*Updated as of 08 October 2010
“Rather than read ten thousand pages of a book, it's better to walk ten thousand miles.” - Chinese Proverb
September 23, 2010
September 22, 2010
by Carey Chambers, dragonbn.com
Does Chinese business revolve around contracts? Do Chinese think contracts are a commitment? According to Chinese business trainer/consultant Greg Bissky, the answers are no and no.
"Chinese see contracts as a picture of what they hope happens, a place to start," says Bissky. "Chinese gladly sign contracts for many reasons, two are that we insist and a contract signing is a great reason for a big meal at company expense."
In this video, Bissky explains the differences between how Chinese and Westerners view contracts. Particularly enlightening is his explanation of how Chinese see the future as unknowable and therefore will not be lured into doing something good for you now with the hope they will receive some future benefit.
Bissky has more than twenty years experience as a trainer, consultant and entrepreneur in Chinese Asia. He is the author of Wearing Chinese Glasses: How (Not) to Go Broke in Chinese Asia. You can watch more videos and learn about his "business through Chinese glasses" workshops at his website: www.treasuremountain.com
Note that the video below is provided by YouTube. Since YouTube is blocked in China, you may not be able to access it if you are located in China.
September 21, 2010
After a physical examination, the doctor found Lin did not have any physical parturient symptoms, and she only wanted a C-section so that her child, who was due on Sept 5, could be born before Sept 1, the cut-off date for primary school admissions.
Lin is not the only pregnant woman who wants her child to be born before Sept 1.
"It's the same case every year at the end of August," said Wang Xin, head of the maternity department of the Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Hospital.
Primary schools in China only give admission to children who turn 6-years-old on or before Aug 31. Those born later - even on Sept 2 - have to wait a full year before entering school.
Shan Ruiqin, director of the maternity department at the Jinan Maternity and Child Health Hospital, said nearly 900 babies were born in the hospital in August, compared with a monthly average of 700 births in the first seven months of this year.
Many hospitals in Beijing had witnessed a "clear surge" in the number of births over the past two weeks, with nearly "80 percent" of expectant mothers requesting the operation.
Zhao Kai, 39, whose daughter was born through a C-section last week, said: "It would be unfair if my daughter had to wait a full year to enter school just because she was born a few days after the ridiculous admission deadline. All her classmates would be so much younger, and would probably treat her differently."
September 20, 2010
In this article Labbrand looks at the impact packaging design has on the businesses operating in China and, in particular, at the issues product brand managers need to consider before falling in the “cultural trap” and developing a package that overlooks at the differences between China and Western markets.
We will look at the components of packaging design in the order a customer may perceive them: colour; label and typeface; images, patterns and shapes; and material.
We will look at the components of packaging design in the order a customer may perceive them: colour; label and typeface; images, patterns and shapes; and material.
Selecting the right colour palette for the packaging has a great deal to do with the ultimate success or failure of a product brand. In fact, colour plays an important role in a consumer’s purchase decision . People use a little more than a minute to make up their minds about a product they see for the first time, and a big part of this judgment is based on colours alone. So, clever use of colours in packaging design can contribute not only to differentiate the product from competitors, but also to influence moods and feelings and ultimately attitudes towards a certain product .
“All of us have involuntary physiological and psychological responses to the colours we see,” according to the Chicago-based Institute for Colour Research, a group that collects information on the human response to colour and then sells it to industry. “Colour…impacts our appetite, sexual behaviour, business life and leisure time,” says Eric Johnson, the institute’s head of research studies.
In fact, the same colour may be perceived very differently in different cultures. For example, green enjoys no popularity in Japan, France, or Belgium, while it can be frequently seen on the packaging designed for Turkish and Austrian consumers. People from Islamic cultures react negatively to yellow because it symbolizes death but like green as this is believed to help fight off diseases and evil. Europeans associate black with mourning and tend to prefer red, grey, green and blue. In the Netherlands, orange is the national colour and therefore can be used to arouse nationalistic feelings .
1. Colors
Colors have a strong significance in Chinese culture as well. Yellow, as the colour that was only for the emperor to wear, and red, as symbol for happiness and good luck, are both very powerful colours for designing product packaging for this country market. However, this does not apply to every product category: Chinese consumers generally find appealing these bright and shiny colours for food products but tend to prefer white and pastel colours for personal care and household items.
For instance, General Mills adapts the colours used on own product packages in the Chinese market by using bright and flashy colours.
Kleenex, instead, features brightly colour and slightly abstract flowers on the packages sold in the US but it designs Chinese packaging with pastel colours and small, delicate and realistic flowers.
2. Label and Typeface
Label and typeface are critical to attract consumers for they are a prominent visual element on any packages.
Different countries have different regulations about the information product labels should or should not contain, therefore size and layout of information on the label may need to change in order for the product to enter a certain country.
Besides country specific regulation on labels, key to market the brand to local consumers is the typeface used on the package. This is especially true in China where foreign brands adopt Chinese brand names, and consequently Chinese typeface, to better communicate to the market.
Different countries have different regulations about the information product labels should or should not contain, therefore size and layout of information on the label may need to change in order for the product to enter a certain country.
Besides country specific regulation on labels, key to market the brand to local consumers is the typeface used on the package. This is especially true in China where foreign brands adopt Chinese brand names, and consequently Chinese typeface, to better communicate to the market.
Coca Cola, to cite a brand that truly masters the art of packaging localization, gives as much importance to the Chinese written brand name as the original English one. The Chinese typeface, therefore, becomes integral part of the brand identity in China and shapes the packaging in an unmistakable way.
So much so that the Chinese side of the packaging is the one that is shown on Coke’s visual communications and ads in the country.
3. Images, Patterns, and Shapes
Researchers estimate that more than 70 percent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale . Here the consumer takes in rapidly all the products displayed – and likewise hastily looks for clues that help him make a decision.
Products brands that are successful on the Chinese market clearly take into consideration how images and patterns printed on the packaging influence consumers decisions towards own products.
Products brands that are successful on the Chinese market clearly take into consideration how images and patterns printed on the packaging influence consumers decisions towards own products.
For instance Mirinda, in order to effectively reach the younger segment of the Chinese market, not only uses brighter colours but also features locally beloved cartoon characters on the packaging.
Pepsi, instead, taps into the local culture, people, icons, and activities as inspiration to capture and engage Chinese teens. Pepsi tin reprocess all these elements and uses them to dress itself of a locally relevant package.
Nivea offers a line of lip balm packaged in smaller solutions than the ones sold in the west. That is because Chinese consumers tend to prefer packages of smaller size. This is particularly true for food products, as domestic apartments have relatively smaller storage space and refrigerators than in the US or Europe .
4. Material
The material used to produce the package it is also extremely important in order to gain the preference of target consumers. For instance, a growing segment of the population worldwide and in China dislikes products using too much waste material for the packaging directly due to environmental concerns.
Price conscious consumers, instead, are less concerned by the quality or recyclability of packaging and are generally more likely to consider other, more function-oriented factors when purchasing a product. However, these factors often depend on priorities that change according to the category of goods, the specific product, and the available budget of the buyer .
In other words, the material used to package a product reflects how much the company understands its market.
Colgate, for instance, chose to differentiate its products in China by using a packaging material that was scarcely used by competitors when the company entered the Chinese market in 1992. Back then, the majority of domestic toothpaste manufacturers used aluminium tubes. Colgate, instead, adopted the plastic tube that is now commonly used by almost all toothpaste brands as this is more convenient, durable, and safe for the user. The new packaging material helped Colgate seize about one third of the market share over the years.
On the contrary, Alpenlibe, the candy manufacturer, uses the same size, design and colours on the packages sold both in the West and China but, in the latter case, it wraps own brand candies with two thick layers of papers as strong packaging is generally associated in China with higher quality products.
Packaging has an incredible power over what people buy. The same way people express themselves through the clothes they wear they also make statements about who they are through the products they buy. Indeed, we buy products not just for their functional attributes but also – and maybe even more importantly – because these products promise to fulfil desires and longings. The package that enfolds the product carries a big part of that promise.
The challenge when trying to build a locally consistent “promise” is to interpret the global brand identity and creative concept in a meaningful way for the Chinese market. The package design needs to attract attention, stimulate curiosity, build a connection and ultimately lead the buyer to think the product is the best one offered. China is a country with a long history and a rich culture, creating codes in the minds of consumers that must be considered during package design. In order to be successful in China, foreign brands need to reinterpret their identity through the eyes of Chinese consumers to truly understand how colours, patterns, images, typeface and material choices can contribute build a meaningful product experience.
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September 19, 2010
Monotone is the main style in traditional Chinese painting, like the landscape ink painting, the blue decorative painting on china pot. It represent a Zen culture, a minimal style. The textile for the upper class is colorful though, with elegant embroidery.
Dragons are common in Chinese art as it represents the emperor. The dragon always come with cloud to show that it is flying in the sky. And landscape, flower, bird, fish and shrimp are also the usual topic.
And in traditional drawing, the perspective is fake 3 dimensional, flat but rich in content.
Did you know at one time Chinese patriots hid messages in moon cakes to announce the time of an uprising, to rid themselves of hated foreign conqueror?
Save the date. September 22, we will eat moon cakes and drink tea while looking at the moon! :)
September 15, 2010
"If you’re not thinking about China at least once per day, something is wrong with you."
Just yesterday, we received a good news. Our China Visa has been approved. Our next step is to set the date and finalize itinerary.
Let's go team!
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