They are Chinese citizens who have gone abroad after the reform and opening up, and are active in the economic arena on five continents. Some of them are international students with high intellectual background, and some are entrepreneurs who have moved to foreign countries with dreams. They are called overseas "new Chinese businessmen".

According to the "2008 World Chinese Business Development Report" released by China News Service in early February, among the current 48 million overseas Chinese overseas, there are about 6 million new overseas Chinese. Their involvement is no longer limited to handicrafts and service industries, but extends to import and export, real estate, high-tech and other fields. When the financial crisis swept across the world, it also brought new challenges to overseas Chinese businessmen.

A Beijing Youth Daily reporter interviewed three "new Chinese businessmen" from Western Europe, North America and East Africa. They told their entrepreneurial stories and strategies to deal with the crisis.

Shen Jianyue, President of Vancouver Fuel Cell Company. Born in the 1960s, from Shanghai, he started his own business after obtaining a doctorate in Canada. The company produces high-end portable battery products, mainly supplied to North America.

Shen Jianyue: High-tech entrepreneur returned to China to avoid the "cold winter"

He has a doctorate in chemical engineering, applied for a number of invention patents, and created his own fuel cell company, these have made Shen Jianyue a model of high-tech entrepreneurship in the eyes of many people. When this green energy device opened up the market in North America, Shen Jianyue established R&D institutions and production plants in Shanghai, Wuxi and other places. However, the financial crisis has increased the financing pressure on small and medium-sized high-tech industries. Shen Jianyue admitted that the company is "not making money" now: "But if I hadn't shifted the focus of my business to China, I would have been overwhelmed by this crisis."

Shen Jianyue is among the first batch of college students to pass the college entrance examination after the resumption of college entrance examination. In 1984, Shen Jianyue went to Canada to study and obtained a doctorate in chemical engineering from Laval University in Quebec four years later. After working at the National Institute of Chemical Materials in Japan, he returned to Canada. In the early 1990s, he worked as an associate researcher at a well-known university, but later resolutely resigned. A few years later, he established his own fuel cell company, which was listed on the Canadian stock market in 2002. Fuel cells use the energy released when substances undergo chemical reactions to convert into electrical energy, with little impact on the environment. "I realized at that time that this field would have great development in the future, and it would be beneficial to environmental protection, which is very meaningful."

Shen Jianyue said that the products initially developed by the company were mainly high-end power products, such as Power supplies for luxury yachts and portable power supplies required by military industrial enterprises. However, after the company's development encountered a "bottleneck" in 2006, he gradually realized the advantages of Asia, especially the Chinese market. In China, production costs are low and the market is large. It can not only promote more "civilian" fuel cell bicycles, but also launch backup power supplies for luxury homes for high-income groups. "At that time, many people on the company's board of directors did not understand the advantages of China's development, which caused a lot of friction. I could only buy back the listed company and turn it into a privately held company, so that it would be easier to adjust the strategy."

After the outbreak of the financial crisis , Shen Jianyue was very happy for his original decision. "Privately held companies are more flexible and can easily cut costs. They also reduce a lot of expenses in maintaining listed companies, reducing our financial pressure in the face of the crisis. In addition, we have gradually shifted our focus to China, which has paid more and more attention to new energy in recent years. When President Hu *** visited Canada in 2005, he also visited a company engaged in fuel cell technology research and development, which provided us with good opportunities to promote our products. ”

But with many high-end companies. Like technology companies, Shen Jianyue's company also faces problems such as heavy investment in scientific research, long product development cycles and financing difficulties. "Some software companies may start making profits in just two or three years, but the fuel cell industry is still in its infancy. We have been researching and developing it for more than ten years. Now we can only say that we are responsible for our own profits and losses, and we can't even talk about making money. We are now We can only ensure investment as much as possible, and we will feel more at ease after realizing industrialization."

Guo Dong

owns coffee, textile and trading companies in Uganda. Born in Qinghai in the 1960s, he went to Uganda to develop in the early 1990s and has opened two African coffee shops in Beijing.

Guo Dong: Although there is a crisis, business opportunities also exist

Guo Dong, who studied traditional Chinese painting, has been working in Uganda for more than 10 years. Now he owns a large textile factory and has a stake in a mining company. But what fascinates him most is coffee. In Beijing, he opened a unique African coffee house and provided African coffee beans to many star hotels. "Affected by the financial crisis, the economy may be at a trough now, but we can just use this period to cultivate coffee culture."

After arriving in Uganda, Guo Dong tried many industries. He has run high-end Chinese restaurants, run a bakery, traded Chinese goods, and acquired the largest textile factory in Uganda in the 1970s, but he can never forget the aroma he smelled in a coffee shop in 1994. "Not long after the war ended in Uganda, the economy began to recover. It was a coffee house with a front shop and a factory behind it, where you could taste coffee roasted on site. I was attracted by the aroma and went there almost every day for a while. Only later did I I know that coffee actually originated from Africa. In areas rich in coffee, if any girl doesn’t know how to make coffee, she won’t be able to find her husband.”

Guo Dong, who is obsessed with coffee, dreams of one day. China opened its own coffeehouse, but didn’t take action until 10 years later. "Coffee itself is a culture. To introduce it to China, we cannot rush for quick success. On the one hand, I need to learn all kinds of coffee knowledge from experts, from planting, production to roasting, and also train roasters and other talents; on the other hand, We also need to give consumers a sense of cultural identity.”

After years of preparation, Guo Dong registered his own coffee trademark in Uganda, and has specialized coffee suppliers and coffee experts, selecting products from Uganda and Kenya. Coffee beans from Asia and Ethiopia. His first coffee shop was located in a star-rated hotel. The African-style decoration and authentic coffee were favored by many African envoys to China and also attracted many Chinese guests. At the same time, Guo Dong also sent African coffee beans to many star-rated hotels in Beijing, and hired roasters to grind them on site every week, winning a reputation.

In addition to introducing African coffee, Guo Dong is also actively promoting African culture and travels between Uganda and China. During the Beijing Olympics last year, he planned an exhibition of ancient African civilizations, displaying more than 300 pieces of ancient African art including wood carvings, ivory carvings, and ceramic sculptures. "At the end of this month, I will also organize an African food festival in Beijing, where there will be special foods from different regions in Africa."

Speaking of the current financial crisis, Guo Dong believes that this is both a crisis and a crisis. A “business opportunity” exists. "People always need a place to chat. A coffee house can be a place to release stress and relieve emotions. We can also introduce coffee culture to people at the same time."

Chi Wanfeng, Paris children's clothing wholesaler. Born in the 1970s from Wenzhou, he settled in France with his parents in the 1980s. Its company integrates design, production and sales of children's clothing, and its products are mainly sold to Europe.

Chi Wanfeng: Business is still booming despite the sluggish market

Rue Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris has another name: Children's Clothing Wholesale Street. The shopkeepers of more than a hundred merchants here are basically All are Chinese. For Chinese businessmen engaged in wholesale trade in Europe, 2008 was not an easy year, but Chi Wanfeng's business was still booming. "Our clothing has its own characteristics, so it can still attract customers from many European countries."

Children's clothing wholesale street has a long history and is well-known in Europe. In the past, mostly Jews ran shops here. Starting around 2000, Chinese businessmen began to gradually enter this street, and after a few years, Jewish companies were gradually "squeezed" out of the children's clothing street. Chi Wanfeng's store covers an area of ??about 160 square meters and mainly sells mid-range children's clothing. According to him, the company's garment factory is located in the suburbs of Paris, and its workers are mainly from China.

In 2008, affected by the financial crisis in the United States, the French economy was in recession, and many consumers began to "live frugally", making it much more difficult for Chinese wholesalers to do business. Chi Wanfeng admitted that many Chinese businessmen on the children's clothing street have indeed been affected, but his business has always been good. “First of all, our children’s clothing has styles that no one else has and is competitive; secondly, our customers are not only limited to France, but also sold to many European countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, and Greece, which diversifies the risks. For example, even if Carrefour supermarket in France gives me fewer orders, I can still receive orders from other countries," Chi Wanfeng said.

Most of Chi Wanfeng's children's clothing is made in France. Hundreds of fashionable children's clothing are launched every season, and the designer is Chi Wanfeng himself. He founded his own company at the age of 18 and never studied professional design. Instead, he became "self-taught" in practice and sought inspiration by watching a large number of fashion magazines and TV. "I will design based on the popular colors at the time, use the latest fabrics, and launch children's clothing based on the characteristics of different countries." Although his design capabilities are not as good as those of some large companies, Chi Wanfeng can bring new styles to the market in the shortest time, often Half a year ahead of big companies.

Chi Wanfeng will also import a small amount of clothing from China, but he will not sell it directly, but will reprocess the clothing. "The sizes of children's clothing in Europe are generally larger than those in China, and the colors they like are more elegant, so we have to re-dye and adjust the domestic clothing before it can be popular in the market." Chi Wanfeng's wholesale price for children's clothing is also more than ten euros. , so he can invest more in improving quality.

Unlike many old Chinese businessmen who do not understand the language and find it difficult to integrate into the local society, Chi Wanfeng studied in a French school since he was a child. He is familiar with French society and culture and has been working hard to promote the integration of Chinese businessmen. During the Spring Festival this year, the 10th arrondissement of Paris held an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year for the first time. Many Chinese red lanterns were hung along the Avenue Saint-Martin. As the president of the Sino-French Garment Industry Chamber of Commerce, Chi Wanfeng has made many efforts to promote this event. "Better communication with *** will help create an atmosphere for Chinese businessmen to live in harmony with local residents, which is very beneficial to our business."

Dialogue

Abroad Don’t expect to get rich overnight when starting a business

Reporter: Are you worried about the impact of the financial crisis?

Shen Jianyue: The financial crisis has indeed had a great impact, and many high-tech companies are laying off employees. Financing in North America is indeed more difficult now, and this has not been affected in China for the time being. However, as a company manager, I must consider how to survive the cold winter. I have now reduced the company's expenses in all aspects and retained only the necessary R&D personnel.

Guo Dong: The highlight of my career is actually the textile factory in Uganda, because the investment is as high as 25 million US dollars. The textile market is indeed not good this year, but as Prime Minister *** said when he visited Europe, we must have confidence. During the trough period, we must also increase investment in infrastructure, strengthen training for employees, and face it with an optimistic attitude.

Chi Wanfeng: The financial crisis will definitely have an impact on us, but I think the financial crisis also has benefits and will eliminate the weak. Take the children's clothing manufacturing and wholesale industry as an example. Some businesses lack creativity and only imitate others. They may "disappear" after the financial crisis. On the other hand, if some powerful businesses can withstand the impact, they will become more competitive after surviving.

Reporter: What is your biggest feeling over the years of starting a business?

Shen Jianyue: We must have the courage to take risks and face challenges. High-tech entrepreneurship requires a process. When I went from being a R&D worker to running my own company, I faced not only technical challenges, but also management challenges. Only with challenges can I feel a sense of accomplishment. You will encounter many difficulties when you first start a business. I remember the most difficult thing was Christmas 2000. At that time, we couldn’t pay our employees’ salaries, so I mortgaged my house to pay them.

Guo Dong: Keep a normal mind. Today's social economy is developing rapidly, and many people feel a lot of pressure, so they live very depressed and unhappy lives. I have lived in Africa for many years and I am deeply moved by the optimistic attitude of Africans towards life. In addition, development in Africa must be down-to-earth. The environment in Africa is now different from the past, and competition is fierce. You cannot expect to get rich overnight.

Chi Wanfeng: We must have an innovative spirit. My parents were originally in the clothing industry, but they mainly processed for others. When I started my own company, I decided to design and produce by myself, and I had to be creative. I couldn't be like others and constantly launch new products. . In addition, many details must be taken into consideration, such as whether the fabric is comfortable for children to wear and whether the style is suitable for children's sports. Only by satisfying customers and establishing a good reputation can stable development be achieved.

Reporter: What are your future plans?

Shen Jianyue: We strive to realize the industrialization of some fuel cells within three to five years, so that we can become a first-class company in this field. Currently, our companies in Shanghai and Wuxi focus on research and development, and the production base in Suzhou is under construction.

Guo Dong: Although textile factories play a large role in my career, coffee is my dream. Now many people want to join my coffee chain, but I am not in a hurry to open more stores. I still have to take my time to promote coffee culture and let Chinese people truly know the beauty of coffee.

Chi Wanfeng: I hope to return to China to set up a processing factory and create my own clothing brand. We have advanced designs, but the labor cost in France is too high. Setting up a processing factory in China can reduce clothing production costs and introduce advanced foreign production techniques into the country. (Liu Yi)

References:

1. You Shuya, Lu Shixun, etc. Recent measures of major countries in response to the global financial crisis

2. Zhao Wenheng, Wu Yuxin The impact of the global financial crisis and *** response policies on the innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises

3. Zeng Junzhou’s 2009 analysis of the impact of the financial crisis on R&D investment in various industries