China Business Blog and Podcast

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Today’s podcast is another light-hearted one, based on a humorous society-and-culture column Kent Kedl wrote for “that’s Shanghai” magazine, an English-language publication in China.

This podcast features Kent expounding on patience (or a lack thereof) in China. A wise man once told Kent, in his early days in China, “If you want to understand China, you must know what it means to be patient.” But that doesn’t mean everyone in China embraces the idea that “patience is a virtue.”

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Based on a humorous society and culture column Kent Kedl wrote for “that’s Shanghai” magazine, this podcast features a little rant about what Kent sees as excessive multitasking. Let’s just say, you shouldn’t hear a toilet flush on the other end of the business phone call you’re on.

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Kent Kedl shares the hilarious — and completely true — tale of his efforts to earn a driver’s license in Shanghai. Give a listen to learn about the Office of Telling People to go to Other Offices, the absurd questions that sound like a George Bush speech translated to Swahili and back to English, and the apparent irrelevance of actually getting behind the wheel of a car.

That’s right: After a series of tests of his blood pressure, vision, grip strength (seriously), question interpretation skills and ability to find his way around an unmarked maze of hallways, not once did Kent have to prove his skill at not hitting things or people. Welcome to Shanghai.