This is a very detailed discussion on how a Business KTV works in China. This is a pretty large multi-part post. It was originally posted HERE, but it soon became problematic as the videos would not load and the SEO flags weren’t being picked up by the search engines. So I broke it down into smaller bite-sized posts. It’s faster to load, easier to read, and you can see all the videos without problem. Enjoy.
This is part 1 of 17.
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Introduction
One of the first things that the Interns ask me when they come to work for me, is “what is it like doing business in China”. To which I must answer, “it is really, really different.” Work is work, and business is business. That being said, in China there is a particular aspect that has a great deal of importance. This is [1] the concept called “face” or “mingzi”. The second most important aspect is [2] friendships, or Guangxi.
- Mingzi is “face“. It is your overall appearance, and reputation.
- Guangxi is “relationship“. It is your status as a friend, a business partner and overall value as a person.
While, the Chinese boss and businessman would be very happy to take your money and make a ” doohickey” for you. He won’t treat you very special, even if you promise him ten million dollars of business. You will be just another smuck from the West that he is dealing with. You are just a potential client. You have not yet “earned your stripes”.
The key to getting your product or service taken cared for, is to build up a relationship with the factory boss.
Heck, we all know this. In fact, in America we have been taught that businesses are based upon relationships. Yet, strange things is, with the current crops of MBA’s that are exiting universities, they seem to think that people are numbers in a ledger, and quite disposable.
This is true, whether or not the latest crop of millennials want to recognize that reality.
Not so in China.
While in the USA, you might get a visitor from another country, and say good-bye to him at the end of the day. The Chinese will expect to share a meal with you. They will expect a tour of the local surroundings, and some local cuisine. (As would most businessmen from other nations.) When in China, you will be given the “royal treatment”, as the opportunity that you offer the factory is considered valuable.
You would also be expected to smoke, and drink to excess. In China, powerful bosses all can eat, drink and party to excess. The ideal “big boss” in China is a cross between Tony Soprano and Attila the Hun. If you cannot meet their expectations, then any contract that you sign with them will be a weak one.
The ideal "big boss" in China is a cross between Tony Soprano and Attila the Hun. If you cannot meet their expectations, then any contract that you sign with them will be a weak one.
Your goal is to facilitate a strong contract, and a solid working relationship. Anything less is a waste of your time.
Aside from the factory tour, and discussions over tea and cigarettes (I like to call it “death” by tea and cigarettes.), you will be given a chance to “freshen up” in your hotel room prior to the evening festivities. A driver will take you to your hotel, and you and your aide will be escorted to your room where you can rest (often from jet lag), check your emails, write a report (if you are in a big company), and chill out. I like to use this time to take a shower and a short 90 minute nap. But, that’s just me.
The bottom line is that you and your hosts know what will transpire in the next 12 hours or so…
- Tea Ritual
- Pre-drinking fun
- Dinner
- Move to the party
- Selection process
- Chinese KTV
- Night in the hotel
- Breakfast
- Return home
You can expect something like this…
And maybe, if you are lucky (or important enough) something like this…
Hotel Pickup
Usually, before the car comes and the girls pick you up (typically the aides and Marketing Manager is female), I tend to go down to the VinGo (a HK version of 7-11) in the lobby and pick up some anti-drunk medicine.
In fact, truth be told, you should always have [1] some aspirin or Tylenol, [2] stomach medicine, and [3] some ED medicine if you are over 30. The anti-drunk medicine is a vial of liquid that you drink during dinner, say about thirty minutes before you eat. It helps to neutralize the effects of alcohol in your body so that you won’t get too drunk too fast. It won’t take away from your enjoyment, but it will help you.
This also goes by the name of dihydromyricetin, or DHM .
After all, you can now expect a solid six to eight hours of hard drinking. (That’s pretty much the norm whether you go to a Chinese KTV or not.) So, you need to be prepared. After all, your body will be affected by the alcohol.
That is an entire night of HARD drinking of HARD alcohol.
This means that you will need to take some medicine beforehand. In China, of course, you don’t need prescriptions for most medicines. That’s only in America. The rest of the world expects people to be responsible with their own bodies.
You you can just get the ED medication at the counter. Just write the name on a slip of paper and the chick behind the counter will give it to you.
Viagra is around 125 RMB, or around $20/pill. But you can by the local generic version for 200 RMB for 20 pills, or 10 RMB/pill (around $1.25).
Cialis is the medicine of choice for us older gentleman. But you will need to pay for it in the full outrageous American price. Figure around 135 RMB/pill. Yikes!
Of course, there are other options if you are capable and able. I think that the best option is PT-141, but it’s illegal in the United States. Chances are that you won’t have a refrigerator in your hotel room to store it in. Trust me, PT-141 is THE medication for all us older men. If you can obtain it.
Special Medicine for Drinking
There is medicine that can be used to control the rate of absorption of the alcohol that you drink. It is available freely in China, and of course you do not need a prescription for it. Here is a photo of the box and the medicine. The dosage is that you take four tablets one half hour before you start drinking.
Anyways…
Since the chances are that you will be in the Southern China section, make sure that you change your underwear. It is tropical, and you will need to take multiple showers and use ample deodorant.
Chances are that you will stay in your hotel, unless the factory boss has made other arrangements. Some of the better business KTV’s have rooms upstairs. In any event, make sure that your “wingman” or aide (male or female) fully understands that you will be the one who will give all the face.
As such… They must restrain their drinking. They must watch the belongings, and your passport. And, they must keep an eye out so that no problems befall you.
Typically, my aide is an employee. Depending on the situation, I’ve had one of my Chinese engineers (fluent in English) come with me, or my Marketing Manager (female Chinese-born Canadian) who would be with me. Now, you might think that the woman would be all hot and bothered about conducting this kind of business relationship (smoking, drinking, singing, dancing, and girls), but that hasn’t been the case at all. In fact, she welcomed it. Heck, you should have seen her the next morning all beaming and happy.
Now, everyone would get their own individual room. And we would all agree on a time to meet. Typically, one person (never myself) gathers everyone up to go down to the lobby and get into the car.
Caution about drinking
I used to drink with abandon. This is because I would drink every night, and so going out to the KTV or a bar was not a big thing to me. However, I do think that it is prudent for everyone to control their intake of alcohol. Here are some good suggestions on how to control your intake…
- Eat first. When you consume alcohol it sits in your stomach while it waits to be processed. If you don’t have food in there, the alcohol will process faster and at one time. If you have food in your belly, the alcohol will enter your system more slowly and at a varied pace thus lessening the effects of alcohol immediately. (This is hard to manage, but if you are careful it is possible.) Eat a lot at dinner. What you do eat, make sure that it will be filling and absorb the alcohol… like rice. Eat a lot of rice.
- Drink slowly. For the same reason that you want food in your stomach, drinking slowly will allow your body to process the alcohol over a period of time. Whereas, if you inundate your body with alcohol, it will be more difficult to process. (This is also difficult to manage, but do try your best.)
- Choose your beverages carefully. If possible, choose alcohols with fewer congeners (substances that are also produced during the fermentation process), which are less likely to cause a hangover. Light-colored beers and white wine have fewer congeners than darker beers and harder liquors. Stay away from brandy, whisky, and red wine. (as if…) But, Clearer alcohols like Baijiu, vodka, gin, and white rum are good options.
- Drink plenty of water. Drink water throughout the day before you start drinking alcohol and drink water in between alcoholic beverages. As one of the key causes of a hangover is dehydration, the more you do to combat it beforehand the better. If you have a hangover, be sure to drink plenty of water as well. Or, you might want to…
- Drink sports drinks. In addition to water, these isotonic sports drinks can quickly replenish the fluids in your body, while adding carbohydrates needed for energy and electrolytes to your system.
- Drink some orange juice. Vitamin C, specifically, helps replenish energy, which is vital when the lethargic power of a hangover kicks in. The fructose found in many types of juices will help replenish sugars in your body depleted in order to process the alcohol you’ve consumed.
- Take Ibuprofen, naproxen, and other prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). These medications can help numb that pounding headache. Follow the instructions on the bottle.
- Take a B6 supplement. B6 will help revitalize your body.
Cigarettes
You will be offered cigarettes. If you want to give the boss face, you WILL smoke them. This is a way of “breaking the ice” and building friendships.
Smoke the Cigarettes offered to you.
Often they will offer you expensive cigarettes, or if you are an American, an imported American brand to show deference to you. Accept it, and smoke them showing your appreciation. Everything that you do is a way of giving “face” to those around you.
I would accept these cigarettes even though for many, many years, I never smoked. Thus, for the longest time, I never inhaled, I just smoked and let the smoke swirl in my mouth. You know, you do what you need to do.
In any event, they will offer you the most expensive cigarettes available to you. This is to give you face and show their respect for you.
Show them that you appreciate this gesture.
You take the cigarette and allow an underling to light it for you. You should NEVER light it yourself. That is not your place in this environment. They might give you a menthol filter to use, if offered, take it. It’s kind of fun.
The cigarettes will more than likely be expensive and strong. When I refer to this ritual as “death by cigarettes and tea”, I am not kidding. Sometimes, I need to excuse myself to go to the bathroom to throw up. The nicotine is that strong.
Here are the most expensive brands of cigarettes in China…
- Huang He Lou 1916 黄鹤楼1916 – RMB8500/carton
- Liqun 利群 – RMB1900/carton
- Zhenlong 真龙 – RMB1900/carton
- Zuan Shi (or Diamond) 钻石 – RMB1800/carton
- Dong Chong Xia Cao 冬虫夏草 – RMB1600/carton
- Zi Qi Dong Lai (or New Century) 紫气东来 – RMB1400/carton
- Xiong Mao (or Panda) 熊猫 -RMB1200/carton
- Huaxicun 1961 华西村 – RMB1200/carton
- Hao Rizi 好日子 – RMB1000/carton
- Hongtashan 红塔山 – RMB500/carton
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The Chinese Business KTV Experience
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