Mr. China : A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous & Triumphant!!!!!
Review: A must read for every business person - particularly those who dream about making a buck in China! Through his business misfortune, Tim Clissold has gained profound understanding about China - its people, heritage, business, culture and historical mission. His criticisms to the chaotic business practice in China are striking, however his accounts are not bitter, and in between the lines he conveys understanding and sincere hopes. In the end, just as he suggested, the money lost has created thousands of jobs and has brought China out of poverty, darkness and isolation. Considering the poverty in Africa and the everlasting wars in Middle East, I believe Clissold's work has helped to bring people together, to preserve peace and humanity. (From a native Chinese who had a US business education and who is herself a Wall Street veteran.)

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: I have lived and worked in China for 10 years now - this is the ONLY book that accurately portrays the realities of doing business in China (albeit from a BRIT - that I can forgive) - seriously - this is an incredible book that has been writeen with immense care and thought and I do belive is the only modern book about China worth reading - Joe Studwell and the likes of Tess Johnson cannot even begin to touch this one - definitely, definitely, buy it and read it!

Rating:
Summary: Cautionary tale that doesn't dim the potential of China
Review: Tim Clissold became smiiten with the potential of China and - unlike many of us - acted upon those feelings by plunging into a two-year dedicated study of Mandarin. Through luck and hard effort, he then got himself paired up with a larger-than-life Wall Street investment banker looking to make his mark as 'Mr. China.'

After rigorously looking at hundreds and hundreds of potential investments, the two of them raise over $400 million and begin to put the cash to work in a series of JVs. In what should be a cautionary tale to anyone looking to invest or do business in China, Clissold describes - in rather remarkable detail - the unique 'challenges' they encounter in making a return on their investment. Clissold wisely focuses on three episodes - each involving plant managers or owners - where the Western and Chinese views of banking and contract law begin to diverge...then unravel. Can Tim and team keep it together? It'll require superhuman effort. I was exhausted simply reading some of these chapters. I can only imagine the stress and strain of actually living it. Indeed, at one point Clissold's body seems to simply give out. This, however, is not a man easily defeated.

Despite the travails Clissold faces in the book, the book is all about the potential of China. He brings life to the sheer numbers and masses of people - his description of Chongqing for example (how many people know that this is China's largest city?)..."The density of people was staggering: millions and millions swirling in the roadways, all in faded blue overalls and with piles of baggage, blocking the gates at the station, crammed into buses, milling about on the pavements."

Wonderful writing, made all the better by the pithy little proverbs that Clissold has chosen to begin each chapter. I stared at each of these for a minute or more, admiring their brevity, significance and - upon finishing the chapter - realizing how apt Clissold's choices were. Well done, Tim.