Beijing 2008

Doing business in China in advance and following the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, is the topic as Australian businessman Andrew Gilkes, Chairman of ChinaAccess2008, an international business facilitation program, shares tips and best practices for interacting with this rapidly growing economy.

Mr. Gilkes answers host Dave O's questions about the creative arts and science industries, the effect of the Hong Kong handover, educational levels, economic growing pains, environmental remediation, understanding the culture, and diaspora of "sea turtles."

Huh? Where??

As part of BarCamp Shanghai, the first of its' kind in China, Kris Krug from Bryght will be facilitating a PhotoCamp and PhotoWalk through the streets of Shanghai, and no doubt schooling on the wonderful ways of flickr to boot!

Do the bloggers and internet geeks in China know about Flickr? Do they use it? Can they? Apparently so. Check out these recent photos of some crafty "goods" that will be needed at BarCamp - Scotch tape lives in China!

Check in with the photostreams of Kris and Rob over the next few weeks as they wind their way through China, from Beijing to Shanghai to Hangzhou. Crystal from Raincity has done a lot of grunt work from Vancouver to get BarCamp off the ground, so check out her pics as well.

Welcome To The YouTube of China

In a country in the Old World Hemisphere, on a continent far, far away, BarCamp Shanghai has an official venue and the organizers from this side of the world and the other are steaming ahead at all the pertinent BarCamp details.

Tudou, coined in our parts as the YouTube of China, will be hosting the event on September 24th. Picture a 3000 square foot space (aka WorkSpace style), but with Chinese character graffiti all over the walls, et voila!

Sponsor The First BarCamp of China!

The list of sponsors has commenced, but more is always helpful and welcomed.
Thus far:

• Bryght
• Raincity Studios
• Tudou
• Pacific Epoch, a boutique new media company based out of Shanghai. They will be providing media promotions for the event. (And they're open source - we love it!)

Digital Content and Web 2.0 - From Vancouver To Shanghai

As part of the China Access 2008 Fall Program that is set to commence in Beijing on September 17th, Rob Scales and Kris Krug will be sitting on a panel on September 20th, at the Shanghai Digital Entertainment Centre, sharing their veteran knowledge on digital content and web 2.0: what it is, what it means in business for them, and what it could potentially do for business and the internet in China.

This panel will be on the 4th day of the weeklong program for China Access 2008: Growth Economies and Industries of the 21st Century. Appropriately, all participants will gather at the Shanghai Digital Entertainment Centre to hear case studies and discuss topics on digital content and building successful media companies in the 21st Century, to better help identify the challenges and opportunities.

September China Program Finalized

The September China trip is only a few weeks away. All of the details have been finalized and hotels and plane tickets have been booked. The crew will be making stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, meeting with members of the business community and political figures. There is still time to jump on board if you have not already done so and join the team of business leaders who are making the trek. This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of such a well orchestrated and strategic event. To find out more about upcoming Business Visit Programs in Beijing please, click here

Click here to Register for the September Program.

As I have been watching the closing ceremonies in Torino, I am curious what China web access will be like for bloggers and citizen journalists (such as Daily Vancouver) during the Bejing 2008 Summer Olympics.

In the last few months, the filtering and access to Google web content has been in the news.  Other stories regarding the "web control" the Chinese government has imposed on their citizens has also come to the forefront of people's minds.  But, what surprises me is the apparent ignorance the International Olympic Committee.  Listening to the president of the IOC during the closing ceremonies made me question whether or not they really care.  I am sure they are aware of the issues but are they setting a poor example by ignoring the Chinese climate or a great example by extending an olive branch in China's direction?  The president claimed the Olympic Games are a symbol of freedom and fair play. I am surprised the values of the International Olympic Committee would wish for the Olympics to be held in a country that doesn't appear to share such values.

It seems they are more interested in doping and healthy sport rather than the freedoms of the people in the country where their event takes place. And, yes, it is very easy for people that do not live in China to say the government there is "bad" or "controlling". I suppose we just don't understand fully how a culture develops and perhaps such issues should not be commented on by organizations like the IOC.  But, where does the responsibility begin?

I wish the 2008 Summer Games well and I hope it goes incredibly well and breaks down some of the barriers many people see in China. Like the president of the IOC has said, the youth of the world should assemble and make a statement.

I think the statement should be about something else other than about sport. It might be an idea to get some other thoughts about freedom of choice flowing in China. And, quite possibly, the environment in China may change before the games. I hope it does. But, even if it doesn't, I hope the Olympics will rub off a little on the powers in China.