“I am going to China in the hope to start some interesting conversations with people in start ups and social media. I have no idea where that will take me, but I am very excited about taking this next step in my journey.” – Shel
And so the journey begins! Shel flew into Beijing Capital International Airport yesterday afternoon and CN Reviews blogger David Feng (also of TechBlog86 and Beijingology fame) went to the airport to pick him up. David’s reflections on that meet-up are posted here.
Today, Winser Zhao and I will be touring around Beijing with Shel, and plan to go to the Great Wall, some “hidden” aspects of Beijing, and then later on will be hosting a Sichaun dinner to enjoy a Bian Lian Face Changing performance. Turns out the group became a bunch of bloggers/Twitterers: Jens Threanhart (Twitter: jensthreanhart), Shel Israel (Twitter: shelisrael), Yen Lee (Twitter: yenlee), David Feng (Twitter:DavidFeng), Winser Zhao (Twitter: winserzhao) and myself (Twitter: elliottng).
So why is Shel coming to China?
Shel has been researching, reading and learning, and shared his thoughts in an earlier blog post on his Global Neighbourhoods China on why he’s excited to come to China. He also did a nice interview with Christine Lu, of The China Business Network. Here’s what I learned about Shel in these two pieces:
- Shel recognizes he has a low base of knowledge about China and comes with curiosity and an open mind. Some bloggers are too narcissistic to listen and learn. Not Shel.
- Shel also shared a sentiment that I feel strongly in agreement with: “The more I study [about China] the less I’m sure I know.
- There is a great deal of interdependence in the world today between China and the US. However, many people in the US (and in China as well) have a great deal of misunderstanding and even distrust for the others.
- People’s knowledge of China is often dated. Anyway, China is so diverse its hard to generalize.
- Shel’s passion is social media and technology and has a special heart for young, bright Chinese people that have a new way to do something to change the world.
Follow up Questions and Answers I had with Shel
I followed up with some Q&A over email and I thought I’d share this with you on CN Reviews:
1. You mentioned that you’ve done a bit of research prior to coming. What are the resources that you’d recommend to other people who are following the tour from the US or just interested in learning more about China? It can be books, or blogs, or mainstream media.
Shel: I spent about 30 minutes a day, reading English language blogs from people in China. Some are Chinese. Some are ex-pats, and some were travelers. I learned a wealth of interested and valuable things from a great many people. I would hesitate–as I always do–to recommend specific blogs to follow. I think people should explore for themselves. There’s a wealth of stuff available and the selection is growing. If you are interested, you’ll find a wealth of stuff. Just join the conversation.
I’ve read quite a few books on China. The two that I enjoyed the most were Nixon and Mao by Margaret MacMillan and Paul Theroux’s Riding the Iron Rooster by Train through China, which I am now rereading. The first book describe China of 40 years ago and the 2nd describes it from 20 yrs ago. What an incredible change. I imaging what I see will be as different from 1988, as Theroux’s book was from the Mao era. Nixon & Mao fascinate me because history has been rightfully unkind to both of them. Yet what they did in 1972 changed the world and paved the way for the Beijing Olympics and actually my visit.
2. What are some of the specific questions that you want to ask bloggers in China?
I am coming with an open mind and a great deal of curiosity–but no specific questions. China bloggers are a special community to me. We can have a conversation without the expense and difficulty of face-to-face meetings, without structured tours and the permission of authorities. We can do it every day. Yes, in a great many cases, language is still a barrier. But solutions to that are getting closer through tech fixes.
3. What are some of the specific questions that you want to ask entrepreneurs in China?
Again. I bring curiosity, but no agenda. I am curious to know what is important to Chinese entrepreneurs. I’m curious to see what can be disruptive to existing technology. I’d like to know what companies are using social media to conduct business. More than that, because TCBN [and Web2Asia, CN Reviews, Edelman Digital] has made this amazing China 2.0 tour possible. I just want to listen and learn. I will meet many people. I’m sure sometimes we will discover little common interest, which is still fine. Other times, I hope real and lasting friendships will form. And maybe once or twice, real magic will happen in our conversations. That’s what happened when I met Isaac Mao in San Francisco a couple of years back.
Lets get the party started! Off to the Great Wall with Shel in 45 minutes!
