Related blogs: Kobe, Japan | Anshan Beijing
Slogging Through Asia: Taipei and a Shanghai Wedding
Taipei Short Stop
From Kobe, it is only a 90 minute flight to Taipei--refreshingly brief--and once we land we hail our shuttle by the e-Go car services to the Agora Garden hotel, just out of the shadow of Taipei 101 (for a brief moment one of the highest buildings in the world). “Taipei is home,” Desmond says and it is indeed where are roots are deepest in Asia. We’ve written about it before: http://atcb.com/blog/2007-April-Asia.asp.
Taipei is one of those cities where one feels safe enough to walk about, but should take care to watch the scooters because the skyline, the texture of the city and the goings-on in general can be distracting to a visiting pedestrian. One tends to miss the danger as one or another sight grabs your attention, like this impromptu sidewalk toy store featuring pinwheels and scooters guarded by plastic strangely-imposing and curiously-compelling mythical quadripeds.
Roadside Attraction
Besides being the largest manufacturers of laptop computers and avatar of the future (multi-function computers that happen to function as a phone, for example), Taiwan boasts some audacious and adventurous cultural-cum-commercial ventures, like the famous “bug restaurant”. Well, it’s colloquially known as such--a Dali-esque nightmare, serving fine Asian-fusion food. Check it out next time you’re there, it’s in Neihu (near our office); just ask someone to steer you to the crazy restaurant near Miramar. (I tried to Google it to get the real name, but it appears that, for some reason or other, the internet censors are unhappy about some of the postings that may feature its real name?)
The four-story venue is a place where conversation never wanes; there is too much to stimulate a discussion, whether it be on the Taiwan-US-China economic triumvirate of confusion or the latest cell phone technology.
Taiwan, not formerly recognized by the UN and many others (sorry, friends, it was a trade we had to make with China to normalize our relationships) has strove to, and has accomplished much of the task of, being an economic super-mini-power. Although “mini” is a bit disingenuous, given the sway the country’s business folks hold in the factories of China (the “invisible hand”).
Taipei is a bellwether for trends and movements across the straights in China. For example, Taiwan’s emergence came after a long period of martial law (not as drastic as the purges and pathos under Mao, but still, they have a “past” that revisionists would care to discard). Moving from low-tech to high-tech since the mid-1980s has enabled Taiwan to call many of the shots in China, although it is not something that is generally discussed in many corners, including our media and the political posturing of both counties. Now that China has all the basic and inherent technologies to develop first-class high tech thingies, the challenge for Taiwan is the “Next Big Thing”. Not unlike our own internal struggles. how does one continue to maintain relevance when everything is changing all of the time?
Hence, our challenge, too as we extend from product certification services into the realm of engineering support during product development. US customers are specifying a higher level of product performance that are met with regulatory minimums. Reliability is the key for devices higher up on the “food chain.” For example, if you MPEG player goes south after a year, you would probably curse the loss of your playlist and head out to get a new one. But if network switches in a data centers fail after too short of time, the economic impact trickles down. Ultimately, the Taiwan developers are chasing the higher-end devices that the US excels at. The engineering expertise necessary to design for reliability is increasingly integrated into the product development process. And this is where our relationship with DfR Solutions (College Park, MD) comes in. We have partnered with DfR to expand their reach into the China market.
Major Chen, Asia Business Development leads the expansion of these efforts and hosts the gathering at the Bug Restaurant.
Major and Desmond at Bug Restaurant
But enough already, we have a Shanghai Wedding to attend.
Shanghai
Expo 2011 in Shanghai promises to be a huge deal, running from May 1, 2011 til October, the Expo will feature the kind of over-the-top promotion, noise, demonstrations and excesses unique to this land. Shanghai is getting ready and the roads, traffic, dust and construction bear certain witness. First the Olympics, now this.
Shanghai Promotion: Expo 2011
Shanghai Exhibition Center
The old Shanghai expedition center (not sure of the vintage) is ringed by more modern edifices near the center of Shanghai. Meanwhile whole neighborhoods are disappearing, not unlike the steamroller of progress that has obliterated square miles of hutongs in Beijing. Here, a local resident peers into a section of condemned and disappearing housing. Old Shanghai stretched for miles with these 2 and 3 story buildings, now just winsome memories. Seems that some cities have done a thorough job of keeping the quaint walkups as part of the cityscape (Paris, one). Large sections of old Shanghai are now buried under steel and glass.
The pressure to cram more people into this city by the Yangtze River is great and Mr. Zhang, strolling down along the crumbling walls of an old section near the part remembers his boyhood.
Zhang looking at the past and the future
“Before the Japanese war, we lived in this area. My father worked on the docks, unloading cargo and goods from many countries. Shanghai was an exciting place, even then and has a long time trading with the west. We were just working hard and my mother cared for me and my four sisters. We ran and played ball here. There were lots of kids to play with.”
Zhou, his friend and long-ago elementary school classmate shook his head, gestured towards a pile of rubble. “Our badminton games were played over there.”
Zhang’s eyes misted up and he looked back over the ruined houses with their cosy interior courtyards and gardens . “We had only simple food, dumplings and vegetables from a small garden, but we liked it and when my dad would come home, after dinner, we would gather with my grandmother and grandfather and listen to the radio. We never knew what would happen in the next years, which were very hard.”
“Now, all this. My father would be amazed.” He shook his head, put his cap on his head and ambled off on his cane, lost in thought.
The city is now the home of high tech workers and smart clothing. Jostling through traffic on our way back to the hotel our taxi driver did his best to keep up with a yellow Ferrarri, zipping and weaving through the thick traffic. Our guy did fairly well, keeping the pressure on the pedal until a truck cut us off at a choked exit, the Italian sports car purred away, out of sight.
Keeping up with the Ferrari
We did conduct a little business with our team, now assembled from the US, the UK, Taipei, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. ATCB is now 10 years old and with nearly 8 years of experience operating in Asia. With a support network assembled by our ex-military officers exercising gentle but firm oversight over our far-flung Asian team. We gather for a group shot, with our new “uniforms”.
We have developed a bridge for US technology firms who wish to step into this cauldron gently, providing market access and a customer base, not to mention a superb support across the country. The Chinese push to acquire technology and make it their own is a steamroller. Strategies to protect one’s interest are critical; ours is to build loyalty and opportunity for the young, as well as the experienced professionals eager for mutual engagement. So far, so good.
A key to this strategy is our alignment with our partners and colleagues from Taiwan who bring western business acumen with Chinese cultural understanding.
ATCB Asia October 2009
Shanghai Wedding
Vivian and Wailand were married 17 October 2009 and the ATCB was honored to be guests. Vivian flashes the ubiquitous peace sign, a staple in Chinese photo poses. Although peace reigned, the wedding was plenty rowdy (said Wailand one of he happiest guys in the city).
Vivian and Wailand: Peace!
We gathered at a downtown restaurant on the third floor of a mega-mall in Shanghai. (Don’t ask me how we got there. One thing that helps tremendously is to have ‘handlers’ on these trips). An emcee commands the flow and order of the ‘ceremony’, which lasts a good couple of hours. The couple are presented to the audience and a few speeches are made. Endless dishes of Chinese fare are served and the wedding gets going when the glasses are raised.
The bride appears in full-white traditional western dress (the first of three gowns) and they couple gathers around a wedding cake prop, lights some candles and pour a bottle of red wine into an arrangement of champagne bottles. After the photo/video opportunity passes, a waitress dismantles the pyramid of glasses and pours the red stuff out.
Vivian and Wailand were married earlier in the day in a civil ceremony, which, I guess, is the practice here. The official process is quick and efficient and lacking any religious overtones. A photo montage flashes their civil wedding picture onto a projection screen.
Toasts are made by our China Business Development manager, Jerry Lee. Jerry is responsible for our multi-pronged excursion into the mainland, having taken the risk to settle in Shenzhen almost 5 years ago. Now, he has assembled a team of 8 fantastic employees in the three major metropolitan/manufacturing hubs of China: Shenzhen, Shanghai and at our next stop, Beijing.
ATCB is a family and with the one child law in China, the bonds between friends is strong and familial (no brothers or sisters? no blood-uncles or aunts, no cousins). We are touched by the honor we are given at the wedding. Jerry, the proto-older brother of Jerry (“ge ge”) gives an emotional speech, reminiscing how love bloomed over the mundane task of testing and certification.
After the speeches we were treated to a couple of more costume changes and gan bei aplenty.
Cutting Cake
As the wedding wound down with much joy and hong jiu-inspired celebration, we were treated to another interesting custom.
Cigarettes, socially anathema in much of the world, are used to wish couples in Shanghai prosperity and a bright future.
The bride and groom roam the room after the formal part of the ceremony. The groom hands out Chung Hwa cigarettes. The bride strikes a match and the recipient, drawing the flame to flare, is asked: “Is it lit?”. The answer is ji le! It is lit! The symbology, I am told, is to show that the newly-nuptialed pair has a bright and prosperous future with many offspring (well, one at least). I’m not sure if this tradition was started by the cigarette companies, but it is one of the aspects of an enjoyable and joyous Chinese wedding.
Congratulations Vivian and Wailand. Love springing from the FCC Rules. Who knew?
And our very own Henry caught the bouquet (open to all single folks). Way to go, Henry.
Henry, the Bouquet snatcher
Fish Skin Clothes
Shopping in Shanghai is a QVC-addict’s dream. Everything is available in flashy and subtle style. One thing you can’t buy anymore is a Salmon Skin Shirt.
A tour of Shanghai’s Nanking street includes a stop at the exhibition of Chinese clothing. From the placard: “This set of clothes is a summer dress, made of the skin of salmon. Fish skin clothes are only available in Hezhe Nationality (don’t look for this in Nordstroms). In the fishing season, Hezhe women manufacture the fish skin clothes while men are busy in fishing. Big fish over 10 kilograms are selected to make fish thread and skin, afterwards the clothes are seamed. With the improved living condition, Hezhe’s fish skin clothes and its craft start to vanish.” Double-knit polyester’s got nothing on this garb.
Salmon: Good for eating and for making a splash at the summer cotillion.
Bonus puzzle:
A shot with my little sister Susan “mei mei” on Nanking street, a shopping mecca and prowling ground of eager entrepreneurs of knock-off watches. Find the 435 differences in these two pictures (answers next blog):
Find the differences in these two pictures
Next stop, Shenyang and An Shan in Liaoning province. Liaoning is the heart of the old industrial China, producing steel, mining, manufacturing and one of the biggest buddhas in the area. The Japanese made steel here during the occupation and World War II. The region, next to North Korea, is strategically and commercially important. One of the largest ports is at Da Lian from the province of forty million people. About the size of Argentina.
Mike Violette
AmericanTCB & Washington Labs
from Taipei and Shanghai
Related blogs: Kobe, Japan | Anshan Beijing