Staged in bars and clubs in Lan Kwai Fong, the city’s famous nightlife hub, Hong Kong’s premier music festival brings together a dynamic lineup of 40 international and local bands over two nights of free live performances.

Music Matters LIVE with H&M presents stellar bands from Canada, Australia, USA, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, India, the Philippines and Mongolia, together with some of Hong Kong’s best and most loved home-grown talent.

Remember, no tickets needed. First come, first in the door! 

About Music Matters

26-28 May 2010 at Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong

http://www.musicmatters.asia/portal.php

Music Matters provides a one-stop access point to anyone interested in the Asia Pacific entertainment business. Held annually in Hong Kong, Music Matters is Asia’s first and only regional music business conference and was created to encourage positivity, innovation, collaboration and transparency within the music industry. In five years it has evolved into an indispensable platform for accelerating the success and profitability of music in the Asia Pacific region. Attended by over 300 companies every year in Hong Kong, the forum features artist workshops, mentor sessions, live showcases and networking events. Music Matters attracts a wealth of entertainment industry leaders, and with over 70 speakers confirmed and multi-Grammy winner Jason Mraz closing the show, this year will be no exception.

Going to another country for the first time, whether for business or pleasure, can be a daunting experience – especially if you are going on a long-term basis, and have to relocate with your family in order to make that new country your second home. For most foreign people, China is probably not an easy place to adapt to because of cultural differences, language barriers and just the fact that it’s so far away from Europe and the Americas that people automatically fear the remoteness and isolation. For one British expatriate, the China experience has been nothing short of an adventurous journey. Navjot Singh, a Briton from London, initially went to China in the early part of 2002 for a short one-week holiday. Here he describes his experience from then onwards.

For me it was meant to be just a short holiday. I knew nothing about the culture (apart from what you hear and see in the news) and there was no real interest in China for me. It never really occurred to me that I would be coming back to China on a long-term basis until I was exposed to the country’s fast-paced economic growth and immense beauty.

Upon graduating from Loughborough University in 2004 with a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Electronic and Software Engineering, instead of applying for a graduating job in the UK, I decided to take a chance by relocating to mainland China, initially to teach English at the Guangdong University of Technology, in the southern city of Guangzhou.

Teaching English at the university allowed me to get acquainted with the local culture and customs because I knew that once I was in my corporate job, I would not have as much spare time to travel around as I did when I was a teacher. It goes without saying that during the first few weeks one is just a tourist going around taking pictures of everything they see or meet. However, from the first day that I entered China, I decided that I was going to have the mindset of a tourist for the whole of my time in the country and enjoy every moment. It stems from the fact that I always have the thought in the back of my mind that I may never get a second chance to see or try anything, so even once in my corporate job I treated every day as if it was my last day in China.

As I’ve said elsewhere on this site, for me personally China has become a lifelong affection. China will surprise you more than you would have imagined. To reject the stereotypes: yes, it’s very safe to live in; the country boasts great cuisine from all corners of the world and not just China; and the people are the friendliest that you will ever meet.

After the completion of my stint as an English teacher, I started my corporate job with Philips in Shenzhen in 2004. Apart from the colleagues from Philips offices around the world who came on occasional short-term business trips, I was the first non-Chinese expatriate staff member that Philips had in Shenzhen. It was rather strange trying to fix or test a Philips DVD player for clients, because my colleagues could speak good enough business English. However, with almost all of the technical manuals being written in Mandarin, the challenges soon became apparent to me.

Back in the 1980s great emphasis was laid on the need for people to learn Russian or Japanese because of the economic climate and impact that these powerhouses had on the world’s growth. No-one in those days forecast that come the 21st century, we would all face the need to learn Chinese or, to a lesser extent, Hindi (India’s national language). Now almost every corporation is giving their staff members the opportunity to learn Mandarin. I jumped at the first chance that Philips gave me to commence my Putonghua lessons – before that, I didn’t even know how to say “Nihao”.

It was during my time at Philips that I got headhunted through a networking opportunity by one of the senior managers at Huawei Technologies, China’s multi-billion dollar telecoms multinational. Huawei provided me with the chance to participate in some truly global projects and gave me an insight into becoming an International Account Manager, a move away from the technical side into a commercial role. Huawei’s HQ in Bantian, Shenzhen is an extraordinary site that could be described as the Milton Keynes of China. The only differences are that you don’t see so many roundabouts and the weather can be ridiculously hot and humid in the summer. It was just a sheer privilege to be witnessing this corporate powerhouse every day, and most importantly being part of it.

One thing I did realise from my time working and living in China is that no matter how good you may be at mastering the language, the most important challenge which many foreigners may not be able to overcome is one of the culture, irrespective of whether it’s in the office environment or in personal life.

It continues to amaze me that in my five years in China, I have been fortunate (and unfortunate!) enough to be in so many more different scenarios, both good and bad, that I have been in during my whole life in all the other 24 countries that I have been to. In China, every day there is something good and new happening, maybe a new building is erected or another trade deal may have been signed with a foreign country; and almost every day the skyline changes in the big cities such as Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou.

In London we have one Canary Wharf, but in one Chinese city such as Shenzhen, there are at least ten buildings of a similar size, if not bigger. It’s this sheer scale and pace of expansion which attracts me most about China. It’s a truly magical and remarkable country to live and work in.

Buy Navjot Singh’s books!

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China
Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 292 pages
2008, First Books
ISBN-10: 0912301902
ISBN-13: 978-0912301907

Gorilla Guides: The Business Traveller’s Handbook to China

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 332 pages
2009, Gorilla Guides
ISBN-10: 1903185076
ISBN-13: 978-1903185070

If you are a newcomer to China, then most likely you will be sightseeing and taking photos of everything and anything you see: stallholders proudly posing (be careful as they may charge you for taking the photo!), stallholders sleeping in the afternoon sun, shops, buildings, people, even strange-looking food, and all because it will seem different from what you are used to seeing back home.

In terms of food and household goods you can buy almost anything, including at many foreign superstores such as Walmart, Jusco, Carrefour, IKEA and B&Q. For all the time that I have lived in China, I am proud to say that I have never (not even once!) felt physically sick or had any type of food poisoning. In actual fact, I was advised by my GP in the UK before I left for China to stick to fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, and not to drink water directly from the taps. It’s all up to personal choice, and also different people react differently to foreign food. I mean I have eaten street food (such as Chinese style sausages, hot sweet potatoes or boiled eggs), without any problems and I loved it, but then I would not dare not touch some “hard core” street meat such as chicken feet or scorpions etc. (enough said!), however someone else may have no problems with that as well! So it really depends on individual choice.

For those of you who are used to eating “Western style” Chinese food in Europe and North America, it would be fair to say that you are missing something special, because Chinese food tastes better here and is made the best in China. For those of you who are homesick, you can get scrumptious Western food just about anywhere in the big cities, some even authentic. There are a large number of foreign fast food chains available, such as McDonald’s (over 800 outlets countrywide), KFC (over 1300 outlets countrywide), Pizza Hut (over 200 outlets countrywide) and others in small numbers (Taco Bell, Papa John’s Pizza, etc).

For someone who has been living in a environment full of fast food chains, I would doubt that this kind of food would be what they would want to eat in China!, but you know you would be amazed that when you are homesick after a few weeks (in most cases people are), your stomach will start craving even the simplest of home foods, and then you may end up going to either Hong Kong or Macau!

China has many beautiful public parks (which you have to pay for, usually about 2-3RMB per person), and you will find people doing exercise in the early morning and evenings. Elderly people can be seen in large groups practising slow “samurai” style movements with a Chinese fan, carefully orchestrated by the sound of instrumental Chinese music in the background. It brings a delightful air of cheerfulness to the observer. During the holidays all the parks, places of interest and other attractions are crowded and busy, but it’s not people pushing or shoving each other – it’s as if you are in a huge fun-fair gathering.

I guess it’s these kinds of minor but important things that make China a truly magical place, and you only realise how much you are missing it all when you are back home thousands of miles away!
Part One: Overview
Part Two: An emerging giant

Books by the author

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China: Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen (First Books, USA, Summer 2008)

China: Business Travellers Handbook (Stacey International, UK, October 2008)

Buy Navjot Singh’s books!

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China

Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 292 pages
2008, First Books
ISBN-10: 0912301902
ISBN-13: 978-0912301907

Gorilla Guides: The Business Traveller’s Handbook to China

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 332 pages
2009, Gorilla Guides
ISBN-10: 1903185076
ISBN-13: 978-1903185070

A country of approximately 1.3 billion people is not easy to manage by any means, and the senior management of China (i.e. the government) is doing a great job, and has done so in the past twenty-eight or so years since the reforms were embarked upon. If someone went to China three decades ago, they would have seen more or less everyone wearing the same navy blue Mao suit and cap, along with lots of bicycles on the roads, little or no international media converge, low salaries, not many options for food in shops, and not many foreign businesses or shops (except tourists!).

Remarkably it’s a totally different story today as you can buy almost anything that you would be able to get back in Western societies such as America or Europe. Chairman Mao would have been shocked, but equally proud if he saw the China that we have the privilege to see today. Bicycles and Mao suits are yesterday’s products, seen only in museums, universities or rural areas!

Instead, over 1,300 Boeing or Airbus planes proudly grace the Chinese skies; there are so many cars on the streets that traffic jams are becoming the norm in most cities and most middle-class youngsters are donning the latest designer wear (FCUK, Gucci, Armani etc.)! In a nutshell, China is the place to be for the future. Someone told me once that there are more millionaires in China than anywhere else in the world (maybe except Russia), and I suspect he was referring to millionaires in Chinese RMB, but even then that’s a lot of money. Judging from what can be seen and read in the larger cities, his statement is believable.

I have a special affection for Guangzhou and Beijing; both these cities have something in common: a dusty and polluted atmosphere which is hard to escape from, thanks to the factories in the respective areas (although this will no doubt change a little during the Olympics!), and both of them are very romantic places to be in, and even more beautiful in reality! Beijing is just the most amazing place on earth, and it’s even more amazing that a city which is so attached to history and culture is able to hold something as grand, modern and extravagant as the Olympic Games. When you first go to Guangzhou, the humidity will hit you along with the smog that’s lurking for the majority of the year. Indeed the heavy traffic can swallow you up quite easily, swirling around the roads in robotic action!

Fear not, as not many vehicles tend to collide, although it’s hard to believe that every vehicle can end up missing each other. Being in a country with the largest population in the world, there is no escape from traffic. In the big cities, the roads are at least four lanes each way, but they are equally likely to be congested almost all day, and it’s worse during the peak hours. But the thing that attracts me to Beijing and Guangzhou more than anything is that when you are there, it does feel like the real China – unlike the futuristic modern cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, the former two cities seem to have a good balance of history and modernism in step with each other.
Part One: Overview
Part Three: Feast for the eyes… and the stomach!

Books by the author

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China: Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen (First Books, USA, Summer 2008)

China: Business Travellers Handbook (Stacey International, UK, October 2008)

Buy Navjot Singh’s books!

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China

Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 292 pages
2008, First Books
ISBN-10: 0912301902
ISBN-13: 978-0912301907

Gorilla Guides: The Business Traveller’s Handbook to China

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 332 pages
2009, Gorilla Guides
ISBN-10: 1903185076
ISBN-13: 978-1903185070

Introduction

Once you arrive in China, you can either hate it or love it, and for me personally it has become a lifelong affection. People always ask me the obvious question, “What’s it really like living in China?” – and it’s quite fun to listen to the stereotypes that many people have in their minds. Communism? Is it safe to live there? What’s the food like? What do people wear? Can you get by with not speaking Chinese? It may sound weird, but with these kinds of questions, people get so worried that they make China sound like some kind of remote place! It’s not like that at all.

In actual fact, China will surprise you more than you would have imagined. To reject the stereotypes: yes, it’s very safe to live in; the country boasts great cuisine from all corners of the world and not just China; the people are the friendliest that you will ever meet and in most places these days you can get by without knowing Chinese – it goes without saying that this may be a slight problem in the less touristy places.

Ever since Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympics, the country has been attracting heightened worldwide attention, and also inward investment from foreign enterprises. No doubt this will continue well after the Games are over. The Olympic Games are just the start of an array of events that will follow suit in the coming years, such as the Shanghai 2010 Expo, the Asian Games in 2010 (Guangzhou) and the Universiade (Shenzhen 2011).

Apart from the tourists, foreign businesses and educational establishments are flocking to China in large numbers in order to capture the best location, best price, and biggest numbers of consumers. It’s a beehive for all kinds of industries, especially more for the finance, shipping, IT and language learning (especially English) industries. But don’t fall into any traps by thinking that if you go to China then you or your business will suddenly be laden with a million dollars overnight, because that’s an illusion which most new foreign companies can easily fall prey to.

Setting aside the business talk, I will give a few examples of what to expect in the land of the dragon!

Part Two: An emerging giant
Part Three: Feast for the eyes… and the stomach!

Books by the author

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China: Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen (First Books, USA, Summer 2008)

China: Business Travellers Handbook (Stacey International, UK, October 2008)

Buy Navjot Singh’s books!

Newcomer’s Handbook Country Guide: China

Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 292 pages
2008, First Books
ISBN-10: 0912301902
ISBN-13: 978-0912301907

Gorilla Guides: The Business Traveller’s Handbook to China

Navjot Singh
Paperback, 332 pages
2009, Gorilla Guides
ISBN-10: 1903185076
ISBN-13: 978-1903185070