Hong Kong, ten year anniversary

"What you were doing on July 1 1997?" A friend asked me today.

Wow, that's really a good question to me. And I've no idea. It should be a holiday for me that day since I was still in the school. But I totally forgot. The question reminded me the thing I learnt from a U.S. friend. He told me that everyone remembered what they were doing when they heard President Kennedy was assassinated.

So at that time, Hong Kong, to me, must be some place really far way, and really have no emotional connection.

However, now, in 2007, I am here. It is the city's 10 year anniversary of being transferred back to China from the Britain. And Hong Kong has become a big topic in China these days. All mainland media started very early, long time before July on doing the celebration and interview on the 10 year change.

Hong Kong people's feelings must be complicated, as of my understanding of them for these years. Their feeling to the mother country as well as the people in the country must be complicated, too.

When I first arrived in Hong Kong, two friends and me went to a very famous shop in Central selling egg tarts, the sales lady kept guessing we are from Singapore, instead of mainland, since we are very smily and dressed decently.

After going back, we had the conclustion that mainland Chinese, to them, are most likely to be someone really cool, never talk, and dress really poor clothes.

However, it's very common now to meet people speaking Mandarin now. and no one will guess I am from Singapore again. Today, the sales person in the shoe shop tried hard to speak Mandarin to mainland Chinese shoppers. one thing that couldn't be denied is that the CEPA and the policy to open the individual tours to Hong Kong helps the city recovered from the shadow of Asian financial crisis.

Now I started to have more and more Hong Kong friends, and I learnt a close city from them. This is the place where you could be spoiled by the efficiency, the rule obey and the high quality service.

I will feel really hard to leave this city.

Are women born to be the housewives?

It has been some really busy day for me. Meeting new friends, calling old friends, and again and again. Amazing both a new girl friend and an old girl friend are telling me the same wishes: they want to be housewive later. Wo...bo, is the era changing so fast that I haven't paid attention? Are women back to the era to be the housewives?

The new girl friend, a charming young lady and former investment banker, said she would consider to quit the career after she gives birth to the children during a lunch this week. What?? my first response is a big, or huge questionmark. She is such a capable woman, having a very decent job and a very bright future in the career path. Why give up? I asked. "Women are born to be able to give birth to children, and then take care of them". Her answer is.

Still yet to get rid of this amazing impression to me from this friend, I called another girl friend to find exactly the same thing. "I want to quit my job if I find someone rich to marry; just be relaxed everyday, shopping, playing pokers, that will be such a wonderful life", said my friend who is one year younger than me and now works as the strategic planner in a big state-owned Chinese company.

My god.... why those well-educated women all have the same thoughts to give up the career so soon? Is the society becoming too competitive for women to survive, or they are just too lazy to fight for the career promotion?

Now I understand why women are less and less in the senior position. If they are in, many of them are considered "jerk" among all the black-and-white tie men. This is not definitely a healthy trend, and could someone do something? I couldn't help thinking.

a 10,000 rmb offer for refering a right CFO

My friend Marc in Shanghai is looking for a CFO for his company, and the reward is 10,000 rmb for people refering the right person. maybe you know the right guy, and could make a quick money.

Who will gain clients, mobile manufacturers or mobile operators?

Have read from a Wall Street Journal feature piece on the flight last week on a struggle between U.S. mobile manufacturers such as RIM(which makes blackberry) or Nokia and mobile carriers such as AT&T? Seems manufacturers want to serve with more free, built-in functions in the handsets, while the carriers refused to accept or replace with its own charged service instead. This is a very awkward situation, and seems the users are the only ones suffer.

This has been a arguable issue for long. Mobile carriers have been the one who deal with the clients face to face, and they are the monopoly. How manufactuers could provide multi-functional and popular services to clients without passing through carriers is such a difficult question. The carriers now act as a bottleneck for the more advanced technology and services. Someone who could get around will be the one who change the business.

Google's alliance with Sina.com

After getting rid of shares of Baidu, Google now found a new and strong partner, Sina.com. I found it yesterday afternoon when I went to the www.iask.com, the search engine of Sina. When I searched among all the websites, the Google website was poped up.

Is it a good deal? In terms of money, Sina, who definitely will share the adsense revenue with Google, will make some dollars. Google, seeking access to China's Internet users, will also reach its purpose.

However, I don't think it is a good deal(please pay attention, here is just my opionion, not a news story).

First, Sina's strength is its news story. I once wrote a story earlier on the advantages of different search engines, and to me, the news search of Sina.com is a very useful too. And I believe many other users have the same experience. But the deal this time seems didn't include the news search, and users will still stick to Sina, instead of Google.

Second, the Google still lacks the strength in the searching in Chinese compared with Baidu.com. Its Chinese content is not as complete as Baidu. Also, the cache searching is not as good as Baidu, too. Cache searching is one of the good reason for people to use search engines. Even if the website disappeared or the content was removed, the cache would still exist and provide the useful information. However, Google's cache is still unavaible in China for reasons everyone knows. This will still inhibit people's enthusiasm towards using Google.

All in all, Google and Sina should develop further in the partnership, say, improve the Chinese searching and cache searching, and share the more valuable resource with more trust, in order to compete with others.

Flickr got blocked

when I was in the mainland this week, I found I couldn't use the flickr anymore. seems you could go to the website, but the images will not be shown normally. I thought it was the problem of my computer, then found Marc had the same problem with the website. This was outrageous.

the most dangerous thing for China's business world

The most dangerous thing is to consider all the business as politics. Right, part of the business is directly related with politics, but business rule is not same with politics. And it is so dangerous to play with that, since businessmen will turn into politician some day. That's very dangerous since you will lose your direction. Making money or having power, you could only choose one.

one of my last trips in the Post

I hate saying the word "last", but now I am counting my last days with the Post. Don't ask where i will go(though many one already did). It will be a new adventure which will be very much challenging. Give me your best wishes, and thanks.

I am now in Tianjin to attend a very big private equity conference. Tianjin, to my surprise, has developed much more quickly than I thought. The municipal government officials seem working very hard to improve the city's development. Despite of all the bad stories happened to the government officials, you could find a lot of them are still working hard, even harder than investment bankers. You could say that's their responsibility, but that deserve respectation.

This may be the last business trip in my Post days. I'm happy to end this in Tianjin. Now, 1:41am, I am still preparing for my interviews tomorrow. I always find it is the responsibility and curiosity which drive my work as a journalist. and some time before, for the trust and confidence given by the others. That makes those sleepless trips interesting and fulfilled. Those feelings are much more complicated than working for money(which was assumed for granted by many others). And I am very grateful that I could experience all this when I am still very young.

The past one week was very hard for me. lost the close touch with some good friends. Friends, to me, are very important. and I know I should cherish every friend forever without asking any return.

Now, have to go to sleep to prepare the 7:00am morning briefing.