1. Richard Conrad - Chinese Thinking and Economics
Richard is the author of Culture Hacks, an incredibly insightful book that dissects the differences between Chinese, Japanese, and American thinking.
In the introduction to Culture Hacks, Richard says his goal was to “write the book I wish I’d read when I first moved to Asia.” In the book, he shares a number of personal anecdotes that helped me understand Chinese thinking at a more fundamental level and helped me make better sense of some of my China experiences.
Like myself, Richard is an American who moved to Asia after college with little knowledge of local languages or cultures. After living in Japan for a couple of years, Richard moved to China and eventually studied Economics as a local student at Fudan University in Shanghai, at a time when that was more or less unprecedented. Today, Richard lives in Tokyo and works in equities investment.
In this episode, I talk to Richard about his journey in China, how he learned Chinese so well, how the Chinese think, and his predictions for China’s future.
Thanks for listening!
Richard’s Favorite/Most Useful Chinese Idioms:
塞翁失馬，焉知非福
Sài Wēng Shī Mǎ, yān zhī fēi fú
An old man loses his horse, how to know if it’s good or bad?
上有政策, 下有对策
Shàng yǒu zhèng cè, xià you duì cè
Rules come from above, countermeasures come from below
争先恐后
Zhēng xiān kǒng hòu
Fight for the front, fear the rear
