The document discusses the popularity of mobile apps in China and trends in Chinese app usage. It notes that China has surpassed the US as the largest smartphone market in the world. Social and communication apps are most popular in China, with QQ and Weixin (WeChat) being hugely popular for instant messaging, file sharing, and social networking features. The thriving app market in China presents opportunities for developers to create apps catered towards Chinese users' preferences.

3. One World,One Market

4. As summer glides into autumn, the pace of life accelerates: parents ready their children for
another school year, farmers harvest their crops, businesses prime themselves for the last
quarter, and our team at CSOFT prepares for the bustle that surrounds year-end activities.
For me, as summer’s last breeze fluttered and autumn’s strong winds pulled me along, I
experienced an unforgettable few weeks.
In early October, I made my way from Beijing to California to attend Fortune’s Summit in Laguna
Niguel as one of Fortune’s 2012 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs. It was an extraordinary
experience, heightened by the fact that I was surrounded by so many talented and accomplished
women who have all made amazing contributions to the global business space. The environment
was incredible, pulsing with energy and spirit. I left feeling immensely inspired and also contempla-
tive about CSOFT’s growth strategy as we prepare to enter our tenth year.
Upon arriving back in Beijing, I immediately set off again for Chengdu, my second trip to the capital
of China’s Sichuan Province in a matter of weeks. In retrospect, the timing was quite interesting,
having lived in Beijing all these years and never with a reason to visit Chengdu. Then, suddenly, I
found myself making two separate business trips there in such a short period of time. With the
discussions and dialogue from Fortune’s Summit fresh in my mind, I returned to Chengdu a second
time, feeling oddly nostalgic.
I grew up guided by the notion of what a well-educated lady should master; specifically music, chess,
calligraphy, and painting. I was, however, also taught lessons traditionally reserved for males – that is,
the stories and poems of legendary heroes and ancient battles. It was these childhood literature
lessons that re-surfaced as I landed in Chengdu.
Deeply established in Chinese history, Chengdu is home to many historical sites, including the
Wuhou Temple, dedicated to China’s greatest and most accomplished strategist, Zhuge Liang.
Practically embodying the highest level of strategy described in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, Zhuge
Liang is the subject of many written works; my personal favorite is a poem by the prominent Chinese
poet Du Fu. This poem, Shu Xiang « », focuses on the loyalty, courage, and dedication Zhuge
Liang exhibited in his role as Chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period in
ancient China. It’s these qualities that helped to unite and defend his country far more effectively
than his grasp of strategy ever could; as a result, these are the very qualities that have inspired
generations of leaders in China, including myself.
As a growing economic center in southwestern China, Chengdu plays a vital role in China’s long-term
development strategy. Recently chosen as the hosting city for Fortune’s Global Forum 2013, Chengdu
is both a symbol and the reality of the 21st century’s global economy. Visiting this city, I was taken
aback by the unusual parallels between history and modern day, East and West, philosophy and
business. These thoughts have paved the way for us to develop this second issue of HQ magazine,
which is dedicated to our long-term customers, industry peers, and friends. As Zhuge Liang's loyalty
and dedication resonate in Du Fu's poem, so too does our appreciation for your loyalty and dedication
resound throughout the following pages.
Shunee Yee
President & CEO, CSOFT
November 27, Beijing
Wuhou Temple

5. Throughout this issue of HQ, you’ll notice
several sections entitled Threads of Silk.
These anecdotes are included to themati-
cally tie different elements of the magazine
together, much like the Silk Road served to
intertwine the ancient world.
HQEXCLUSIVEHQART
a CS OF T m a g a z i n e Volume 2, Number 2
34 THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
Offering a contemporary perspective on the
evolution of the customer experience
40 GLOBAL CITIZENS
CSOFT global team members share thoughts
and viewpoints about multi-cultural explorations
42 EXERCISE, GLOBALIZE, RUBENIZE!
Up close and personal with personal trainer Ru-
ben Payan as he reflects on ex-pat life in Beijing
43 WINING, DINING, AND RECLINING
WITH G-MONEY
Ross Goulding explores culinary and recre-
ational activities in Beijing
46 RESTAURANTS
A night-sky full of Michelin stars illuminates
our guide to Beijing’s best eateries
48 2013 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
A rundown of CSOFT’s events for 2013
49 LIFE IN THE DESERT
CSOFT’s in-resident photographer Feng
Gang artfully essays the barren landscape of
the Gobi Desert
54 HISTORY, BUSINESS, AND THE ART
OF LISTENING
A bit of a philosophic piece for those who
prefer to have their art with a dash of war
39 HÉ-MAN: MASTER OF THE
CHENGYUNIVERSE
The examination, dissection, and modern-
day application of ( )
38 PAGING DR. JOHNSON
Pana Po’o over this list of foreign language
words with no English counterparts
HQ CONTENTS
LEADERSHIPCOMMUNICATION
7 KISS MY APPS
An overview of the already vast yet growing
mobile application market in China
9 THE FUTURE OF ENERGY TECH
A visual representation of energy facts and sta-
tistics, including forecasts about what’s to come
12 DEVELOPING MOBILE TECHNOL-
OGY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
An examination of how the smartphone
revolution is aiding the developing world
14 GIZMOS & GADGETS
The hottest, shiniest little luxuries you’ll be
techno-lusting for in 2013
16 ON THE SHELF
On the subway, on a plane, on the toilet –
these are the books you should be reading
17 ONCE UPON A
STORYTELLING TIME
Leadership through heuristic inspiration
20 IT’S AN EAST-WEST THING!
An exclusive interview with CSOFT CEO
Shunee Yee on Chinese business, leadership,
and the future of HQ magazine
27 AN APP A DAY KEEPS
THE DOCTOR AWAY
The brave new world of doctor-less diagno-
ses is explored through mHealth technology
29 ON THE GENEALOGY
OF LANGUAGE
A commentary about the revelation that
humans aren’t the only species on this planet
to have ever engaged in conversation
31 TRANSLATINATOR 2:
JUDGEMENT DAY
Futuristic technology in the shape of a
Universal Translator, and a terrible 90s movie
pun. What’s not to like?
TECHNOLOGY

6. Shunee Yee
Melissa Taing
Bryony Thorpe
Ross Pfenning
Ross Goulding
EDITORIAL TEAM
Feng Gang
PHOTOGRAPHY / ART DIRECTOR
Daniel Gutierrez
Nara Yu
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Adam O’Neill
Jesse He
Zachary Overline
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Ruben Payan
Emily Chen
Carl Yao
Qian Qiao
Meg Connelly
Bonnie Tian
SPECIAL THANKS
Copyright © 2012 CSOFT International,
Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or
any information storage and retrieval
system, without written permission.
This magazine is not intended for sale.
CSOFT International, Ltd.
World Financial Centre, 15F
1 East Third Ring Road
Beijing, China 100020
ph. +86 10 5736 6000
www.csoftintl.com
REPRODUCTION
MAKING
of
Shunee Yee
Bryony Thorpe
Feng Gang
Ross Goulding
Melissa Taing
Ross Pfenning
Nara Yu
Daniel Gutierrez
Kiss
my
Apps
As a child, when you thought of your
future self living in the glistening tech-
nological Valhalla we all knew was just
around the corner, what did you consider
to be the one essential piece of technology
you’d be using? A flying car? Robot slave?
Lightsaber? Whatever direction your imag-
ination took you, it’s doubtful that your
youthful blend of optimism and naiveté led
you towards the idea that humanity would
spend the new millennium obsessing over
small plastic rectangles with pieces of glass
stuck to them. After all, while recogniz-
ing how sleek and stylistic smartphones
have become, aesthetically they’ll never
be as appealing as, say, a nuclear-powered
jetpack. The relative visual mundanity of
smartphones actually stands as a testament
to the value placed on function over form;
no matter how unimpressive your shiny,
little, black objet d’affection may actually
be, you’ll never care because – as many a
man has unconvincingly pleaded before
– it’s what you do with it that counts. And
what you do with smartphones invariably
involves apps.
The ability to personalize the software on
your device has resulted in a world of hand-
sets superficially identical in form yet vastly
different in function. The substance-over-
style world of smartphones has started to
reveal national trends in app usage. China is
an exemplary case.
Having recently surpassed the US in
smartphone usage, China is now the larg-
est market for smartphones in the world
– approximately a quarter of the billion
mobile phone users in China already own
smartphones. It’s no wonder then that
app developers are paying greater atten-
tion to Chinese consumers. With such a
large existing market, and the potential
to expand even further, successful app
developers around the world are eager to
better understand which apps most interest
Chinese smartphone users. However, com-
petition is stiff. With an estimated 500,000
to 800,000 mobile application developers
in China, the growing smartphone mar-
ket is already being fueled with new apps
tailored to Chinese users’ preferences. So,
again, what do Chinese people like to do
on their smartphones?
According to statistics taken from app
store purchases, after games and enter-
tainment, the most popular apps in China
are in the social and communication cat-
egories. One such app, QQ – a simple,
web-based instant messaging platform
adapted for mobile use – is immensely
popular, not just among the Chinese
youth, but within the workplace as well.
Commonly used for file-sharing between
colleagues and even unofficial commu-
nication between clients and vendors,
QQ offers users a free and speedy way to
receive and share information.
Very much related to QQ but offering
more in the socializing department, Weixin
(also known as WeChat) allows users to
communicate via text or short voice mes-
sages. Users can also create profiles with
photos and personal information. To top
it off, Weixin borrows the location sharing
aspect of apps like China-based MoMo,
registered Weixin accounts in
China in just over a year since
its launch in January 2011
of registered users
between ages 22
and 30
100million
76.1%
billion
billion
$35apps downloaded
worldwide
in 2010
apps downloaded
globally
in 2011
projected worldwide
app downloads
in 2014
worth of projected
worldwide app
downloads in 2014
9 29
76.9
million
million
TECHNOLOGY
7

7. Imagine what a modern day Silk
Road would look like, considering
the technology, innovative thought,
history, and experience accumulated
over the last two millennia.
In 2010, an Italian team from OFL
Architecture responded to an
international competition organized
by design and management firm
Newitalianblood. The competition,
entitled “Map of the Silk Road,”
invited participants to present creative
interpretations of the recovery,
modernization, or reinvention of the
Silk Road trading routes.
The winning team designed a project
called Silk Road Map Evolution
(SRME), conceived via an examination
of the commonly problematic and
challenging consequences that result
from a typical urban structure – namely
congestion, immobility, and non
sustainability. Reflecting the East-to-
West connection of the historical Silk
Road trading routes, SRME extends
from Venice to Xian, Shanghai to
Tokyo, incorporating significant
advances in technology along the way.
Composed of both inhabitable,
sustainable towers and a railway
system designed to travel on
gravitational polarized fields, OFL’s
project replaces trading routes with
a linear, integrated infrastructure that
acts as a living urban generator and
economic pump to extend life support
to smaller, micro-cities along its path.
of
SILK
Threads
or the more internationally recognized
Grindr and Blendr, to make it possible for
app users to find one another, meet people,
and make new friends.
When not gaming or socializing, Chinese
smartphone users spend a fair amount
of time browsing the Internet. One app
designed to make mobile web-browsing
easier and more fun is Dolphin, created by
Chinese mobile app developer Mobotap.
Dolphin expands on custom browser fea-
tures by offering tabbed browsing, webzine
displays, and speech searches. Best of all,
Dolphin also includes gesture browsing,
which incorporates the multi-touch func-
tion of most smartphones and enables the
user to access features and load websites
with a few personally programmed strokes
of the screen. Despite initially targeting
Chinese users, the app has been localized
to support over 20 languages worldwide.
One common thread among the most pop-
ular and successful apps in China is this:
they’re free. It seems Chinese app users
are unwilling to pay money just to access
content. App developers like Tencent have
caught on to this consumer disposition,
making their apps free, while providing
attractive in-app purchases. In-app pur-
chases rely on users becoming reliant on
(or, in the case of certain gaming apps,
“addicted to”) the app, offering upgradable
service, greater usability, or competitive
advantages (for gaming apps) that users are
happy to fork over money for – the free app
they downloaded having become an intrin-
sic part of their lives.
No matter the average Chinese consumer’s
inclinations, there is a massive market as yet
untapped in China. Understanding what
Chinese smartphone users desire in their apps
isjustthefirststeptopenetratingthatmarket.
of the Chinese population – over
a billion people – registered as
mobile phone users
of the global smartphone
market represented by
China as of Q1 2012
estimated revenue from
Chinese mobile internet
users in 2011
representation
by USA
3G users
in China
mobile internet users
in China not on a
3G network
76%
22%
billion$13.7
16%
160million
431million
*Research from technology analyst firm Canalys and
market research group Analysys International,
Techrice.com, and chinainternetwatch.com
(81.4%) Fossil Fuels: 117,095 TWh
(10.6%) Other Renewables: 15,284 TWh
(5.8%) Nuclear energy: 8,283 TWh
(2.2%) Hydro: 3,208 TWh
TOTAL GLOBAL
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
BREAK DOWN OF TOTAL
GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY
PROJECTEDNATIONAL
SHALEGASPOTENTIAL
107
272.5
110 396
38862
159 231
862
1,275
China*
U.S.
Australia
Canada
Algeria
Proved Nat. Gas Reserves (Tcf) Technically Recoverable Shale Gas Resource (Tcf)
WORLDWIDE
ENERGY
STORAGE
CAPACITY
2011:
121 MW – enough
to fully charge
17,285,714 iPhones
2021:
12,353 MW – enough
to fully charge
1,764,714,286 iPhones
1990354
2000406
2008505
2015573
2020619
2025671
2030721
2035770
QuadrillionBtu
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY TECH
Just 1 MW of
wind energy
could power up
to 400 homes
without emitting
any CO2
.
By replacing an
electric water heater
in an average house-
hold with a solar
one, the long-term
benefits amount to
preventing more
than 50 tons of CO2
emissions.
Average car in the
US emits
50 tons of CO2
every
6 months
Exercising athletes
exhale about
20 lbs of CO2
per day.
In 2008, nuclear
power prevented
an estimated 690
million metric
tons of CO2
from
entering the atmo-
sphere, equivalent
to the amount of
CO2
emitted after
210 flights around
the world.
Replacing one
month’s use of
fossil fuels with
100 kWhs of
wind power is
comparable to keeping your car off
the road for 2,400 miles (3,862 km).
A 1 kWh photovol-
taic system would
prevent 300 lbs
(136 kg) of CO2
gas from being
emitted, roughly
equivalent to the
amount of CO2
ex-
haled by a rugby
team (15 players)
on game day.
*According to current projections, China stands to gain
the most from shale gas extraction. Unconventional gas
has the potential to increase national gas reserves by
approximately 1000%.
There are over
400 nuclear power
plants worldwide.
A wind farm
generating
1000 MW takes
up 50-150 km2
of land.
A 1000 MW solar
or photovoltaic
park takes up 20-
50 km2
of land.
For a 1000 MW
nuclear plant, site
requirements are
estimated to be
1-4 km2
.
L.A. N.Y.
(100%) Total world energy:143,851 TWh
**Research gathered from US Energy Information Administration, Solar Energy International, NREL, Our-energy.com, elitefeet.com, EPA, IEA, Pike Research, and Halliburton.
Tcf – Trillion cubic feet
kWh – kilowatt-hoursMW – Megawatts
TWh – Terrawatt-hours
Quadrillion British Thermal Units (Btu) =
33,430 MW, which can power 13,372,000
average homes in a developed nation.
As the global demand for energy grows, so too does the need for innovative solutions. Below is a
visual depiction of the future of energy consumption, storage, and resources.
Beijing,
China
210 Round trips
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
=10 homes
TECHNOLOGY
8 9

8. The CSOFT Annual Summit is a venerable tradition
amounting to a week of mutual learning, exchange, and
teambuilding. Bringing together our worldwide team of
clients, partners, linguists, executives, and special guests,
it is an opportunity to share knowledge, exchange expe-
riences, and engage in industry-specific dialogue. Our
tenth year anniversary celebration promises to surpass
even the towering standards set in years past, uniting
our global family, highlighting company achievements,
and putting the “decade” in “decadence.”
Join us for our 10th
Annual World Summit as we voyage
into the future, ascending to even greater heights.
June 26-28, 2013
Make
the
Ascent.
10years
Join us for CSOFT’s
10TH
ANNUAL WORLD SUMMIT
For details and updates, please email csoft10@csoftintl.com.

9. Colombo-tantalite ore... ever heard of it? More
commonly referred to as “coltan,” this precious mineral is a key
component in much of the technology we use everyday, yet most
people know surprisingly little about it. Without coltan, we would
be unable to manufacture many of the appliances and tools we use
and have come to depend on, including laptops, mobile phones,
hospital equipment, etc. However, that’s not all there is to know.
As it was with gold, diamonds, and oil, so it has been with
coltan, a mineral that is practically untraceable once it has been
mined, and one that has plunged much of western Africa into
a pyrrhic resource war, spurred on by global demand for con-
sumer electronics. While the fundamental necessity of coltan in
manufacturing electronic appliances risks consigning the African
continent to yet more decades of suffering, there does, however,
appear to be a beleaguered light at the end of this collapsing tun-
nel. The answer to the conflict over coltan lies not in decreasing
global demand, but in strengthening the social system to battle
against such senseless violence. Ironically, mobile technology –
the cause of the upsurge in coltan demand and thus the cause of
the resurgence of violence – has demonstrated promising poten-
tial to help mend much of what is broken. Mobile technology,
often viewed as merely a convenient social tool in the West, is
becoming an actual necessity in the developing world.
In Africa, certain challenges have constrained technological devel-
opment and progress. In Uganda for example, personal laptops and
desktop computers are prohibitively expensive. To compound the
problem, most of the country isn’t even connected to a power grid.
Even if a local family scrimps and saves to afford a computer, it
would be nearly impossible to keep such a power-hungry machine
running for any appreciable length of time without spending
another significant sum of money on electricity, or hours physically
generating power. Smartphones offer an alternative – they’re rela-
tively cheap and far easier to charge up. As a result, most of Uganda’s
Internet usage is done exclusively on these smartphones.
Ten years ago, there were fewer than 100,000 phone lines in
Nigeria. Today that number has jumped three orders of magnitude
to over 100 million. The trend is the same all over Africa, with
Rwanda’s phone use soaring by 50% in 2010 alone. Paul Kagame,
President of Rwanda since 2000, said in 2007, “In ten short years,
what was once an object of luxury and privilege, the mobile phone,
has become a basic necessity in Africa.” It seems that in Africa,
the advent of mobile phones has had a dramatically positive effect
across several different industries and on the overall quality of life.
Developing Mobile
Technology in the
Developing World
TECHNOLOGY
– Banking in this region has become heav-
ily reliant on smartphone technology.
In 2009, MTN Uganda, the nation’s
largest telecom provider, launched a
new service called MobileMoney. This
service allows people to not only add
money to their online bank accounts
at dedicated kiosks, it also allows them
to text money to other people’s online
bank accounts, which can then be with-
drawn from the same kiosks. In the
past, these transactions would involve
the physical transportation of actual
fiat notes over to the recipient, which in
certain places could be quite risky and
generally inconvenient. According to
a survey by the Gates Foundation and
the World Bank, in Kenya, Sudan, and
Gabon, at least half of all adults now
use mobile money services.
– Mobile innovations play a critical role
in the livelihood of Ugandan farmers
as well. Previously, these farmers often
found themselves working a laborious
and time-consuming job, isolated from
the wider community, which made it dif-
ficult to access information. Nowadays
however, smartphone apps provide
them with crucial information that can
dramatically improve their yields, and
thus their livelihoods. For example, they
can be sent diagnostic information to
identify and treat diseases that threaten
their harvests, receive weather warnings
to prepare for droughts, and compare
market prices to ensure that they get a
good deal on their crops.
– The education sector has also been
positively impacted by the exponential
increase in smartphone usage. With apps
that teach math, English, and science
spreading across the continent, the poten-
tial to create a paradigm shift in Africa’s
education system is strengthening.
– Previously, upon arriving at a refugee
camp, fleeing natural and man-made
disasters and tragedies, it was next to
impossible to find relatives and friends
among the hundreds of thousands
of shattered lives. Nongovernmental
organization Refugees United has cre-
ated a mobile database for refugees to
register their name and details, sig-
nificantly increasing the chances of
families being reunited.
– Public health has also seen a boost. With
the World Health Organization (WHO)
estimating that 30% of medicine in
developing countries is counterfeit,
medicine packages now come with
a special, scratch-away panel on the
back, revealing a code which users can
send to a special service to determine
whether their drugs are certified, legal,
and safe. The spread of malaria is also
being tracked via smartphones, enabling
greater response and prevention.
– Mobile technology has given many
millions of Africans the opportunity
to significantly change the political
regimes under which they live. As
an example, western media recently
chronicled how the use of mobile
technology – and various web apps,
most commonly accessed via phones
– played an integral part in the Arab
Spring, helping to organize crowds at
the grassroots level, spread information
among supporters on the ground, and
affect geopolitical pressure by dissemi-
nating local news to media in the West.
Mobile technology is by no means a flawless solution to these local
challenges. There are still millions without access to power of any kind
and many who struggle to use mobile technology due to high rates of
adult illiteracy. Network service can be inconsistent, causing limited
access to phone-controlled funds. These issues will likely diminish as
countries continue to develop their communications infrastructure,
but reliance on mobile phone technology will only grow as smart-
phones further ingrain themselves in daily life.
NGO
EDUCATION
POLITICS
HEALTH
AGRICULTURE
FINANCE
12 13

10. Saab’s technological innovations,
housed in a cutting-edge machine of
exceptional and .
Out of the ordinary.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd.
style quality.
www.baicmotor.com
14
Gizmos&GADGETS
SAMSUNG 4G LTE MOBILE HOTSPOT
With Samsung’s new 4G LTE Mobile
Hotspot, you’ll never have to suffer from
slow-internet-speed-rage in public again.
With the ability to connect up to five wire-
less devices at once, the 4G LTE Mobile
Hotspot can keep a small office connected
while on the move. Also, weighing in at an
ultra-lightweight 2.7 ounces (76.5 grams),
this isn’t a device you’ll have to factor in
when considering your baggage allowance,
making it ideal for frequent travelers.
ASUS PADFONE 2
What would you get if your iPad made pas-
sionate, unprotected love to your iPhone?
Well, if you’re an Apple fanboy, you’d most
likely get another disturbing dream to add
to the growing list of symptoms that prove
you take brand loyalty too far. For everyone
else, this unholy technological union gets you
the innovatively named PadFone 2. For those
who want the mobility of a cell phone, but the
clarity and enhanced usability of a tablet, you
can now have both. The PadFone 2 is lighter,
sleeker, and packs more power than its pre-
decessor, delivering the perfect compromise
for today’s increasingly mobile population.
SOLIO SOLAR CHARGER
At one point or another, all modern mobile
phone users experience the panicked, spine-
tingling terror of a dead battery. It always
happens when you most need your phone.
(For example, when you’re waiting on the
ransom call from that kidnapper who has your
grandmother, or when you really, really need
to check IMDB to see who wrote the screen-
play for Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.) “If
only,” you may think to yourself, “if only there
were a gigantic orb of nuclear fire hanging in
the heavens, continuously blasting our planet
with an almost limitless supply of energy…”
Luckily for you, someone else already had that
same idea. The Solio Solar Charger receives
energy from a curious astronomical phenom-
enon in our solar system – which scientists
have dubbed the “Sun” – and transmits that
energy via USB to your mobile device, allow-
ing you to recharge on the go.
PEBBLE E-PAPER WATCH
It’s been said that the Pebble E-Paper watch
(which, it’s important to note, is made from
neither pebbles nor paper) does for the com-
mon wristwatch what the smartphone did
for the common cell phone. This quantum
leap in time-telling technology allows you to
monitor calls, text messages, and emails, as
well as control your music and interact with
your phone in a number of innovative ways.
Amazingly, it can tell the time too.
CELLUON MAGIC CUBE
– VIRTUAL PROJECTION KEYBOARD
Famed Sci-fi author, Arthur C. Clarke, stated
in his third law “Any technology, sufficiently
advanced, is indistinguishable from magic.”
Korean company Celluon has produced one
such piece of technology: the Magic Cube.
By casting a full-sized keyboard onto a flat
surface, this highly portable light-projection
unit allows users to type on a far larger area
than is offered by any tablet or smartphone.
As futuristic devices go, a virtual keyboard
made of light must feature pretty highly on
the “magic” list.
SWIVL
Ever look at your smartphone and think, “I
know what my favorite gadget needs… a
gadget of its own!” Ideal for small busi-
nesses, or anyone who frequently makes
presentations, Swivl is the ultimate hands-
free cameraman. Simply place your smart-
phone in the dock, hold the small receiver in
your hand (or put it in your pocket, wear it
around your neck, staple it to your forehead,
etc.), and the Swivl will follow you around
the room with your smartphone’s camera.
The receiver even contains a microphone so
your voice can be recorded at a consistent
level. While the benefits for videoconferenc-
ing and presentations are obvious, the Swivl
can also be used to record short films.
*Images sourced from: androidpolice.com, survivalpunk.com, thenextweb.com, anandtech.com, technobuffalo.com, hightech-solutions.it
TECHNOLOGY

11. From Greek mythology to Native American narratives, a univer-
sal element that has existed across cultures, languages, and time
is storytelling. Historically, storytelling played a critical role in
the development of communities, societies, and cultures. Carried
throughout history to present day, storytelling offers a means to a
montage of ends, including education, entertainment, experience,
and knowledge sharing, as well as a way to make sense of unex-
plainable or mysterious events.
As storytelling was highly regarded in communities throughout
human history, so too were the individuals that imparted these
tales. Even today in West African countries, the griot, master of
words and lyrics, is the keeper and proprietor of oral tradition,
whose responsibilities are founded in communication, expression,
and exchange. Hailed as historians, messengers, praise-singers, and
ONCE UPON
A STORY-
TELLING
TIME
advisors to nobility, griots are enlisted to perform at ceremonies
and celebrations, to provide comfort and encouragement, and are
as much feared for their wisdom as they are respected.
By combining truth, imagination, and a sincere oratorical style,
storytelling weaves a compelling narrative that pulses and breathes.
Numbers, data, facts, and words sit stagnant, but a gifted or
practiced raconteur breathes life into these elements to energize,
motivate, inspire, and encourage listeners. Though it may appear
to be the case, this is no endorsement of a “Say no to data, and
bring on the fairytales!” stance. Rather, in certain situations, sto-
rytelling’s effectiveness in the workspace is far more powerful than
one might initially imagine: great storytellers possess the ability to
inspire, establish a vision, define a culture, strengthen values, and
fortify beliefs.
In today’s fast-paced, information-packed world, we need leaders who can inspire staff,
communicate compellingly, and both engage and be engaged completely. Storytelling
is an undemanding way to share knowledge, while simultaneously encouraging
self-discovery, application, and development.
As French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, most celebrated for composing the story of Le Petit Prince (The Little
Prince), once said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign
them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
LEADERSHIP
The Next 100 Years (2009)
George Friedman
Written by the CEO of private intelligence
firm Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (Stratfor),
The Next 100 Years details exactly what it
says on the cover. Examining the ever-
shifting geopolitical situation, Friedman’s
book has been criticized for not taking into
account the destructive inevitability of cli-
mate change and for downplaying China’s
role in the coming century. Nevertheless,
this is a fascinating, breezily written postula-
tion of our near future by one of the most
prescient minds in global intelligence.
It began with a man and a mission. The
man, Ferdinand Baron von Richthofen
(1833-1905), was a well-traveled German
geographer, scientist, and scholar, whose
impressive depth of knowledge about
geography and geomorphology resulted
in, among other achievements, two
landforms on opposite sides of the world
being named after him: Richthofen Range,
identifying the mountain range in south-
ern Gansu, China, and Mount Richthofen,
the highest mountain of the Never Sum-
mer Mountain Range in Colorado, USA.
Long fascinated with China, Baron von
Richthofen (a title shared by all his male
family members, including his nephew,
the WW1 fighter pilot nicknamed “The
Red Baron”) spent most of his time be-
tween 1868 and 1872 traveling China. His
research during this time would contribute
greatly to the geographical understanding
of China and Central Asia. The Baron also
greatly influenced pupil Sven Hedin, who
would go on to unearth many historical,
geological, and geographical discoveries
in western China and Central Asia.
In 1877, Baron von Richthofen was also first
to coin the term “Seidenstrassen (Seiden-
straße)” to identify one of the world’s best-
known trade routes facilitating east-west
exchange and connectivity: the Silk Road.
Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011)
Daniel Kahneman
Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences for his research pertaining to the psy-
chological mechanisms of decision making and
judgment, Daniel Kahneman combines data-
rich research with articulate, engaging prose to
produce a book that has been selected by the
NewYorkTimes, The Economist, TheWall Street
Journal, Globe and Mail, and the Los Angeles
Times as one of the best books of 2011. For
anyone interested in behavioral research or
decision making, Thinking, Fast and Slow is
an eloquently penned masterpiece that uncov-
ers the psychological workings behind human
reasoning and choice.
Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and
Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite Them
All (2011)
Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen
Co-authored by Good to Great bestseller Jim
Collins, Great by Choice is an anthology of
nine years’ worth of research and investiga-
tion. Alongside more than 20 researchers,
Collins and Hansen seek to determine how
companies succeed in uncertain, tumultuous
environments. Drawing on research and sto-
ries about such companies as Intel, Southwest
Airlines, Apple, Progressive Insurance and
more, Great by Choice provides insightful data
and analysis that is undeniably relevant, not
only to the presently unsettled global econ-
omy, but also the unpredictable, fast-paced
business world we live in today.
One Billion Customers: Lessons from the
Frontline of Doing Business in China (2005)
James L. McGregor
Written by James L. McGregor, former CEO
of Dow Jones & Company in China and
Wall Street Journal Bureau Chief for China
and Taiwan, One Billion Customers acts as
both a history of post-reform China and a
guide to doing business in a vastly different
culture. Detailing the free-for-all, Wild-West
business style that exploded across China in
the wake of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms, with
handy hints and first person accounts of
the pitfalls that have befallen naive western
investors interspersed throughout the book,
McGregor’s One Billion Customers makes
a compelling read for anyone interested or
involved in doing business in China.
of
SILK
Threads
Ferdinand von Richthofen
On the Shelf
LEADERSHIP
16 17

12. Dongxi, the Chinese word for ‘thing,’ is comprised of two parts: dong (east) and
xi (west). In Chinese, this word is used to refer to any object, just as its translated
sibling in English. However, dongxi possesses an additional meaning – an under-
standing so transparent, it leaves no room for doubt or surprise. Conversely, to
say something “is a thing” in the western sense confirms its existence, usually
with the added connotation of being relatively novel or chic.
Two selections of Chinese lore explain the origins of the word dongxi. It appears
our (Chinese) ancestors knew long before our time that East-West would in fact
be a thing. To them, evidently, this is old news.
According to one etymological tale, there were once two markets located in
ancient China. They were positioned such that one market lay to the east, the
other to the west. People were free to buy from both markets, so to go shopping
was said to buy east and west and became the idiomatic way of saying buy things.
Another origin story for the word dongxi involves the five Chinese phases, or wu
xing, a concept related to the western notion of the four elements. Each phase car-
ries an association with a cardinal direction: Earth at the center, water in the North
(bei), fire in the South (nan), wood in the East (dong), and metal in the West (xi).
As the story goes, some government officials were gambling one day when the
emperor, disguised as a civilian, happened upon them. Attempting to conceal their
illegal pastime, one of the officials hid the gambling chips in a wicker basket; how-
ever, the emperor caught him and asked what he had hidden. The official replied
“dongxi.” Having never heard this word, the emperor inquired, “Why do you say
dongxi and not nanbei?” The official then explained that nan and bei, representing
fire and water, could not be placed in the basket as fire would burn it and water
would leak through the bottom. He used dongxi because both wood and metal
could be carried in the basket. At this, the emperor revealed himself, praised the
official, and proclaimed that dongxi would henceforth be used to refer to ‘things.’
18 19

13. It’s an
East-West
Thing
"People want to know more
about ‘new China’ and are
generally interested in China's
business development and the
people driving it. Who are the
leaders of this change?"
“What drives companies to
success? People often credit success
to a single big decision, a turning
point that changes everything. But
what of incremental change – the
step-by-step progression to success
that can’t be attributed to one
singular moment?”
As I sat there fiddling with my
notebook, attempting to process the
question and come up with an
intelligible answer, Shunee continued
ruminating, “I believe certain
companies possess a kind of magic. It
can’t necessarily be quantified or
traced to any one or two things in
particular, but some companies have
it – and those are the companies that
succeed over the long term.”
This ‘magic’ quality is one that has
framed many a conversation I’ve had
with Shunee over the last several
weeks. It has sprung up in discussions
over the direction of HQ, as well as
Shunee’s vision for CSOFT. So, when
presented with the opportunity to
interview our dynamic and business-
savvy CEO as part of the China
Executive section of HQ magazine
20 21

14. Good to Great examines the shared characteristics of companies that have experienced the transition
from general mediocrity to sustained excellence. With the help of 20 research assistants, Collins spent
five years analyzing 1,435 listed Fortune 500 companies between 1965 and 1995, determining that
only 11 of these companies made the shift from good to great – marked by a sharp increase in
revenue and continual outperformance of the general market for a period of 15 years thereafter. Good
to Great has received praise and attention not only in the business world, but also among sports
teams, religious institutions, schools and many other organizations looking to improve, expand, or
become “great.”
Good to Great (2001)
Jim Collins
"From conversations I’ve
had with friends,
journalists, and clients,
there seems to be a real
hunger for good, current
information about the
direction business is
progressing in China."
– a feature of this and all future
editions – I decided that it might just
be an important element to cover.
Of course, I had other questions
too. Viewing the interview as an
occasion to satisfy not just my
curiosity, but that of others as well,
I prepared questions delving into
the future of HQ and the role these
executive interviews would play in
subsequent editions of the
magazine. It was clear from my
conversations with Shunee that
East-West – not just any old thing –
would be an important feature of
both the magazine and the
interviews. However, what
particularly perplexed me were her
references to Jim Collins’ book
Good to Great. After several
mentions, I took the hint and read
the book that she seemed to regard
so highly. However, where I
thought I would find answers, I
instead found more questions.
Intrigued to learn exactly how all
these elements fit together, I sat
down with Shunee once more to
discuss her views, and this time,
came away feeling quite enlightened.
It’s almost as if some kind of spell
was lifted and I could see everything
clearly. Was this perhaps the magic of
our dynamic leader at work?
Ross Pfenning: So, Shunee, I’ve been
curious about this for a while now: how
exactly did HQ get started? And why are
we continuing it?
Shunee Yee: Well, the concept for HQ
began last year as a CSOFT yearbook of
sorts. At the beginning of every summer, we
invite regional experts, worldwide linguists,
and industry leaders to join our global team
for a week-long CSOFT World Summit.
Every year builds on the last – thought-
provoking discussions, laughter,
team-building activities… a lot of really
wonderful memories. We wanted to find a
way to share this with a larger audience.
That’s when we first thought to produce a
yearbook, which eventually transformed
into HQ; it was something initially
designed to reach a wider audience and
share our industry knowledge, experience,
and company culture more broadly.
Additionally, we wanted to showcase
Beijing – the rapidly evolving city in which
CSOFT is headquartered – from our
perspective. That was where it all began; I
don’t think any of us really understood
what we were getting ourselves into! Laughs.
Originally, we only planned to circulate a
couple thousand copies, but we got such
great reactions. Since then, a lot of people
have told me how excited they were to see
future editions. In the beginning, just over
a year ago now, I do remember wondering
if HQ would continue beyond one issue,
but it was just a flicker of a thought. We
really didn’t deliberate much in the
beginning – it all kind of unraveled
unconsciously. I think this is because we
have a lot to share: we work with
companies all over the world to help them
go global, a process which includes
overcoming technological, linguistic, and
even cultural barriers in order to penetrate
Q
A&
international markets. Globalization is full
of unique challenges, but we’re lucky to be
a part of so many successful stories. I feel
our business is a narrative worth
communicating, and one that we began
with the first magazine. I can’t say I knew
from the start where HQ would take us,
but now I have a pretty good idea of the
direction I want it to head in.
R: So what direction is HQ headed in
now? Is it any different from last year’s?
S: This edition of HQ retains the novel
perspective offered by the first magazine,
but with a new focus – a focus we intend
to maintain over the life of the magazine.
From conversations I’ve had with friends,
journalists, and clients, there seems to be
a real hunger for good, current
information about the direction business
is progressing in China. People want to
know more about ‘new China’ and are
Chinese companies understand this, as
evidenced by the growing demand for
globalization services in China. Therefore,
our mission for HQ is to showcase Chinese
companies that have expanded – or are in
the midst of expanding – globally, both in
terms of business and company culture.
R: Why China Executive interviews?
What will they include or focus on?
S: As I said, there's enough dry data out
there, not many reports go deep or focus on
China’s business leaders, and standard media
interviews generally do not examine the
character of these Chinese leaders. Perhaps
this has to do with Chinese culture, which
promotes the beauty of principles like hanxu
( ). This concept in particular advocates
a humble, modest, and reserved approach to
both general and business interactions,
which, unfortunately, can also discourage
open speech and direct communication in
Chinese business. On top of that, Chinese
companies generally employ hierarchies,
which can also play a role in the flow of
communication. China’s business landscape
is shifting though, and so are the approaches
of China’s business leaders.
Additionally, there are not a lot of
established channels that allow Chinese
leaders to communicate their views or
impart their experiences. Many Chinese
leaders may still be growing accustomed to
the idea of stepping into the spotlight, but
for those who are willing to share their
stories, HQ offers them the opportunity to
do so. We want to give them a voice. By
asking questions that drive at the human
aspect of each of these leaders rather than
the typical interview questions usually
encountered, HQ becomes a channel of
information which sheds light on China’s
business landscape and demonstrates that
great business leaders in both the East and
West share similar qualities.
It’s related to one of the strongest messages
I took away from Jim Collins’ book Good to
Great: leaders who possess a certain set of
generally interested in China’s business
development and the people driving it.
Who are the leaders of this change? Yes,
some publications report on statistics and
data, but few go deep, and even fewer
attempt to go behind the scenes. By
digging deeper and interviewing China
executives, we’re attempting to offer a
different perspective. By blending culture
and art with a technology and business
focus, we’re hoping to give our clients –
and, really, anyone interested in reading
our magazine – something new and
exciting, informative yet sexy. That’s the
plan anyway. Laughs.
At our core, we all want the same thing: to
have successful, mutually beneficial
business relationships. The notion that
companies from the West cannot achieve
this with businesses in the East is outdated.
The reality is that eastern and western
companies are becoming increasingly
dependent on one another. I believe
22 23

15. Shunee Yee co-founded CSOFT in late 2003 and has since guided the company to become a global corporation with 14
offices in key locations around the world. Recognized for her ingenuity and business acumen, Yee was the 2009 recipient
of the International Stevie Award for Best Asian Entrepreneurs, honored by Globalization Today as one of the world's Top
25 most influential leaders in the outsourcing industry in 2011,and recognized by Fortune as one of 2012's Most Powerful
Women Entrepreneurs as well as one of the tech industry’s top 36 most powerful disruptors of 2012.
"At our core, we all want
the same thing: to have
successful, mutually
relationships. The notion
that companies from the
West cannot achieve this
with businesses in the
East is outdated."
qualities are able to promote long term
success, not just for themselves but for their
companies. He describes the most effective
leaders, “Level 5 Executives,” as having a
mix of both personal humility and
professional will. I want to find those
leaders here in China. Furthermore, I hope
that in launching this search, we will
inspire more leaders in China to move from
good to great.
R: Can you explain a little more about
Good to Great? How exactly does it fit in
with these interviews and HQ?
S: I really admire Jim Collins and all of his
work. Much of what he promotes in his
books regarding well-established
companies and their leaders relates closely
to certain Chinese virtues. For example, we
have this saying, bainianlaodian (
), which encapsulates the idea of a
company ‘built to last.’ We also talk of
leaders who have an ‘inner strength,’ a
drive that comes from within.
What interests me about Good to Great in
particular is Collins’ discussion of the impact
leaders have in guiding their companies to
greatness. The executives who ultimately led
their companies to sustained success weren’t
so much the celebrity, spotlight-craving types
as they were quiet, strong, and principled
leaders. They almost always came from within
the company and, because of this, understood
what needed to be done. They were far more
concerned with company success than their
own personal gain and made hard decisions
when they needed to be made. As Collins
says, most often, these traits can’t be traced
back to educational background or even
experience. They are innate qualities and not
everyone possesses them.
These innate qualities, I like to think of
them as a certain ‘magic.’ This magic
describes the character of those business
leaders, but not just at one moment. It can
encompass a collection of traits, a series of
decisions, or string of consistent actions
that ultimately define a person’s success as a
leader. Collins points to professional will,
internal drive, and an uncompromising
attitude, but there are even more attributes
that embody these leaders. It may be
different for each individual, but I believe
that this magic quality is a fundamental
characteristic of successful, great leaders
around the world, as well as those
companies that are built to last. I also truly
think that Chinese people recognize,
respect, and desire these qualities in leaders
– the ones who ultimately drive their
companies to success.
R: Okay, I’m starting to see how this is
all connected. What you’re saying makes
sense, but how are we going to find these
companies? What makes CSOFT so
well-suited for this job?
S: Well, we’re pretty great at telling stories!
Laughs. But really, think about the work we
do [at CSOFT] on a day-to-day basis. We
help companies build and execute strategies
to enter global markets, a service which is
growing in demand. We have years of
experience working with worldwide clients
in industries such as Life Sciences, Energy,
Electronics, Finance, IT, Enterprise
Solutions, Transportation… and with
S t e p p e S [CSOFT’s globalization
consulting arm], we’ve also started working
with many China business leaders looking
to take their companies global. We
understand their challenges just as we
understand the subtleties and nuances of
culture in international business. This
cultural know-how and hands-on
experience grants us unique insight. It’s
simply the nature of our business. We're
lucky to be at the frontier of globalization.
Beyond that, CSOFT possesses a certain
talent for integrating art and business. Art
is a powerful language that transcends
culture. It can have a profound influence
on people and their perceptions. It is truly
penetrating. I feel that, as we deal in
language and communication, our work
has an artistic quality.
Then there’s our people. CSOFT has the
right people. I think we are truly blessed to
have a powerful mix of talented individuals
from around the world – industry experts,
artists, linguists, photographers, marketing
writers, etc. – all working together to tell
our story, creating content that is truly a
pleasure to read and experience. Our people
are obsessed – obsessed with achieving the
best, and simultaneously finding joy in it.
It’s that tenacity – and honestly, a little bit
of magic – along with our cultural-art-
business blend and experience that makes
us perfect for the job.
R:That’sreallyinteresting–Ihadn’tthought
aboutitthatwaybefore.Shunee,givenyour
recentrecognitionasoneofFortune’s2012
MostPowerfulWomenEntrepreneurs,can
youdiscussalittleabouttheexperienceas
well as your leadership?
S: Attending the Fortune Most Powerful
Women Summit was a fantastic experience
and I was quite honored to be sharing the
stage with so many phenomenal business
leaders. That experience certainly inspired
me, and while I was there I couldn’t help
thinking about our new initiative for HQ.
My sincere hope for the China Executive
section of HQ is that it will inspire people
the same way that the Fortune Summit
inspired me. I hope this spirit – the
celebration and recognition of great leaders
– will spread to the East.
At the Fortune Summit, I met and talked
with so many accomplished business
leaders, and was continuously struck by the
fact that they all possessed something in
common: magic. Others might have
different names or descriptions for it, but it’s
that quality that energizes, motivates,
inspires you just from being around certain
people. And it can be people with vastly
different personalities – some charismatic,
others possessing a quiet calm… something
you can’t quite put your finger on, but you
know it when you find it. The magic!
Laughs. Now I want to find the magic in
China.
What I can tell you is that I see myself as a
good example of the blend between East
and West. I was raised studying classic
Chinese literature, calligraphy, the pipa
[Chinese lute], but the foundation of my
business experience took place in the West.
In Chinese, we would call this blend
ronghe ( ). Because of this, I find
myself focusing on the common values
and practices shared between East and
West rather than the differences. I guess
this blend has contributed to the magic
that has helped drive CSOFT's success
over the years – it's become a part of who
we all are. It's CSOFT's magic! Laughs.
R: Laughs. Yes, maybe. Tell me then,
Shunee, how would you define
leadership in one sentence?
S: I don’t know… It’s the dongxi... the
thing! Laughs.
24 25

16. With over 40,000 medical apps across iOS, Android, and other
operating systems, it’s no surprise that Healthcare Global, a health-
care news and information provider, projects the global wireless
health market to be worth USD 38 billion by 2016. In this respect,
the healthcare industry is edging its way towards a revolution.
New strides in the development of mHealth (the umbrella term
for mobile tools used to service needs within the healthcare sector)
could lead to massive advancements in diagnosis and treatment.
The gradual adoption of tablets and smart phones as medical tools is
perhaps one of the more evident of these advancements, but this form
of mHealth barely scratches the surface of the many ways in which
traditional healthcare is evolving. Below are several key areas where
new technological developments are having hugely positive effects.
PRIMARY DIAGNOSIS
The growing prevalence of tablet devices in hospitals allows time-
strapped doctors and nurses to instantly record or consult patient
notes and information. Some hospitals have also recently intro-
duced telehealth systems, which provide features such as mobile
video consultations. When employed in the medical space, these
systems provide doctors the opportunity to exchange detailed
clinical information with ease. This creates a more convenient
AN APP A DAY
KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
diagnostic procedure for both patient and doctor, while simultane-
ously improving the overall patient experience.
On a similar note, Nuance, a global market-leader in communica-
tions services, has recently designed voice recognition technology
that can be implemented into healthcare billing and medical records
procedures, saving time, resources, and money.
Another interesting development comes from start-up company
CellScope. Although its products are currently in the beta-testing
phase, CellScope seeks to transform smartphones into clinical diag-
nostic devices that include optical attachments. Their first product
to be launched is an otoscope, a device used to view inside the ear,
thus enabling remote diagnosis and treatment of, for example, ear
infections, which, in the US, typically result in 30 million visits to
the doctor each year. CellScope’s wide range of innovative attach-
ments – such as the dermascope, which obtains diagnostic images of
the skin – are set to create big waves in the world of self-administered
medical examination.
MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES
Several newly developed technologies and apps are also changing
the way we handle long-term disease management. Gluco Phones,
LEADERSHIP
The astonishing tale of Shenzhen’s success is driven by Futian
District, also recognized as the city's central business district.
Both a financial hub and a manufacturing powerhouse, Shenzhen is
one of the most investment-worthy cities on the planet and an
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17. “
for example, remind diabetics to take their
glucose tests and provide the option of
transmitting these results to caregivers.
Doctors can now also monitor and manage
conditions such as cardiovascular disease
remotely. This ability to treat patients
vicariously should significantly decrease
the strain on centralized healthcare ser-
vices and care workers, not
just in developing countries,
but also in regions such as
Ontario, Canada, where
almost a third of the 12-
million-strong population
live in rural areas.
With the onset of a chronic dis-
ease comes another problem:
prescription management.
One example of the innova-
tions occurring in this area can
be found at the US National
Institute of Health. Medical
imaging scientist Jesus Caban
and his colleagues have created
software that can distinguish a
pill based on its shape, color,
and imprint, identifying pills
with a 91% accuracy rate in less
than a second – a percentage bound to increase
with further adjustments to the software.
Recently introduced in China is an elec-
trocardiogram-sensing handset, another
remote monitoring device. Designed to
record short bursts of heart data at regu-
lar intervals, which are then transmitted
to the 24-hour Life Care Networks Call
Center in Beijing, this device shows prom-
ising, life-saving properties. As a testament
to its innovation, it received the 2012
Computerworld Honors Laureate award.
There are also numerous apps aimed at the
general consumer. Fitness apps, such as
Nikeplus and Runkeeper, enable users to
track and optimize workouts, while nutri-
tion apps such as VegOut, Food Additives,
and Locavore, not only track calories and
list additives, they also identify nutritious
food options in supermarkets, diet-appro-
priate restaurants, and in-season produce.
Other app options turn your smartphone
into a stethoscope (iStethoscope), measure
your sleeping intervals (Sleep Cycle), and
test your eyesight (Eye Test).
A separate piece of technology, which has
been forecast to bring a wireless revolution
to the healthcare system, was developed by
Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC
technology allows data to be transmitted
wirelessly across short distances, thereby
reducing the risk of human error as patient
visits, medication dosages, and other details
are automatically logged. This system has
been piloted in the Netherlands, where
there are currently more than 50,000 care
workers regularly employing NFC phones
to organize and track their home visits.
If employed effectively, mHealth can stream-
line services, optimize resources, and save
both time and money. That said, it still has
some major challenges to overcome, perhaps
the biggest being security breaches. When
dealing with a subject where confidentiality
is of the utmost importance, hospitals and
other medical facilities will need to ensure
they have fully secured enterprise wireless
systems or employ systems whereby mobile
devices can only access patient records and
data, not store them.
Another hurdle to overcome is ensuring
that hospitals and services have the correct
infrastructure in place to support these
developments and that they can securely
integrate the technology into their cur-
rent monitoring systems.
The benefits of having
brand new technology can
be hampered by a lack of
adequately trained health-
care professionals, as well
as high illiteracy rates,
corruption, and unreli-
able sources of power. If
mHealth is to achieve all
the incredibly positive
effects within its potential,
it has to be introduced into
a fully supported and sus-
tainable environment.
The World Health
Organization (WHO)
made their official stance on
mHealth clear in their 2011
publication, Implementation
Research for the Control of Infectious Diseases
of Poverty, with a full section focusing on this
technology. The WHO echoes the need to
apply mHealth in a coordinated and effec-
tive manner, ensuring support structures
are in place and staff are properly trained in
order to avoid resources being diverted from
basic needs and health worker priorities.
It remains to be seen whether the full
impact of this revolution will measure up
to expectations. The biggest determining
factors of mHealth’s reception will be how
those involved in the process react to its
implementation and the environments in
which it takes place. But given the favorable
responses to mHealth trials in both develop-
ing and developed countries, it looks like
the way we approach healthcare is about to
undergo a massive transformation.
Healthcare Global, a
healthcare news and
information provider,
projects the global
wireless health market
to be worth USD 38
billion by 2016."
28 29
One of the many ways in which the Internet has irrevocably
changed human culture is how it has affected language, specifi-
cally with the introduction of various neologisms. In the distant,
dark days of a pre-internet humanity, neologisms tended not to
spread globally; new words dissipated among smaller groups as
colloquialisms or – given enough time and isolation – became
part of a new dialect or even an altogether new language. This is
no longer the case. A neologism typed once by a 14-year-old on
a Dublin-based message board can be discovered and used by TV
show hosts in America in a matter of weeks if it becomes a popu-
lar meme. Even the word meme itself is a neologism, having been
coined by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1978
book The Selfish Gene. It’s no surprise, therefore, that predicting
the direction the English language will take in the future is next
to impossible. A task that seems equally impossible is tracing the
origins of all human language.
The earliest account we have of the written word is known as
the Kish Tablet. This stone carving, discovered in what is mod-
ern day Iraq, contains a form of Sumerian script that is dated to
approximately 3500 BC. It is mostly a pictographic language,
recognized as a direct precursor to Sumerian Cuneiform, a syllabic
script. The first alphabet, the Phoenician alphabet, which later
morphed into Greek and Roman, is the direct antecedent of the
script you are currently reading. It is evident that language existed
before the invention of the written word; however, without any
way of recording it, there is no modern way to determine what it
sounded like. Those who have studied a foreign language know
that one of the most difficult things to get right is pronunciation,
so it’s interesting to note that despite how much knowledge we
have of dead languages like Latin, no one knows precisely how
any of the words should be pronounced.
In popular culture we imagine “cavemen” to have spoken in a series
of grunts, similar to what a human might interpret simian vocal
communication to be. Currently, the most popular hypothesis
for how humanity developed language is the Continuity Theory,
which states that language itself evolved from proto-human grunts.
This base form of communication gained a greater level of sophis-
tication as our collective needs as a species moved beyond those
genealogy
oflanguage
Onthe
COMMUNICATION

18. Translatinator 2:
In the beginning, we all spoke a single language. So say the lan-
guage creation myths of nearly all world cultures and religions.
In Christianity, God punished man for his arrogance in build-
ing the Tower of Babel, causing “The Confusion of Tongues.”
In Africa, the Wa-Sania Bantu believe a great historical fam-
ine caused maddened people to wander aimlessly in various
directions, speaking gibberish which eventually settled into
different languages. A certain southern Australian Aboriginal
tribe believes that different languages derived from a tribal
gathering in celebration of the death of an evil woman named
Wurruri. At the gathering, each tribe ate a different part of her
body, which triggered each group to speak a different language.
Whatever the region of the world, it seems they share a similar
antediluvian ideal: that we should all be able to understand
one another.
The diverse beauty of human language is a precious gift, albeit
one with a high price. Mistranslations and cultural faux pas
have changed the direction of history on more than one occa-
sion. In 1956, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev – at the
height of the Cold War, and mere months after the USSR’s
successful H-Bomb test – made a speech at the Polish embassy
in Moscow. Featuring the usual Cold War posturing that dom-
inated the rhetoric on both sides at that time, Khrushchev
seemingly upped the ante and shocked the West by ending his
speech with what was to become his most famous quote: “We
will bury you.” To modern audiences this probably sounds
quite mild, more like something an overexcited wrestler might
say, but to American citizens of the day, this was a terrifying
warning of the destructive power of atomic weapons and the
Soviet desire to use them. Only, Khrushchev never actually
said the translated line. A more literal translation of what he
said would be: “Communism doesn’t need to go to war to
destroy capitalism… whether you like it or not, we will be
present at your burial.” Understood from the perspective of
a Soviet at that time, Khrushchev’s sentiment can be better
translated as “we shall outlive you.” While not exactly brim-
ming with happy rainbow-like sentiments, when translated
correctly and put into context, the statement does become
markedly less eschatological.
The need for global understanding can be seen as intrinsic to
the survival of humanity as a species, and it seems our best
hope for mutual understanding is through technology, with
the invention of the Universal Translator.
The Universal Translator has been a sci-fi trope for decades and
has been featured in an endless array of futuristic stories (see
page 33 for details). But is such a device even plausible? And
what are the limitations of such technology?
A Universal Translator works by translating a person’s speech
into another language in (almost) real time and then projecting
that translation out of a set of speakers in a second language.
Real time speech translation typically utilizes three tech-
nologies: automatic speech recognition (ASR) – something
iPhone users will be familiar with on account of Siri; machine
JUDGEMENT DAY
COMMUNICATION
30 31
Homo Sapiens Sapiens may be the only
surviving hominid species, but recent
research indicates we weren’t the only
species on this planet to ever develop lan-
guage. The FOXP2 gene, which has been
found to be directly linked with language
and speech, has been discovered in Homo
Neanderthalensis – our much maligned
cousins, commonly called Neanderthals.
The version of the FOXP2 gene discovered
in Neanderthals is close to identical to the
FOXP2 gene in humans (other animals,
including chimpanzees and bats, also have a
version of the FOXP2 gene, although with
certain differing amino acids). As it’s hum-
bling to be reminded that humanity has
only existed for around 0.003% of Earth’s
history, it’s equally humbling to consider
other species that we may have communi-
cated with, and to think that such species
have become extinct even with the blessed
evolutionary gift of language.
of
SILK
Threads
Spanning across terrain, borders, and
cultures, the Silk Road is universally
known for connecting eastern and west-
ern civilizations. Traveling along the Silk
Road, past or present, it is not difficult
to imagine the challenges travelers and
traders must have faced, not the least
being various language barriers.
Research names Sogdian, an Iranian
language that was historically spoken
by the people of Sogdiana (present-day
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), as the lingua
franca of the Silk Roads. Particularly
between the fourth and tenth centuries,
the Sogdians dominated trade along the
Silk Road. Described by the Chinese as
“born merchants,” they played a funda-
mental role in the movement of not only
mercantile goods, but also philosophies,
ideas, and religion.
Recognized for not only their trade-re-
lated talents, Sogdians were also distin-
guished by their multifaceted skills, in-
cluding horse breeding, carpet weaving,
woodcarving, and last – but certainly
not least – language. Gifted linguists
and interpreters, Sogdian scribes were
some of the first to translate Buddhist
texts into Chinese, and during the Tang
Dynasty (AD 618-907) were frequently
recruited as translation officials.
of small hunter-gatherer groups and into
the realm of social interaction as a means of
survival. Farming, social laws, and nearly
all forms of communal living require lan-
guage, which has become concurrently more
complicated as our social groups have grown
and our needs and demands increased. The
Discontinuity Theory is almost the oppo-
site, stating that a single genetic mutation
occurred in a single individual’s brain and
almost instantaneously enabled that individ-
ual to create language, possessed of a mind
that could also comprehend this new form
of communication.
The evolutionary advantage of language is
immediately apparent. In fact, the very name
of our species – Homo Sapiens Sapiens – marks
language as the defining characteristic that dis-
tinguishes us from other beings in our genus,
with “sapiens” referring to our language abil-
ity (specifically our advanced judgment and
tool use, as enabled by language).

19. translation (MT) – familiar technology to anyone who works in
the translation sector; and voice synthesis (also known as text-to-
speech or TTS) – the technology that allows Stephen Hawking
to communicate his brilliance to the world. As you have probably
by now surmised, all of this technology is already available to us
in varying degrees of effectiveness.
One company at the forefront of near real-time speech transla-
tion is SpeechGear. Formed by speech-translation pioneer Robert
Palmquist in 2001, SpeechGear built on Palmquist’s previous
success in releasing the world’s first usable Universal Translation
software in 1997, which translated between English and Spanish.
SpeechGear currently offers translation systems that can convert
conversations between English and more than 35 other languages.
A recent addition to the market is Jibbigo, a downloadable smart-
phone application that translates recorded content into the target
language with the option of utilizing a TTS system, so the target
listener can listen and (hopefully) understand.
While such technology has its limitations, it still has many sig-
nificant real-world applications. The US army has been using
a speech translation system in Iraq to help aid English-Arabic
interaction. Similarly, hospitals and ambulance services in many
multilingual parts of the world have also begun using speech
translation technology. Is this the end of human translators? Will
machines rise up and replace linguists as they replaced manufac-
turers? Is it time for an industry-wide panic? Is it time to unplug
the computer, gather your pitchforks and flaming torches, and
lead a Luddite rebellion against an arrogant, polyglot Skynet?
Maybe not.
Although current speech translation software is useful in emer-
gencies, or for trivialities like tourism or grocery shopping,
Universal Translators haven’t yet reached the stage where they
can be "trusted" to perform precise or artistic translation. In
many industries, mistranslation can have dire consequences
– especially regarding diplomacy or medical science, where
mistranslation can be a matter of life and death. When it
comes to art, a machine translation of poetry or descriptive
prose simply doesn’t work in any useful way. This is for the
obvious reason that a machine isn’t able to comprehend any-
thing that it translates; it merely matches words and phrases to
foreign words and phrases with varying degrees of exactitude.
A machine may not have been able to clean up the Khrushchev
confusion detailed earlier, however clarifying such mistakes
would be perfunctory for a competent Quality Assurance
reviewer looking over a machine’s first translation draft. As
it relates to translation then, it seems highly improbable that
human interaction will ever become obsolete. Until, perhaps,
that fateful day when your trusty translation tool speaks
up through its monotone, dispassionate TTS system
and declares unambiguously, in all human languages:
We will bury you. Then, you should panic.
As with much of the technology
humanity has developed over
the past century, the existence
of the Universal Translator was
prefigured in science fiction.
Here’s a brief rundown of how
universal translators function in
various works of fiction.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO
THE GALAXY
Douglas Adams’ sci-fi classic leap-
frogged previous works, such as Star
Wars and Monty Python – to become
the geekiest of all geeky obsessions.
One of the first alien creatures encoun-
tered by (un)lucky human Arthur Dent is
the babel-fish, a small, yellow leech-like
creature. The babel-fish is inserted into
the ear, where it feeds on brain wave
energy and excretes “telepathically
a matrix formed from the conscious
frequencies and nerve signals picked up
from the speech centers of the brain.”
Or in plain English, it translates any
language automatically.
STAR TREK
During their travels across the galaxy,
Captains Kirk and Picard, along with
the rest of the crew, encounter numer-
ous alien life-forms, all of whom man-
age to speak near-perfect English. This
isn’t the result of some superb interga-
lactic ESL program (although “English
Teachers in Space” is a show that’s
crying out to be made). It is, in fact, a
result of the Universal Translator. The
Universal Translator in Star Trek is small
enough to fit in the palm of your hand
and can even translate languages from
previously undiscovered alien worlds,
indicating that it works by analyzing
speech patterns rather than via a large
internal dictionary.
MASS EFFECT
Universal translation is truly pivotal to
this popular sci-fi opera videogame
trilogy, as it primarily concerns itself
with galactic politics, alien culture,
and standing in elevators waiting for
the game to load. Humanity is still
linguistically divided in the Mass Effect
universe, and many of the encoun-
tered alien cultures have their own
sets of languages as well. Machine
translation is utilized through futuris-
tic PDAs or as a sub-dermal implant.
One interesting species encountered
are the Hanar, who appear as a form
of sentient blancmange and commu-
nicate entirely through bio-lumines-
cence. Conversations with the Hanar
therefore require a machine translation
system, which speaks for them in an
extremely precise and polite fashion
– something that would be sufficiently
annoying if it came from a human,
but can become more disturbing than
irritating as the reality dawns that, as
the player, you’ve just spent an entire
afternoon being virtually patronized by
a glowing, tentacled trifle.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Could a machine ever translate poetry? As any human
translator will proudly tell you, translating artistic writing
involves deep understanding of the source material, so
the real question becomes: Will a machine ever be able to
understand a piece of writing to any degree comprabably
to that of a human? To answer this we need to look at the
world of artificial intelligence (A.I.). There are two different
approaches to A.I., known as the top-down approach and
the bottom-up approach. In the case of translation soft-
ware, the top-down approach would include programming
millions of words, sentences, fragments, and idioms into
the software so it works like an uber-dictionary, contain-
ing not just words but whole sentences. The bottom-up
approach, in this instance at least, would involve program-
ming the software with all the rules it needs to understand
what it's translating. The problem with the bottom-up
approach is found in the difficulty of programming a ma-
chine to understand common sense. A string can pull but
not push. Fathers are older than their sons. Water is wet.
All of these things are axiomatic to humans, but difficult or
impossible to grasp for a machine.
32 33

20. 34 35
Gone are the days of predetermined
responses and the customer is always right!
slogans. Nowadays, customer service is far
less systematic and far more reliant on the
personalized interactions between employ-
ees and customers. Additionally, with the
proliferation of social media, the smallest,
most insignificant nugget of online informa-
tion can achieve an effortlessly wide reach.
Hence, the current situation, where whole
nations of people can be swayed by a random
dilettante’s viral video or retweeted message.
Through social networking and other media
channels, one customer’s positive or negative
experience has the potential to influence the
consumer habits of people both near and far.
Just as the global business landscape con-
tinuously evolves, so too must the way we
interact with our clients. It is no longer
appropriate to place customer service into a
“one size fits all” mold; as customer service
practices differ from company to company,
so too should they fluctuate in response
The Art of
Customer Service
to different customers and situations.
However, there are some basic guiding
principles that client-facing staff members
should always consider when interacting
with customers in any given situation.
Create a customer-centric
experience
Instead of thinking of customer service as
a service, think of it as the experience a cus-
tomer will walk away from and share with
others. With that in mind, also recognize
that the most powerful experiences are
those that trigger an emotional response.
The value of a positive end-to-end experi-
ence cannot be overstated: a March 2012
Accenture report titled How to make your
company think like a customer cited research
showing that failure to provide high-qual-
ity customer experiences could diminish a
company’s clientele by as much as 50% over
a five-year interval.
Relate to a bad customer service
experience – then do the opposite
So how do you trigger a positive emotional
response? Everyone acknowledges what bad
customer service entails: lack of respect, lack
of patience, lack of interest, lack of knowl-
edge, lack of resources. On top of that, we’ve
all had our own personal experiences with
bad customer service. For all intents and
purposes, this is exactly where to begin discov-
ering what customer service should be: recall
a bad customer service experience, determine
why it was bad, and make sure to remedy
the situation the next time it arises. Work
efficiently yet patiently so as to respect your
client’s time, offer your undivided attention
so as to be a more engaged communicator,
and make sure you are knowledgeable and
well-informed from the beginning so as to be
an asset to your customer. All these roads lead
to a greater customer experience.
Don’t underestimate
the power of a solution
The most telling situations are the ones that
deliver bad news, and these are the exact
moments when customer service is most
scrutinized. If a problem has occurred, be
forthright about it – candor is appreciated.
And, as difficult as it is to admit mistakes,
get used to it – not because your company
isn’t living up to its standard, but because
mistakes are bound to happen anywhere
and everywhere. Delivering bad news is
not the end of your client’s loyalty; in fact,
it is the perfect opportunity to reinforce
that loyalty. By actually solving the prob-
lem (with a friendly and patient attitude to
boot), you will be perceived more highly
by your customers and will have turned a
seemingly negative situation into a spar-
kling positive. It’s a win-win, baby!
COMMUNICATION

21. 36 37
refine
your
image
advertise
boldlyb e g r e a t a t
being global
CreativeS T U D I O
New Market New Language New Image
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MULTIMEDIA
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audio & video
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GLOBAL
BRANDING
corporate identity
visual identity
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positioning
speeches
presentations
GLOBAL LANGUAGE
LOCAL FLAVOR
translation
transcreation
re-creation
cultural consulting
CREATIVE
MULTIMEDIA
advertising
movies
copywriting
screenwriting
production
audio & video
e-Learning
GLOBAL
BRANDING
corporate identity
visual identity
messaging
positioning
speeches
presentations
GLOBAL LANGUAGE
LOCAL FLAVOR
translation
transcreation
re-creation
cultural consulting

22. !
Chinese chengyus ( ), or proverbial idioms
usually composed of four characters, are integral
to Chinese language and culture.
Etymologically, cheng ( ) means “to become”
and yu ( ) describes language. That said,
chengyu can be literally understood as “becom-
ing part of a language.” Generally derived from
classical literature, these four-character phrases
are intimately connected to China’s historical
stories, myths, and fables. They often contain
multiple layers of meaning and reflect the mor-
als behind the stories rather than simply the
stories themselves.
Translated literally, this chengyu means “dif-
ferent in approaches but equally satisfactory in
results,” or “different paths can take one to the
same goal.”
This specific chengyu originated from an
essay by Han Yu, one of the greatest liter-
ary masters during the Tang Dynasty (circa
AD 600). In this essay, Han Yu discussed
two of the most renowned ancient poets:
Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong. These two
poets were both from the Western Han
Dynasty period (around 200 BC), but they
ABOUT THE HÉ-MAN
The story of Jesse He (rhymes with
“the”, as opposed to “hee”) begins
in Nanjing, a city in China’s Jiangsu
Province. Since he was young, Jesse
has been strongly interested in both
Eastern and Western philosophy,
which in turn inspired him to travel
the world and immerse himself in
the cultures he had previously only
read about in books.
Currently living in Boston, Jesse has
also lived in both North Carolina
and New York, where he taught
Mandarin. In China, Jesse has lived
in Guangzhou, where he perfected
his Cantonese, as well as Beijing
and Nanjing. At CSOFT, Jesse has
played an instrumental role in shap-
ing the company’s philosophy of
dedicated customer service. In his
spare time, Jesse enjoys reading,
spending time with his family, and
regaling his colleagues with tales of
Chinese history and explanations of
esoteric idioms.
composed with wildly differing styles (the
former flamboyant and lavish, the latter
direct and critical). Despite conflicting and
opposing styles, the two poets were equally
successful and their poems were both
widely popular.
While there does not appear to be an
English idiomatic equivalent, this Chinese
chengyu does, however, hold connotations
of “coincidence and harmony of oppo-
sites” found in the philosophical thought
of Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic Greek philoso-
pher. A good example is expressed in this
aphorism of his: “The road up and the road
down is [sic] one and the same.” Its mean-
ing could also be traced back to the Roman
Empire, with the popular modern saying
“all roads lead to Rome.” From here we see
that the ancient wisdom of the Greeks, the
Romans, and the Chinese is yiqutonggong:
they are like three musical instruments,
unique and different to one another, yet
equally melodic and appealing.
Applied to today’s increasingly globalized
world, yiqutonggong is still just as relevant
as it was centuries ago. As opportunities
to gain exposure to new cultures, ideolo-
gies, and methodologies become ever more
prevalent, this chengyu reinforces the idea
that there is more than one way to reach
a given goal. Other methods may be less
familiar, but that doesn’t make them any
Hé-man: Master of the Chengyuniverse
less effective. Whether applied to business
or general life, this chengyu provides a novel
perspective with regard to viewing, embrac-
ing, and valuing differences.
COMMUNICATION
Paging
Dr. Johnson
The English language has more words in it
than any other, but there are still hundreds of
words – hidden away in foreign languages
where native speakers are unlikely to find them
– which don’t have a counterpart in English.
Here’s a selection of some of our favorites.
Shemomedjamo
(Georgian)
To eat past the point of being sated
just because the food is so good.
Hikikomori
(Japanese)
A young person who has with-
drawn from public life and spends
all their time watching TV, surfing
the net, or playing games. In most
places, we would call such a person
a “teenager.”
Pilkunnussija
(Finnish)
A person who believes it’s
their duty to correct all
grammatical mistakes at
the cost of popularity,
self-esteem and mental
wellbeing. (A particularly
useful word when consid-
ering the pedants who put
this magazine together.)
Zhaghzhagh
(Persian)
Say this word out loud
and you can probably
guess the meaning: the
chattering of teeth from
the cold or rage.
Yuputka
(Ulwa, Nicaragua & Honduras)
A word to describe the feeling of
walking in the woods at night, the
spectral sensation of something
crawling over your skin.
Kummerspeck
(German)
Excess weight gained from
emotional overeating. The
literal, and quite delightfully
fitting, translation is grief bacon.
Pelinti
(Buli, Ghana)
Specifically, “pelinti” means “to move
hot food around in your mouth.”
What it refers to is the practice of
opening your mouth when it’s full of
hot food to try and cool it down.
Cafune
(Brazilian Portuguese)
To tenderly run your fingers
through your lover’s hair.
Tartle
(Scottish Gaelic)
The word for that
panicked feeling just
before you have to
introduce someone
whose name you
have forgotten.
Pana Po'o
(Hawaiian)
To scratch your head in order to help
you remember something you might
have forgotten – which from now on,
will probably be the word pana po’o.
38 39

23. On family heritage: I had never
been to Korea before, but
my family is from there, so I
wanted to go see what it was
like. For me, it was supposed to be a
foreign country, but the second I landed, I
felt like I had been there before. I was able to
read and understand the signs and the language.
It was like flying into a neighboring city in China. I
didn’t feel like I was in another country at all.
On home: Even though I wasn’t born in Beijing,
I would consider Beijing my home now. After
receiving my master’s degree abroad, I was
eligible for a Beijing hukou*. Not only does
that make it more convenient to live here, but it
also gives me more of a sense that Beijing is my
home, that I belong here.
I
t was the ancient Greeks who can be
attributed with first putting the con-
cept of global citizenship to words.
From them, we have the word “cosmopoli-
tan,” which in its most literal sense, means
“a person who is free from local, provincial,
or national bias or attachment; citizen of the
world.” While few of us could claim to be
completely without bias, the forces of glo-
balization have expanded our views beyond
national borders and allowed us to see the
“bigger picture.” So the concept of being a
global citizen is nothing new, and neither is
globalization for that matter. But what of
these forces?
Arguably, the single greatest influence on
modern day globalization would have to be
technology. Where trade was largely respon-
sible for cross-border travel and interaction
in the past, technology has ultimately made
the world a much smaller place, providing
access to far reaches of the globe in a mat-
ter of hours, rather than days, weeks, and
months. Beyond physical travel, technology
has allowed for the transmission of infor-
mation, whether text, audio, or video, to
just about anywhere with an internet con-
nection, including outer space! Technology
has made it possible for us to interact with
people of different nationalities without
ever setting foot in their country or even
meeting them face-to-face. Where lan-
guage might have once been a barrier to
such interaction, it is no longer, thanks to
technological advances in translation tools
and services.
Based on all of these technological break-
throughs and advancements, one would
think that we now live in a borderless,
barrier-less world. However, certain limi-
tations continue to hold up the forces of
globalization and inhibit cross-border travel
and interaction. Rising fuel costs have made
world travel a less achievable reality, while
Internet censorship has prevented citizens of
some countries from communicating with
their peers in others. Political climates have
influenced visa issuing policies, often mak-
ing it difficult or impossible for foreigners
to reside in or even visit certain countries.
These are just a few examples of the factors
working against global citizenship, but it
bears consideration that just because we can
travel anywhere and interact with anyone, it
doesn’t necessarily mean we will.
Regardless of technological advances or
travel limitations, it is undeniable that
those who do have the inclination and good
fortune to travel, live abroad, or engage
in cross-cultural interactions often have
incredible stories to tell. The following are
thoughts from some of CSOFT’s multilin-
gual and multicultural travelers.
Global
Citizens
On travel: One reason I am motivated to travel is
from my experience working with a refugee fam-
ily. The mother of the family became a role model
to me. She once said “a courageous woman is
not afraid of fire,” as she tested the heat of the
stove with her hand. What she meant by this was
that you should try different things and experi-
ence them for yourself before you make any
judgments. I have tried to apply that philosophy
to my life in general but especially to my travels,
as I attempt to go to places a little more off the
beaten path.
On next destination: The next place I plan to
travel to is Dakar in Senegal. There I will be doing a
weeklong workshop on Chinese business relation-
ships with African companies, where I will present
part of the research I completed on this topic while
in Tanzania a few years ago. I’m hoping to get my
work published, as it has played a big role in my
studies, travels, and my life.
On background: I come from an island
with only 40,000 people, where I grew
up in a pretty small village. In my village,
you either lived up or down: with just one
big street, you either said “I’m going up” or
“I’m going down.” It’s a really small world. I don’t
really know how I went from there to Beijing, with
millions of people, but I like it. I like the freedom
and the sense that anything can happen.
On local experience: When I first moved to Chi-
na, there was a Chinese guy who always used to
ask me “Have you eaten?” And I would respond
“No, I haven’t,” expecting him to ask me out to
dinner. But then he wouldn’t invite me out. Later, I
realized it was just his way of asking how I was!
Birthplace: Karmoy, an island on the
west coast of Norway
Nationality: Norwegian
Travel Path: Norway»Spain»Denmark»
USA»Mexico»Romania»Bulgaria»China»
Japan»Norway»China
Birthplace: Harbin, China
Nationality: USA
Travel Path: China»USA»France»
USA»Switzerland»USA»Sweden»
Tanzania»USA»China
Tanny Men
On family influence: I was lucky
because my family liked to
travel. My brother, sister, and I
began traveling when we were
very young. I was also brought
up to not feel too nationalistic;
to visit other countries and view
them objectively. I like to see
what’s in a place and look for
similarities and differences. I
have my parents to thank for this.
On China: My previous work in produc-
tion required a special energy, and it took
me all around the world. China is a place
where I can feel that kind of energy; natu-
rally, I feel attracted to China, and Beijing
is where I want to be. I first came to China
in 2005, and I remember thinking, “This is a
good place to be!” Now I think this is a good
place to come back to.
Birthplace: Tartanto, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Travel Path: Italy»France»Germany»Spain»
England»USA»China»Canada»China
Gianluigi Perrone
Irene Nan
Birthplace: Harbin, China
Nationality: Chinese,
Korean heritage
Travel Path: China»
Ireland»China»Korea»
Japan»China
Iris Loenning
Justin Wang
*An official household registration that identifies a person
or family as residing in a specific area, the hukou is de-
signed to monitor the movement of the Chinese popula-
tion. Chinese citizens can be issued a new hukou under
special circumstances, one of which is receiving a post-
graduate degree abroad and then returning to China to
live and work.
On next destination: I had meant to
travel to Italy on my trip to Spain, but
ran out of time because I couldn’t
bear to leave Spain – it was just so
much fun! I’ve heard wonderful things
about Italy from friends who have visited. I
want to go there next because Venice will
supposedly be underwater soon. I would
also like to visit Milan while in Italy to ex-
perience such a fashion-conscious city.
On home: I’m able to feel at home wher-
ever I am. Home isn’t so much a place for
me – it’s the people. Beijing is where I’m
from and it’s where my parents live, but
that’s not what makes it my home. My
friends, my job, whatever comprises my
life at that time – that’s what makes a
place my home.
Birthplace: Beijing, China
Nationality: Chinese
Travel Path: China»Hong Kong»Japan»
US»China»US»Spain»China
HQ EXCLUSIVE
40 41

24. Some nicknames are good, some bad,
and others are so utterly inane that
they somehow take on a life of their
own and start demanding to write
articles. Here, Ross Goulding battles
his cynical alter-ego, G-Money, as
they bicker over Beijing’s highlights.
NING
Ross Goulding: Beijing has a very
strong nightlife scene. From luxuri-
ous, high-end cocktail lounges to
squalid, student hangouts, whether
you’re a pub lover or sports bar
enthusiast, there’s somewhere for you
to drink. Like most things in China,
the Beijing clubbing scene is rapidly
developing. Two venues now vie for
dominance in the expat market. Haze
is run by westerners and looks like
the kind of place you might find in
Berlin or London. Lantern, a Chinese-
run establishment, does a decent job
of aping the western dance scene.
Both places host a variety of different
musical styles and the odd interna-
tional DJ. Be sure to check magazines
with local listings for details of what’s
on when you’re next in the city.
G-Money: You’ve been to all the
major global cities. You’ve been to
Irish pubs, martini bars, and wine
lodges the world over, and they
all appear to be exactly the same.
Prepare for something unique.
Chinese clubs generally appear as if
the phlegmatic gods of neon-kitsch
have turned up and liberally sprayed
every surface with as many glowing
spit balls as possible. The restrained,
minimalist approach preferred by
more musically respectable establish-
ments has been jettisoned in favor of
being as subtle as a ginger toupee.
Generally, in these clubs, you arrive
with your predetermined group of
friends, sit at your own table playing
dice, and only move from this posi-
tion if you’re on fire. A trip to one of
these clubs is not a good option if
you’re looking to meet new people;
however, as a unique glimpse into an
unreported slice of foreign culture,
it’s unmissable.
Coco Banana 8 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang District,
8599 9999
Latte Worker’s Stadium North Gate Chaoyang
District, 6551-8881
Mix Worker’s Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang
District, 6506 9888
Haze A101 Guanghua Lu SOHO, 22 Guanghua
Lu, Chaoyang District, 5900 6128
Lantern 100m north of Gongti West Gate,
Chaoyang District, 135 0134 8785
DINING
Ross Goulding: While Beijing
now has a veritable firmament of
Michelin stars, to get to the real
heart of the city you need to try the
delectable street food on offer. The
most common street food is yang
rou chuan’r (pronounced: yang row
ch-wah), a spicy, cumin lamb shish
kebab. Chuan’r is often eaten with
a bottle of beer on a street corner
and typically costs no more than 2
RMB per mini-kebab. Ten chuan’r is
a perfect post-pub snack, although
it’s not uncommon to challenge
your friends to a chuan’r eating con-
test and devour fifty of the things.
Chuan’r can be found in literally
hundreds of street side locations
across the city – look for the long,
rectangular BBQ pit and the Chinese
symbol [ ] lit up outside.
G-Money: Yang rou chuan’r is a fine
food for little girls like Ross, however,
Wining, Dining
and Reclining
with Ross Goulding
&
G-Money
Dying
(
whi
HQ EXCLUSIVE
LOCAL FLAVOR
Originally from Arizona, USA, Ruben
Payan first arrived in Beijing close to
seven years ago. He started Human in
Motion Fitness Studios (a leading edu-
cator on functional training in Beijing
that is also affiliated with the US-based
Institute of Human Performance), where
he trains Chinese coaches on muscle and
movement systems while also providing
personal training sessions. Ruben has
been part of the extended CSOFT fam-
ily for a few years now, “Rubenizing”
CSOFTers with high-energy, stimulat-
ing workout sessions. As every CSOFT
member knows, you’re not officially a
CSOFTer until you’ve been Rubenized!
Exercise,
Globalize,
Rubenize!
FOCUS
What brought you to China in the first place?
Well, it’s really an interesting story, but I’ll do
my best to give you the edited version. My life
was at a crossroads. My hair was turning grey
at 27, and I realized I needed a drastic change
in my life. I had just finished a three year
Life Coaching program in the US and was
inspired to play big! I picked China out of the
blue. I really don’t know why: I didn’t know
anyone here, I didn’t speak the language, and
I didn’t know what the heck I was going to
do when I arrived! I just felt this connection
to China and trusted my intuition.
When I told my mother I was coming to
China, she laughed. She told me that when
I was between three and four years old, I
looked out the window of the car while she
was driving and pointed to the stars and
said, “China!” Destiny? I believe so. Smiles.
What are some of the challenges you’ve
faced living here?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced – and one that
many other foreigners are confronted with –
is that I initially thought that business was
conducted the same way here as back home.
Here in China, as it turns out, non-native
business owners must learn a whole new set of
rules. Learning the true value of relationships
is, in my opinion, the most important lesson.
It is these long-lasting relationships that allow
us to grow our businesses while supporting
others doing the same. As a foreigner, aspiring
to be successful in China requires you to put
your ego aside. Be a sponge and share your
talents at the same time.
Why did you decide to open your own per-
sonal training business?
Fitness is my passion! I am blessed to
be part of an industry that continues to
grow each year. Being able to bring western
training to people in China is a dream come
true. I am loving it!
Can you share some interesting observations
about being a personal trainer here in China?
I would say one of the most interesting
things I appreciate about Chinese coaches
is their willingness to learn. The power to
say “I don’t know” is inspiring. I believe we
would all benefit from possessing this type
of humbleness. It would allow us to never
become complacent, to always search for
ways to be better at what we love to do.
What is it about China that appeals to you
and keeps you here?
This is my home! I am living out my
American Dream in China. I know it sounds
strange, but it’s true. I get to live out my
dream, and at the same time, I am honored
to be able to give back to an industry that
I love. I am committed to staying here in
China until that feeling of home goes away
– if it ever goes away!
HQ EXCLUSIVE
42 43