CHINESE CULTURE
On Confucius, culture, & government
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. May, 2014 Although Western people have heard many jokes about Confucius, very few understand his main ideas and how important his thinking has been to Chinese culture and society. If we are serious about understanding China it is imperative that we acquaint ourselves with this ancient sage. On […]
On attracting Asian tourists to Oz
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. 2014 David Scowsill, President and CEO of The World Travel & Tourism Council has urged the Australian Government to extend e-visas to high spending Asian travellers following a disappointing year for Travel and Tourism. This observation aligns with comments made by prominent Australians who have worried for years that […]
Chinese tourists: knowing the unknowns
Brian Hennessy and Yirong Li. China Australia Consult. March, 2014 Although Cairns works hard to attract tourists from mainland China, perhaps it might be time to pause for a moment and reflect on what we don’t know as well as what we do know about Chinese tourism in Australia. Chinese tourists in Cairns: […]
Traditional Chinese values
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. In order to appreciate this ancient civilisation, we should understand a few of the traditional values which underpin it. They have endured for millennia and form the bedrock of Chinese society today. A few of these values are addressed briefly below. Understanding traditional Chinese values ______________________________________________________________ Hierarchy. Throughout […]
China: a land of contradictions
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. China is a land of contradictions. While on the one hand China presents herself as an outward looking developing nation proud of her new economic strength and rising international status; on the other hand she remains a culturally conservative, inward looking nation influenced by her isolationist past. Foreigners who live and work […]
On Chinese tourists in Cairns
Brian Hennessy & Yirong Li. Although ASIA is a culturally, economically, and politically diverse part of the world, China is unique. Regional areas within China are also different from each other. If we aim to provide a high standard of service delivery to Chinese visitors to Cairns, it might be wise to look deeper into […]
Becoming ‘Asia literate’
Sue-lin Wong. International Herald Tribune. June 11, 2013 Becoming ‘Asia Literate’: Learn Chinese, but Don’t Stop there. BEIJING — While studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Andrew Mead didn’t expect to find a job at Burton, one of the top snowboarding brands in the world. “In my spare time on exchange, I would go […]
Understanding China: what is Face?
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. Westerners can be conscious of Face. For example, telling a white-lie can be a legitimate attempt to save Face. If we live in an expensive house in an exclusive suburb, or drive a BMW instead of a humble Holden, perhaps we are mindful of Face. For Chinese people however, maintaining Face […]
Understanding China: what is Guanxi?
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. Think: Informal networks, using the back door, investing in relationships, calling in favours, underground economy, and so on. Guanxi is all of the above and more. In fact it is a highly sophisticated parallel economy which subverts a totalitarian system and its bloated, politicised bureaucracy. Understanding China: what is Guanxi? […]
What do Chinese tourists want?
Brian Hennessy & Yirong Li. Most Chinese tourists who visit Australia will be ordinary people who in one generation have made a giant leap from poverty to a middle-class lifestyle. Not so long ago, their main focus was on surviving in a tough, isolated environment. Now they are travelling the world. Communism is dead, money […]