Nihao!
First, let me explain the title of my blog post. "Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys" is a Chinese proverb that I heard and somehow has stuck in my head, and I thought I could use it as the title of my blog (to get your attention), and then segue from this into my latest entry celebrating my 2 years in China!!!
Yep, it's been 2 years (9th June 2012) since I arrived at Beijing Capital airport with damaged luggage, a driver who was 20 minutes late leaving me in a mild panic, a hotel room where I still don't know what the smell was, and my first thought being "what the hell have I done?!"
But 2 years on, I can now say that I feel very much at home amongst the countries 1.3 billion people, except of course for the silver hair which makes me stand out like a chicken in a troop of monkeys.
If this is the first time you've read my blog, let me fill you in (and also ask why is it the first time you're reading my blog?)
- I'm an Australian radio executive living and working in China, teaching the locals how to create great radio content specialising in music, research, and talent coaching
- I live in Beijing, but travel to our radio stations in 10 cities within China
- After 2 years, I still haven't been to the Great Wall! (but I have seen it from a bus)
Living and working in China was never a part of my career plan (neither was getting married for a radio promotion, but that's another story), but I'm so glad I decided to take on this role because it has been an awesome adventure. And to celebrate my 2 years in China, I have chosen a selection of photos that I want to share with you so you can hopefully get a feel for what life has been like in China. They are in no particular order except the first photo is, well, the first photo.
When I left Perth, I flew to Malaysia for 2 weeks for an induction into our company, then onto Beijing. As you can see from this photo taken at KL airport, I flew to Beijing on flight MH370. In fact, when I have returned from Australia a number of times, I have flown into Beijing on this same flight. When I first heard about the missing MH370, I'm sure you can understand a little shiver went down my spine.
OK, sorry to start with such a serious photo. Let's move onto something more festive, literally. This is our Beijing office Chinese New Year family photo. Because I travel alot to our stations, I am usually only in the office 1 week out of each month. But it's always nice to see everyone in the office. Most of the staff don't speak English, so it also gives me an opportunity to practice my 96 hours of Chinese lessons.
As I mentioned, I do spend alot of time on the road travelling between our 10 cities (if you have a map - Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Urumqi and Changchun). Most of my travel is by plane, but every now and then I take the fast train. A great way to see China go past at 300 km/h, plus get some work done without having to "turn off all electrical appliances for takeoff and landing". Only problem is I don't get any frequent flyer points.
Hefei is the capital of Anhui province, and is relatively small (7.4 million people). My first visit to Hefei was in August 2012, and it was also my first visit to a KTV (karaoke). The one thing you quickly learn in China is that most Chinese would not look or sound out of place on "The Voice". They can all bloody sing! After watching all the staff sing a song or two, I realised I was never going to compete. So I just picked a song (Billy Joel of course), and hammed it up as much as I could to hopefully detract from my lack of singing ability. I did get a round of applause, but I think that was more to do with the fact I had finished and not on my performance.
Being the only ex-pat in the company, and having a shock of silver hair, I tend to attract a reasonable amount of attention. It's OK in day to day life, but not when you are sitting in the front row of a magic show in Changchun. Our station put on a party for clients, which included said magic show. I was front row, direct centre, and an obvious choice for his assistant. One small problem. I didn't understand what he was saying. Thank god I could understand his body language, so I just followed what he was doing, which worked. I still don't know the Chinese word for "abracadabra".
Speaking of Changchun, it is one of the coldest cities in China during winter, getting down to -35 degrees. The above client party was held late December (winter), and the temperature got down to -30 degrees. It was the coldest I have ever been in my life. As you can see from this photo (rugged up in many layers), I was excited to be travelling to Changchun. And yes, I now own a pair of long underwear!
I've written many times about the pollution, especially in Beijing. So I could not write about my 2 years in China without mentioning it again. Pollution is measured on a scale of 1 to 500, measuring the particles 2.5 microns in size, small enough to get into your lungs. Sydney, on average, has a pollution level of 7. Beijing has an average of 120. In January 2013 we had one of the worst days at 728. The narratives accompanying the number usually range from "lightly polluted" to "heavy pollution" to "hazardous". I think the day it got to 728 it simply said "buried or cremated?".
My role with Adrep China is General Manager of Content (for those in radio, a fancy title for Group Content Director). A large part of my job is teaching our local team of Program Managers about radio, and how to create great content. They are a great bunch of people, and I'm sure they teach me more about China than I teach them about radio. This photo is from our group training session in Beijing, October 2012.
One of the first blogs I wrote was centred around how things get "lost in translation". I would have to say at least once a week I snap a photo of a sign or notice that has got lost in translation. I'm sure it makes perfect sense in Chinese, but loses something when translated. This is one of the first I snapped, found in my hotel in Nanchang. The famous "Background Music Regulating Cock". I was a little scared to turn it, because I didn't know what to expect.
The expat community in Beijing is growing every year, and Internations Bejing (a company establish to provide social gatherings for expats in various countries) is now one of the biggest in the world. Because of this, there are now many magazines in English aimed at the expat - including restaurant reviews, accommodation services, travel advice etc. One such magazine, Agenda Beijing, ran a regular feature called "Beijing's Brainiest Boss" and I was invited to appear. They take some photos, then ask you 12 business related questions. The result? A respectable 7 out of 12. I mean, who knows that the worlds richest man is a Mexican?! (You can check out my results
here )
Our company is growing every year, and in February we launched our newest stations in Guangzhou (see below), and Shijiazhuang. As mentioned, part of what I do is training the Chinese DJ's on what makes great content, and how to deliver it everyday. It's one of the most rewarding parts of the job. That, and actually being able to say "Shijiazhuang".
At midnight on December 31, 2013 most people were celebrating the New Year. I was in a radio studio in Guangzhou, pressing "play" on the newest MyFM in China. As I sat there, I realised that not many radio programmers in Australia (or even the world) would ever have the chance to launch a new station in a market of over 16 million people! At 12:01am on January 1st 2014, the only thing I could think of was "just don't fuck it up!"
As you can see, the party was in full swing after we launched the new MYFM Guangzhou. Janssen (Nanchang Program Manager), myself, and Director of Guangzhou Radio Director He posed for the official photo (which will no doubt appear in some Communist Party Newsletter somewhere), then went off for a celebratory beer at 2am. Hey, it was New Years Eve after all.
I know I mentioned at the start that I did feel at home amongst the 1.3 billion Chinese, but sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. At times I remember that I'm a foreigner, I don't speak the language, I live in a different country, and our cultures are very different. The thing that keeps me sane is the fantastic group of friends that I have made along the way. Most of the people I have met have all been here the same length of time, we are all away from our family and friends experiencing a very different way of life. So, it's great to get together, share experiences, share a laugh, and share plenty of alcohol! Here are some of my favourite moments....
One of the first social events I went to was tenpin bowling (July 2012), and have been to pretty much every monthly bowling event since. A great opportunity to meet up with old and new friends, share a beer and have a bowl. This photo was from May 2014.
As I mentioned, China is attracting more and more expats every year, which makes it a great place to meet people from all over the world. We hired a bus to get to the British Polo event (Nov 2013) outside Beijing, and we had a great day/night. If I'm counting correctly, this group includes 11 nationalities. Great, I'll have somewhere to stay in 10 different countries!!
The social scene in Beijing is growing every year, and one of the biggest events is the St Patricks Day Irish Ball. Last year (2013) I was recovering from food poisoning so wasn't in much of a party mood - but I made up for it this year. We managed to get everyone in one spot for this photo, including our very own Irish representatives (thanks Jules and Susie).
Of course, one of the disadvantages of people coming to Beijing for short term contract work is that they then have to leave. In my 2 years, I think I have said goodbye to over 10 people who have become good friends. It sounds weird, but it's almost like you're away at camp. You are meeting new people, away from your family, having fun, playing volleyball on the sand (OK, maybe not playing volleyball), then it ends and you all have to go home. This photo was from a leaving party for Camilla and Stefan. Camilla is from Sweden, Stefan from Spain, and they now live in South Africa. What an adventure! And you can see we were all so sad to see them go! :)
I could write alot more, and show you more photos, but that would spoil the slide nights I have planned for when I come back to Australia. I feel like I have achieved alot in 2 years - launched 2 new radio stations, trained alot of staff, eaten my body weight in rice, and finally learned my second Chinese swear word.
Thanks to everyone who has read my blog and shown interest in my adventure. Yes, it is hard being away from family and friends, but it's also been an amazing experience and something I will cherish for a very long time. It's been a great 2 years......maybe a song to celebrate!
Zaijian!
