In 1994, my earliest memories of China are of men walking around in green uniforms, thousands of people riding to work on their bikes, and the faces on the people were plain, constrained, almost lifeless.
Today, walking those same streets, I see people dressed in a variety of colours and styles, people smiling, eyes wide open and moving very fast. A lot has changed. You could say there’s still a lot more improvement required, and yes that’s true. But let’s not forget that for many people in China’s cities today, their world now looks a lot more promising and exciting than it did 20 years ago. As I watched people in the city streets of China today, my heart glows at the thought that for many of them, their life is now better than it was before. Today many, many people in China are looking forward to their future.
Shaun Rein has just published his second book, “The End of Copycat China”. And if you have not read his earlier publication, “The End of Cheap China”, then I’d suggest you buy both for context. Shaun’s latest book is a valuable read because it helps us to learn and understand the human colour behind the numbers, and expose the underlying currents at the core of what’s driving innovation and new ideas in China today.
I think Shaun and Albert Einstein would have enjoyed a coffee with each other. Had they both lived in China today, they would no doubt have an endless pool of stories to share and enjoy because I think they would both agree that in China today…”not everything that counts, can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts”.
Beyond all of the government and private sector plans which will no doubt help, I think we should all share in the importance of improving our knowledge of people across all cultures, in order for our collective societies to benefit. These people to people relationships are so important, and this is why I find Shaun’s latest book a terrific read. “The End of Copycat China” provides terrific insights and ideas on how we can all contribute. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
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