[podcast http://jennyzhu.com/podcasts/kaiser_part...[/podcast]
Following part one of my interview with Kaiser, today we talk about how the internet is changing the way people engage in private and public affairs in China. In true Kaiser style, he shares his astute views with punchy wit about what the internet will and won’t bring to China.
Some references to what we talked about in the interview: Kaixin 001 or 开心网, China’s fastest growing social networking site.
草泥马/cao3 ni2 ma3/grass mud horse, the infamous pun that has been taken down from most websites by censors. Here is the New York Times article.
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April 7, 2009 1:49 am
Thanks Jenny, really look forward to future interviews like this!
April 7, 2009 4:06 am
This was such a great interview, Kaiser made some really interesting observations which I’ll be munching on for a while as food for thought. Thanks Jenny!
One thing that occurred to me re: facebook, google, etc. launching a Chinese presence. Could a foreign internet firm wanting to enter the Chinese market, create it’s own localized ripoff of itself, and just simply hide or disassociate the connection with the american version? Maybe in the long-term hopes of possibly consolidating the identities together later if (or when) Chinese internet becomes more deregulated.
So as an example, Facebook China could market themselves under a more Chinese name/identity and simply choose not to reveal their connection to the parent company.
In such a situation, would Americans revile facebook for operating in China ‘unethically’? Or would the dissociation be enough for people, at home and abroad, to mentally unlink the two firms and feel less strongly?
Basically, what I was wondering about is whether such a ‘sneaky’ idea is tenable for foreign businesses entering the Chinese market – so long as they create the rip-off before someone else does.
April 7, 2009 9:49 am
Great interview Jenny. Some great points made. I was interested to hear about facebook from a China perspective. I was right about to join Kaixin too, but then closed the window when you guys said how boring it is. Hahah.
April 7, 2009 10:10 am
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks a lot! It was an entirely stimulating experience for me too. What kind of topics are you interested in?
April 7, 2009 2:12 pm
enjoyed both parts of this interview w/ kaiser kuo. looking forward to more. Orz
April 7, 2009 3:47 pm
Pketh,
Your idea is quirky with a capital Q! But I am not sure whether a site is homegrown or foreign is the predominant factor in people’s choice. You can’t underestimate the power of pragmatism in China. Taking examples from not too long ago, our thorny relations with Japan and France didn’t really stop people from buying Sony digital cameras or shopping at Carrefour. I think the bigger problem with a successful China launch is that a clever Chinese copycat can hit the ground running by taking a brilliant idea and add a few tweaks for the local market. They can launch it rather quickly. But for the foreign site to do it, they will need to have a China strategy and team which might be distracting for a new business.
April 7, 2009 3:50 pm
Alex,
Thank you! Did you enjoy Kaixin though? I am genuinely curious because most people around me are seriously quite hooked. And many are quite ‘intellectual’ to borrow Kaiser’s word. There must be something I am missing, (speaking of which, I don’t even have a QQ account).
April 7, 2009 3:51 pm
Rcjh,
Thank you! You also prize anonymity^_^
April 8, 2009 3:27 am
As someone who’s trying to get their act together to move to China, I’m interested in anything that will help me further understand China and its people. There are plenty of expat blogs and whatnot, but they tend to focus on the expat experience. Which is great and all, but it seems more difficult to understand what is going on culturally in China, from a Chinese perspective. So, stuff like this is great.
I’m sure that whatever stuff you post in the future will be great. Really look forward to it.
April 9, 2009 4:20 pm
Jenny I think it would be brilliant if you had an
online business radio show everyday !
April 10, 2009 1:06 am
Sam,
You are too kind! Or I could do a yearly show that distill the very best of the best ^_^ Tongue in cheek aside, I am deeply encouraged by the support. There are a lot of stories to be told to feed the hunger for cross-cultural communication. I shall keep delivering!
April 13, 2009 12:49 pm
Hi –
Was looking forward to listening to this, but the soundtrack keeps cutting out at about 56 seconds right after you say “put the authorities under scrutiny”, which seems a little sinister. Technical problems?:-/
April 13, 2009 1:00 pm
Hi Iain,
Thank you for alerting me to the problem. When I uploaded it, it was fine. One of those internet mysteries I guess. I will re-upload it later in the day.
Thank you for your support and comment!
April 14, 2009 2:20 pm
Iain,
Voila, the audio file miraculously fixed itself. It loads properly now. I hope you can access it without any problem. If you still can’t, please let me know.
Cheers!
April 21, 2009 7:55 pm
Fixed, indeed. Enjoyed listening.
Thanks!
April 22, 2009 2:56 pm
Hi Iain,
Thanks for the reply. I am really glad you enjoyed it!
April 26, 2009 12:34 am
Jenny,
I’m mostly a silent supporter, but enjoy your blog posts and interviews! Your exchange with pketh reminds me of foreign companies trying to buy a China copycat presence, but my question is: are foreign companies so bogged down with government bureacracy that a local company could launch a copycat even before the foreign one does anyway?
There are many articles along the lines of “why the interest in Facebook, or Twitter?” For the most part, I find them boring as well, but that’s changing. Google “facebook fastest growing old”. Super-poke just doesn’t do it for grandma…
April 26, 2009 12:21 pm
Just caught up on this one. A really good interview – some really substantive discussion on interesting topics such as the Chinese Internet mentality. Fascinating. I would like to have heard some more discussion on how the “take not give” mentality might evolve in future – it seems essential to Chinese entrepeneurship in the technical arena.
Kaiser is a pretty interesting guy and did a good job of discussing some very nuanced subjects. Although I am intimately involved with Internet and free speech issues I am careful not to form any judgement with regards to the Chinese case, as there are indeed many complexities lost on an outsider like myself. This interview was a good reminder of that!
July 20, 2009 9:04 am
Hello Jenny.
It is a surprise to find you here on a blog. I know your voice from Chinese Pod. It seems you have become a multi media personality. I am a student of Chinese language and culture and interested so much in the use of the internet in China. So it is interesting to have your site as a way of discovering more about China. I connect with a lot of friends on SKYPE, where we talk about everyday things. This interview and I hope others will provide another way to look through the bamboo curtain.
July 21, 2009 9:59 am
@danweitongzhi,
I have been writing this blog for about a year now. There are many great bridge bloggers who use their multi-cultural perspective to look at what’s happening around us. I am very glad that my blog is of value for you. Keep up your great effort in learning Chinese!