"Earlier this month Shanghaiist pointed at some research Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever was doing into the question why Asians do not perceive themselves as smelling - and thus do not purchase Unilever's deodorants to fight it? This was the quote they used: 'Asia is a market we have never really cracked. They don’t think they smell, but people everywhere smell'
- Russell Taylor, Unilever -" (www.chinaherald.net June 7, 2008)

联合利华老总说：“他们的除体味用品一直打入不进亚洲市场。亚洲人似乎觉得自己不臭，但人们到处都那么难闻。”

Many people compare China's recent earthquake with America's 911--both brought people of the country together and created a new surge of nationalism. China's nationalism today, just like America's nationalism after 911, is higher than ever as I can remember (in past 30 years). Not surprisingly, it starts to worry many foreigners in China. If I were one of them, I would be a little worried as well. I'm not on the ground to judge if the worry is groundless. But we are heading for China in a few weeks so can judge it pretty soon.

Got this "joke" from an internet friend. It reads funny ha-ha but is serious. I, a native Chinese, share many prejudices (actually most in the list) with this unknown foreigner. However, as a Chinese, I can't help feeling it is too mean.

You know you have been in China too long when…

• …a June 2001 Great Wall Cabernet (mixed with Sprite) is your vintage of choice
• …you get your haircut on the sidewalk
• …you walk backwards in the park listening to a transistor radio
• …the China Daily is your source for hard hitting, fast breaking, investigative journalism

China Success Stories posted this extremely funny video. I know it is very politically incorrect but still can't help laughing hard. Though it's all about stereotyping of how different languages sound, you have to admit that the stereotypes have something to them.

I was chatting with an intercultural trainer friend the other day. We talked about relation between early education and basic assumptions. What she said about honesty and superiority, I have doubts about.

She says that Western culture values honesty (so does many other non-Western cultures). Kids are repeatedly told to be honest, never hide anything from anyone. So honesty becomes the basic assumption for businessmen when those kids grow up. If they sense that the other party isn't telling truth, they get upset, nervous, and often don't know what to do.

Chinese food is exotic to many Westerners. It is not the first time that I heard restaurants serve dishes made of penises (animal penis, of course). I didn't realize, however, penis dish will also become fashionable. According to Der Spiegel, a restaurant in Beijing called Guolizhuang offers a house specialty "Henry's whip". The Henry is sheep. The dish is "a sheep's penis on a stick covered in mayonnaise, sweet cheese, served on a bed of lettuce." It doesn't look bad, does it?

A good article on China for people to share, written by Shaun Rein, a rising young star in consultancy on China. It is said that he is among the top ten world best paid consultants last year.

By Shaun Rein
From ChinaSuccessStories.com
This article originally appeared in Business Week.

Chinese Youth ConsumersThe subprime debacle has rattled retail sales in the U.S., forcing many companies to downgrade sales estimates as consumers shy away from checkout counters. Luxury retailers and credit-card companies in the U.S. have recently reported bearish projections for the coming quarters.

I came across this article at Christine Lu's blog; didn't expect that Joan Chen (陈冲) is also involved in the Olympics debate. The last time I saw her was in "Lust, Caution" and the time before last, probably in "The Last Emperor". How time flies. I always associate her name with my childhood, with early 1980's Shanghai. Now, however, she appears in the Washington Post! It is the first time I saw her not as an actress. And she has brilliant stuff to say.

Let the Games Go On
By Joan Chen
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 The Washington Post

My son is getting on two years old. My husband and I already started to discuss his future education. My husband, born and raised in US, is in favor of old-fashioned authoritarian content-driven education. I, born and raised in China, on the other hand, am more inclined to new-fashioned developing-your-personality education.

He's quite militant about it, says no way our son will go to a dumbing-down school. The ideal model he has in mind is the Jesuit school. "Many greatest minds of human history were educated in a Jesuit school like Descartes!" He argues.