It has been some time now since being back from my trip to Shanghai, China, in May, visiting the China Medical Equipment Fair, the second largest Medical Device Expo in the world. I think it is worth mentioning some interesting points. The reason for my visit was mainly to visit some of the manufacturers of medical equipment, learn more about the Chinese culture and browse through some of the newest technologies available.
After being back in South Africa I realized how much I have learned about the people in China. The general impression I had about people there are that they tend to do things fast and not necessarily with precision in mind, but rather to get as much done as possible. This has come as a revelation of some kind and it was enlightening to realize why. The population in China is around 1.7 Billion. The population in Shanghai, the city where I spent most of my time, is around 27 Million. That is more than half the population of South Africa in one city! To keep things organized in such a huge city obviously needs on an individual as well as on community level a sense of respect for oneself and another, self-responsibility as well as the ability to get things done as fast as possible. The possible reason why, in general, things are done sometimes in a suboptimal quality though, is because to compete in such a large and diverse environment, an individual (whether a company or person) must get things done before the other individual. This makes the startup individual or company a certain urgency to get the products out there into the market.
I have realized though, that the Chinese definitely has a huge proudness in their work. With my visit to China Medical Equipment Fair, CMEF in 2017, I have realized, how with the proper praise, encouragement and clear communication, one can create amazing business opportunities and exceptional quality of products.
