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.

If you are reading this blog post, I am sure this is a topic that you think about quite a lot. How does a resurgent China see itself? Why do the Chinese people take criticism of China so personally? When will China behave like a responsible world power? How does the leadership deal with domestic and international pressure? Big questions with implications that affect personal lives. I am very glad to have interviewed Kaiser Kuo, one of the most insightful and witty commentators on the topic. I sat down with him in Beijing to ponder these questions and try to understand the paradox that is China.

One key definition of a great city is the diversity and quality of its restaurants. In recent years, Shanghai’s dining scene has seen a surge both in quantity and quality, thanks to a flock of talented chefs. Today, my guest is a Swiss who brought his skill and talent to refine the palette of the city. Rolf Knecht is the executive sous chef at Grand Hyatt Shanghai. In a country famous for large scale operations, Rolf faces the same: 16 restaurants, 250 chefs and 400-people functions. Where does he begin? (That’s why he signed on for the job. )

China’s cost innovation has seen many global talents moving over, bringing their experience and vision. My very own work at ChinesePod is an example of it. There is certainly a lot of talented young engineers around, but there are also significant gaps that often drive an ex-Silicon Valley professional insane.

My guest this week is Steve Mushero, a Silicon veteran who moved to Shanghai to seize the opportunity here.  He is the cofounder, CEO and CTO of ChinaNetCloud, China’s first Cloud Computing company. Steve has served as CTO of Tudou, China’s largest video sharing site. He is a serial entrepreneur and investor, also an author with a published book “Offshoring the Middle Class: Managing White-Collar Job Migration to Asia”. In this podcast, Steve talks about how he builds relationship with his very young team. He also explains why there is a severe shortage of good managers in tech industry in China.

Aside from theories and methodologies, what does it actually take to be an effective manager in China? If you have lived and worked here for 2 months, you already have fascinating and resonating stories more incisive and in-depth than books on the subject generally tell.

In this inaugural podcast, I talk to Peter Bomer. Peter was the Marketing Director at Diageo (China) and the Asian Pacific Marketing Director for the Johnnie Walker brand. In 2006, he started his own radio production company Soulfire which now broadcasts in 5 major cities in China.

Peter has always believed that an effective team starts with ownership. But this basic concept meets unexpected setbacks in his team. Listen in on what Peter did to nurture ownership and get the most out of his team members. Caution: it will take a lot more work than you think or would like.