January 28, 2013
Despite a slightly misleading title, this book is definitely appropriate for anyone whose business involves China in any way. Selling To China is about dealing with people and understanding their motivations and the way things work.
Stanley Chao starts by making a distinction between two types of people in China; those that he calls the Mao Generation, and the newer more Western generation. The Mao Generation are those that are older and have had a lifetime of experiences completely different from Western civilization that have influenced everything about how they act and do business. The newer generation is educated in Western business practices and their mindset makes sense to Western business types. Because their psychology and moti