Above: Fun with Sichuan waitresses in JinDingXuan Restaurant.
Brief History of BeijingMan
What was it before/in China - Updated November 2009
I was raised in Finland. My mother Irja was born in Helsinki, capital of Finland. Her father served as chief of the machines in icebreaker Tarmo (now in Maritime Museum of Finland). My father Lennart was from Vyborg, a major former Finnish business town. He was the youngest of seven brothers, adventurer by nature.
My parents met in Vyborg. WW2 started and late 1939 they were evacuated from Vyborg. My eldest brother Raimo was then 2 years. Later there were two sisters and two brothers when I popped out into reality.
At 6 years came violin, then school and chorus. There were Märklin trains and Mecano construction toys. At 9 years, first media interview for Finnish TV at famous water carrousel during Hanko beach and Regatta holidays. Violin lessons and intensive training took time, and later came classical orchestra.
At 10 years I won a prize to visit candy factory, and a lot of candies. Comic books and biking were important. And scouts and K-carting. Happy times.At 16 years, speedy Spanish Dance by violin at matiné, big audience. Mad Magazine was hot. I hitchhiked to Paris, independence during summer holidays from school. First night in Paris at Arc de Triumf. Lazy times under Eiffel Tower, green grass at that time. Nights by Seine River Pont du Carrousel painted 1886 by Vincent van Gogh. Around Seine River islands Île de la Cité and Île St.-Louis, by a small boat.
Then came summer jobs, one summer in Motala, Sweden. And my VW Beetle was aquarius blue.
More hobbies, judo, aikido, photographing, adventures. In Finland everybody goes a bit army. I went Reserve Officer School (this) which was pretty physical, games and mostly fun. Now air defence battery Lt. in reserve. Then studies.Then came Nokia and computer. Not just any computer but a mainframe, top-super machine GE-635. Similar systems were used in NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the moon rockets.
1. Nokia Computer Center
TECHNOLOGY ADVENTURES RATHER THAN WORK
Mainframe computer in Nokia Data's Kilo, Espoo computer center was not small, it was General Electric 635, GE-635 with GCOS3 operating system.
When managing GE-635's capacities, master mode and slave mode, it felt nearly human! And I dug into its soul. Sometimes dreaming what would it be with Multics operating system, a MIT and GE project which actually led into smaller scale, Unix.
Left: GE-635 memory module and IOC panel. GE-635 was transistor technology, 36-bit processor, my best toy!For years I breathed purified and ionized air of 4000m2 computer hall which was filled with mainframe computers, peripherals and network datanets.
It was about timesharing, batch applications, transaction processing, and rapid change, updates, development and learning faster than others.
Nokia's GE-635 got a lot of publicity. It was then the greatest. Along with commercial business, GE-635 participated Moon rock isotope structure processing and chess competitions. Lunar Helium-3 or not, for me GE-635 was an adventure and friend, my trip to Moon and beyond.
I joined Nokia Data Kilo-TK computer center. There Seppo Vuorinen and Heino Laine became my chiefs for several years. Good guys, good times.
When GE-635 was put down, I saved its door-sized IOC, Input/Output Controller panel which is full of switches. Also saved some ferroring memory modules and aluminum reels from magnetic tape units.
In picture Nokia computer center manager Seppo Vuorinen operates at GE-635's console. I met Seppo in summer 2007, that man is just a champion.Picture is from Salmisaari, Nokia's first computer center in Helsinki. Later it moved to Kilo-TK computer center in Karakallio, Espoo, where everything was state-of-art.
Cheers to GE-635! TSS, SNUMB, commands ???Stats ???Sieve ???Tcall ???Peek ???Patch ???Run all¶ and many more.
FIRST EMAIL - GE-265
I sent my first email in 1982 by using GE-265 system, famous for being the first time sharing system. GE-265 had physically huge disc, some 1 meter in diameter, with fixed read/write heads, already old system in 1982.
GE-265's messaging system was QuikComm. Before Internet, proprietary QuikComm expanded global use by MNCs and embassies. It had connectors to integrate most popular email systems into seemless email flow. Well, support for message attachments varied. Was QuikComm expensive service? Depends, those were times when international telecom charges were monopolistic-sky high, but value of efficient information flow was understood.
GE-265 was a front-end into GE's global MarkIII network and services. In Finland it was hosted by Nokia, by us at Kilo-TK computer center. Nordic network center was located in Copenhagen, and Europe's super-center in Holland. Later GEIS provided new technology access point to separate location in Helsinki.
When Honeywell H66 mainframes, based on next level of technology compared to GE-635, introduced email capability, many understood that it was going change things. What will happen to the post offices:) Well, they are still there. The change was much bigger.
FIRST OWN PC - Nokia MikroMikko 4TT
Nokia had a PC factory. My first home PC was Nokia MikroMikko 4TT m336, Intel 20MHz 80386 processor with math coprocessor 80387, 70Mb SCSI hard disc and DU146 14" VGA display. And mouse, or rat at that time, with Windows 1.01.
It was late autumn 1987. I got my MikroMikko 4TT directly from Nokia Data's factory in Kilo, Espoo.MikroMikko 4TT was a bonus of keeping a week-long workshop abroad. Sweet, since 4TT's list price was about half of new Volkswagen's. I had asked for 4TT and thanks to visionary NITEC chief Kari Kallio, got it.
MikroMikko 4TT served me well. Those were the times I put PC parts together myself for fun. It was also about learning capabilities and emerging roles for PCs, LANs, minis and servers, as extension to mainframes (which were nearly human). This was before the Internet era.
NOKIA AND BANKING
During 1980-1990 Nokia Data developed banking software and some hardware into finest levels, in technical means.
Major Finnish banks had databases and transaction applications in HoneyWell Bull mainframes (H66, DPS8, DPS88) serving Finland-wide online networks.Nokia Data was a technology, product and support partner for banks. At Nokia's computer center I became manager for Honeywell Bull dual system mainframe and network which was dedicated for development.
Later I was appointed product manager for Honeywell 66 and DPS8, DPS88 and DPS90 mainframes with next generation operating system GCOS8. It was time to leave Kilo computer center and move to office at Keskuskatu, beside Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki center. Configurators became sort of fun.
Nokia was strong with Gcos3/Gcos8 mainframes and computer centers. In Finland, installed base of these mainframes became 31 systems with 55 processors.
After GCOS3 came GCOS8 with new architecture. Courses and product marketing meetings needed frequent visits to Paris, Bull Gambetta and many others. In all, I stayed in Paris over half year.Frenchmen often have great thoughts and strategies but it seldom led into clicks. Remember Minitel videotex online system, a web before the web, and much more technologies which never managed to make into international mainstream.
I enjoy traveling. Primitive, but when on work trips, I felt much like being on holidays. For me Paris was, and still is just a holiday. Weekends in Paris were special, mornings brief walk along boulevards, afternoons longer walks to parks and museums, evenings another Paris. I know many who feel stress when in Paris, but not me.
I stayed often at Holiday Inn Republique (old guillotine square) for their breakfast and location. Once my hotel was on the other side of Seine River, near Pere Lachaise cemetery at Boulevard de Menilmontant. In there I found Frederic Chopin who's music belongs to my favorite. Also there: Maria Callas, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf.
MONEY-MONEY-MONEYFinland was early to convert money into electrical format which would enable use of debit/credit cards and banking ATMs.
For several years I was involved in such projects with view on logical security. There is some difference between money in electrical format or just information about money. In such major change people's trust into money was high priority and a must to maintain. That meant data security.
IFIP. Together with Stefan Saari I participated IFIP's First Security Conference in Stockholm, May 1983. Data security was then an exotic topic. Reporter Vesa Santavuori interviewed us there for his article Computer Control Pondered in Stockholm, published 19th May 1983 by Helsingin Sanomat.
FIRST WITH LOGICAL DATA SECURITY
After IFIP conference I proposed Nokia to organize data security seminar in Finland. My visionary chief Kari Kallio agreed and gave me task to make it happen. I wanted to focus on logical security and not to include physical security in this seminar.
I went Paris to meet Mr Harari one of the architects of Washington-Moscow hotline text-based communications centers.Mr Harari asked about security interest in Finland and information about potential participants. I wanted to fix with him the topics to be handled in the seminar, material, and price.
He accepted the invitation to lecture three days at Nokia's Data Security Seminar in Helsinki. Seminar dates and place got fixed. Advertisements were published in Talouselämä, a major Finnish business magazine (28/1983). Albert Harari:
-
Goal is to give participants a "key" to deeper knowledge
in the rather new domain of their choice.
Albert Harari's topics covered risks and security on databases, networks, directories, searches, internal/external threats, organizational threat, cryptology status, login control methods, databases and Boolean risks, contingency plans and much more.Mr Harari had many example scenarios, from cloned bank offices to terrorists taking control of missile launch site. How to prepare and protect, how to communicate under threat, and advanced use of simulation. There were some ideas to computer center managements, responsible for money in electrical format. Feedback from participants was positive, more was wanted.
Finnish TV reported Data Security Seminar in prime news, Mr Harari and young me were interviewed. February 1984 Nokia Data's NET magazine published an article with above pictures and title Learnings from the First Data Security Seminar better than expected. That's how the era of data security began in Finland.
I had dinner with Mr Harari at Restaurant Mikado in Helsinki center. Those were busy times for him. He came to Helsinki directly from Argentina and after Helsinki was going to Paris. He had agreed to give an interview related to popular Star Wars for French TV channel at Paris CDG Airport.
HLSUA - Honeywell Bull Large Scale Users' Association
Nokia sold Honeywell Bull mainframe systems to Finnish banks and major Finnish corporations, altogether 30 installations. Computer center personnel wanted to learn best practices from each other. HLSUA, which was a global activity became key forum for sharing both technical and management issues.
Nokia appointed me to HLSUA. For 9 years I joined HLSUA meetings in Finland and Scandinavian level. In meetings I often had presentation about developments and practices. I worked in several HLSUA committees and projects. These were my roles:
• 1987-1988 Intl. Coordinator, Computer Center Mngt Committee
• 1982-1987 Secretary, Computer Center Security Committee
• 1980-1989 Member, Computer Center Management Committee
• 1980-1989 Member, Scandinavian Installation Committee
Computer center personnel needed a lot of courses and trainings. Other than computer technologies, I was happy to learn Kepner-Tregoe systematic processes for critical thinking. Their problem analysis method was often needed and was helpful.
COMPUTER CENTER WORKSHOPS
Meetings with other computer centers' managers and experts were frequent. During 1980-1990 I visited over 20 major European computer centers, both enterprises and governmental, for meetings and workshops. Everybody needed more training for their personnel.
Left: Nokia Data's computer center in Kilo, Espoo. Below more pictures.I started to keep operator workshops in NITEC, Nokia Information Technology Education Center in Helsinki for Finnish participants. I did over 40 weeks workshops in NITEC.
Those 5-day operator workshops, basic and advanced, became popular. I did workshops directly for enterprises in their computer centers, or via Honeywell Bull's education units. Often workshops were international with participants from several countries. I enjoyed traveling and had some 50 weeks workshops abroad in 8 countries, mainly in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Sundsvall and Baghdad.
Key topics were how to operate mainframe systems effectively and how to manage exceptional situations. Sometimes there were situations which required complex reconfiguration procedures. These two 5-day workshops were for Honeywell Bull mainframe installations with GCOS8 operating system.
There was more demand for workshops than I could handle. I did the last workshop in 1990 in Denmark.
Once again, long ago, I went abroad to run a workshop. Computer center was deep underground in the city center. When going there I felt like Maxwell Smart enough doors but no need to speak Swahili. I had a personal guard the whole week just beside, all the time. Twelve participants had only first names, no positions, no roles, but they were interested to learn and understand. Be seeing you!
Left: Brochure picture.DPS 8/47 was the smallest entry-level GCOS8 mainframe, used as development system or dedicated application processor. Integration made it physically small, economical and lightweight.
IRAN-IRAQ WAR
During 1980-1988 Iran-Irak War I was several times invited to keep workshops in Baghdad. In 1980 head of Nokia's Education Center (before NITEC was born) sent me a message to ask if I was "ready and willing" to go Baghdad to help a French company, an important business partner. I was even more, I was ready, curious and willing.
The first workshop was meant to be held in September 1980. Flight tickets to Baghdad were via Geneva. Luggage was packed. But the war started that very same day and every foreigner was rushing out from Iraq by all means. My trip was canceled only 2 hours before it started from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
BAGHDAD TRIPS
The need was in place, preparations were done, and soon it was a go. My trips took two weeks at a time. I went to NCC, National Computer Center and Rafidain Bank Computer Center in Baghdad. Rafidain Bank had very modern site, Swiss construction. NCC had an older building. Both had latest Honeywell Bull large mainframe installations, NCC's was a high capacity double system. I did workshops and optimizing.
Once when going to Baghdad I was probably the only traveler on that Iraq Airways flight from Paris. Many thoughts. After long flight but more than an hour before landing, all curtains were pulled down and lights in cabin turned off. This was a security measure, followed by a lot of twists and turns before finally landing 2am at then new Saddam International Airport, later renamed Baghdad International Airport.
It was war time, entry to Iraq was by invitation VISA only, no tourists. Three checks at airport and into Baghdad you go. Arrival was at night and 4 a.m. my pick-up person drived me via famous highway to Baghdad city. Some lights, very few cars.
I stayed at Hotel Al Sadeer Novotel which was located near Ali Baba Fountain. Famous Hotel Sheraton was just few blocks away, it got some hits those times. Novotel's personnel was mainly from Filippines, India, and Sri Lanka. Reception desk had Filipinos, lobby personnel were Tamils and pool attendants were Sinhalese. Filipinos often told me about 1952 Miss Universe Armi Kuusela, a Finn who got married to Filipino businessman.
Hotel Novotel was an active place. Every week group of Armenian children came to swimming pool to have fun. For me Baghdad was sometimes too hot, even 30 mins at the pool side was too much. In Novotel I also experienced Iraqi celebrations and several wedding parties.
I saw Novotel's tennis courts being built by Egyptian and Kurdistan workers. They managed in the hot weather amazingly well. Time to time they wet their lose trousers by stepping into water barrel to make them cooler.
Visitors were mainly arms dealers. Hotel had 30 rooms all time reserved for one major arms dealer company. Some sales delegations used marching format inside the hotel, diciplined. It was from hand grenades to electronic upgrade kits for tanks, and beyond.
In the evenings restaurant and bar in Al Sadeer Novotel were crowded by foreign experts, arms sellers and UN personnel. Everyone was in the country by invitation VISA. Many were interested about what others were doing in Baghdad, and usually nobody was willing to jump in. We build subways was our/my excuse. I dined daily with Frenchmen, sort of day's review. My menu was simple, I focused on entrecôte with Bordeaux wine, always prime choice, both imported from France.
In 2005 a bomb was exploded in that Al Sadeer Novotel hotel.
A few times strong sandstorms. Days when afternoon was over +40C, even +45C. Sometimes there were jets in the sky, and Russian made anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23?) were always ready and everywhere. Many places in Baghdad became familiar: Hotel Sheraton, Saddun Street, Sook Market, Tupili department stores (no goods available), antique shops in Mansour, The Swords Gate at parade area, and Unknown Soldier Monument, water pipe houses at Tigris river. Private exchange gave one dinar per one USD. I bought a few metal works and a carpet made in Kurdistan.
As Iraq's men were in war, personnel in computer centers were mainly women. Some of them were called "good Muslims", they wore traditional clothes. Other women had western style clothing, many even miniskirts. Much of their work was to stand in given positions in glass-walled area. Six days a week but only 5 hours per day, each day ending with power-off procedures before 2pm, I had not seen such rule in any other computer center. Then some 20 light blue Buicks arrived to pick computer center women and drive them to their villas. They were wifes of Saddam's military officers, I was told.
There was a software specialist, man, who had experienced the war in southern Iraq. When we met he always went through his war experiences. The worst was not the war itself, even though it had been terrible. The worst were mosquitos. After long list of experiences, he finally demonstrated me their sounds and flying. He wrote all notes onto his arms and hands, which were full of texts.
The Baghdad Observer was the only English language reading available. For more news I had this Sony shortwave receiver often at pool side. Listening radio was allowed only with earphone as Novotel was located near a mosk. I felt like Howard Beale in Network. But rules gave me time to write diary.
Once I was on way by Iraq Airways from Paris to Baghdad. At CDG Airport a guarded old plane, less than ten passengers, long wait inside it. Finally information: 4 luggages which didn't belong to any passenger had been found. Everyone needed to go out to point his luggage. Later it was a go. Many thoughts when taking off and heading towards Baghdad.
BAGHDAD MEETING
Once I had meeting with a high officer. When waiting outside his office, secretary who also was interpreter, was visibly very nervous. I wondered what was it going to be.
Office was luxurious, wood paneled. It was like Sun King's Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, maybe just a bit shorter:) During 30 minutes discussion high officer didn't say a word. Secretary spoke to me, made questions. Then she spoke to officer, followed a period of silence, and she talked again to me. Did the officer control secretary's answers by eye contact? Surreal discussion ended with disagreement. I believe I didn't exactly behave culturally correctly when I was asked for things I was neither ready nor willing to do.
BAGHDAD PALACE
I was invited for dinner in palace at Dora Dora beside river Tigris. My host came to pick me from Al Sadeer Novotel with his new VW Passat Brasili. Driving took some 30 minutes.
Palace was built in 1958, some 20 halls and rooms, park, and fishing pond at Tigris. Three limousines, one was long Cadillac, in front of palace's main entrance pillars. The old palace nearby had been converted for personnel housing.
Pillars, a few steps up and I entered into 3-4 meters high and over 15 meters long hall. That hall was for receiving state guests. Floor bricks had been imported from Iran. Walls were covered with carpets, gifts and pictures. On tables there were glassware, porcelain, pearls, metal works and arts. They were gifts from earlier visitors, heads of state: Eric Honecker of East Germany visited in 1970 and brought porcelain, and Idi Amin from Uganda was in a group picture on the wall. When my host ended his introduction, double doors opened into dining room.
Dining room was smaller, just one long table for 25 persons. At the end of the table was readily ten hot dishes, chicken, kebbe (lamb with wheat), fruits, more, enough for six or eight persons but we were just two. All those famous people must have been dining at this table, I thought. No personnel, silence in the dining room and evening was already dark.
This palace belonged to my host's father, Sheik. My host had been in Iraq-Iran war for 3 years and for that service he got Brazilian made VW Passat Brasili as compensation from the state. He was now on one-year resting period at computer center, which was background for inviting me for the dinner. A work dinner, with a question and with an answer to that question.
Before my trips to Baghdad, I didn't spent time on learning local culture. Next day I wished I had a bit. A big meeting was organized. Speech, then my host gave me a gift, silver art, 3 candles holder with heart in the middle, handmade in Turkey. It was the same which I had seen in palace's reception hall and told him it was very nice. Applauds. He announced that this gift was from his father, Sheik, whom I never met.
I felt culturally unclear and gave him what I had, my new Sony Walkman. These persons had never seen or used such. I had Jean-Michel Jarre's Magnetic Fields on tape, my host put earphones on, pressed play, standing beside me his eyes begun to make rapid left-right moves. Event was over.
AMMAN AIRPORT ROCKS!
Once my Air France flight from Baghdad to Paris (to Helsinki) had a stop about 4am in Amman, Jordan. Announcement said one hour stop, allowed to visit Amman Airport. I went to stretch, other travelers (a few only) stayed in plane. Just behind a corner a group of pretty aggressive night shift of airport guards caught me.
Amman Airport guards and I didn't find a common language. They rapidly pointed their rifles towards me. One guard pressed his rifle towards my face, nose! I pulled my head back while my eyes focused on gun's barrel. I must have looked like Chaplin. But this was not a movie. Next I was pushed against the wall and sort of "treated", punched, after they let me dig passport. As Kurtz from movie said IF is the middle word in LIFE. Next time I visit Amman during daylight!
Landing to CDG Paris never felt as good, but it was still long hours until back in Helsinki.
GOODBYE BAGHDAD
When last time leaving the computer center, it was a lot of handshaking and picture taking. Many persons cried as we had had a unique way to learn about each other. Some privately gave me pack of letters to be mailed their destinations when I was back in Europe (actually, I mailed them when changing plane and waiting flight to Helsinki in Paris CDG airport).
At outer gate the guards had earlier demonstrated me their hot trigger fingers by shooting around. Demos were so effective that I didn't seriously consider making any sudden move, like lifting my arm up to wave them for goodbye. But now those same guards stopped me, smiled and gave me a big box of dates! They were good! Amazing country, city, people and culture!
Missiles were used against Baghdad and traveling there became more dangerous. My last workshop with Iraqis was arranged to Amsterdam where I had a marathon 3-week workshop. Participants were sent in from Baghdad, including also university persons.
ENOUGH OF WORKSHOPS
Altogether I did intl. computer center workshops during 8 years in 8 countries about 50 weeks. Most often in Denmark, over 20 times 1-week international workshop, mainly at Domus Vista in Välby, Copenhagen. Workshops in Denmark were organized by Bull, Mr Hans-Olof Lehnert, good times. My last workshop was in 1990. Doing workshops was all time a side process while I went through several professional roles at Nokia.
HOLIDAY IN BEIJING - MY CHINA AWARENESS RISING
My holiday alternatives for Christmas week in 1992 were Manila, Florida and Beijing. I joined to a teachers group to Beijing. This was my first time to China.
Not many cars in Beijing streets, orderly atmosphere. I was as curious about Chinese as they were about me, a foreigner.
For Christmas dinner I took taxi from Gloria Plaza Hotel to Sheraton Hotel Great Wall. It was a Lada, Taxi driver had covered speedometer on dashboard with Mao's postcard picture. He looked that picture more than the road ahead. I had a chance to learn about Chinese mentality.
Left: In 1992 at Great Wall near Beijing. Day was windy and unbelievably cold, even for a Finn grown up with strong four seasons. For survival I had to buy that nikita hat before climbing up the wall.In 1998, many China trips later, I would move to Beijing as an expat for Nokia Corporation. That would be my second time working for Nokia. But before that there were a few other companies.
2. General Electric Information Services, GEIS
BUSINESS SERVICES FOR MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
I learned most when working years with GE Information Services, part of GE from U.S., then partner of Nokia. Most GEIS customers were major multinational corporations, like Nokia. It was fun with Jack Welsh themes; empowerment, speed, stretch, customer satisfaction. All was combined with the best technologies and innovations.
GEIS was about business communications, email and email system connectors, EDI services and treasury management, in the modern way. There were special cases like WEF (World Economic Forum) workstations and some embassy networks. Information is your weapon No.1 Good times, smart people and most advanced value-added services.
ROCKVILLE. I enjoyed GEIS workshops and meetings in Rockville Maryland (HQs), in Switzerland, U.K., Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and of course in Helsinki. There was one event when GEIS CEO interviewed a few participants about market directions and needs - I was one happy of those few.
GE Information Services could have done better if they understood more about European business culture mosaic. GEIS had strongly centralized control. Customization, yes, but not enough flexibility for needs and markets outside the US.
Left: During one U.S. trip I had photo with President Ronald Reagan. It was taken in Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC.I am posing with a cardboard cutout of President Reagan. Hand on my shoulder belongs to unknown person behind us. It was April 1992. At National Gallery of Art I found brainy works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, my top favorites. Abstract expressionism is my big enjoyment, an escape into imagination.
3. ICL Ltd.
PROJECTS: TELECOM, CONSULTING, QUALITY
ICL, International Computers Limited, is famous British computer flagship which then joined to Fujitsu. I did projects, f.ex. telecom consulting for ABB's global network. I was one of the builders of ICL's quality system SFS-ISO9001 (EN 29001) which got certificate among the firsts in Finland. Quality system meant mapping the processes and auditing them. Not too sexy project, but educative.
In Europe "quality" was based on standardized ISO 9001, but in U.S. at GE Information Services the key measure was customer satisfaction. "More effective", GEIS manager told me.
4. TeamWARE Group
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
TeamWARE is an international software company with innovative products. My role at TeamWARE was international marketing related to groupware products (office productivity suite) and Internet-Extranet-Intranet enablers.
LONDON. I did international marketing and was located some six months in Bracknell near London, for sales boost project in U.K. And I learned that funny driving on left.Smart times. TeamWARE sponsored F1 team Jordan. One of key customers was the Metropolitan Police. We used famous actors for a serie of top management groupware shows. Actors read text from teleprompt devices placed behind the audience. Audience probably never notice teleprompts. Results: very convincing case shows, and effective.
MUNICH. Just before midsummer in June 1995 I was sent to Munich for media interviews marathon of three days. Result was coverage by leading publications Computer Zeitung, Computer Reseller News, NetWorks, Computerwelt Österreich (Austria) and Business Computing. Media had good questions, publicity was good and I had good times.
MOSCOW. July 1995 I went to exciting banking security conference in Moscow. I was the only foreigner with presentation. Event was organized by Rosincass - Russian Encashment Association at Bankcentre Concern. All Russian banks participated and several meetings were held alongside the event.
Conference closing party was about vodka and caviar with small apples. Physical security show was artistic and scenarios always ending bad guys kill. During the show a man came to me. He had darkened eyeglasses and at least four bodyguards around. He spoke Russian:
- What you talked is the future of Russia
I thanked, we handshaked, he left. He is KGB, told my interpreter. I asked another vodka with small apple.
Next morning I took taxi from Moscow Olympic Penta Renaissance Hotel to airport. That taxi didn't do trip first time. Highway had traffic jam. Fluently taxi driver went center lane on wrong side of highway, heading against coming cars and flashing lights all time while speeding to Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport. I, too, know that time bends.
For me that taxi trip was sort of a new experience. And payment became small surprise, too. I pre-paid taxi at hotel by credit card, price was $61USD. Payment from my account was $81USD because number 6 had been afterwards extended to number 8.
At Sheremetyevo Airport long lines of travelers. Passport officer looks my passport, takes phone, speaks Russian, traveler behind me translates:
- Your visa has expired
Group of officers appear, their leader says to me:
- Your visa has expired
Complete silence, then I say:
- Mistake made in Helsinki embassy, quick visa for 3 days
Silence as Russian officer looks my passport, then me, many times, we stare intensively, I don't smile, my time stops. After FOREVER officer says in Russian to passport officer:
- Let him go
Traveler behind me laughed, you almost won free weekend in Sheremetyevo cell. Now, that was pretty exciting. Overall my Moscow was like a ballet, choreograph was theirs and I danced hard. Survival feels good.
TeamWARE and EEMA.ORG Email and eCommerce entered onto every desk. I represented TeamWARE at EEMA Association in U.K., joining its Internet Committee, Directory Committee, User Committee and International Events Planning Committee. In meetings we handled business use of Internet, directories, email address formats, eCommerce in business and logical security. EEMA was about information sharing, conferences and exhibitions.
CHINA RISING. I value TeamWARE's products which compared well against Microsoft and other competition. After several private trips to China the idea was to unofficially releasing groupware to rapidly changing China market, to create scale and user base and charge later for localized versions.
I believed such China plan had good chance to succeed. But there was no thinking big, China would have been too radical. Instead, TeamWARE tried hard in Singapore. Microsoft took China markets and in recent years they have got paid, too.
Recently I found a "TeamWARE copy-company" in China. Not uncommon, I have met many copy-companies in China: business idea, products, web-sites, even office everything in very detail (of a Beijing-based foreign company) and company name were copied. TeamWARE's technological copy was seeking partner but real TeamWARE had no interest on Chinese markets. Many Chinese success stories have started when the real foreign and Chinese copy company started to co-operate.
5. Elisa Oyj - former HPY
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT FOR INTERNET SERVICES
In 1997 I changed to telecom operator which was combination of past and new, and needed modernization. They asked me to join and establish product management group for Internet service products for consumers, SMEs, enterprises and public sector.
Competent people into team. Roger G. Pineda was the key to define consumer product Kolumbus 1. Soon Elisa took consumer Internet market leadership from Sonera with 49FIM (8EUR) per month flat rate Internet package. Those were the times when Finland was "the most Internet country in the world". Those were the times of dial-up and ISDN.
I wanted to learn more about efforts related to websites. If I could do such, most could do it. I wrote a personal "Dreams Come True" website by using Microsoft Notepad, year was 1997. No Nobel Prize needed to be able to do kind of blog.
I was soon appointed as consultant to their Internet business affairs in Germany. By then I had already decided to leave and not to take Germany. I almost signed job contract with Sonera (now TeliaSonera), the main competitor. Contract paperwork had been done ready for signing. Literally, at the last hour I changed direction, didn't sign to Sonera because my Nokia China got approved.
In 1997-98 Internet services were about learning faster than the others. Not all agree, but Internet then was pretty simple.
Biggest challenge at Elisa was a strong can't-do-that attitude, symptom of their past. Progress made was "slow motion", while markets had low hanging berries, business opportunities, to be taken with new technologies. Inside, the processes were not yet defined enabling comfortable lifestyle without the pain of more focused approach.
Uphills prepared me well for my next phase. Realities in mainland China, where everything was in transition, were similarly troubling, past in conflict with potential new.
NEW YORK & BALTIMORE. My employment with telecom operator was over in one year, shortest that I ever had. There were some positive points. Learning was actually supported, and I achieved results. I enjoyed industry updates at major Internet conferences in New York and in Baltimore, forward-looking meetings in Sweden, and with many partners and quests.
6. China Information Services and Consulting
CONSULTING SCANDINAVIAN MNCs
In 1994 I was one of three persons in Helsinki who believed in emerging China. We became partners and established China information services and consulting (Oy, Ltd). Our China venture became success but we were a bit early.
I was still working for TeamWARE Group when holiday trip to Beijing in 1992 became my turning point regarding China.In 1994 we signed agreement in Beijing after two weeks of daily negotiations with then top Chinese information organization. We made partnership agreement, and we were their first partner. Next after us to reach agreement with Chinese was Gartner Group. It was then when I was given my Chinese name 启思博.
Our China consulting got soon over 20 multinational corporate clients, like Nokia, Ericsson, Kemira, Outokumpu, Rautaruukki, and many smaller technology companies. We got clients from every Nordic country, many of them now succesful in China.
Partnership with China was rewarding. I learned about China's transition towards market economy, opportunities, and role of Guanxi.
Left: Our 1996 brochure.If you are willing to expand your business in China, you need to understand Guanxi.
In 2009 still 100% valid.
Click to read.
In 1995 China was already hot topic for multinationals. In China MNCs had resources get-prepared, learn and handle Guanxi. For SMEs time was too early because of China's business culture: Guanxi, lack of rule-of-law, need for strong Chinese industry expertize, and difficulty of building image.
Megatrends Asia by John Naisbitt was right about China's rise. We were inspired by it. Our China consulting and information services company was an early-bird mainland China business booster, a prelude to life in Beijing, China.
7. Nokia China - Expat in Beijing
MAINLAND CHINA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - 7 YEARS
By autumn 1998 I had 120 work trips to abroad in meter. I left Elisa (HPY), skipped Sonera, and returned to Nokia Corp as an expat in Beijing to help modernize China by mobile networks and phones. I searched for Chinese talents, recruited them, built groups, coached towards new. I worked together with mainland Chinese. Projects, results, and fun.
My Nokia China plan was for 2 years but it stretched to 7 years. In China my total Nokia service time clicked over 20 years. It was time to learn some Mandarin language and Chinese way of business.
BEIJING HOME No.1First it felt weird that home door has only a number, no nameplate. Name and address in still sensitive issues in China, maybe for reasons. For the first 3,5 years, from 1998 to May 2002, my home was a 170m2 16th floor apartment A1601 in HuaQiaoCun, the famous Overseas Chinese Village.
Google Earth: 39.90633N,116.43371E
Take main avenue towards east from TianAnMen Square, it is the first apartment building with balconys on avenue side, just beside SciTech department store. This picture is taken from top floor of opposite CITIC building, the earliest international office building in Beijing and mainland China.
HuaQiaoCun was good if you wanted to see visiting world leaders. Every week car caravans, best was over 70 cars. President George W. Bush stayed overnight just opposite side of main avenue at International Club complex. President Clinton went to DiaoYuTai State Guest House which is more traditional but not a bad choice.
HuaQiaoCun apartment building was build about 1986. It was the first building where foreigners were allowed to own an apartment in Beijing. House management services were good. If I had any problems, 4-6 workers in blue clothes marched soon in to solve them, no wait. There were times when I felt service at HuaQiaoCun was even far too complete, tested it and it was so.
Beijing Old Railway Station was near. During the nights I could hear signaling sounds when trains were arranged for next day's schedule. Early mornings nearby army unit woke up and shouted during their morning exercise. I got used to it, felt homely.
HuaQiaoCun had a lot of history and was sort of famous because of life stories of some Chinese people who lived there. This eastern gate was built in 2000.Community. Many neighbors were from Hong Kong, Singapore or early wealthy mainland Chinese. One was importer, he had several Rolls Royces. Another, a business person, went always with several medical doctors. Some were famous in sports, some in popular music. HuaQiaoCun community was sort of elite of the society.
BEIJING HOME No.2
May 2002 I moved to larger new apartment nearby. Apartment owners' quality was/still is very, very different comparad to HuaQiaoCun. Many newly-rich Chinese neighbors have "provincial mentality" which, to be polite, can be unbelievable (sorry, no details here). House management doesn't have knowledge about house management. But my apartment's layout and space are excellent, better than in HuaQiaoCun.
MANDARIN CHINESE
I studied Mandarin for 4 years with linguistics professor Qie JinShen - Qie LaoShi. He taught Mandarin to several Nokia managers, including company's president.
Left: Professor QieHis experience and knowledge helped to make Mandarin language studies and Chinese culture great fun, three times a week.
Qie LaoShi was often able to explain the Chinese thinking and reasons behind actions. He had seen it all and had logical way to handle it for foreigners.
CHINESE FRIENDS
I have many good friends in Beijing. Entrepreneurs, professionals, and some who are known by most Chinese. We have dinners, exotic dishes, go events and parties. I have joined several weddings and one cremation, funeral. With friends I have travelled to Beijing suburbs and to Hainan holidays. With Beijing friends I have had holidays in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and a few times in Europe.
Sometimes we brainstorm business opportunities, situations and developments, a few times that has lead into projects. In Beijing I was one of three founders of a hitech company, and we sold it forward.
It was a cold Chinese New Year my friend asked for a show. That year fireworks were forbidden in Beijing, we drived an hour outside Beijing, DiYiCheng Culture Park. We were six persons in all. A large blue truck loaded full with firework boxes was waiting for us. Kind of dream, more fireworks than we could handle. Lit a box corner and it shot automatically. We asked truck drivers to join litting and we still couldn't do all fireworks. A shared show!
NOKIA CHINA - WORK ROLESI consumed seven different business cards, roles related to strategy, business development, marketing, business management.
China was/is under rapid transition from planned economy towards market economy. Chinese people want to communicate and Nokia pushed at the right time. My projects and many more persons' with theirs, contributed, and Nokia China's business more than tripled during the years I worked there. Nokia won Motorola and became No.1 in China.
EXPAT CONTRACTSSeven years, contracts with:
1. Nokia Networks NET
2. Nokia Mobile Phones NMP
3, Second contract with NMP
4. Nokia Research Center NRC
NOKIA CHINA - MY BUSINESS CARD TITLES
• Group Manager
• Business Manager
• Senior Manager Market Development
• Senior Marketing Manager
• Business Development Manager
• Manager Strategic Development
• Research Manager Asia Mobile Applications
NOKIA CHINA - PREPAID PROJECT 1998-1999
This was my first project in China. I established new Intelligent Networks (IN) group. IN system was delivered to Beijing Mobile's (BMCC) data center in XiDan district, first for trial.
Left: PrePaid Project closure.My new IN team had continuously meetings and seminars with BMCC's personnel. BMCC needed to do a lot of decisions and choices to enable the PrePaid service. We were busy and carefully processed every detail that BMCC asked or requested from us. Foreign specialists were continuously needed for service trial.
Left: PrePaid Simcard package.PrePaid Project took eight months. Finally, May 13, 1999 China's first PrePaid service was ready. PrePaid Project ended with capabilities demo event to BMCC and Nokia China management.
Later Siemens won major role in Chinese prepaid market with their tailor-made solution. Nokia's was strictly standards-based and not willing to modify.
NOKIA CHINA - SMS MARKET-MAKING PROJECT 1999-2000
Activation of China's SMS text messaging business became my second project. The dream was to reach markets that didn't exist yet, i.e. market making. Project started in May 1999 and took 1,5 years. Those times SMS was popular in Europe but not much known elsewhere.
Left: Meeting in China Mobileheadquarters (CMCC), Beijing.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and China Mobile HQs made it clear to Nokia: “SMS is an European success story, SMS will never become a success in China” and "SMS is not for China". At the same time major Chinese portals were not interested about SMS texting. Instead, portals saw WAP browsing as new channel for their existing aggregated content.
Left: Testing at Sohu.comSMS Market-Making Project activated texting as the second mobile service after "voice" in China. Back then China had only 0,5 million internet users but already 10 million GSM mobile phone users.
SMS project was to initiate and activate ecosystem by training developers, by making partnerships and training portals, and by technically linking internet content into mobile network. Multiple parties. One challenge was revenue sharing: operators wanted 100%, no less. For China Mobile and China Unicom SMS meant more revenues from their fast growing subscriber base.
Connection between internet and mobile network was not simple decision since SMS text messaging was very new to ministry and mobile operators. They where driven by control rather than rational business decisions. Finally trial connection was established and internet portals understood the SMS opportunity.
SMS Market-Making Project took 1,5 years, till the end of 2000. It achieved its targets: Chinese got new way to communicate, and Nokia had the best texting phones in the market. SMS was a sales booster. SMS texting became part of Chinese culture, major revenue source for Chinese internet portals and important revenue source to mobile operators.
In 2009 big part of revenue for China Mobile and China Unicom comes from SMS. Chinese wouldn't accept life without daily SMSes. The whole SMS story here.
NOKIA CHINA - MORE PROJECTS
My Nokia China projects, for seven years, were for market share and sales. They served for reaching the scale: Prepaid, SMS, mobile applications, content, partnerships, talents and establishing new groups.
Left: Dinner in Duck Head Restaurant, Beijing, with JV partners.In Nokia Research Center (NRC) I had a manager role for three research groups working with future mobile phones features and Nokia Ventures business initiatives. Continuous training was related to technologies, products, internal processes and tools. I also did custom MBA in China.
One of my inventions was ID-Tone, a pretone for Ringtones. February 2009 patent was finally granted in China. Patent defines personal musical signature (unique, like your name but in tones) played before your ringtone. Think of Intel Inside or Beethoven's ta-ta-ta-taa as musical signature examples. Patent application is in process in EU and U.S. If implemented, ID-Tone will enable new ways of mobility, and you can always recognize when call is for you and even who is calling. See below 10. Patents, for more.
Left: Meeting in ZhengZhou, Henan Province.Projects took me to half of China, 17 provinces. I also traveled out for meetings and events to Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Dallas, Brussels, Prague, Cannes and Barcelona. And every year 3-6 trips to Finland.
In Nokia, result counts. But as Nokia is engineering driven company, it doesn't have speedy decision making capability as in software industry. But it was ok to try, and I pushed for several strategic partnerships (f,ex, investing into major Chinese portal Sohu.com, stock then <1USD, and Flash maker Macromedia) but propositions (made in 2001-2004) were mindset-wise too early.
NOKIA CHINA - MY MAIN ROLES/PROJECTS
● Established five org. EU-China project consortium
• • Project: Mobile VAS in China - Market Entry
• • Meetings with European Commission representatives
• • Project plan approval in Brussels and Beijing
• • Project received full finance by EC
● Research: Group Manager of Asian Mobile Applications
• • Three NRC research groups
• • Resources in ten local/international research projects
● Project: Personal Navigation LBS: location, maps, GPS, UI
• • Project was ordered by Nokia Ventures
● Project: Online Games into 3G mobile, MMORPG extensions
• • China was ahead but market was seen too China-centric
● Talents: finding talents, new groups, coaching
• • Several successful recruits for management positions
● Partnerships: meetings with over 120 Chinese companies
• • Searching win-win in business, technology, applications
● Developers: activating China's mobile developer community
• • Developers into Forum Nokia programs
● Technology Exploration in South Korea
● Marketing: mobile VAS, middleware, business models for operators
• • Educative presentations and materials
• • Support for major infrastructure deals making
● Project: SMS Market-Making to activate text messaging in China
• • Partnerships/training Chinese portals e.g. SOHU.com
• • Roadshows in 15 provinces for mobile operators and partners
• • Boosting the sales of Nokia phones which had best SMS interface
● Project: China's first PrePaid IN system and PrePaid simcard
• • Launch of China's first PrePaid Simcard package
• • Widening China's mobile user base
● JV Preparation: Nokia-Neusoft, China's No.1 software company
NOKIA CHINA - MY BEIJING OFFICES
• Factory 506 Office in JiangTaiLu area
• GuoSiJuLeBo International Club office
• HePingLi Office House-2 at North Ring-2
• Nokia Tower Office, PCP at GongTiBeiLu
• HePingLi Office House-1 at North Ring-2
Factory 506 in JiangTaiLu area was my first office in China. It is well known among beijingers for its historical contributions. Factory 506 was tranformed into combination of offices and factories of several companies. It has own private park inside. Industrial lunch was available at cellar hall, served on steel platform with steel bow for soup with unique industrial smell and flavor.
Left: Statue in Factory 506Factory 506 private park has white horse statue. Loudspeaker system gives harmonius music, like dizzy parfume, during lunchtimes.
In the afternoons many of Factory 506 office workers pushed keyboard aside. They digged a colorful pillow from their drawer, put it onto work table and then only forehead directly on pillow. A little nap. 30 minutes later work continued as usual. Surrealistic view but didn't have that pillow.
Beijing JiangTaiLu and Factory 506 area didn't have many streetlights. Evening dark offered a real jackbauer element when heading home. Taxis were not waiting at the gate, dusty walktrip in dark to bigger road was needed. Some lost only their laptops, some got stabbed. In 2009 JianTaiLu has wide paved roads, and its reputation is improving.
GuoSiJuLeBo Office - International Club. Nokia China HQs was for long located in GuoSiJuLeBo Office known as International Club. It is located near CITIC Tower, the first foreign trade office building in Beijing (WTC came after it) and beside 6-star Hotel St. Regis where President George W Bush stayed in Beijing. International Club has history of being a meeting place during Mao's times.
Left: GuoSiJuLeBo Office, darker building on the right. I worked there only shortly. Location was convenient since my home in HuaQiaoCun was just opposite to it, along the main Chang-An Avenue.HePingLi Offices at North Ring-2. Two times I was located in Beijing HePingLi offices called HPL-1 and HPL-2. Offices were inside a gated area which had yet another gated area within itself. Usually Nokia's offices had harmonious working spirit but sometimes HPL was an exception.
Left: HePingLi OfficeCRACKS IN HEPINGLI
HePing refers to hevenly piece but there were situations when emotions took control of some persons, resulting serious bursts. There, it was possible that person's notebook's motherboard got broken and replaced four times within one month, to avoid to give project report. There were times when desperate defaming emails flew around. There, a hidden but sophisticated surveillance system was found on top of my working spot, raising questions who, how long, why, what next. There, even most serious threats were made (against me). There, the HR was not able to give reasonable support, they had lost touch into realities, or become over-localized. In HePingLi, on top of this all, were toilets with BAD rubber boot-level overflow in every afternoon. And yet, a thief was caught but escaped into water channel in front of the main gate and drowned. In HePingLi Nokia Values were not really fully recognized, especially "Respect: treat others with trust and respect, communicate openly and honestly".
HePingLi was an exception. Other Nokia China offices had many incredible individuals, were more results oriented with good working spirit and respect.
Nokia Tower, PCP. Nokia China HQs moved from GuoSiJuLeBo to modern Nokia Tower which was part of Pacific Center Place (PCP) at GongTiBeiLu Avenue near Workers Stadium and SanLiTun Bar Street. Some major U.S. multinationals have their China headquarters in PCP.
Left: Nokia Tower Office.A few years I was located in PCP 18F. That included the SARS times during Spring and Summer 2003. From PCP I moved back to old HePingLi Office to work for Nokia Research Center (NRC).
Left: Nokia in XingWang, CBD,Central Business District.
I had a few meetings in new XingWang factory which is located in CBD area in South-East Beijing. Most Nokia offices in Beijing moved there 2007.
In 2009 only Nokia Siemens Networks JV (NSN) is still left in Beijing city area, at East Ring-2.
8. SARS Experiences in Beijing
SPRING AND SUMMER WITH DIFFERENCE
In 2003 SARS epidemic stopped giant Beijing. Streets became empty and future looked uncertain. SARS took control of it all for several months.
I stayed in Beijing over SARS epidemic. Empty streets were good for roller skating. But when skating around modern parts of Beijing, thoughts were in SARS and uncertain future.
Expats were first to receive credible information about SARS epidemic. Chinese personnel in our office didn't react on foreign news.For Chinese the state-run CCTV was/is the trusted source and didn't report. But Chinese colleagues reacted strongly when they learned that some high reputation hospitals in Beijing had been closed with no explanation. A military hospital opposite to our office got closed.
Left: TianAnMen Square, guards using KouZhao, Spring 2003.SARS epidemic changed the way of office work. Many Chinese used all their holidays to avoid transport and crowds. At workplace less meetings, no handshaking, more email. Then later no meetings, vitamin C drinks, and alcohol bottles on cube desks for disinfecting hands. More cleaning personnel, doors and doorknobs, lifts and buttons, toilets, corridors, and work cubics were wiped several times daily with disinfectants. Air disinfection during non-office hours became regular.
Western doctors gave us a briefing at PCP: chemicals used in disinfectants would cause cancer and more deaths than SARS. Feeling was like between two fires. Nokia China top management sent personnel daily SARS reports and safety information by email, very effective way to communicate.
It would have been near-criminal to cough even once inside office. Going out for lunch stopped. Rumors flourished. SMS text messaging was used for some harsh humor rumors. Soon always someone knew a person who had died SARS. Any office which was known been visited by a SARS person, was closed for a few days for thorough disinfection.
When outdoors, most people used KouZhao, a mask. Taxi drivers (about 70.000 taxis in Beijing) disinfected their cars frequently. They had white surgical KouZhaos and drove windows open in Beijing's cool spring weather. Gradually SARS cleared most traffic from Beijing and it felt like everything had stopped.
Left: Scouting in Beijing with N95 level mask, KouZhao, Spring 2003.Roadblocks sealed Beijingers inside Beijing from surrounding Hebei Province. Other cities informed that travelers from Beijing were not welcomed, instead will be quarantined for several weeks if coming. There was no way out.
SARS stopped Beijingers from spitting and sneezing onto streets. Fines were high for such traditional behavior. People begun to understand that SARS was very dangerous. Households begun to fill their storages with rice, soya and drinks: get-prepared, lock in, then just wait.
SARS nurses got extra pay of their risky and heavy works. They had to wear multiple layers for strong protection, but some still got SARS and died. They were not allowed to go home during work periods. Nurses became society's heroes, TV content. When new SARS patient was found, the whole apartment house was closed, quarantined. Food was delivered to people inside by the government. Heavy penalties were set for those who didn't obey the strict rules, even death penalty.
Time to time ambulances speeded on streets with nurses wearing full protection gear inside.
Left: What the heck,everybody use KouZhao!
I found empty Beijing streets perfect for roller skating. Long trips were lonely business, it felt like being inside a ghost movie.
When roller skating, sometimes a car passed, people inside wearing KouZhao, someone put arm out showing me thumb-up. When on roller skates, common surgical KouZhao was quite comfortable. More effective N95 mask by 3M (above) was easy to breathe when walking around but speaking with it became porridge.
During SARS peek times SanLiTun Bar Street was empty except DownTown and Den (near City Hotel), they still had noisy expats for lunch and beer.
SARS epidemic was a surreal experience. It took about 4 months, it got steadily worse. Finally you were surrounded by it all, and there was time to think, and you tried hard with all what you had got.
After slow start the Chinese apparatus stretched, improved, and handled SARS epidemic actually quite effectively. Control was tight but bearable. SARS was beaten, and soon faded away from people's memory, and spitting and sneezing started as it used to be.
EXPERIENCED INCIDENTS IN BEIJING
● 1999 May: bombing of Chinese embassy in Belgrade
• • Angry demonstrations at U.S. Embassy area, going out was risky
● 2001 April: EP3 surveillance aircraft in Hainan
• • Tensions against foreigners, taxi drivers didn't give a ride
● 2003: SARS epidemic stopped Beijing
● 2004 and 2005: Anti-Japanese riots, soccer cup, text books
● 2008: Tibet and Olympic Torch demonstrations
9. Chinese Way of Business
FRAGMENTED INFORMATION AND GUANXI
Now I have walked over 11 years in Chinese shoes... when you come from rule-of-law society, China business experience can become hard. In Nokia China I learnt that the gap is huge.
Left: Conflict between Western and Chinese business culture is a reality. Mainland Chinese are often emotional and sensitive. Guanxi rules in domestic sales and partnerships.Guanxi, exchange of favors, is much more than connections or networking. Guanxi helps when information availability and sharing is limited. Learn about it and you can achieve results in China. Guanxi will be in conflict with China's future role as a business super-power or modern innovator.
In Nokia China I went seven different roles, seven business cards, during seven years of business development. Working hard spirit, passionate times into new, but also times of surprises and frustration.
Some modern business institutes in China know that Chinese business mentality is different and needs to be fixed. They educate Chinese SOEs and future Chinese MNCs towards western rational way of business.
Left: Dalian, Liaoning Province.Mainland Chinese mentality is a mix of market economy (brands, marketing, PR, competition, career), Guanxi, SOEs, private Chinese money and foreign investments.
MNCs, like Nokia, have created many success stories in China. Not by accident and not only because of their products, but because they have had resources to learn how mainland works.
Success stories of foreign SMEs are rare. Many fail already when trying to enter into Chinese markets. Most have troubles in selecting their partners, or when recruiting key personnel, and then in team building and with company image. Many SMEs underestimate their local competition which surprise with their fast learning. And most SMEs have no resources to get into realities of Guanxi in the sales and society level, the Chinese way.
Difference under surface. It is the behavior of Chinese industries: bidding process, variations of product/component qualities with price effect, understanding of exclusivity, and more. Managing society relations. Difference on how foreign company should do marketing, PR and build image in China. Even sales presentation for Chinese customers, expectation is fundamentally different. How to motivate Chinese partners and own personnel? What is Chinese teambuilding that works? Compared to above, much talked IPR, sample product management and reverse engineering issues can largely be solved by common sense.
Still, in China you will need ability to make fast decisions with limited information, or your game is over.
Innovative tricks have often a role, and life in west is not preparing well for those situations. Business intelligence has local ways. Guanxi is the key success factor for results.
Foreign SMEs in China are seldom able to grow in pace with Chinese domestic markets. In Beijing I have seen many SMEs coming, being used, losing and fading away. Reasons vary but are related to failing to undestand the Chinese way: wrong partners, Chinese team building, arrogant behavior, and underestimating Guanxi as only networking or connections.
MAINLAND CHINA SUCCESS FACTORS
Success in mainland markets is not about how you hand your business card to Chinese customers. The real factors are deeper. My advice for achieving business results in China:
• Understand and take benefit of Guanxi (invest into it: asset)
• Learn your industry's behavior (insider expert needed)
• Learn Chinese way in selling/buying/partnering (recruit with care)
• Become a village head of your team (build MoQi)
How to do it? Usually nobody is willing to share and educate a foreigner deep into Chinese way. Most expats learn only China's surface during their short contract period in China. And Chinese are not helpful, they don't want a foreigner to put them into corner with detailed questions, while ignorant about Chinese way. In China foreigners will have to observe, crack the situations, combine fragmented information and draw conclusions. Take care of your Chinese teams in Chinese way (MoQi) and learn about Guanxi. Experiential learning.
Illusion of modern looking Beijing, the surface and realities beneath it. During the last 10 years much of Beijing has developed new surface but people haven't changed much. After WTO and Olympics, the Chinese way is still same and stronger than ever, even globalizing. Think of your approach.
A lot of things keep me in Beijing. My present role is related to China business: eMBA programs, focused projects, research related to Chinese business culture, and visitors with China questions.If you are interested about scale, opportunities, linguistic challenge, and complex operating environment which is in change, mainland China is it. BeijingMan Blog shares my experiences and views of goal-reaching enablers, and pictures from Beijing.
-- BeijingMan Postings
10. Patents - Inventions - Research Groups
SOME RECENT - SOME ANCIENT
PATENTS - A Rabbit Out of a Phone!
"PreTone for Ringtones" i.e. ID-Tone, approved by Nokia Patent Committee and Nokia Mobile Phones Patent Board, NC31640.
• Invention IPR rewarded in 2004 by Nokia
• Patent applications filed in U.S., Europe, China
• China Patent Grant February 18, 2009
• China Patent No. 03150198.2
• China Patent Grant rewarded by Nokia in 2009
• ID-Tone: a short musical signature, YOUR name in tones
• Brands have it: Intel Inside
• Beethoven did it: ta-ta-ta-taa
• You could have a personal ID-Tone, too
When you receive a call
1. Your ID-Tone is played
2. Calling person's ID-Tone is played
3. Ringtone is played (if any longer wanted)
Individualism will only increase, Now it's about brand products, design, fashions, haircuts, ear rings, tattoos, colors, attitudes. Well-crafted personal ID-Tone is given for life, like your name, part of your identity. ID-Tone enables you to know who is calling, without checking from phone display. And inform in tones that you are trying to connect. You learn other's ID-Tones like their names. ID-Tone can also have variations for moods, situations and times of the day. Implementation will include privacy configurations. ID-Tone needs handset software implementation, tone creation, distribution, maybe registeration. Connecting People evolution, sure.
INVENTIONS
At Nokia China, 2004 two inventions related to mobile applications for students, businesses and communities. Inventions could enable new feature sets and usage pattern in Chinese and Asian markets.
|snip|
RESEARCH GROUPS - FINLAND
1. The new Personnel Data Law and Information Management
(Henkilörekisterilaki)
Published in Nokia Compus 1988 Kehitysryhmät ISBN 951-99945-8-0
Research Group:
Chairman Reijo Aarnio, Luottokontrolli Oy, secretary Esko Kippo, Nokia, Kari Honkasalo, Puolustusvoimat, Pekka Kärkkäinen, Luottokontrolli, Pentti Lukkarinen, Verohallitus, Seppo Niinioja, HPY.
2. Computer Center Security
Published in Nokia Compus 1984 Tutkimusraportit ISBN 951-99580-2-9
Research Group:
Chairman Hannu Mattila, HOP, secretary Esko Kippo, Nokia, Markku Arminen, KOP, Lars Arnkil, SKOP, Risto Karstu and Kalevi Porkka, PSP.
11. BeijingMan Pictorial
Above: My parents Irja Aune Kyllikki Waris and Lennart Mikael Kippo. Irja was born in Helsinki and Lennart in Vyborg. Upper: young Irja, her parents, and Irja 86 years in 2005. Lower: Lennart when he was 50/40/50 years. Lennart's 50-year portrait by Sculptor Taimi Mäkinen.
Above-1: Finland. Violin was my main hobby for 10 years, age 6 to 16. Lesson twice a week, training at home two hours every day, and classical orchestra once a week. At 16 years I played Spanish Dance at matiné, big audience, and got into newspaper. Chorus was another fun, when singing together, you feel it in the brain. Our top song was famous and patriotic Suomen Laulu by Fredrik Pacius. Tall boy is Olli.
Above-2: Finland. My father Lennart Mikael Kippo was the youngest of seven brothers. When WW2 was ending, he got wounded, bomb fragment into knee. He decided to leave war metal inside the knee to save leg from amputation. A "box" grew around that metal piece and knee recovered.
Lennart's hobby was old cars, he had Ford A Model 1929 and Ford Model A Cabriolet 1930, both carefully refurbished as originals. They were for summer fun. Together we drived many old car parades around Finland. I was interested in horns and out-flipping turning signals and parades were fun. For his work Lennart travelled in U.K., Germany, Denmark and Sweden. In 1960s he and friends went holidays to Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 24 hours of flights from Helsinki. In Finland he was friend with visiting foreign boxers and wrestlers, and musicians. We did summer trips with Cigette Marco Dance Orchestra from Barcelona, they also visited our home, and little-me was their el logo, "crazy".
Many things. When TV was new, Lennart was soon on national TV, advertisements and traffic related. He was also dancer: Tango, Latin-American Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba and Paso Doble. Lennart and my eldest brother Raimo did boxing, both reached top-3 in Finland: in army boxing and in youth boxing. Raimo went also top in motocross.
Above-3: Finland. My father Lennart believed that after WW2 need for transport would increase, people would buy cars and need driving licenses. In 1950 he took loan, bought a car and established driving school. Happened as planned and business was good. Soon there was line of cars, always latest models and Turtle-waxed, teachers in white shirts with tie.
Lennart's hobby, and a marketing tool for driving school, was self-made 16mm short movies about car driving and competitions. These were classics: "Mr. Rentola" who did all wrong, Eläintarhanajot GP with Khachaturian Sabre Dance, and Ruskeasanta Motocross were my job had been to stand with big Uher tape recorder for backround sounds.
At home we often listened Dave Brubeck Quartet's Take Five, drum solo within by Joe Morello. The other side of that 78rpm record was Blue Rondo A La Turk. A lot of records. We had Kippo Family Orchestra, mainly for Karelia and Christmas events. I didn't especially like it. My good times were classical violin duettos with brother Raimo (he had specialized on playing Gypsy violin music).
Lennart enjoyed Western movies. One such became my childhood experience, High Noon (Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly) when he took me to see it in movie theater. Courage and cowardice, how you finally face it alone. Maybe it shaped something in me, too. My cinema evolution went later along 2001 Space Odyssey, Coogan's Bluff, West Wing and 24...
Above-4: Finland. Motor sport. He is Jim Clark in 1967, F1 legend, my childhood hero. I took this picture at drivers briefing of Formula 2 race in Keimola Ring near Helsinki, got also pictures of Dennes Hulme, Björn Waldegård and Curt Lincoln.
My other great hero was Italian GP star Giacomo Agostini. His MV Agusta had amazing speed and sound at Imatra GPs in Finland where my eldest brother Raimo, my 3rd hero, was race spokesperson. He did probably all Imatra GPs. Raimo took many wins in motocross 250/500cc. Left: Brother Raimo Lennart Kippo.
Above-5: Finland. You know how to chicky-race don't you? For sure. Both of my two brothers took home good collections of prizes and medals in motor sport. You probably know Keke Rosberg who won Formula 1 World Championship in 1982 and Monaco GP in 1983. Before F1 Keke won Finnish championship in carting with Parilla, and my elder brother Asko was second with Comet. Of course I was lightning fast, too, but then too young to compete.
Many friends during those junior years! Names randomly into mind: Erkki, Pekka, Urkka, Repa, Uuttu, Eku, Jammu, Heikki, Ari, Albert, Noro, Eero, Ääppi, Kurre, Veke, Joppe, Lasse, Lars, Pena, Sauli, Kari, Kauko and more.
Above-6: Finland. Cool! I started photographing with Canon TX, a few lenses and dark room B/W equipments. This is one of those self-made pictures. My school for imagination was French cinema but also Lennart's 16mm short movies.
Above-7: Finland. Life like in a speed boat. There was a period of time when I didn't care much about destination but going fast forward was a must. No fear. Then, short term direction had more meaning.
My Classical Music. Key composer is Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphonies 5-15, Violin Concerto No.1 by Viktoria Mullova, Cello Concerto No.1, and most string quartets. Also important is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4-6, Violin and Piano Consertos No.1. Jean Sibelius is strong: Violin Concerto No.1 D minor Op.47 and Karelia Suite Op.11. Then, Glenn Gould and J.S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, Georges Bizet, Johannes Brahms, Max Bruch, Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Elgar, Manuel de Falla, George Gershwin, Edvard Grieg, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gustav Holst, George Frideric Händel, Gyorgy Ligeti, Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler, Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Modest Mussorgsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, Gioachino Rossini, Pablo de Sarasate, Richard Wagner, Antonio Vivaldi. Contemporary: Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Kurt Weill... and more.
My Lighter Music. Radio Luxemburg, The Beatles, Monkees, Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Doors, King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, The Mama's and The Papa's, Fleetwood Mac, Scott McKenzie, Santana, Diana Ross, The Four Tops, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, John McLaughlin and Shakti, Carlos Santana, Steppenwolf, James Brown, Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Curtis Mayfield, Elvis Presley, David Byrne, Jose Feliciano, Manhattan Transfer, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, MJQ, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Fatboy Slim, Moby, Madonna's shows, Dieselboy, Sub Focus, Jeff Mills, Layo & Bushwacka, Satoshi Tomiie ... house, some DnB. Peking Opera and MeiLanFang, especially music, is the best part of Chinese culture.
Above-8: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center in Espoo, Kilo. Five mainframe computer systems and their datanets on the right. Some mass storages and peripherial controllers in the middle, then operating consoles towards left. Printers far left. Also optical readers, page proccessing systems, microfilming, large media vault for tapes and disks, ionisators, and CO2 fire preventing system and power generators in ground hall.
Kilo-TK was my playground for 10 years. My room was one of those yellow doors behind the glass wall. Several future IT influencers went through this "Nokia Data IT-university". One neighbor was Martti Mehtälä who started here with Calma CAD computers, later head of Microsoft Finland. Those times I found my university courses (took along working) on IT sort of history lessons.
Above-9: Finland. Nokia Data, Mainframes and Datanets. Fire prevention system was based on CO2 gas. Long line of XXL-sized gas bottles were placed in ground floor with generators. Happened, that the fire prevention system went on by operator mistake. CO2 gas bursted with loud whistling into computer hall through the layered floor. Whole computer hall was filled with CO2 gas in a few seconds. It worked! Glass walled hall became a white sugar cube. Not only noisy but expensive... I have never seen any jamaican running as fast as those persons from computer hall then. It took several hours by firebrigade to blow CO2 gas out of the building.
Above-10: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center was sort of learning center.
Fun project. Earliest bank cards (debit/credit cards) had a magnetic tape stripe, and we used magnesium powder with freon to visualize the recording, and clear tape to capture it, then finally microfilm reader to reveal it's binary. With present smart cards that method belongs to history.
Another fun project. Nokia's regular compensation/salary process had strong physical control showing authority, encryption in use, and humans watching all time every step of the process and actionees inside Kilo-TK. It became interesting target as it happened regularly. Finally there was a way to completely penetrate into those secret numbers and details, to get it all. Pretty confidential act then, and pretty great fun for those involved. No any use for that data, nobody saw it that way, just fun. How it was done must remain a little secret. Main drivers for those fun projects were curiosity, learning, excitement, winning the system designed by persons with partial view, lack of alternative perspective. Focus was in the process, not the data.
Above-11: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center was great fun. Many persons who worked here felt being sort of techno warriors. Finland had strong forest/pulp/paper industry and we strongly believed that these new technologies would challenge their dominant position. The elders had old thinking.
With imagination our curiosity took turns. 2001 and HAL: Will you stop, Dave. Stop, Dave, I'm afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going, I can feel it, I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it...
Above-12: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center. Software and all capacities in mainframe systems were frequently updated and latest peripherals added. At Kilo-TK, dial-up connections started with 110 baud modems made by Nokia, soon 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 14,4, 19,2... asy/sync, multiplexors, X.25, TCP/IP, and X.400, X.500... It was the era of rapid development. These recent developments added us broadband, user-interfaces, browsers, wireless and overall scale.
Above-13: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center. These pics are part of my workshop collection, 28mm lens and Canon AE-1.
Installed systems during those years: GE-635, GE-415, GE-265 (= GE Information Services system), GE-115, PDP-11, Kleindienst optical character recognition (OCR) system, Honeywell PPS Page Processing System, microfilming system, Calma CAD system, DPS6 mini, mainframe systems: H66/60P Dual, H66/40, DPS8/70 Dual Gcos8, DPS8/49 Gcos8, DPS8/52 Gcos8, DPS8/52. Datanet systems.
Above-14: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center. Many of us thought that this was not work, rather, a fun park.
Above-15: Finland. Nokia Data, Kilo-TK computer center.Part of GE-635 IOC panel.
NAMES randomly into mind when watching these Kilo-TK pictures:
Eero Iso-Karvia, Heino Laine, Kari Kupiainen, Jorma Haakana, Kauko Häkkinen, Stefan Saari, Tapio Raitio, Hannele Härkönen, Olli Heimo, Markku Huhdanmaki, Matti Partonen, Björn Löfman, Olavi Aarnipuu, Seppo Vuorinen, Pentti Kanerva, Pekka Kärkkäinen, Pekka Kivi, Monica Heijari, Hannu Uusikivi, Matti Sierla, Kyösti Mustalampi, Ahti Ravantti, Antti Siltanen, Kari Ikonen, Timo Sonninen, "Kissa" Tapanila, Erkki Hjelt, Antero Sulander, Risto Haarlaa, Jouko Paalosmaa, Kari Kallio, Olavi Heinonen, Heikki Kutvonen, Kim Jäämeri, Tapani Puhakka, Taru Kuhanen, Raimo Lemettilä, Martti Jussilainen, and many more.
Above-16: Norway. It was May 17th 1992 in Oslo. I was on a meeting trip. Constitution Day Parade from Karl Johans Gate towards Royal Palace.
Above-17: Norway. May 17th 1992 in Oslo. Parade looked good, I sort of dived into it. Under Royal Palace Balcony I waved to Royal Family and they waved back, snapped this picture. I bin ein Norweigian!
- In the Hall of Mountain King ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-taaa...
Above-18: USA. WTC in New York. View from sightseeing floor. Sad,
Above-19: France. March in Paris. Frozen, but it's Paris.
Above-20: Spain. Roots in Barcelona.
Above-21: Spain. Sand in Playa de las Teresitas beach, Tenerife, Canary Islands. New Year 1993-1994.
- The Beach, will return. Globalization, imported sand from Africa
Above-22: Switzerland. Inbreath! More than ten times taken driving holidays there. Mountains and lakes. Real favorite.
- Living in Locarno must be it!
Above-23: Paris, France, always good to visit. Tens of times.
Above-24: Finland. Is it really legal to be that happy? My lady on bridge which connects islands Lauttasaari and Kaskisaari in Helsinki.
Above-25: Spain. My lady. Whale watching trip.
Above-26: Paris, France. June 18th, 2008, HEC Paris eMBA graduation event. My lady on the left. Her 1,5 years program started 2006, she became one of 8 top performers of 1200 students, graduated with honor. Financial Times ranks HEC No.1 eMBA in Europe and No.2 in the world.
Above-27: Finland, famous for once banning pantless Donald Duck from public libraries! Weird politics. But biking in Helsinki is fun. When kid, I learned to bike with back wheel, long ways.
Above-28: Finland. Best friend Bao, LongBao, also known as Paavo. He is ChowChow, ancient saber-toothed tiger hunter from Mongolia. Bao's father was from U.S. and mother from Sweden, his life was in Finland. With 45kg Bao was a XL but always in good trim. Bao probably never managed to have a fair bite of a cat.
Above-29: Finland. Bao was not interested of being part of entertainment circles. He had his own, independent, strong idea of life. I value Bao a lot. Bao died September 1st, 2005.
Above-30: USA. My favourite bronze, Three-Way Piece No.3 by Henry Moore (1898-1986) at Smitsonian, Wash DC.
- Simplicity while a complex thought. Inspires and stimulates!
Above-31: Germany. I never overspeed but sometimes drive like Fangio, almost like Jackson Pollock. Autobahn downhill between Berlin and Munich with Kraftwerk's Autobahn and TEE, by Volvo.
- Citius, Altius, Fortius, Speedius, Winnius, Glorius!
Above-32: Holidays! Silja Line voyage Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki.
MY VIEW - How Finland Lost its Mobile Leadership
Ten years ago Finland was in the front row of Internet, broadband and mobility. Not more so. What happened, why Finland ended into rear view mirror?
- Finnish mobile operators couldn't develop vision, instead they were short-term greedy with high tariffs. A lot of SMS, but more developer innovations for new services didn't get market support.
- Nokia's handset domination in Finnish market created unhealthy uniformity in mindset. Nokia's decent user-interface became stone-carved. Critical views about it, or about small displays for gaming/browsing, or Symbian performance were not allowed. Nokia was interested about "control points", and easy management decisions, rather than radical future with openness and innovations. It was MMS not email, and technical features added to smart phones. Needs and ideas from developers were not reacted. End-users and mobility became marketing phrases, thru meaning was forgotten. Research was good but ability to decide and make a change, had died. Convenience of high market share turned many individuals, first full of inspiration, into frustration.
- Other than SMS, mobile data services failed, small screen browsing failed. Mobile broadband was not utilized. In 2007 iPhone begun to fill the gap. Apple saw the opportunity in broadband and mobility and added iPhone into iTunes. Superior user-experience. Apple was able to make decisions of that all. Google's Android combines mobile into web data just better. Apple and Google boost mobility in refreshing way. American innovativeness pushed European SMS texting and mobility into back mirror. Nokia has knowledge and understanding but can it still find that lost rabbit from inside the phone?
Above-33: Spain. Prado, Madrid. All these cultures!
Above-34: Beijing. Friends look alike. Dog energy is needed.
Above-35: Thailand. Still feeling stiff - holiday just starting, Koh Samui, Royal Meridien Hotel. Unbelievable views and dinners.
- A distant ship smoke on the horizon...
Above-36: Italy. Cattolica-Riccione-Rimini beach is 30 km long and has 5000 hotels along it. Italian food and wines are now my favorite.
- Probably the best place for beach walking
Above-37: Italy. 4-wheel biking in Rimini.
Above-38: Thailand. Inbreath! Beach at Hotel Sofitel, Hua Hin.
Above-39: Thailand. Storm, then climate changes. Hua Hin.
Above-40: Italy. Exhausted? A bit, this is about hiking! 1000 meters below, far behind is Madonna Di Campiglio. North Italian Dolomite Mountains, unbelievable experience. Red wine and polenta.
Above-41: Italy. Hiking at Dolomite Mountains, Madonna Di Campiglio.
Above-42: Thailand. Hotel Sofitel in Hua Hin. Relax! You're on holidays, holidays, holidays! This time it was difficult. How to get thoughts off from monitoring and else what was going those days.
Above-43: USA, Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill.
Above-44: USA, Washington, D.C. Lincoln Memorial. Any thoughts?
- SIR! As I am a simple person, only simple thoughts... a man, search machine, knowledge, gap, helium-3, wisdom, speed, result, why not, why not, why not! Result counts. The light is green, Sir!
Above-45: Germany. Cochem Castle at the River Mosel. In Frankfurt I rented a black, smooth Alfa GT which flies uphills.
Above-46: Japan. Happy "bukka" (= popular Japanese bug pet) managed to get a Suntory into pocket in Kumamoto, a samurai town.
Above-47: Japan. Piece! Now lit the candles, please.
Above-48: Italy. Sorrento, Rome and Vatican.
PHOTOGEAR HISTORY
• 1975 Canon TX with 1,8F/50mm, flash, B/W developing system
• 1976 Canon AE-1 with 28mm and 28-135mm
• 1988 Canon EOS-650 with databack, flash
• 1998 Kodak DC260 1,6MP, zoom
• 2000 Canon PowerShot G1 3,3MP, zoom
• 2002 Canon PowerShot G3 4MP, zoom
• 2004 Canon 20D 8,2MP with EF-S 10-22mm, EF 70-200mm 2.8F
• 2008 Canon 40D 10,1MP with EF-S 17-85mm, Speedlite 580EX
Above-49: Borneo, Malaysia. It was a hot day and many orangutans. One orangutan is heading to Sunset Bar in Shangri-La, Kota Kinabalu. Let's go!
Above-50: China. Dragons at DiYiCheng, XiangHe, near Beijing. For Chinese dragon means power. Two dragons play with a ball, ErLongXiDu.
EXPERIENCES - Tricks, Thieves, Crooks and Queens
Tax return. In 2009 a lady from Beijing Tax Bureau called. She verified a few details and told we have collected too much tax, want to return it to you. I replied Well, you can just keep it. Why? She was a fake, this belongs to basic category of Chinese tricks: your account number, false ID and go for it. Of course Tax Bureau never returns collected money, or makes a call to you by using mobile phone. She also had "provincial" accent. In China tricks are common.
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Beijing XiDan shopping, 2nd floor Chinese fast food restaurant. A man behind my back managed to catch my wallet. I noticed, we run, I was faster. We fight, I hold his neck, try to wipe his feet, he is quick and fights to escape. We sort of danced. He throws my wallet and shouts Take, Take! but I wanted him down. He tries to put hand into his jacket's pocket, not succeed but manages to dive off his jacket and runs away. 100+ Chinese stand silently around, no-one came to help. I pick up my wallet. I check what was in thieve's leather jacket - a stiletto knife. I show it around. No smiles, no reaction. Security with big hats arrive. They take leather jacket and stiletto: Very courageous but this is gang work, how do you plan to get out from here alive? Well, seen it in movies, I went up, down, taxi, changed taxi three times cross and opposite direction. Run. Some real fast food.
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Beijing TGF Friday's at eastern Ring-3. Had a dinner. Saw a Chinese couple coming into neighbor table and soon leaving. That lady managed to take my wallet. They managed to escape just before I noticed. I lost my wallet with 2500RMB. Pretty sure that some of TGF Friday's personnel co-operated and protected thieves. Those didn't do it first time.
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Xiang He, DiYiCheng dinner 5-star hotel. Had a round table for 8 persons. Ordered quite a lot. When the bill came, a long list and two dishes which were not served. Restaurant corrected the bill, I didn't pay for no-show dishes. Somewhat incompetent try. I wonder how did they manage that G20 meeting in that same place.
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Beijing Airport has illegal taxis which fool foreigners. Always there. Amazing that nobody is able to clean them away from Beijing Airport. Warnings about them are given in airplanes when approaching Beijing but many first time visitors fall into illegal taxi trap which means 5 to 10 times higher fee.
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Queens of Kunming! Good dinner, a few beers. Forgot communicator phone onto table. But Kunming has honest people! Two waitresses run me up on street, gave me my communicator and absolutely refused extra tips for that! Kunming is a nice city, my Chinese favorite, a Spring city.
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Olympic Water Cube, New Year Concert December 30, 2008. Officially they call it Beijing National Aquatics Center. Airport style of security when going into that swimming hall. My lady's purse rolled through xray machine, but in the other end a thief-woman snatched it into her big bag. We saw it, managed to take the purse out of thieve's big bag. Thief-woman dived inside the Water Cube with flow of people. Security people were there, noticed nothing when thief operated right under their noses. Anyway, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Vassily Sinaisky and 70 musicants did well that evening. Amplified sound didn't work in the swimming hall for Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5. Olympic swimming pool had a water show synchronized with recorded Also Sprach Zarathustra. The winner was Elgar's Pomp and Circumstances by BBC. Chinese nearby asked what was that great music!
Above-51: China. These locomotives belonged to Chairman Mao ZeDong (right) and General Zhu De (left). China Railway Museum, Beijing.
Above-52: China. Inside Chairman Mao ZeDong's locomotive.
Above-53: China. Imperial BeiHai Park in Beijing.
EXPERIENCES - Online Shopping in China
Something that works. You select and order almost anything via internet or via printed catalogs by a phone call. Fast delivery to the door when you want it, and cash payment when accepting your order. Major companies have good service. But individuals (often side business while working) selling via TaoBao.com, which settles the payment, often sell sub-quality products. To cancel such deal you need receipt of returning their product, and they may not give it. Sellers use tricks to make you tired, and to get your money for a bad product. But with tight rules online shopping will have bright future in China.
Above-54: China. Shanghai WaiTan Bund at HuangPu river.
NARROWLY FUNNY EXPERIENCES in China
• Farmers spread huge amount of rice on road to dry it, in Beijing
• Early morning 100s of people walking street back first in Beijing
• People in train beat a person for using wrong toilet
• Friend rented out his apartment: bathtub & all stolen away
• Group of workers singing old revolutionary songs on street
• Chemicals sprayed to trees, Christmas songs used as warning music
• HangZhou taxi stopped empty highway at night to renegotiate
• Dinner before deal signing, customer brought large wedding group
• Phone call during meeting, went under table to talk it
• This door is bulletproof, inside is betony! Reality was - styrofoam
Above-55: Beijing Botanical Garden. No, not sitting on one!EXPERIENCES - Chinese Stock Market vs. Traffic System
In Chinese stock markets RED color means growth and GREEN means losing value. But in Chinese traffic lights RED means stop, and GREEN means go.
Above-56: China's most famous beach is YaLong Bay in Sanya, Hainan.
EXPERIENCES - Where to buy food in Beijing?
Sams Club has good meet, fruits, vegatables, and member products. Always too many customers. Far in Beijing west. Membership required. Quality is good, so far not compromized.
Google Earth: 39.92133N,116.19636E
Wal-Mart has many crowded stores, price/quality not bad.
Carrefour supermarkets are popular with cheaper products.
Metro, almost every time more (non-motivated) staff than customers. But it's a good retailer for western products: drinks, Italian things, coffee beans. Metro don't accept children under 120cm into shop even with their parents, no other retailer in Beijing have that sort of restriction. Opposite to Metro in south-east via ShiLiHe bridge, is a Korean dog meat restaurant, if you got rejected by Metro.
Tesco's target is more the masses with cheap products, and special offers for local taste.
Jenny Lou and April Gourmet are small winners with good imported selections. That kind of shops grow fast in Beijing since local middle-class is demanding quality, too. Good.
Above-57: China, Beijing. Salt group on GongTiBeiLu bridge.
EXPERIENCES - Beijing Toddlers
2007 was Golden Pig Year, Beijing got 170.000 babies. No lecturing, just two baby points:
1. Only fragment of Chinese babies use diapers. New apartment houses have playgrounds, just imagine how it goes with diaperless split pants. Not into details but things are messy. Private playgrounds are taken as public service by neighborhoods.
2. New apartments often mix homes and companies (SMEs, factories, service companies, offices) which don't want to pay for real office. For families those companies can become 24/7 torture. Poor quality of work needs repair often. Nothing can stop three-month drilling, even at night. Golden Pig baby can have it hard. Expat families with children should check house management very, very carefully, and consider villa.
Above-58: China, TianAnMen Square. In 2003 SARS epidemic meant KouZhao, a mask, for everyone.
Above-59: China. Spring 2003 SARS epidemic meant KouZhao, a mask, for everyone in Beijing. Near Workers Stadium, K2 trip starting.
- Gentlemen, set on your KouZhao! GodSpeed!
Above-60: China. Pig Face dinner - Before.
A Chinese partner invited me to Pig Face Restaurant in Beijing. Saying "no thanks" was not an alternative.
Above-61: China. Pig Face dinner - 2 hours later.
Pig Face is a traditional Chinese dish. We started with wine, Chinese partner had reserved a full box of local wine for us! Pig Face arrived with a few other dishes. We pulled on plastic gloves. Pig Face was crispy and greasy, but honestly - no more for me! Restaurant had Pig Face home delivery service, Pig Face gift boxes and ISO9001 quality system certificate. Half of the worlds pigs are in China, but Pig Face doesn't belong to main stream Beijing weekly menu, yet.
EXPERIENCES - Exotic Foods and Cooking
Sometimes, instead of roast duck or lemon chicken you might end up eating Pig Face, or alive fish, intestines, snakes, scorpions, dog meat, goose heads, chicken feet, chicken stomach, insects or bugs, fish heads, duck tongues, pig ears, rats, or lamb brains. Or maybe a turtle with it's blood as a drink, for your long life. If so, be strong!
Some Chinese dishes require to sort and spit-out some of it. Slippery plastic chopsticks are fashion, with oily dish can add to the experience. I often carry personal bambo chopsticks for convenience, for grip. Using chopsticks and sharing food dishes from big plates during flu seasons adds excitement.
Chinese like to agitate foreigners by telling how good exotic food is to your health. But remember, you can always first take it, then leave it on plate and just not to touch it, and it should be ok. You can also explain that you stomach is really not feeling good, but then you risk being a foreigner in spotlight, and of course nobody believes your stomack story. If you eat it, make sure everybody is present and sees you eating it, make it a big thing, that's personal marketing.
First glass of Chinese maotai (moutai) alcohol can also provide everlasting memory! Chinese enjoy when making a foreigner drunken. They invent drinking rules for their advantage and say it's their tradition... In case you prefer water, get prepared and learn how to secretly add or change your drink. Sometimes Chinese dinner friends also try to take water instead of alcohol. China is about "tricks", so it's ok to use some for your own defence.
Chinese cook with fire. They don't use exact measurements, temperatures, standards or numbers, it's just in cook's fingertips, a little salt. Restaurants focus on taste, not on atmosphere. Cooks specialize on certain dishes. But Chinese food culture is not static, it changes with fashions. Some new things are added to the culture, old example, chili, imported to China 400 years ago and has now fundamental position in Chinese food culture.
Most foreigners enjoy Chinese dishes and flavors. Some of my favorites: Beijing Duck, Lemon Chicken, Lao Beijing noodles with jam, cold noodles, black egg soup. But Chinese don't share similar flexibility with western kitchen. When abroad, Chinese often tell how they suffer if not getting familiar noodles, wantons or snacks. With globalization I believe Chinese food flexibility to improve.
Above-62: China. Qilinback rider.
SOE - State-Owned Enterprise needs Accountant
SOE was looking for an accountant. Hundreds of applications from the China's best schools.
First candidate comes in.
- Interviewer: How much is 1+1?
- First candidate: 2
- Interviewer: Enough, next!
Second candidate comes in.
- Interviewer: How much is 1+1?
- Second candidate: 2
- Interviewer: Enough, next!
Third candidate comes in.
- Interviewer: How much is 1+1?
Candidate looks around, stands up, closes the door, shuts the windows, goes to interviewer and whispers into his ear:
- How much you want it to be...
- Interviewer: You are the one.
Above-63: China. Telecom event in Shanghai. This is only 1/3 of the photo. Front row third from left, BeijingMan:)
Above-64: China. Telecom Day celebration in Xiamen.
BeijingMan second from left.
Above-65: China. Dinner with students from Beijing University of Aeronautical and Astronautical, BUAA. The one with that tie.
Above-66: China. DiaoYuTai State Guesthouse, Banquet Hall of Building No.5 has style and service for presidents and celebrities. Chairs, 16 of them in this hall.
Above-67: China. DiaoYuTai State Guesthouse.
Banquet Hall of Building No.5
Above-68: China. Windy RiTan Park, Beijing.
EXPERIENCES - Recommended Restaurants in Beijing
- Xiao Wang's Home Restaurant in RiTan Park and GuangHuaLu
- Old Beijing type restaurants, they shout when you enter
Above-69: China. Golden Lion Restaurant, Beijing.
Above-70: China. Tank Museum China near Beijing.
Above-71: Time for China!
Above-72: China. The Microphone. This was used by Mao ZeDong when he announced P.R. China Oct. 1st 1949. In Capital Museum, Beijing.
Above-73: China. TianAnMen Square, Beijing.
12. Summary
ABOUT TRAVELS AND GEAR
Europe to China: 44 times before August 2009
• Home in Beijing and Helsinki
• 1992 first trip to Beijing
• 1998 moved to Beijing
In China, to 17 Chinese municipalities, provinces, regions, SARs
• Hefei 5M people, capital of Anhui Province 63M population
• Fuzhou 4M capital of Fujian Province 34M
• Guangzhou 10M capital of Guangdong Province 110M
• Haikou 0,6M capital of Hainan Province 8M
• Shijiazhuang 10M capital of Hebei Province 67M
• Zhengzhou 10M capital of Henan Province 97M
• Shenyang 10M capital of Liaoning Province 42M
• Xian 8M capital of Shaanxi Province 36M
• Jinan 7M capital of Shandong Province 90M
• Sichuan Province 90M capital city Chengdu 10M
• Kunming 4M capital of Yunnan Province 43M
• Hangzhou 6M capital of Zhejiang Province 46M
• Beijing municipality, population 17M, 16.000 km2
• Chongqing municipality, population 5M, whole area 30M
• Shanghai municipality, population 17M
• Tianjin municipality, population 10M
• Hong Kong SAR, population 7M
The World, to 32 countries
Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Vatican, San Marino, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Viro & Estonia, Russian Federation & Soviet Union, United States, Iraq, Jordania, P.R.China, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malesia, Singapore.
DigitalGEAR in use now
• Canon 20D body - November 2004
• Canon 40D body - March 2008
• Canon EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm F/4-5.6 IS USM
• Canon EF 70-200mm F/2,8 L IS USM
• Canon Speedlite 580EX
• Apple PowerMac G5, 2GB, Mac OSX 10.5.8
• Apple MacBook 13" black, 2.16Ghz 1GB 160GB
• Apple iPod Video 30GB
• Windows PCs
CoffeeGEAR
• Rancilio Silvia for espresso and latte
• Rancilio Rocky Grinder
• Beans: Cellini, Moak
_________________________________
© BeijingMan aka Kippo 2008, 2009
1 comments:
Hello Esko
It was wonderfull to find you blog.
I lost track of you when you departed Nokia in China.
Great to read you whole life expirence. I did learn many thing I did not know of you.
End of Septemeber 2009 I did retire from Nokia after 43 years of work carrier.
Now I'm in process to build a new company.
Please contact me as we are both in Linked-In.
I'm looking forward to visit China.
Br. Lauri
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