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Wednesday
May 28, 2008

The Good, the Bad & the Slimy: Memories of this year’s Asian shows

Filed under: Asia, Travel

Hi Everyone — 
 
Having just returned from a debaucherous Memorial Day weekend in Avalon, NJ, where I disgrace myself each summer, I’ve asked a colleague to guest blog on my behalf while I tend to my quivering liver.
 
In the past, Rich Fairfield, ASI’s senior vice president & publisher, and I have attended the Hong Kong and Canton shows held each year. This year, Rich took pity on me — and my crazy deadlines — and gave me a reprieve. Staff Writer Elaine Wong, who speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese and whose family hails from Guangzhou, attended the shows with Rich. (He made a wise choice in bringing Elaine, as the only language I speak fluently is Snark…). Not only was this Elaine’s first time at the shows, it was her first time ever in Asia. Read on for her recollections of and personal insights on the country and the shows, which are refreshingly less jaded than mine would be…

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Wednesday
April 23, 2008

Rising Product Prices: Big Trouble in Big China

Filed under: Asia

Hi Everyone –

For those of you who know me, despite my immense capacity for snark and sarcasm, I’m a pretty glass-half-full kind of girl when it comes to my outlook on life. That said, I certainly don’t revel in being the bearer of bad news — but here it is: The prices of promotional products imported from Asia (which is most of them) are going to rise, and soon (and by “soon,” I mean “in the next few weeks”).

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Tuesday
February 5, 2008

The China Syndrome

Filed under: Asia

Welcome to February!

Did you see the news last week? In China, hundreds of thousands of people were stranded at the Guangzhou train station on the way to visit their families for Chinese New Year due to a snow storm. Now, I’ve been to the Guangzhou train station quite a few times and I can tell you that under the best conditions, it’s no day at the beach.

Having seen the footage of throngs of Chinese citizens stuck there for days without ample food and water, it just about redefines what hell must be. Thankfully, the trains have resumed service and the Chinese people are slowly getting where they need to be for their holiday celebration. (The Guangzhou train station, incidentally, looks like Dresden after the bombings in the wake of all those people crammed in there for days…)

The sad part is that Chinese factory workers save their money to visit family during Chinese New Year. It is the high point of their year, and for people who make on average less than $200 per month, it was just soul-crushing to watch them wait helplessly while the Chinese government, clearly not used to this kind of weather-related catastrophe, grappled with how to alleviate the bottleneck of rail travel.

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