden Returned Alumni Stockholm School of Economics Stockholm School of Economics Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics Student Association at the Stockholm School of Economics Svensk-kinesiska föreningen Sweden-China Trade Council Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Beijing Swedish School in Beijing Swedish School in Beijing Swedish School in Beijing VisitSweden VisitSweden Volvo Cars Östasiatiska museet

Students at Tsinghua University Yicen Dong Yichen Squirrel He Xinyue Katherine Kang Junhui Kevin Liu Qi Henry Luo Yinghua Joseph Qiu Shi Irma Yang Jialin Viola Yang Ming Angela Yang Yunfang

Students at Fudan University Angela Tang Lu Liu Chang Shao Shuai Xu Lilan Zhang Jie Zhao Jian

Exceptional People Johan Björkstén Emma Björner Fréderic Cho Nils Olof Ericsson Anna Gross Karin Svanberg

Michael Andersson Oliver Fleetwood Anna Hamberg Magnus Larsson Siyun Li Jia Liu Daniel Ma Robert Odéen Frank Tang Bingcheng Yan Brian Ye Huaipeng Zhang

Helsinki

FLY THE SHORTCUT

FROM SWEDEN TO ASIA

Tokyo Nagoya Xi’an Seoul Osaka Shanghai Chongqing Beijing

Delhi

Singapore

Hanoi Bangkok

Fly with Finnair via Helsinki to 13 major destinations in Asia.

Book at Finnair.se

Hong Kong

95

Partner Companies We would like to thank our partnering companies for their support and faith in the project

96

Collaborators

Project Sponsors

97

The bank you build Graduate and Intern programmes Opportunities in London and Stockholm The fresh-thinking you generate. The conversations you instigate. The skills you develop. The relationships you grow. As a graduate here at RBS, the unique contribution you make will help shape the future of our organisation. You’ll need to be able to work in a constantly changing environment and there will be plenty of challenges along the way – but, in return, you can expect to build a truly rewarding career.

Ready to make a lasting difference?

Visit rbsbankyoubuild.com for more.

www.projectchina.se