The Mao of Business

In the past 20 years there has been an avalanche of books and articles on doing business in Asia, using what are commonly referred to as "Asian values." Most of these books rely upon the works of the Chinese classics, such Sun Tzu's The Art of War, or by classical Japanese authors such as Musashi's Book of Five Rings.

Peter Levenda, a seasoned trader with more than 20 years of experience dealing extensively (and successfully) with the Chinese market, contends that such books don't prepare anyone for the mundane practicalities of handling a Chinese business negotiation. They do a disservice by implying that a knowledge of Chinese classical literature will adequately prepare one for the intense experience of selling to (or buying from) the Chinese and they tend to ignore one essential fact about the central Chinese experience of the last 60 years: the Communist Revolution and the enigma of Chairman Mao Ze Dong.

In The Mao of Business, Levenda reveals the secrets of the day-to-day negotiations, project identification, financing, distribution, the ubiquitous sales agent, and the inescapable business banquet in China-that beautiful but occasionally hostile environment. Since 1984 Levenda has traveled continuously to China and has visited every province (except Tibet) in the search for profitable business relationships. During that time he realized the extent to which the sayings of Chairman Mao exerted an influence over the minds and activities of his customers, and he was never without his own copy of the Little Red Book.