I chuckled when I read Stan's post (and then read David's post — thanks to Stan a few weeks ago who showed me how to rediscover all the typepad blogs that are blocked and that I have had no access to for many months). Some of those ideas are what Stan and I have been discussing for years to each other on the phone or over meals. There are a few quick things to take away from those posts, and with my own feedback:

1) A foreigner knows only so much "about China". The true experts are the native Chinese. Reading a book (or blog) by a foreigner on how to do business in China is like reading about how to polish a pane of translucent glass.

2) Foreign experts who write on business in China — unless they are 80 years old, retired, and live in a few mansions — are probably more expert on writing than doing business in China.

3) Never confuse the ability to write, with the ability to fully understand a subject. Some of the best writers are bullshitters (this doesn't just go for China, but anywhere in the world).

4) It is important to read many books on China, because they provide a framework and flavor. However, like Stan and David say, everyone has their own experiences and no two experiences are the same. If a foreign company comes to China, they need to tread their own new path.

5) Nothing earned in China comes easy. One of the things I usually tell people when they pry to much into getting free advice is "Sorry, I'm not a consultant" — everyone running a business (and some of those who work for a business) has a wealth of advice to provide, but there's no sense sharing it with the world if you're not a consultant and in the business of sharing that experience. This is one reason why I really try to stay away from blogging about "the China business" issues and instead just focus on my own company and what's happening with it on this blog.

By the way, and on a similar subject, a GREAT book to read is "The Hermit Of Peking". I read it about 9 years ago, it was first published in 1976, and it recounts the life of Sir Edmund Backhouse who lived in Beijing about 90 years ago. That is really the only book you need to read. It reads like a modern-day look at life in Beijing for foreigners and foreign businesses trying to operate here. The same trends and personalities that existed then, still exist today.

Ok, enough said on that topic — will add more when I buy a few more mansions and relax with my grandchildren in 50 years.