Interviews with the CEO of The Executive Centre serviced offices

In these interviews from three years ago, Paul Salnikow, the CEO and founder of The Executive Centre, one of the leading providers of serviced offices, virtual offices and conference meeting room facilities within Asia and especially China, discussed the company’s expansion plans and the general market characteristics of serviced office space - such as how moving into a serviced office during a slowdown acts as a hedge to avoid capital expenditures.

At the time of the interviews, their plans included adding 20 new centers in China and moving beyond the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing into China’s secondary cities. In fact, Paul mentioned that they were already doubling their China network every 3 quarters while the group was already the largest serviced office operator in Hong Kong:

Chinese business etiquette video: Giving and receiving business cards

If you are planning a business trip to China, this short video about giving and receiving business cards in China featuring Mark Kemsley, who has worked as a business consultant in China for 20 years and speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin, is well worth watching. As Mark explains, not having a business card is the equivalent of not having a name as the Chinese place great importance on both greetings and titles. In fact, the Chinese prefer to deal with someone who is of equal importance to them and preferably has a high sounding title – hence, the importance of having a business card that clearly shows your rank.

In addition and when giving a business card, Mark explains that you should always be standing and use both hands while if you accept a business card with only one hand, it is considered extremely disrespectful. Moreover, it's very important that you don't just ignore the business card and stick it in your pocket. Instead, carefully read over it for about three or four seconds before putting it in your pocket.

Chinese business etiquette videos

Relationships and proper etiquette are extremely important considerations when doing business with the Chinese as they are renowned for being skilled and patient negotiators. Hence, its always important to put your best foot forward and to know what to expect when you meet with potential Chinese business partners for the first time.

In this first short video, the proper way to greet someone at the beginning of a business meeting is addressed:

In this second short video, viewers are walked through an entire business meeting between a Westerner and her potential Chinese business partners:

Useful video to learn some basic Mandarin survival phrases

Should you be visiting China soon, you may want to visit the Travel Linguist site on YouTube as it contains numerous resources to help you learn some Mandarin. In this video, you will learn the following useful Mandarin survival words:

1. Hello - Nin hao
2. Goodbye - Zai jian
3. How are you? - Nin hao ma?
4. Thank you - Xie xie
5. You're welcome - Bu ke qi
6. What is your name? - Zen me cheng hu nin?
7. Do you speak English? - nin hui shuo ying yu ma?
8. Excuse me - Dui bu qi
9. Where is the bathroom? - Xi shou jian zen me zou?

Knowing the above Mandarin phrases will make even a short trip to China much more easier!

Dress codes for China

If you are traveling to China, you may be wondering how to dress appropriately and how the dress code in China compares with other countries you have visited. Hence, the Conde Nash Dress Code Guide (which is available on the Conde Nash website and is also downloadable in pdf format) offers a very handy and useful reference guide for how to dress appropriately in a number of countries around the world.

According to the guide, dress codes for meetings in China consists largely of homogenous suits and ties – no matter what the weather conditions are outside. Businesswomen will tend to go without makeup and jewelry while everyone in general tries to shy away from conspicuous consumption in order to demonstrate that they are focused on business.

On the street, the arms, chest and back should remain covered and women generally dress conservatively. However, dressing unconventionally will not offend anyone so long as one presents him or herself in the best light. Moreover, Chinese women will tend to not wear any footwear without straps as such foot wear will reveal to much of the foot and have a tendency to resemble flip flops – which are seen as cheap.

And finally, party goers should be aware that exaggerated styles and silhouettes monochromatic palettes by Comme des Garçons, Martin Margiela, and Yohji Yamamoto are now considered to be hot.

Beijing travel videos from Lonely Planet

As the capital of the most populous country in the world that is also one of the world’s oldest civilizations, Beijing has plenty of sites to offer both tourists and business travelers with extra time on their hands. In this Lonely Planet video made just before the Olympics, Eilis Quinn explores both the modern and traditional side of Beijing:

In this second video produced for Lonely Planet, the sites around Beijing are explored. This includes the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and the Lao Shan Mountain Biking Area:

In this final but very short video from Lonely Planet, Michael Kohn offers a quick snapshot of Beijing’s nightlife – including a visit to the night markets for some deep fried scorpion:

Tipping in China

If you are traveling to China, you may be wondering how much of a tip to leave and how tipping there compares with other countries you have visited. Hence, the Conde Nash Traveller Tipping Guide (which is available on the Conde Nash website and is also downloadable in pdf format) offers a very handy and useful reference guide for tipping in more than 35 countries around the world.

According to the guide, travelers visiting China should note that no tipping is generally the rule at many hotels. In fact, nicer hotels in China will add a compulsory service fee of 10-20% and hence, nothing beyond that is expected or even allowed. Furthermore and as a tour agent explains in the guide, tipping has a tendency to unbalance a hotel’s operations but its almost impossible for a hotel to stop the practice. Hence and if you want to leave a tip, do so quietly and out of sight from employers. In addition, you should remember that most tour guides in China receive commissions for taking you to tacky souvenir shops and hence, they don’t need to be tipped.

Nevertheless, tipping is customary in some places such as massage houses where a tip of about 10–30 yuan per massage is expected (except in hotel spas where a tip is already included in the fee) and for luggage porters who should receive a tip of 10 yuan per bag (although tourists will generally leave twice that amount).

Mandarin and Cantonese Lessons in one minute

Should you be visiting China or Hong Kong, Pierre-Francois Metayer of PFMproductionz has produced two amusing videos – one entitled “Mandarin in One Minute – To Sing” and “Cantonese in One Minute – Electricity”. I am not sure how useful these videos are but the first one (“to sing”) is definitely entertaining and will leave you looking forward to seeing more language lessons from Pierre!

In this second video, Pierre-Francois explains the various components of the Chinese character for “electricity” in Cantonese:

China’s Business Visa (F Visa) for short-term business trips

If you plan to visit China to do business, perform due diligence, attend a lecture or conference, or to take part in a scientific/technological or educational/culture exchange for a period of no more than six months, a Business Visa (F Visa) should be obtained prior to arrival. To apply for a Business Visa (F Visa), an application must be submitted to the visa office at a Chinese Embassy or Consulate General either in person or through an intermediary (in person) and generally speaking, mailed applications are not accepted.

When filing an application, the following documents will need to be submitted:

• A valid passport with at least six (6) months validity and containing at least one blank visa page in it.
• One completed Visa Application Form (forms may be downloaded from the website of China’s embassy in the USA) with a recent 2x2 inch photo. If you are a first time applicant whose former nationality was Chinese, then your Chinese name must be included in the application form along with your original Chinese passport or a photocopy of the information page of the passport.
• A Visa Notifications Form from an authorized Chinese Unit or an invitation letter from a host organization in China or an introduction letter from a US company.
• Copies of previous “F” visas issued if you have availed of it at least twice in the past.

Visas can be issued for a single entry (valid for 3 to 6 months), double entry (valid for 6 months), or multiple entry (valid for 6 months or 12 months) or a multiple entry visa valid for 24 months if documents are submitted that prove an investment in China has been made or there is an established collaboration with a Chinese company (However, applicants should check with the nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate General to ensure that they can actually avail of all of the available entry visas based upon their nationality.) Moreover, validity starts 90 or 180 days from the date of issue and the normal duration of stay is for 30 days unless otherwise stated in the visa application.

Generally speaking, the regular processing time for visas is 4 working days while express service is 2 to 3 working days (an additional US$20) and there is a same day rush service for emergencies only (an additional US$30). However, applicants should take into consideration that visa processing times may vary from location to location.

In addition, the fees for the Business Visa (F Visa) are as follows:

Number of Entries	USA Citizen	Other Nationalities
Single Entry	US$130	US$30
Double Entry	US$130	US$45
Multiple Entry for 6 Months	US$130	US$60
Multiple Entry for 12 Months	US$130	US$90
Multiple Entry for 24 Months	US$130	US$90

Again, the exact rules and regulations for the Business Visa (F Visa) may vary from nationality to nationality and it is best to consult your respective embassy or consulate general in China or the respective Chinese Embassy or Consulate General in your home or resident country for the most up-to-date information.

“What a shame!” Swine Flu comes from America video

In case you have not flown to or around China lately, you may find this Civil Aviation Administration of China's swine flu warning video both helpful and absolutely hilarious! The cutesy jingle with the cartoon reminds passengers that:

Swine influenza comes from America… spreads around the world… its true name is A(H1N1)… what a shame!

Actually and according to the Wall Street Journal’s China Journal blog, the Chinese lyrics make a broad reference to the American continents and uses the word “mei zhou” rather than the word “mei guo” (for the USA itself) but the the English subtitles simply say America. Either way, passengers are sure to get the picture!

 

The Employment/Work (Z) Visa for China

If you will be relocating to China for employment purposes, you will need to obtain a Employment/Work (Z) Visa. To apply for an Employment/Work (Z) Visa, an application must be submitted to the visa office at a Chinese Embassy or Consulate General either in person or through an intermediary (in person) and generally speaking, mailed applications are not accepted.

When filing an application, the following documents will need to be submitted:

• A valid passport with at least six (6) months validity and containing at least one blank visa page in it.
• One completed Visa Application Form (Q1) with a recent photo of 2 x 2 inch photo. If you are a first time applicant whose former nationality was Chinese, then your Chinese name must be included in the application form along with your original Chinese passport or a photocopy of the information page of the passport.
• An original and a photocopy of the Work Permit for Aliens that was issued by the Chinese Labor Ministry or an original copy of the Foreign Expert's License issued by the Chinese Foreign Expert Bureau.
• A visa notification issued by the authorized Chinese unit while proof of kinship (marriage certificate, birth certificate etc.) will be required for any accompanying family members.

Generally speaking, fees are US$130 for American citizens and US$30 for citizens of other countries and the regular processing time for visas is 4 working days while express service is 2 to 3 working days (an additional US$20) and there is a same day rush service for emergencies only (an additional US$30).

However, applicants should take into consideration that visa processing times for the Employment/Work (Z) Visa may vary from location to location while rules and regulations may also vary from nationality to nationality. Hence, it is best to consult your respective embassy or consulate general in China or the respective Chinese Embassy or Consulate General in your home or resident country for the most up-to-date information.  

Beijing Capital International Airport: Finding your way around the dragon

The new US$3.5 billion Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport is not only the second largest airport building in the world, it also has an unusual design. Unlike other airports which generally follow similar and fairly straight forward designs, Terminal 3 is shaped like a dragon with domestic flights located in the dragon’s “head” and international flights located in the dragon’s “tail.” Hence, visitors may find navigating around the airport a daunting task while official English language resources available online still remains limited (For example: Airport maps on the official airport site are in Chinese).

However, Air China has posted a 10 minute video guide on Youtube.com that visitors to terminal 3 may find helpful. The video itself has no voice narration but it does contain plenty of English subtitles along with images to help visitors at least familiarize themselves with the airport layout.