Promising China Blogs: The China Game And The China Vortex
Two good new China blogs out there by two already pretty well known China hands.
Paul Midler (who I believe coined the phrase China fade, referring to the diminishing quality of China products) has started a blog called The China Game. Paul has been involved with China manufacturing for more than 15 years and many of his posts focus on China manufacturing. Paul has an MBA from Wharton Business School and he speaks Mandarin. More importantly, his B.A. comes from my alma mater, Grinnell College. He currently heads up China Advantage Ltd., a China outsourcing and consultancy company. Paul and I were recently both interviewed for an Investors Business Daily article on China product quality.
Paul's blog is already shaping up as an insightful and original blog on China and I recommend checking it out. Read his post, "The New Bugaboo: Low Prices," for a good distillation of his views on China product quality issues. I just have to love a blog that not only quotes one of the best lines ever from David Bowie's, "Space Oddity," to describe China's space program, but revises it as follows:
This is Ground Control to Major Zhang You’ve really made the grade And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare.
Paul Denlinger is the brains behind the new blog, China Vortex. Paul heads up the company, China Business Strategy whose mission is to bring "market success to companies striving to penetrate and achieve ongoing profitability in the China market." Paul both speaks and reads Chinese. I have known Paul for a long time and I noticed on his LinkedIn Profile that I recommended him back in 2004 by saying "Paul knows China. It's that simple." It's also true today.
Paul is very knowledgeable about China's technology businesses and he does not pull punches. He has done a number of excellent (and somewhat controversial) posts on how China's internet cafes are pretty worthless as marketing opportunities: "Digging Deeper About China's Internet Usage," "Biz Opportunities, Rolling Up and Franchising China's Internet Cafes," and "Shitholes and Firetraps, Part 2."
Two Pauls. Two really good new China blogs. Check them out.
Comments
If Paul was so knowledgeable about the subject he would know that people go to internet cafes to watch movies and play games that they would not be willing to purchase or rent. If a large company tried to compete (apple?!? where in lala-land is he living?) they would immediately be forced to follow the law, which would mean no business. Hence, Paul's idea is stupid.
Usually you are good on the links, but this was pretty disappointing.
Posted by: Joel Dietz | October 26, 2007 5:26 AM