 Business Republic of
China
Tales
from the front line of China’s new
revolution
by
Jack Leblanc
BUSINESS / MEMOIRJack Leblanc arrived in China in 1989
intending to teach Physics for just two years. He was to spend the next
two decades on a very different learning curve as he became involved in a
series of business ventures in almost every part of the Middle Kingdom.
From farmyard to factory, boardroom to
banquet, Leblanc witnessed (and occasionally assisted) the
transformation of China from a socialist economy into the world’s
greatest experiment in capitalism. Over time it dawned upon him that the key
to success is to manage the differences in Chinese and Western
business behaviour. To do well in China you must carefully adapt your
strategies – or face ruin faster than you can learn
how to use chopsticks.
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MEDIA ATTENTION
"Business
Republic of China is a page-turner. In each case, you want to know
just how well or poorly the deal turns out and the motivations driving
each party. The read is worth it for the postscripts on the people
involved and the quieter moments of insight and humour."
— Samantha Kierath,
South China Morning Post
"Business Republic of
China provides superb coverage of the challenges, mysteries and
sources of success or failure for foreigners doing business in China.
Covering a period of almost two decades, it also gives some insight into
ways in which business in China has grown up, or failed to, in that time.
This is a light and entertaining book that I would recommend to anyone
thinking about doing, or just observing, business in China." — Larry Mongoss,
Inside-Out China
"The more perceptive
visitor [to China] sees rather quickly that perhaps nothing is as it
seems. Jack Leblanc does a good job of turning head-scratching into a
marvellously perceptive text." —
German Chamber of Commerce in China
"Like many
businessmen-turned-writers, Leblanc’s prose reads awkwardly at times, but
once he gets into full flow he is propelled forward by the strength of his
stories. And this is a man with some cracking stories to tell. ... While
other similar works can come across as either too academic or too broad
and macro-focused, Business Republic of China is rich in practical
detail. Leblanc’s experiences make for instructive reading for any foreign
executive doing business in China." — Tim
Burroughs,
China Economic Review
"This book’s terrific.
It’s personal, funny, self-aware, and most importantly – it combines both
an admiration, fascination and frustration with the cross-cultural
differences between the author and China & Taiwan in a way I could
strongly relate to. His accounts of his personal journey in China since
1989 through the Chinese business world and the detour to Taiwan is
convincing." —
Fili's
World
"This kind of book is
truly invaluable to any Westerner unfamiliar with the way the Chinese
conduct business and establish a good relationship. It’s why one has to be
attuned to the Chinese sense of personal honor and why time does not play
the same role as it does in the U.S. Relating his experiences in an
entertaining fashion, Leblanc’s book is a first class guide to the Chinese
psyche." — Alan Caruba,
Bookviews
"The publisher presents this
as a business book, but in my view it is foremost an autobiography - and
therein lies its main value. The author ...
writes about his experiences in a series of anecdotes ranging from his
facilitating business negotiations, advising joint ventures that failed,
riding the internet bubble to helping out friends. His perspective is
often close to the local partner in the businesses, and thus provides
insights on what those 'barbarian' foreigners did wrong in the eyes of
their Chinese partners. The book provides rich insights in the practical
sides of doing business, including the
wining-and-dining aspects of it." —
Klaus Meyer
"In ten racy chapters
Jack Leblanc describes nearly twenty years of dodgy deals, and, as he puts
it 'more booze, more women, more karaoke, more hangovers, more seafood,
more saunas, more than my body could take.'" — John Sexton,
china.org.cn
"With hindsight, Jack
Leblanc finds humor, even hilarity, in the unexpected twists and reversals
during two decades of easing the way for business deals in China and
Taiwan. Presumably, the eccentricities, cultural clashes, disputes and
deals that faltered didn’t look so funny at the time.
...Leblanc gives an entertaining, potentially useful account of his
experiences in Business Republic of China." —
Cairns Media Magazine
"The biz crowd
are out in force: Belgian China Hand (and you don’t get to write that
often!) Jack Leblanc’s
excellent book about his experiences in China Business Republic of
China is out." —
Access Asia
“Finally, a book that reflects the Chinese
business realities on the ground. This is no boring read about
the theoretical “dos and don’ts” of operating a business in China. This is
a unique and hands-on inside view of how investments will go belly-up if
no attention is paid to the peculiar market conditions of China.”
—
Rizal Wijono, Regional Director, Deutsche Asset Management (Asia)
“Jack Leblanc arrived in Chongqing in 1989
a China virgin. After nearly two decades of trying everything from selling
plate glass to engineering dotcom dreams, he now qualifies as a fully
fledged ‘China Hand’. I enjoyed this book – laughed out loud a few times –
and some good memories of my own disasters and triumphs came back to me.”
— Paul French, author of Carl Crow: A
Tough Old China Hand
“Jack really gets into the guts of China.
These are up-close and personal tales from 19 years of brokering deals,
all the way from the western industrial heartlands of Sichuan to across
the Taiwan Strait. This book goes beyond regular seminar fare and reveals
the real pitfalls posed by the cultural divide. I highly recommend this
entertaining and instructive read.”
— Josh Green, CEO, Europcar
Asia Pacific; former Chief Representative, China Britain Business Council
“I have been teaching in China since 1993,
and a book about China would have to be pretty darn good to get my
attention. This is that book! It has information that only a real China
veteran can impart. Business people planning a China project will ignore
this book at their peril.”
— Farrokh Langdana, Ph.D.; Director,
Rutgers Executive MBA Program
“This is not only one of the most readable
books about business in China, but also offers the most practical and
insightful advice to all executives involved in China marketing.”
—
Harry H. Shi, Chief Representative of China, Emerson Radio Corp.
“Jack Leblanc’s lively tales will resonate
with all those who have come from other parts of the world to live and
work in China. We are fortunate to witness the unprecedented
transformation of the PRC from a socialist to capitalist society, and more
so, to deal with the changes in its people’s mindsets. One needs to keep a
light heart to survive the daily challenges of doing business in China.
Those who have not been to the Middle Kingdom will find the book
entertaining and will be amazed by the willpower required of the author to
master the business skills necessary in modern China.”
— Martin Lin,
Managing Director & Chief Representative of Rockwell Collins, China
“Learn why face is important, and time is
not. Why intellectual property and copyrights are not respected, while
consuming ‘rocket fuel’ at 20-course dinners and singing in karaoke bars
is part of business strategy. If the barbarians did not pay for the
formula for gunpowder, why should the Chinese pay for Rambo and Indiana
Jones? An excellent supplement to what you have learned in business school
in dealing with the Chinese.”
— Prof. Mark Castelino, Rutgers Business
School, New Jersey
“This book provides a unique insight into
the fast-moving business world of China.”
— Dr. Sean Xiang,
President & CEO, Bloombase Group
“Business Republic of China is a
truly remarkable exposé of doing business in China, told through
compelling 'war stories'! Since 1989, Jack Leblanc has witnessed first-hand
China’s breathtaking economic development. He offers insights into how the
Chinese do business through anecdotes rich with humour. His provocative
and practical lessons about the complex dynamics of negotiating with the
Chinese, and understanding the Chinese psyche, culture, and business
mores, entertain and stimulate. This book is a ‘must read’ for any
foreigner who wishes to achieve business success in China.”
— Dr.
Huiping Li, Anisfield School of Business, Ramapo College of New Jersey
"Jack
Leblanc has been a serial entrepreneur in China
since 1989. In addition to being highly amusing, his
stories provide great insight into the changes in the business environment
and the cultural challenges of doing business in China."
— Jeremy Perks,
Director, I Will Not Complain Ltd
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