books

A new book brings together senior executives from Chrysler, 3M, Education First and law firm Hogan Lovells to discuss how global companies can adapt to doing business in China without compromising their values or sacrificing their interests Ker Gibbs was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai for many years, focusing on US-China relations and business issues facing American companies operating in Asia. Before that, he worked for …

Paul French selects ten recent translations of Chinese fiction into English to take to the beach this summer to ponder China more deeply as you work on your tan rather than your business plan… Contemporary Chinese literature is a window into China’s soul. Whether you want to profile your customers, work out who should be your target audience or just understand your friends, neighbours and partners better, reading fiction can …

A new book by London-based academic Dr Keyu Jin argues that the popular perception that China still relies on technology transfers, industrial subsidies and unfair trade competition for its economic success is outdated and exaggerated and that a changed perception could revolutionise how companies do business there. Paul French finds out more For decades, it’s been an easy and throw-away shorthand to talk of either socialism or capitalism with “Chinese …

Paul French recommends some of the best Chinese novels, short stories and poetry translated and published so far in 2023. Each of these works has something vital to say about modern China and can deepen our understanding of the country The interior life of urban China: Ghost Music, An Yu From the acclaimed author of 2020’s Braised Pork comes another novel with a culinary feel – mushrooms and all things …

Understanding China’s urbanisation drive and its new mega-cities – the powerhouses of consumption, business and societal change – is a challenge for all businesses. A new book explores the topic. Providing some great perspectives on the process of urbanisation in China is China Urbanising: Impacts and Transitions (University of Pennsylvania Press), edited by Weiping Wu and Qin Gao, both professors at Columbia University. The book gathers an interdisciplinary group of …

The story of the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC) during World War One is both touching and fascinating. As the political climate between China and the West becomes more combative, Clive Harvey –  author of the 2017 book Yang’s War – sheds light on a powerful historical partnership between the major powers that is rarely spoken of … but should be Chinese tenacity runs deep. If you go back, 100 years …

Lin Zhang’s new book Labor of Reinvention: Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital Economy (2023, Columbia University Press) traces the myriad local entrepreneurs, often in obscure and remote rural locations, using technology to reinvent their businesses and themselves. Paul French finds out more Whether you are a villager using e-commerce to find new and more profitable markets or a middle-class urban woman reselling luxury goods, the entrepreneurship journey is never …

Zhongguancun is the birthplace of some of China’s (and the world’s) biggest tech companies, including Lenovo, Bytedance – the company behind Tiktok – and Didi. But what role does ‘China’s Silicon Valley’ have to play in the future of the country’s tech sector? Anyone involved in tech in China has probably visited Zhongguancun,  the major technology hub in Beijing’s Haidian District that’s been dubbed ‘China’s Silicon Valley’. The area’s scientific …

From the importance of good translation to entrepreneurial techniques for surviving China’s uncertainty, these 10 best non-fiction books on China – introduced by author Paul French – offer an insight into what happened in 2022  … and what we can expect to happen in 2023 On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border, Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey The Russia-China border winds for 2,600 miles through rivers, swamps, and vast …

As a challenging year in China draws to a close, Paul french rounds up some of the year’s best Chinese fiction in translation to get stuck into over the holidays Among all the new non-fiction, history and business books, it’s easy to forget that contemporary fiction can provide a window into a country, its consumers and its culture. It’s fair to say the last few years have been a slightly …