I just returned from an amazing trip in China. I have heard from many, many people who have traveled there say, “you will not believe what is going on over there” . . . or “if you want to know where all the cranes [construction] are . . . visit Shanghai, you’ll be amazed.” And, while both of these statements are consistent with my experience, the thing that amazed me the most is how similar a capitalist and a communist state look. In fact, they not only look alike, they act alike.

I am sure that Shanghai is not typical of China as a whole, much like New York is not a reflection of the entire US. And like New York, Shanghai has many influences that are blending together to create an exciting and vibrant urban environment.

The purpose of my trip was to attend LUXE PACK. Our firm is a founding partner of GDS, which is a global alliance of independent brand consulting firms. Last November, our partner from Taipei suggested that we travel to Shanghai to evaluate the increasing business opportunities that she has observed in the China market. While it is too early to tell what opportunities exist, our GDS Alliance received many requests for additional information at LUXE PACK, had two interviews with members of the local marketing media, and received several meeting requests regarding specific projects.

One evening we had dinner with a client of our Taipei partner. It was a delightful time highlighted by great food and conversation. At one point we even got philosophical discussing how our respective cultures are actually much more similar than our governments and media preach. In fact, we joked that if life forms from another planet were to compare New York and Shanghai, they would most likely say that, with the exception of being on opposite sides of the planet, the people behave in a very similar manner.

Say tuned . . . more to come on our China story . . .