With all eyes on China for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the amount of media coverage and blog commentary on every aspect of China and Chinese life. Much (if not most) of what is said about China when not directly related to the Olympic Games is ignorant or exaggerated. Having studied Chinese culture and language for a few years and also lived in Greater China for several more, I have made it my personal mission to improve China's image to the outside world as well as spread a greater understanding about one of the world's largest cultural (note I did not use the word "ethnic") groups to those with little experience of Chinese people beyond their local eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet.
To that end, this will be the first in a series of articles aimed at analysing China in an objective manner using concepts I learnt, adapted or developed over the years. The concepts defined and used in these articles can actually be applied to most countries and should be used to gain a better understanding or a region prior to developing market entry or marketing strategies.
