November 27, 2001

• Politickin' and Disrupting the Social Order

  
  

  So I tried one of my boldest things yet since coming here to SH.  Nothing that can get me in trouble with the law or anything, but definitely something that I am not quite sure of how will be received.  My initial feeling though is an outcome that will be more negative than positive, but whatever...

  
  

  Last Saturday, I met some Fudan students at an activity they put together called e-camp.  It's an all English workshop to provide students with an English speaking environment.  Although I am not into just being used for my English ability, the organizers of e-camp were business students from Fudan who were also working on something I was very interested in.  Being the opportunisit I am, I took this opportunity to meet some new people, and try to weasel my way in.

  
  

  The group is called ASES Students of Fudan (ASF), where ASES stands for Asia-Pacific Student Entrepreneurial Summit.  It's an entrepreneurial conference put together by Asian Stanford University students and is held once at Stanford and once in Asia every year.  It is going to be held in Shanghai next year (Aug. 2002) and from speaking to the ASF committee, they are in need of desperate help.  If you want to learn about the conference here is the website:

  
  

  http://ssae.stanford.edu/ases/ases_home.html

  
  

  Anyhow, my experience with QSEAC and GenerAsians make pulling something like this together a cinch.  Not to say that it is going to be easy, but I think I know what needs to be done, and the kids here haven't the slightest clue about marketing, fundraising, leadership, pr-ing etc, let alone run a conference.  So today, they had a meeting with me and asked me how I could help, and in what capacity. 

  
  

  My answer?  I told them I wanted to run the conference.  I want to be the President / the Director / the Head Honcho.  I consider it something bold because I know it went totally against their grain.  In a society full of guanxi relations, giving face, full of respecting your superiors, full of courting those above you while being courted by those below, seeing a Western hot shot come out of left field and demand something as radical as this must be quite irritating.  The nerve of that Jok Sing!  I gave them my best pitch though.  I answered every question confidently, stated everything I could do for them and logistically told them what needed to be done to make the conference a success.  I know I convinced many in the room, but the person I didn't convince (I'm quite sure) is the Chair of ASF.  The whole time, she wouldn't look me in the eye and didn't say much.  I think she probably felt undermined.

  
  

  Such is politics in China, even in the student level.  I know I can help them a great deal.  They were very suspicious and kept asking me what I wanted out of the whole thing.  I told them the truth, mainly to meet more local students and to aid me in my job search when I leave Fudan (I stressed the former over the latter even though it might not necessarily be the case).  They haven't given me an answer yet, they want to talk about it first.  During the interview, someone suggested that I be the trainer and train everyone how they should do their job, I could feel my face flush red as I calmly demanded that, honestly, the best position for me would be to be in a position where I am calling the shots.  Such is Western negotiation, where you convince convince convince plus a little aggression and maybe some arm-twisting.  I know I'm totally up for the job, and if they do give it to me, I will need to think long and hard because it will take a lot of my time away from me.  But this is supposedly not only the first conference of such kind in SH, but perhaps all of China.  If I pull this one off, there ain't no stoppin' me.  I'm a fukken tiger man.  Now if only I can con that bitch chair woman to stop her bickering (quite doubtful).

  • 4:09 am
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