5 Shocking Facts I Discovered from my China Trip

I have not been to China since 2005, and in particular, have not been to Guangxi province since 1986. Needless to say my recent trips to China have been real eye openers and the following are the 5 shocking facts that I find interesting about China:

1. Despite China having severe labour shortage problem, things get done
Everywhere I go, be it banks, restaurants, office, factories or hotels, there are not enough people working. Service is slow but we can get things done.

Often there will be just 2 people working in a small eatery that sits 30 people. The bank branch that I visited to open my bank account has only 3 people working: a security guard that doubles up as the internet banking advisor, a bank manager working behind the counter, and a counter girl who helps customers in all banking matters.

Despite having staff shortage, things do get done, provided one has no language barrier issues. Service standards become not important, as what can you expect from staff that multi-task?

2. Mobile Payment and Advertisements are Everywhere
Cashless payments are retailers and restaurants, including small eateries, as as common as people walking on the streets. Other than Alipay, there is WeChat payment and other mobile payment methods.

But there is no Android or Apple pay.

3. People are Very Driven
The people in China may not appear to be enthusiastic, but they appear to be very driven to me. They display self-motivation and go to great lengths to get things done, including getting waivers from top levels on certain rules. I wonder if this drive is driven by the high cost of living with a relatively low salary, or it is the desire of the Chinese to get ahead to make up for lost time

4. Construction is Super Fast
Everywhere is construction and the speed of construction is so fast that even the locals were shocked by the speed. Tour guides would tell you to take a picture in front of this hill, and invite you to come back one or two years down the road to take picture at the exact spot with one difference: the hill would be replaced by a residential or office building in 1 to 2 years time!

On average, it takes one year to build an underground mass transit line with 15 stations and shopping malls with 3 levels of basements would take 2 to 6 months to build. Unbelievable but true!

5. High Growth is Taken for Granted
Having rapid growth in the economy since 1980 means that the average Chinese takes high economic growth for granted and expect things to be fast moving. Most countries in this world are used to low or no economic growth and expect things to move slowly. But not in China: expecting the unexpected is the norm.

By Andy Ng, Chief Trainer Consultant with www.asiatrainers.com

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