Departures
FLYING TO...
China & Hong Kong
THE philosopher Confucius, whose wise sayings helped shape the thinking of the 6th century BC society in which he lived, is back in vogue, writes Colin Ellson. Unbelievably, he’s once again popular with
the Chinese leadership that vilified him during Mao Tse Tung’s Cultural Revolution of 1949, when the Red Guards destroyed all the statues, historic landmarks, temples and texts associated with the sage. Today, Confucius is enjoying a revival, his thoughts exhumed and interwoven with those of the government overseeing the best- performing economy in the world, which grew by close to nine per cent last year. British companies could do worse than
heed one Confucian thought in particular: “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”
It does, indeed, take heart to tackle the often inscrutable Chinese market, but the rewards are there for the negotiating in a country of 1.3 billion consumers with an insatiable appetite for all things Western. The scope for expansion is vast: in 2009, Britain sent a mere two per cent of its exports to China, but they were worth £5billion. A recent joint UK Trade and Investment
and China-Britain Business Council guide to market entry sketches out the potential: “The Chinese government is pressing hard to improve infrastructure and social welfare,” it reports, “as well as targeting resources to develop China’s vast rural and interior regions, aiming to unleash domestic consumption among the wider population. Whether selling, trading, investing or franchising, China offers
opportunities in abundance to UK companies, large or small.” Chasing down Chinese companies to open
the order book or explore investment openings presents few logistical problem, with Taiwan’s China Airlines joining the SkyTeam airline alliance, allowing mutual access to extensive route networks. Of the six cities in our review, Beijing, Hong
Kong and Shanghai can be reached on direct flights from the UK, with a choice of carriers. The exceptions are Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shenzen, which can be accessed from a number of European and Gulf States gateways. Alternatively, transit via a major Chinese city, all of which have comprehensive domestic networks. Confucius, he say, go for it.
74 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
IMAGES © WWW.BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84