You are young, ambitious and up for a new challenge. Looking for a dazzling internship in an ultramodern city in the country with the fastest growing economy in the world, there’s just no getting around Shanghai. But where to start? How to get in contact with reliable companies? Since January 2007 the answer to all of your questions is called: 2-Shanghai!

Lonneke de Greef and Michael Douglas decided to leave the Netherlands to start a company in China. “We saw many requests on the Internet from students who would like to go to China. At the moment China really is one of the most favourite countries for aspiring interns, and in particular Shanghai is very popular. China has a great demand for them too. Reason enough for us to establish ourselves in Shanghai to launch Read the rest of “Go 2-Shanghai” or post a comment

It is true: China has a large market area, where you can make a very decent living, but don’t expect miracles. Rob Groeneweg believes thát is the essence of doing business with China. His friendship with the Chinese Anne Xu is what started his hands-on experience; selling Chinese art on the Dutch market, through his newly founded business, Xuro. The sale of Chinese art still needs time to flourish, the demand on Xuro’s services as a business developer on the other hand grows rapidly. “Lots of entrepreneurs only think of China’s potential, having 1.3 billion consumers, and therefore are too eager. However, a bad deal remains a bad deal. Don’t be too greedy. The real market potential often is much smaller then you think.”

Working for Cross Ocean Cosco Container Lines, Rob comes into contact with China in 1990, because this company has been working with Chinese employees and trainees for decades. “In the Netherlands, there are approximately 8.000 Chinese students and they Read the rest of “China and the Art of Xuro” or post a comment

One of the trends inherent to the economic growth in China, is the fact that more and more people are taking Chinese language classes. The best way to do that? Go to China and talk to Sally Zhang. She works as Program Director at the Chinese Language Education organization in Beijing. Conveniently located in the middle of Beijing’s business center.

Beijing is home to most of her students. “At this moment, we are teaching Chinese to 82 students. Mostly Westerners, but also people coming from Japan and Korea. The continuously increasing amount of students can to a degree be explained, by the steadily increasing number of foreign companies in China. A few years ago, there was only the Chinese bank, nowadays I have five students who work for foreign banks operating in China. These financial professionals need to be able to read newspapers and documents in English as well as in Chinese. Fortunately for them, they work at companies where English is, at this point in time, the most common language.”

Read the rest of “Master Chinese in China” or post a comment

Ron Cune experienced China for the first time during a fantastic holiday. A course in Chinese, an exchange project, and a round-trip further he was devoted to the country. Upon receiving a financial bonus he took his chances: he moved to China. Currently he is staying in a pleasant office in Beijing and his company DragonDancers has reached lightning speed. The philosophy behind the DragonDancers brand name: the Chinese dragon dances through perfect coordination, collaboration and harmony between those that let it move. Cune explains how a Western company can equally move smoothly in the Land of the Dragon.

“For the Chinese, ‘face’ is very important. Loss of face is disastrous for them, so you have to communicate and act tactfully.” Cune found this out the hard way: “The thing I did wrong in my first job was Read the rest of “Chinese Freedom of Movement” or post a comment

By Andrew

I have been asked many times if Credit and Debit cards can be used in China. The simple answer is YES, in most cities. Hongkong should be no problem, Shanghai and Beijing also should not pose too many problems. Nanning, Guangzhou and similar cities also should be OK.

Tips…although your card will be chip and pin you will in nearly all cases be asked to “sign for” do not let it out of your sight.

They can be used in the majority of the larger hotels, but not all cards will be accepted, in my experience VISA appears to be the most readily recognised and accepted. Before you leave for China, notify your bank (for Debit card) and the credit card company that you will be in China on the given dates, they will then flag up your account and you should not have to many issues. You may also still find after your first attempt at using either they will still be declined with the message “refer to provider”. Do not panic just phone your Bank or card company at your earliest. Tips…So always carry your card and bank contact phone numbers with you and also the numbers to report lost or stolen card. Read the rest of “Credit cards and Debit cards in Nanning China” or post a comment