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Started on 2022-11-12; updated on 2023-01-11

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九月出差途中开始阅读本书，断断续续到11月12日完成。

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按: 通常我们只能从像作者这样对中国有着深刻认识的西方人笔下才能更清晰地看到中国社会现象的本质以及其滋生生长的文化土壤。

  • The Chinese government often isn’t really interested in forging genuine partnerships. It simply wants a vehicle to gain access to foreign technology, capital, and know-how while retaining Chinese control of the venture.

  • The Chinese are very patient negotiators. That isn’t surprising if you know China. The Chinese people grow up enduring nonstop speeches from teachers and lengthy propaganda lectures. They can tolerate endless nonsense.

  • Justice in China is ultimately a political decision.

  • But the crush of politically driven information and thought control, and Confucian traditions, have left China today a place where the people are capable of incremental innovation, but not innovative breakthroughs.

  • The scientific method so familiar in the West—observe, hypothesize, test—hasn’t been part of the Chinese educational tradition.

  • Humor can lighten up stressful times in negotiations. The Chinese have a very good sense of humor, especially if you are poking fun at yourself, not them. But notions of equality, mutual benefit, and respect are one-sided in China. You are expected to be very sensitive to Chinese feelings, but don’t expect the same in return. You are, after all, a barbarian on their turf.