Comments on: The Long Now, Stewart Brand and China http://calpolymbatrip.com/2006/china/the-long-now-and-stewart-brand/ The MBA Graduate Program at Cal Poly Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:47:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chris Carr http://calpolymbatrip.com/2006/china/the-long-now-and-stewart-brand/#comment-525 Chris Carr Mon, 25 Sep 2006 01:34:21 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2006/china/the-long-now-and-stewart-brand/#comment-525 Good insight, John. Thanks for sharing this! Good insight, John. Thanks for sharing this!

]]> By: John Wu http://calpolymbatrip.com/2006/china/the-long-now-and-stewart-brand/#comment-524 John Wu Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:24:21 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/2006/china/the-long-now-and-stewart-brand/#comment-524 Excellent topic and very informative posting! Many of China's challenges, problems, and potential consequences arise from her rapid modernization (read Americanization, imitating everything American from highway construction standards to tanning salons), snail pace of management development, and lack of consensual visions from the bottom of society on how to build this great country. In her economic development or the open-door policy that introduced capitalism to enterpreneurial Chinese, China unleashed a tiger that overcame centuries of sleepiness and leapt into the 21rst century overnight. Old buildings, hutongs, city walls were torn down and replaced by either Russian style utilitarian brick buildings or modern skyscrappers (Beijing has more than 800 buildings that are over 20 stories). Narrow country roads and farm houses are replaced by crisscrossing highways at the rate two, three times the way America built its highways in the 50's. World's newest, best, most expensive "things" from Bentleys and Ferraris to Viagras and Scotch to Harvards and Cambridges are imported into China. China wanted to be number 1 in everything they do after managers and politicans read Jack Welch's strategic thinking at GE. However, the high speed bullet train is running on tracks built in the steam engine era. China is unable to manage traffic in many cities (to solve the traffic problems during the 2008 Olympics, all Beijing companies are required to give a two week holiday to all employees and all private cars are banned to drive on the streets near Olympic venues!), has no way of dealing with bicycle thieves and subway pickpockets, and still thinks the only way to control rabies is to kill all the dogs in the area (news reports August 06; some 50,000 dogs were killed when rabies were reported in Yunnan, owners have the choice of turning in their dogs and have them killed more humanely or risk of having them found, dragged to the street, and skulls crushed in front of them). Walking around in any Chinese city and you will find yourself surrounded by noise, pollution, street litter, and people who spit all the time. The hardware is here but the software has not been invented. What Brand said about China is very true: huge, consequential, and profoundly unresolved. Moving forward, China ought to pause and think through whether success is only measured by economic growth and per capita income, citizens ought to band together and voice their concerns to the government and policy makers, and human capital ought to be developed so that a society of management capabilities, science, trust, and civility can be built. It takes time and thoughtful debates but isn't slower and better in vogue? Excellent topic and very informative posting!

Many of China’s challenges, problems, and potential consequences arise from her rapid modernization (read Americanization, imitating everything American from highway construction standards to tanning salons), snail pace of management development, and lack of consensual visions from the bottom of society on how to build this great country. In her economic development or the open-door policy that introduced capitalism to enterpreneurial Chinese, China unleashed a tiger that overcame centuries of sleepiness and leapt into the 21rst century overnight. Old buildings, hutongs, city walls were torn down and replaced by either Russian style utilitarian brick buildings or modern skyscrappers (Beijing has more than 800 buildings that are over 20 stories). Narrow country roads and farm houses are replaced by crisscrossing highways at the rate two, three times the way America built its highways in the 50’s. World’s newest, best, most expensive “things” from Bentleys and Ferraris to Viagras and Scotch to Harvards and Cambridges are imported into China. China wanted to be number 1 in everything they do after managers and politicans read Jack Welch’s strategic thinking at GE. However, the high speed bullet train is running on tracks built in the steam engine era. China is unable to manage traffic in many cities (to solve the traffic problems during the 2008 Olympics, all Beijing companies are required to give a two week holiday to all employees and all private cars are banned to drive on the streets near Olympic venues!), has no way of dealing with bicycle thieves and subway pickpockets, and still thinks the only way to control rabies is to kill all the dogs in the area (news reports August 06; some 50,000 dogs were killed when rabies were reported in Yunnan, owners have the choice of turning in their dogs and have them killed more humanely or risk of having them found, dragged to the street, and skulls crushed in front of them). Walking around in any Chinese city and you will find yourself surrounded by noise, pollution, street litter, and people who spit all the time. The hardware is here but the software has not been invented.

What Brand said about China is very true: huge, consequential, and profoundly unresolved. Moving forward, China ought to pause and think through whether success is only measured by economic growth and per capita income, citizens ought to band together and voice their concerns to the government and policy makers, and human capital ought to be developed so that a society of management capabilities, science, trust, and civility can be built. It takes time and thoughtful debates but isn’t slower and better in vogue?

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