THE THOUGHT OCCURED in my head last winter after successfully having untied the knot that the SPP acquisition turned into. Followed by a few intense years, with no room for thoughts about the future, I made a dazed conclusion. If I stood on my tiptoes and looked ahead, I saw something in front. The end of my professional career.
THAT IS WHEN I STARTED thinking; what will I do now, with all opportunities available for an active individual? Since my time in New York, I had always wished to end my career abroad. To once more draw the cultural, linguistic and business bow, to succeed in a new environment with lots of different challenges. Why not in a place where I never worked before, not even visited apart from some single business trip? A country that will remain the centre of the world economy and politics for the foreseeable future and that my employer believes in and invests in. China! My boss, Pär Boman, said: You are our man for China. Go!
I BROUGHT MY MARGARETA and booked a trip to Hong Kong where the bank has an office - my future location. We landed on a warm and humid Sunday morning. When I walked around town, it felt just like being back in Manhattan, New York. The same special heat, the same city character with enormous office buildings and parks in between. The same crazy and exciting mix of people from all walks of life. But why so many women in the streets, sidewalks, parks, on and under overpasses? Sitting, dancing, eating, singing. Plenty of them. I walked up and asked some who just giggled at my question. I eventually got an explanation. It was the day off for all the Philippine female immigrants. They gather in tens of thousands in central Hong Kong to celebrate and spend time with each other. Fantastic impression!
WHEN ARRIVED, we obviously started to look for a place to live. Luckily we found a Swedish estate agent in Hong Kong that could assist us. It is so much easier with a fellow citizen. Not because of the language, but because we have the same cultural values and experience in residential issues. She assisted us based on the picture we had. The 5-6 days we spent together also became a crash course in how to live and work in Hong Kong. Thank you, Caroline!
ONCE SETTLED, the next challenge appeared – trying to understand the Chinese reality I was supposed to work in. Among a total of 30 employees, there were four Swedes in the office already. They had all been there for a while and in an unimaginable way, they all easily pronounced names of towns, companies, authorities, politicians, company leaders and everything else included in a banker’s kit to be at some use. Not to mention dishes, excursion goals, sports events, celebrities or anything else that will make lunch or other every day communication relaxing and not a strained search for something remotely familiar.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS fumbling for foothold, the financial tsunami came flooding. The beauty of such an event is that you are forced to act. You cannot small play by courses in mandarin and how to hold your chopsticks… It feels great to do some good!
THE JOY AND CHALLENGE of working in China compared to other less exotic places in the world, like New York, London and Paris, is the culture and refinement (even though it is not the first thing that springs to mind during a dinner with Chinese). This is an effect of living in a 5000 year old culture of which the country has been united to about the same extent in 2000 years. The seven dynasties started with Qin 220 years B.C. and ends with Qing in 1911 when China became a republic under President Dr Sun. This contributes to a national pride that I believe foreigners underestimate. China is a country that doesn’t need to apologize for its place and success. It has been around for a long time and contributed with a lot. The fact that the early 1900’s and the end of the Mao era were not quite successful doesn’t stop China to look at the global development with great appetite with an ambition for great presence in all opportunities and forums.
AFTER ALMOST TWO MONTHS living in Hong Kong including several trips to Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei in Taiwan, I am far from getting close to understanding this fantastic country. But I am beginning to understand its grandeur and its opportunities.