Wen is the Chinese word for culture. Wen and the Art of Doing Business in China is the story of the three and a half years I spent managing a business in China. The book is full of both stories and analysis and is meant to both educate and entertain. I hope you find it successful in both respects...

Dan Joseph was sent to a remote part of China with one mission: to build a business where no business had ever been built before. What he experienced bore virtually no resemblance to anything he had ever read in an economics, political science or management book, which he figured might explain why so many foreign businesses fail in China, and why American politicians can never seem to figure China out. The problem, Mr. Joseph learned, is that people grossly underestimate the influence culture has in business, as well as in economic and political development. Wen (the Chinese word for culture) and the Art of Doing Business in China is the story of Mr. Joseph’s experience as told through tales and analysis aimed at spotlighting curious and important aspects of Chinese culture. Whether your interest is business, culture, economic and political development, or China, you’re bound to be fascinated by this humorous, adventuresome, surprising, and thought-provoking book. Specifically, you can look forward to reading about issues such as:

·Leadership

·Organization

·Quality

·Safety

·Trust

·Negotiation

·Etiquette

·Generosity

·Language

·Shame

·Cuisine

·Government relations

·And much more

i.) Acknowledgements

ii.) Guide to Using this Book

Please read this first.

1 The Frontier

   ·Introducing China and the reasons

   I wrote this book.

2 The Sucker

   ·Introducing me and my job.

3 The Guide

   ·An expert shows me how to maneuver

   on the frontier.

4 The Deal

   ·Negotiating: the who, the what,

   and the how.

5 The Booze

   ·Ever been to a Chinese banquet?

6 The Ballads

   ·Ever been in a really awkward situation,

   with a mike in your hand?

7 The Boss

   ·Who works for whom?

8 The Workers

   ·Getting to know ourpeople and

   their habits.

9 The Wonders

   ·Alice thought she had problems.

10 The Quality

   ·Dealing with different standards.

11 The Time

   ·Deadlines and other tests.

12 The Organization

   ·Confusion in the ranks.

13 The Caper

   ·The fun and surprises never end

   on the.frontier.

14 The Safety Factor

   ·Culture can be damn serious business.

15 The System

   ·Getting my arms around the whole thing.

16 The Language

   ·Another hurdle and an educational challenge.

17 The Face

   ·Traditional culture meets the market economy.

18 The Showdown

   ·Industrial espionage and battles with

    bureaucrats, among others.

19 The Warlord

   ·Watch out for this guy.

20 The Diplomat

   ·It helps to know your way around

    the issues.

21 The Women

   ·What do you think this is about?

22 The Spirits

   ·The surprises don’t end, they just

    get weirder.

23 The Loose Ends

   ·Many mysteries are solved.

24 The End

   ·NotArmageddon. l’mjust running

    out of stories.

25 The Exit

   ·Time for me to go.

26 It’s The Culture, Stupid

   ·(No offense intended) Lessons about

    culture and human progress.

27 Epilogue

   ·Developments after I left the company.

28 A Final Note about China

   ·A proudpeople on a difficult journey.

29. Business Lessons

   ·An easy-to-use reference chapter, for

   your convenience.