I went to dinner with Robert, a Chinese guy who’s a futures trader. I first met Robert 12 years ago. Back then he was a scrapping young entrepreneur. 
Today he’s a wealthy currency trader who lives in a million dollar condo in Guangzhou, the Silicon Valley of China, where real estate is as expensive as San Diego.
LOTS of people have grown wealthy in China like Robert.
My first trip to China was in 2001. How much has China changed in that time?
Well… you know how much the Internet has changed since 2001? Dog years and all that? China has changed… about that much.
The US has not changed like that. Nor has Europe. If you drove down the street in anytown USA or anytown UK 13 years ago and you return to the same street
now, it probably doesn’t look different at all.
China looks WAY different. BIG TIME.
The kids were mesmerized by this tea-making ceremony on a river boat.
13 years ago there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no blogs, no social media. Google was a scrapping upstart with its strange white home page. Everyone used Windows 98 or ME or 2000. Computers crashed constantly.
Apple was barely a player, websites were FTP and HTML, spammers spammed with impunity.
China then vs. now is physically as different from then as the web. In 2001 China, an airport in a city the size of Atlanta might have a dozen terminals. People flying on planes were rare.
Only the rich had cars. Most walked everywhere or took the bus or train. You’d see strange jalopy contraptions with 2-stroke tractor engines sputtering down the street, carrying crops or packages or people.
In 2001 I took a bus ride to a Chinese mountain village with a guy named William. He carried a plastic bag with a newly decapitated chicken on the bus and gave it to his in-laws for dinner when he arrived. I slept that night on a straw bed a stone’s throw from the first bend in the Yangtze river where the
commander of the Red Army had crossed 60 years ago.
Our bus tickets cost $2.50. At the time, Bryan Todd was living in China quite
comfortably on a few hundred dollars per month.
So when I say Guangzhou real estate is now as expensive as San Diego… when you see Buick and Lexus and Mercedes in big cities… that’s a MASSIVE increase in standard of living, prices, and sophistication.
You can hardly fathom it. Multiply by 1.3 billion people and it’s just staggering.
The middle class in China today is HUGE. There is now a BIG market for selling international brands to Chinese citizens. LOTS of Chinese customers have the money.
A cup of tea in the old neighborhood costs 40 cents. But it costs 4 bucks in the modern cybercafe a mile down the street. And it’s not just westerners who buy that $4.00 Black Tea Latte. Rich Chinese buy it too.
Yes there are still lots of poor people in China. But to think of China as poor or backwards would be a mistake. I returned to China in 2014 and the amount that place has changed fries my brain.
We went out to dinner with Robert and some others. One of his friends was a high level corporate guy who’s held senior positions at both Chinese and US companies. He complains to me: “You can’t access Gmail in China. Why can’t Google just keep their political opinions to themselves and run their business like a business?”
That’s because Google won’t censor search results. Google’s been in a battle with the Chinese government for years. All Google properties are blocked in China.
I chuckle, because Google’s been steadily losing their ideals for the last 10 years. They just nixed exact match and phrase match in AdWords. The only reason I can discern is, it boosts their quarterly earnings. FOR NOW. None of their advertisers wanted that!
It will hurt them in the long run. I think it makes the company 5% less valuable long term. But I digress.
I reply: “Google has cultural values that are more important to them than money. When you search ‘Tiananmen Square’ on Google, the Chinese government wants them to hide what happened in 1989. Google is not willing to cover that up. Google is staying true their values.”
I chuckle because at least they still value *some* things over money. They are a long, long way from the idealistic dream-driven company they were in 2001.
He pushes back: “You Americans think freedom of speech is all important. Everybody wants to have a protest. Everyone wants to say their opinion.
“I grew up in Jianxi (same province where Zoe was born) and I lived there until I was 16.”
He’s 50 now.
“When I was growing up we had no food. The most cash I ever saw in anybody’s hand, ever, was 10 RMB ($1.50). When I went to college to study process engineering, I didn’t have enough money to buy fresh vegetables. I lived for months on preserved vegetables I’d brought from home.”
He continues: “I don’t measure success as saying whatever you want to say. I measure success by eating. I ask people: ‘Are you eating? Do you like your 3 meals a day?’
“Look at us today. Everyone has enough to eat. We have too much to eat.”
I notice we’re having this convo over a fabulous meal at a restaurant on a lake. I’m remembering how when I was a kid my mom would say “Eat your peas Perry, remember all those starving kids in China.” Those starving kids in China were HIM.
He says, “People say what they want to say in Africa and the Middle East. What does that get them? They have bloody revolutions. Citizens there don’t eat. People die. We don’t need 1.3 billion people in China to say whatever’s on their mind. We need 1.3 billion in China to be peaceful and eat.”
I believe in free speech as much as the next guy, but I have to admit he has a point. Do you want 1.3 billion ANGRY rioting people?
He wasn’t done. “That Occupy Hong Kong protest has been going on for months now. Protesters have been blocking streets, stopping people from going to their jobs. They’re hurting regular folks trying to live regular lives.
“I say to my friends, are you eating?”
As a practical matter, I cannot disagree with the man. The 13 years of steep vertical growth I’ve witnessed has happened under a more or less totalitarian government. That strips the gears of the Western mind. But you can’t deny that it’s happened.
And yes there are BIG problems in China. GARGANTUAN problems. Pollution so hideous you have to see it with your own two eyes to believe it. Visibility in Beijing on a typical day is 1 mile because of the smog. LA was never so bad.
80% of Chinese people living in choking levels of pollution. It’s so bad 10% of Chinese babies are born with birth defects. Westerners come to China and bring those kids home.
I asked him about corruption, which is rampant.
“It was very very bad until 2 years ago when Li Keqiang became Premier. The guys before him were all corrupt. Previous administrations were rotten from the top down. Corruption infected the government at every level.
“You had to bribe somebody in order to get ANYTHING done.”
He was far from the first person to tell me that.
“This guy is different. He is cleaning house big-time.”
He continued: “Corrupt politicians used to go to jail, walk in the front door and out the back. Now when they go to prison, they stay there. The head of security in China is married but has no children. That means the Chinese mafia can’t murder his kids. He’s afraid of no one. Corrupt officials are getting taken out left and right.”
I ask, “What personal values are driving Premier Li to purge China of its corruption?”
“The original Marxist values of government serving the people.”
“We had a close call,” he continues. “The guy who *almost* made it in power was so corrupt, his wife hired a hit man to kill a British journalist. Good thing word leaked out about that and he got caught, otherwise he could be running the place right now.”
He was optimistic about the direction the country is going. As were others I talked to. “People see these changes, and then they see stuff like Occupy Hong Kong and they’re not sure they want that route. They prefer to eat. They want to work things out in a more peaceful way.”
What will happen next in China? Anybody’s guess. Meanwhile we arrived at 4pm yesterday. I’m safe at home in the USA where we’ve got our own problems to deal with.
And… I just went from 5 kids to 6. My daughter went to college in September, and in came another in December.
ZJ is tight lipped about his feelings. Sometimes I watch the expression on his face and he seems distressed about all these changes. I sure would be. But mostly he’s just happy to play video games with his new brothers and watch American TV with Chinese subtitles.
I read him a bedtime story about saying goodnight to all the animals. He pronounced the name of each one. “Cat – Horse – Cow – Sheep – Deer.” We tucked him into his brand new bed last night, roomies with his 16 year old brother. It won’t be long before we can’t remember what it was like to not have #4 son.
The world is a complicated place. But life is sweet. Thanks for following us to China and back. Thanks for being part of Planet Perry too, cuz without our loyal customers and members, none of this would be possible.
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day.
Perry Marshall
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
20 Comments on “Internet Dog Years, 3 Meals a Day & Google vs. China”
Congrats Perry! There’re few virtues greater than this.
China is not doing well Perry. There’re millions living in abject poverty. The rich-poor gap is frightful. Other than that, the average Chinese does not have any sense of freedom – no freedom of belief or thought – just have a read about House Christians, Muslims in the North-West, Tibetan Buddhists, or Falun Gong practitioners, and many many more.
The atrocities happening in China are too many, that if I start to write about them, this comment will be much more longer than your blog post.
The kids in Hong Kong are protesting for their freedoms Perry, the same ones you and I take for granted. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sacrificing everything that stand for human dignity for three square meals a day, for prosperity – we have numerous examples from history till date of how well that has gone about.
I truly feel sorry for your friend Robert, along with millions of deluded Chinese, North Koreans and others who have been brainwashed and well-fed to believe that life is all about 3 square meals a day.
I’m from India. I’ve seen poverty up close. I have spent days without a single meal. I know hunger. But for me, I’m grateful to live in a democracy, and have freedom of thought. I’m grateful that I can believe in a faith of my choosing, even if I can’t gorge down sumptuous cuisines day after day. I’m grateful that I can keep my organs intact, without ever worrying that the government will capture me whenever they feel like, and rip them out to sell out for a profit in the world market.
If China is doing so well, why are there so many Chinese refugees all over the world? Why are they so eager to get out?
Perry, you have credibility. Whenever you mention something, lots of people read it. So, make sure you give both sides, and not leave people with a feeling that all’s well in China (and pollution doesn’t count, human lives do).
And, things are not getting better. It will not, unless the people wake up and starting thinking and making decisions on their own.
If you think there are no riots happening in China, and the people are peacefully living their lives within the totalitarian regime, then you’re grossly mistaken. No sane man is content when only his stomach is full – we’re not animals!
I’m not saying Google represents freedom of expression, or India or even the US is perfect. I’m just saying, you should know how to make distinctions between good and bad, between very good and little good, between very bad and the grossly unacceptable.
And, you should learn to make distinctions between the wonderful 5000-year old China of the yesteryears and the delusional Communist bubble it is now.
Apologies for the long post. But I hope you understand why I needed to write all this.
Thanks for writing. All is not well in China, that’s for sure. All I can do is share my slice of perspective.
Congrats Perry! There’re few virtues greater than this.
China is not doing well Perry. There’re millions living in abject poverty. The rich-poor gap is frightful. Other than that, the average Chinese does not have any sense of freedom – no freedom of belief or thought – just have a read about House Christians, Muslims in the North-West, Tibetan Buddhists, or Falun Gong practitioners, and many many more.
The atrocities happening in China are too many, that if I start to write about them, this comment will be much more longer than your blog post.
The kids in Hong Kong are protesting for their freedoms Perry, the same ones you and I take for granted. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sacrificing everything that stand for human dignity for three square meals a day, for prosperity – we have numerous examples from history till date of how well that has gone about.
I truly feel sorry for your friend Robert, along with millions of deluded Chinese, North Koreans and others who have been brainwashed and well-fed to believe that life is all about 3 square meals a day.
I’m from India. I’ve seen poverty up close. I have spent days without a single meal. I know hunger. But for me, I’m grateful to live in a democracy, and have freedom of thought. I’m grateful that I can believe in a faith of my choosing, even if I can’t gorge down sumptuous cuisines day after day. I’m grateful that I can keep my organs intact, without ever worrying that the government will capture me whenever they feel like, and rip them out to sell out for a profit in the world market.
If China is doing so well, why are there so many Chinese refugees all over the world? Why are they so eager to get out?
Perry, you have credibility. Whenever you mention something, lots of people read it. So, make sure you give both sides, and not leave people with a feeling that all’s well in China (and pollution doesn’t count, human lives do).
And, things are not getting better. It will not, unless the people wake up and starting thinking and making decisions on their own.
If you think there are no riots happening in China, and the people are peacefully living their lives within the totalitarian regime, then you’re grossly mistaken. No sane man is content when only his stomach is full – we’re not animals!
I’m not saying Google represents freedom of expression, or India or even the US is perfect. I’m just saying, you should know how to make distinctions between good and bad, between very good and little good, between very bad and the grossly unacceptable.
And, you should learn to make distinctions between the wonderful 5000-year old China of the yesteryears and the delusional Communist bubble it is now.
Apologies for the long post. But I hope you understand why I needed to write all this.
Thanks for writing. All is not well in China, that’s for sure. All I can do is share my slice of perspective.
Wish I would have known you were in China I am currently living in Chongqing at the moment. I have seen the Sunshine maybe once every 2 months. lol
Wish I would have known you were in China I am currently living in Chongqing at the moment. I have seen the Sunshine maybe once every 2 months. lol
Great story Perry and my prayer is that God bless you all greatly and inspire others to help those in need!
Blessings,
Orestes
Great story Perry and my prayer is that God bless you all greatly and inspire others to help those in need!
Blessings,
Orestes
Hey Perry, great blog post, as usual. Really enjoyed following your journey on the magical mystery tour known as China. Thanks so much for sharing!
This post also gave me lots of food for thought, as I just wasn’t comfortable with Robert’s either/or premise. So I ended up writing a post on my blog triggered by it. Not so much as a response per se, but using your post as a jumping off point, exploring what that type of perspective means in the dog world, and then circling back round. It was a great way to start exploring perceptions.
Happy Howlidays! (even though you’re not a dog person, it’s OK…maybe some day you’ll see the light ;-) )
Great blog post, Liz. I tweeted it. Thanks!
Hey Perry, great blog post, as usual. Really enjoyed following your journey on the magical mystery tour known as China. Thanks so much for sharing!
This post also gave me lots of food for thought, as I just wasn’t comfortable with Robert’s either/or premise. So I ended up writing a post on my blog triggered by it. Not so much as a response per se, but using your post as a jumping off point, exploring what that type of perspective means in the dog world, and then circling back round. It was a great way to start exploring perceptions.
Happy Howlidays! (even though you’re not a dog person, it’s OK…maybe some day you’ll see the light ;-) )
Great blog post, Liz. I tweeted it. Thanks!
Awesome story Perry. Thanks!
Great insights from a man that really knows how to tell a story.
Just loved the “internet/dog years” analogy,… that was so perfect.
God bless you and your family ,… you are an inspiration!
Awesome story Perry. Thanks!
Great insights from a man that really knows how to tell a story.
Just loved the “internet/dog years” analogy,… that was so perfect.
God bless you and your family ,… you are an inspiration!
Just a wonderful, wonderful story. The whole series.
Best of luck to your new little guy. I have a feeling I may be at a Perry Marshall seminar one of these days listening to a guy named ZJ making a presentation.
You may! He barely speaks English now, plus he’s not very talkative yet even in Chinese. But we can’t wait to hear his stories. They’re in there….
Just a wonderful, wonderful story. The whole series.
Best of luck to your new little guy. I have a feeling I may be at a Perry Marshall seminar one of these days listening to a guy named ZJ making a presentation.
You may! He barely speaks English now, plus he’s not very talkative yet even in Chinese. But we can’t wait to hear his stories. They’re in there….
Hey Mr Perry
Thanks for the “China invite”. And thanks for what you do. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)had a program called “Keeping What Matters In Sight”. The topics were very instructive – at least to me. It’s much more of a challenge to do that now…Keep What Matters In Sight…don’t you think? You get up each morning aiming to induce a positive change in someone, but with all the “hullabaloo”…
Thanks Perry for keeping IT real
Carl
Hey Mr Perry
Thanks for the “China invite”. And thanks for what you do. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)had a program called “Keeping What Matters In Sight”. The topics were very instructive – at least to me. It’s much more of a challenge to do that now…Keep What Matters In Sight…don’t you think? You get up each morning aiming to induce a positive change in someone, but with all the “hullabaloo”…
Thanks Perry for keeping IT real
Carl