Questions & Answers for
A. A vibrant generation of 200 million young individuals born between the years 1980 and 1989. China's Gen Y has been characterized by its optimism about the future, newfound affinity for consumerism, and full acceptance of its historic role in making modern China an international superpower. Marketers and companies have been actively pursuing this generation of consumers, but the American public is generally unaware of the significance and strength of these young individuals.
Q. Where did you get the idea to write on China's Generation Y?
A. I originally traveled to China with common American preconceptions and fears, fully convinced that I would see squalid conditions and relentlessly watchful communist guards, but I was terribly mistaken. I found neither depraved cities nor large, visible communist followings. Instead, I observed developed urban centers much like our own. There the youth were toiling, not so much in the fields and streets but in the classrooms, studying endlessly to attain the same or better living conditions as those enjoyed by Westerners. In contrast, I saw Western teens immediately rushing out of school to shop at malls or watch television at home, completely oblivious to the importance of China's Gen Y. That sharp contrast ultimately fueled my passion to write this book.
Q. Why write specifically on China and its youth?
A. It should be no surprise that China is rising both economically and politically. Chinese teens are highly equipped and motivated to take their country to new heights. Moreover, on a daily basis, they live among a sea of Western influences and are forced to determine the trends they will follow and traditions they will discard- a far cry from their parents' adolescence. What emerges is a more modern culture with Chinese characteristics, of which China's current teenagers are the architects. Ultimately, this generation will not only change the future of China, but also that of the world. I believe the insight gained from this book will help readers work with their future colleagues.
Q. What makes your book unique?
A. First, the book is written by a peer of China's Gen Y [me, age 18], giving readers an interesting and insightful perspective from a fellow teen who has lived in China. The book looks at the current beliefs and behaviors that will play a major role in global politics and economics. China's Generation Y is the only book of its kind covering the whole spectrum of the marketing potential of the youth while still appealing to non-businesspeople. In my book, the youth have the chance to speak with their own voices, not often the case in other books on China, which allows the Western Gen Y to communicate with their counterparts as if they were in front of them.
Q. What do you say to businesspeople that have a euphoric optimism about the coming superpower of China?
A. With China's further opening to the world and its tremendous growth, it's easy for anyone to be optimistic. Even the youth themselves have a seemingly unbreakable sense of optimism. But many business leaders frequently get carried away and do not acknowledge the problems facing China. Many overlook the fact that the country has an amorphous legal system that, in spite of China's perceived move toward democracy, has actually become stricter and still does not protect individual human rights. The country struggles with one of the world's largest socio-economic divides determined by geography, obviously posing political problems for the central government. The lack of understanding some in China have of their country's move to a market economy further compounds the trouble. And the list continues. Though these problems hinder its development, China currently has more advantages than weaknesses and has an admirable penchant for development that can explain its enormous growth.
Q. I am the VP of Marketing at a major retailing firm. How will your book help us to reach the China youth market?
A. First, China's Generation Y is highly unique in that it incorporates two chapters on the youth market and selling to the generation, covering their product wants, dreams, purchasing power, etc. Companies will learn what urges or holds China's Gen Y back from buying products, and how much the youth are willing to spend on a particular good. The book can also set the foundation for creating a strategic plan, clarifying, say, if a company needs to tailor its brand to the local China market or maintain its global strategy. SIS International Research (www.sisinternational.com), a venerated expert in corporate strategic planning and global marketing, could then fulfill any further need your firm would have to reach the lucrative China youth market.
Q. What impact do you believe the recent increase of value in China's currency will have for the United States?
A. Because of America's forced elimination of textile quotas, the movement of U.S. textile jobs to China and other factors, the U.S. government has applied pressure on the Chinese government to revalue the Chinese Yuan to help decrease the trade deficit with China. Perhaps seen by American leaders as a victory, the Yuan's tiny revaluation is more of a diversionary tactic used by the Chinese government to counteract protectionist policies taken by the Bush administration. If the Chinese government allowed its currency to fluctuate more, companies would certainly find ways to save profits. Therefore, this policy would not change the overwhelming U.S. deficit with China.
However, the issue illustrates several important changes in the global economy. First, it demonstrates the increasing importance of China in international commerce and the economic development of other major countries. Second, it shows the tenacity of Chinese leaders to maintain economic development at all costs. China's teens mostly do not concern themselves with small political feuds but would support this strategy as it affects the job market and their individual welfare. Third, the move shows a decreased American bargaining power at such negotiations. Ultimately, the revaluing is a sign of the economic tug of war that is emerging between the two economic powers, one in which China's Generation Y will soon play a significant role.
Q: In your opinion, who will be most interested in reading your book?
A. The publishing industry requires a specific target audience for a book; however, China Generation Y appeals to all spectrums of the population. The book is an invaluable asset for marketers and business executives who have come to realize that China's youth are the future in global commerce. It appeals to politicians who recognize the need to understand the youth and the environment in which they live to start forming public policy. China's Gen Y also appeals to Western university students and teenagers who know little about their fellow generation in the East and recognize they will be sitting with or across from them at the negotiating table 20 years from now. The book is also of interest to the general public that realizes the growing influence of China almost on a daily basis, either by lay-offs or daily media coverage
Q. What's this about your age?
A. I'm proud to be a 17-year old. My age has added credibility to the book-a fact devoid from other books on youth. America's Gen Y has grown up with relatively similar conditions and technologies as their counterparts in China, such as stability, economic growth, the Internet and mobile phones. Because of the poignant generation gap between parents and Gen Y teens, it takes a fellow youth's perspective with added knowledge of China's history and culture to compare them to America's Gen Y. Ironically, it wasn't my experience or knowledge that posed a hindrance in the creation of the book but the preconceptions of youth in others.
Q. What has influenced the content of your writing?
A. My study and work in the fields of economics and anthropology have imparted a profound understanding of the cultural changes currently sweeping China. Moreover, extensive travel and foreign language study have helped me to distinguish cultural differences. In addition, my exposure to the international marketing industry has helped me to analyze the youth within a business perspective.