Culture and History

Foreign Schoolkids Targeted By China Kidnappers

Nov. 2 – Foreign schoolchildren are the potential new targets in child kidnapping cases following an incident at one of Beijing’s luxury compounds this past weekend. On Saturday afternoon at approximately 4:30 p.m., the student was outside the side exit of the Yosemite Villa Estate and a man, unknown to her, came towards her and gave her a hug. She pushed him away but he then attempted to lift her up and drag her into his car. Fortunately a guard and a taxi driver stepped forward to help her and she safely returned home. The incident has been reported to the police for further investigation. Continue reading →

Hundreds Turn Up for China Expat Book Launches in Beijing, Shanghai

China Expat event at The Park Tavern, Shanghai

Oct. 26 – Several hundred people turned up both for the Beijing and Shanghai China Expat book launch events held over the past week, underlining the popularity of the China Expat brand and adding to the already significant readership the publication enjoys. For the last 10 years, China Expat has provided a national Chinese cultural forum for expatriates in China, focusing on introducing Chinese history, art, literature, travel and observations about living in the country as a foil to the more business-focused China Briefing. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History | Tagged China Expat, China Expat Book, China Expat Event, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Park Tavern Shanghai, Q Bar Beijing | 1 Comment

Free China Expat Book Gets Massive Download Demand

Oct. 11 – The complimentary, 232 page, full-color China Expat book “A Decade of Writing: 2001-2011” has been seeing huge amounts of traffic and downloads since its launch last week.

“At one point yesterday we had 100 downloads in 10 minutes,” said Sam Woollard, marketing director for Asia Briefing Media (publisher of China Briefing). “The response has been phenomenal.”

The book has been released to celebrate 10 years of the China Expat portal, which is targeted at the quality end of the expat market and publishes material about expat life in China, Chinese culture, art, literature, history and travel. China Expat has always employed resident writers, and the book is a collection of the best articles from the past 10 years. It is the first English language China blog to have had its material published in printed book format. Several thousand print copies have been prepared and will be available at our book launch events to be held in Beijing and Shanghai later this month. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and History | Tagged Asia Briefing Publications, China Expat, Complimentary Download | 3 Comments

Translation vs. Transliteration in Converting Brand Names to Chinese

Op-Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Oct. 7 – An important aspect of any foreign company investing in China is how to present the company name and any associated brands while in the country. This matters, as it is mandatory for all company names, whether in English or any other language, to be converted into Chinese.

For businesses, the Chinese name will appear on the business license and other corporate documentation, business cards, office/factory signage and be the corporate China face of the company. For brands, these conversions into Chinese are submitted as part of trademark and brand name applications, and will then appear as your brand for the China market. It is important to get this right, as this apparently simple area is littered with colossal mistakes. Using purely “translation,” as is often advised by many would-be overseas China-focused lawyers, doesn’t actually do the job. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, FDI and Foreign Trade | Tagged China IPR, China Trademarks, China Translation, China Transliteration, Chinese Consumer, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Coca Cola, Dezan Shira & Associates, Uniqlo | 1 Comment

Free China Expat Culture Book Download

Sept. 30 – China Expat, China Briefing’s sister site covering all things concerning the interaction between overseas expatriates and Chinese culture, celebrates 10 years of existence this year and has released a complimentary book – “China Expat – A Decade of Writing: 2001-2011” – with a selection of articles contributed to the title over the past decade. The book is launched today both as a anniversary gift to China expats home and abroad, and also to celebrate China’s National Day, which falls on October 1.

“China Expat – A Decade of Writing: 2001-2011” brings together a collection of the published work of four well known expats for the first time in one volume. With articles taken from the archives of the original China Expat magazine, and more recently the online blog from the past 10 years, this collection will provide memories of days gone by, provoke exclamations of “I didn’t know that!” and inspire today’s generation of expats to get out, about and explore. In an age when blogs are mainly blah, the China Expat articles within will provoke, provide food for thought, and raise a wry smile.
Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Central China, Culture and History, East China, Northeast China, REGIONS, South China, West China | Tagged 7 Mace and 2 Candereens, All Roads Lead to China, Anhui Expat, Bad Chinese Gifts, Beijing Atmosphere, Beijing Boyce, Beijing Expat, Beijing Page, Beijing Xiu Bar, Buddhist Art of War, Chairman Mao Poetry, Changchun Second Home, Changsha Expat, Changsha Vibe, Changzhou Expat, Charlie Chaplin China, Chengdu Bookworm, Chengdu Café Del Mar, Chengdu Expat, Chengdu Living, Chengdu Time, China Accounting Blog, China Beautiful Mountain, China City Flowers, China Expat, China FEC, China Foreign Exchange Certificates, China Hearsay, China Historic Flags, China National Bar Directory, China Revolutionary Art, China Revolutionary Songs, China Travel, Chinese Ostrich, Chinese Silver Dragon Coin, Chinese Wedding, Chongqing Dee Dee, Chongqing Expat, Chongqing Life, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Climb Dali, Dalian Expat, Dongguan Expat, Ernest Morrison, Ernie Diaz, Explore China, Far West China, Flying Tigers, Forumasia, Fuzhou Expat, Go Changzhou, Go Kunming, Graham Thompson, Guangzhou Expat, Guide to Chinese Liquor, Guilin Expat, Haerbinger, Haikou Expat, Hangzhou Expat, Hangzhou JZ Club, Harbin Expat, Harbin Mozart, Hefei Expat, Hefei Revolutionary, HK Expats, Hong Kong Expat, In Kunming, Jiangsu Expats, Jiangsu Net, Jinan Expat, Jinan Live, Johns Information Café, Josh Gartner, Kaifeng Jews, Karakoram Highway, Kashgar to Taxkorgan, Kunming Expat, Kunming Hump, Lhasa Blogs, Lhasa to Everest, Life of Guangzhou, Lost in Xinjiang Desert, Luizhou Laowai, Macau Expat, Mandarin Slang, Mongolian Dalai Lama, More Chengdu, My Nanning, My Red Star, My Wenzhou, Nanjing Expat, Nanjing International Club, Nanjing Jimmys, Nanning Expat, Ningbo Expat, Noodle Addicts, Official Chinese Flowers, Panda Diplomacy, PDF Download, Qingdao Expat, Sanya Bounce, Sanya Expat, Shanghai Bar Rouge, Shanghai Expat, Shanghai Kathleen’s 5, Shanghai Waltz, Shanghaiist, Shanxi Vinegar, Shenyang Expat, Shenyang Guide, Shenyang Mulligans, Shenzhen Expat, Shenzhen Party, Shenzhen Stuff, Sidney Rittenberg, Suzhou Expat, Taiwan Expat, Taiwan Ho, Talk Xian, Tea Horse Road, The Beijinger, Tianjin Expat, Tianjin Scarlet, Tibetan Kama Sutra, Tibetan Srang Banknotes, Tibetan Tantric Sex, Urumqi Fubar, Wenzhou Stuff, What’s On Tianjin, Wuhan Blue Sky, Wuhan Expat, Wuhan Time, Wuxi Expat, Wuxi Life, Xiamen Expat, Xian Expat, Xianease, Xinjiang Banknotes, Yantai Expat, Zhuhai Expat | 1 Comment

China National Day Holiday 2011

Sept. 30 – Businesses and individuals involved with China should be aware that the full week commencing Saturday October 1st until Friday October 7th is a government-mandated national holiday across China. Offices reopen on Saturday, October 8th. During this period it will be difficult to expect immediate replies to emails and to arrange meetings. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and History | Tagged China Expat, China National Holiday, National Day | Leave a comment

Meet China Briefing

Sept. 29 – China Briefing has been publishing China business law, tax, compliance and operational material about doing business in China since 1999. It is one of the longest running China business web sites, with a daily regulatory news service, a popular monthly magazine focusing on the technical legal and financial issues foreign investors face, and a well-received series of technical and regional guides to China which are distributed worldwide by Springer, the academic publishing house. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History | Tagged About Us, China Briefing Staff, Christian Fleming, Eunice Ku, Julia Gu, Samantha Jones, Vivian Ni | Leave a comment

Increased Expat Costs in China Will Relocate Many to India

More cash in pocket will make India a preferred destination for expatriate entrepreneurs

By Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Sept. 14 – As I deplane from the Cathay Pacific flight, I am pleased to note it has arrived 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Walking through the brightly lit, air conditioned airport towards arrivals, I am whisked along by fast moving passenger walkways, noticing the HSBC, Avis, DHL and Crowne Plaza corporate advertising all along the walls. Down the escalators, and immediately in front is immigration. I am steered to an empty booth, while the line of immigration officials waiting to check documents stretches all the way down an enormous hall.

An official checks my visa, smiles, and waves me through. Walking through a vast emporium of duty-free items, I get towards the arrivals hall. The walls are lined with local art, statues and paintings; this is clearly an affluent city. I obtain a complimentary trolley cart, await my bags, and after five minutes the conveyor belt starts moving. I’m lucky – my suitcase is one of the first. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Culture and History, FDI and Foreign Trade, Markets | 1 Comment